Synthetic peptides, which have sequences identical to the natural ones isolated from the bacteria, prepared in the lab showed antimicrobial activity. This makes culturing of bacteria for peptides redundant and developing new antimicrobial compounds a step closer. Bacteria found on the skin are known to harbour a large repertoire of antimicrobial agents. A new bacterial … Continue reading IGIB scientists discover a skin bacterium with antimicrobial activity
Scientific Reports
ISI Kolkata discovers reptiles with horns that came 100 million years before dinosaurs
The discovery of adult reptile fossil bones without horns indicates sexual dimorphism. Scientists at the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute have discovered fossil remains of horned reptiles about 245 million years old (early Middle Triassic) from the Satpura Gondwana basin in Madhya Pradesh. The reptile is a new genus and has been named Shringasaurus indicus. The … Continue reading ISI Kolkata discovers reptiles with horns that came 100 million years before dinosaurs
IGIB uses novel drug discovery approach to identify drug targets in TB bacteria
In a completely different approach to drug discovery, a team led by Dr. Samir K. Brahmachari at Delhi’s CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) has used a combination of approaches to predict potential drug targets in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the TB causing bacteria. The novel method not only helps in speeding up drug discovery by … Continue reading IGIB uses novel drug discovery approach to identify drug targets in TB bacteria
CCMB: Can alpha chain of clusterin protein control weight, fat gain in animals?
The two chains of clusterin protein, which are normally expressed in several tissues and can be found in several body fluids, when present together tend to lower lipid levels but administration of one of its chains — alpha or beta — results in completely different outcomes. Cells treated with a recombinant beta chain tend to … Continue reading CCMB: Can alpha chain of clusterin protein control weight, fat gain in animals?
IIT Bombay: Urbanisation has not led to hotter summer days for many Indian cities
Contrary to common notion, a “majority” of 84 cities across India, particularly those in central India and Gangetic Basin, have lower daytime temperature from March to May compared with the surrounding non-urban areas (taken as 1 km radius of the city). Cities with heavily built-up areas and concrete structures are supposed to have higher temperature … Continue reading IIT Bombay: Urbanisation has not led to hotter summer days for many Indian cities
IIT Kanpur unravels brown carbon’s effect on atmospheric warming
The effect of biomass burning in increasing the atmospheric aerosol and in turn the atmospheric warming through light absorption has been clearly highlighted in a study carried out by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. While the role of black carbon produced by biomass burning in increasing the atmospheric … Continue reading IIT Kanpur unravels brown carbon’s effect on atmospheric warming
NCBS researchers find a biomarker for stress-induced memory loss
Timely intervention to prevent or delay hippocampus-linked memory loss that occurs as a result of chronic stress may now be possible, thanks to the discovery of a biomarker — a reduction in hippocampal volume at an early time point after the onset of chronic stress. The reduction in the hippocampal volume is not only linked … Continue reading NCBS researchers find a biomarker for stress-induced memory loss
IISc researchers find a novel, cheaper way to prevent sepsis
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore have demonstrated a cheap and efficacious way of neutralising bacterial endotoxins in blood that cause sepsis. It involves administering a protein into the body of mice. The protein (bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein or BPI) was produced using a novel process. The results were published on September 20 in the journal Scientific Reports. … Continue reading IISc researchers find a novel, cheaper way to prevent sepsis
IIT Bombay: Extreme rainfall not associated with local warming
A study carried out by researchers at IIT Bombay has found that extreme rainfall events over India do not have significant association with land surface air temperature over India and sea surface temperature over central Indian Ocean. The results are contrary to the general notion that global warming or increased summer temperature is responsible for … Continue reading IIT Bombay: Extreme rainfall not associated with local warming
Nano particles pack a mega medicinal punch in green tea
It is well known that green tea has many medicinal properties — antibacterial activity, protective effect against many types of cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties, to name a few. But all these benefits have been based on studying the infusion that is got when tea bags are dipped into hot water for about 3-4 minutes to allow the active components to … Continue reading Nano particles pack a mega medicinal punch in green tea
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