Contrary to popular belief that high altitudes were inhabited only by modern humans less than 40,000 years ago, fossil remains conclusively prove that Denisovans lived there 160,000 years ago. Denisovans adapted to low-oxygen environment long before modern humans arrived on the plateau. Analysis of a fossil jawbone containing molars recovered from Baishiya Karst cave in … Continue reading Denisovans inhabited Tibetan Plateau 120,000 years before modern humans
Nature
Why gulping water quenches thirst
The neural mechanism that signals thirst and the thirst inhibitory neurons which signal to stop drinking have been deciphered. The research unravels how the thirst inhibitory neurons signal to stop drinking based on the speed of intake of the liquid. It responds to intake of only liquids. Wonder why both animals and humans tend to … Continue reading Why gulping water quenches thirst
Scientists edit a disease-causing mutation from genes in human embryos
As scientists repair a genetic mutation in a human embryo, the ethical debate has been revived. Scientists have for the first time managed to edit genes in a human embryo to repair a genetic mutation, fuelling hopes that such procedures may one day be available outside laboratory conditions. In results announced in Nature a few days … Continue reading Scientists edit a disease-causing mutation from genes in human embryos
Controling HIV-like virus in monkeys by early intervention
In an interesting study, the immune system of monkeys was found capable of controlling HIV-like virus (simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)) when treatment with a combination of two broadly neutralising antibodies was started three days after infection. The immune system of the animals was found to control the virus even after the anti-HIV antibodies were no … Continue reading Controling HIV-like virus in monkeys by early intervention
Indian researcher uses light to speed up electronics by one million times
A researcher from India has taken the first definitive step to produce high-speed electronic devices that can operate one million times faster than modern electronics. At Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, Manish Garg and other researchers used laser light to generate very high frequency electric current inside a solid material. The … Continue reading Indian researcher uses light to speed up electronics by one million times
A novel compound prevents, cures malaria
In a pathbreaking discovery, scientists from New Delhi’s International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and other institutions have isolated a compound that is able to completely clear malaria parasites with just a single, low-dose treatment. The compound acts on all three life stages of the malaria parasite, has prophylactic property … Continue reading A novel compound prevents, cures malaria
A novel, powerful antibiotic found inside human nose
A novel antibiotic — lugdunin — produced by a bacterium found inside the human nose has been found to kill the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including drug-resistant forms such as the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The study found S. aureus does not develop resistance against the novel antibiotic. The findings could aid the development of new … Continue reading A novel, powerful antibiotic found inside human nose
First CRISPR trial on humans set to begin
On June 21, the National Institutes of Health gave permission for starting the first ever clinical trial using CRISPR genome-editing technology, Nature news notes. The trial, which will begin before the end of the year, will be carried out on 18 cancer patients to “help augment cancer therapies that rely on enlisting a patient’s T … Continue reading First CRISPR trial on humans set to begin
Potential drug target identified for Zika virus
At a time when no vaccines or therapeutic drugs are available against Zika and other diseases caused by flaviviruses, researchers have successfully found that disabling or silencing one single gene can effectively leave the flaviviruses unable to leave the cell that has been infected, thereby preventing the spread of infection. Unlike bacteria, viruses must necessarily … Continue reading Potential drug target identified for Zika virus
Landmark experiment improves coral calcification by 7% in Great Barrier Reef
A first-of-its kind, field-controlled experiment carried out for 22 days between September 16, 2014 and October 10, 2014 in a natural coral-reef community in the Great Barrier Reef has allowed scientists to unequivocally show the detrimental effects of ocean acidification on coral reefs across the world. According to the study published on February 25 in … Continue reading Landmark experiment improves coral calcification by 7% in Great Barrier Reef
Science Chronicle 