Instead of using pesticides, painting cows with zebra-like stripes led to 50% reduction in the number of biting flies. As a result, cows painted with white stripes showed 20% reduction in fly-repelling behaviour. Painting cows with zebra-like stripes may be a simple strategy to keep biting flies at bay. There was over 50% reduction in … Continue reading Painting cows with zebra stripes cuts insect attacks
PLOS ONE
Ostriches existed in India over 25,000 years ago, DNA evidence shows
Based on a DNA analysis of a fossilised eggshell fragment of ostrich, Indian researchers have for the first time found molecular evidence to confirm the presence of these birds in India more than 25,000 years ago. Scientists found 92% genetic similarity between the fossil eggshell samples and Struthio camelus, an ostrich species found in Africa. … Continue reading Ostriches existed in India over 25,000 years ago, DNA evidence shows
IIT Madras researchers study the role of mushroom spores in atmospheric bioaerosols
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have for the first time, over the Indian region, demonstrated the potential role of mushroom spores in atmospheric bioaerosols. While others have studied the diversity and distribution of mushroom and the presence of mushroom spores in atmospheric aerosol separately, the IIT team has proven the role … Continue reading IIT Madras researchers study the role of mushroom spores in atmospheric bioaerosols
Surplus river basins in India face drop in rainfall, IIT researchers say
A study carried out by a team of researchers from IIT Madras and IIT Bombay has found a decrease in spatial variability of mean monsoon rainfall over major river basins in India. While there is a statistically significant decrease in the monsoon rainfall over major water surplus river basins, there is no statistically significant increase … Continue reading Surplus river basins in India face drop in rainfall, IIT researchers say
CSIR sends a strong message to Indian scientists
In a rare and highly commendable move that has sent out a strong message to the Indian scientific community, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has dismissed a senior scientist working at the Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) over serious charges of data fabrication in at least seven papers published in peer-reviewed journals. … Continue reading CSIR sends a strong message to Indian scientists
CSIR: IMTECH scientist sacked for fabricating data
Swaranjit Singh Cameotra, a senior scientist at the Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), a CSIR lab, has been removed from service early this month for fabricating data in three papers published in 2013 (April 17, October 1 and October 8) in a scientific journal PLOS ONE. All the three papers were retracted by the … Continue reading CSIR: IMTECH scientist sacked for fabricating data
Hyping up the benefits of private cord blood banking
A first-of-its-kind study carried out in India, published on May 26 in the journal PLOS ONE, has revealed that the general understanding of umbilical cord blood banking is “poor”. Only 26.5 per cent of the 254 women studied knew what it meant. Besides poor awareness, one-third of the women studied had “unrealistic expectations” from cord … Continue reading Hyping up the benefits of private cord blood banking
One minute of hard exercise thrice a week has great health benefits
“I don’t have the time to exercise” can no longer be an excuse. A single minute of very intense exercise per week can produce similar health benefits as 45 minutes of continuous, moderate-intensity cycling a week, a study found. Even the one minute exercise was split into three short bouts of 20 seconds separated by … Continue reading One minute of hard exercise thrice a week has great health benefits
Treating sugar addiction to reverse obesity prevalence
In the last 30 years, the number of obese people in the world has been steadily increasing. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these, over 600 million were obese. And 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or … Continue reading Treating sugar addiction to reverse obesity prevalence
Novel approaches to fight Aedes aegypti mosquito
An estimated 390 million dengue infections occurring each year across 150-odd countries is proof that the current mosquito control measures are grossly inadequate to keep the Aedes species, the vector that transmits dengue, chikungunya and Zika, under check. In Brazil, more than 1.5 million people were affected by Zika last year. That the virus has … Continue reading Novel approaches to fight Aedes aegypti mosquito
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