The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
Helicobacter pylori , the gut bacterium that causes ulcer and cancer, has troubled scientists for a while. The bug manages to survive in the acidic environment of our stomach. Scientists assumed that urease, an enzyme found on its surface, broke down urea to produce ammonia, which neutralised the acid. George …
Bio-remediation, a process in which bacteria clean contaminated soil and water, is proving useful in cleaning the environment. Says Ryuichiro Kurane of the Industrial Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, this can be done by increasing the activity of existing bacteria by stimulating them with nutrients such as phosphorus. Another is …
first-hand accounts of scientific breakthroughs always make interesting reading. Luc Montagnier's account of the fascinating discovery of the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ( aids) is no exception. In the early 1980s, there was growing evidence about the existence of the virus which was later held responsible for causing …
Australian scientists say that they have discovered the smallest form of life, apparently far smaller than any known bacterium. Called nanobes, because their size is in the realm of nanometres (or one billionth of a metre), they are 20 to 150 nanometres in length and are smaller than cells. Scientists …
one is a notorious human pathogen, the other a highly successful pesticide. But just a few mobile dna genes separate them. Lars Andrup of the National Institute of Occupational Health in Copenhagen, Denmark has identified a novel gene-swapping system that enables Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) to exchange an unusually …
They could be the first visitors from Mars. Astronomers have reported the discovery of a tough but peaceful pair of bacteria that might have been able to survive the ardous trip from Mars. "They don't cause any disease, they are very peaceful,' says scientist Curt Mileikowsky of the Royal Institute …
bacteria contains genes that give instructions to make proteins, which cause infections. In other words, in the absence of these genes, the bacteria does not harm its host. Called virulence genes, they may code for a protein that helps the bacterium stick firmly to the host. Or it may encode …
according to an article published in the science journal Biologist by Matthieu D Barrett and Steven M Smith of the University of Edinburgh, uk, when plants and microorganisms
Hurricane Floyd, which lashed the east coast of the US recently has caused a tremendous growth of algae. Scientists from Carnegie University of Washington have found that the photosynthetic activity of phytoplankton off the coast of North Carolina increased five-fold in the four days after Hurricane Gordon in 1994. "The …
An outbreak of Escherichia coli (E coli) bacteria has affected around 750 people in New York. The number may exceed 1,000, says Antonia Novello, New York's health commissioner. Experts feel this outbreak could be much worse than the one in 1993, when 700 people were affected, four of whom died. …
new biofertiliser: Hyderabad-based Pratistha Industries Limited has come up with an indigenous technology to produce biofertiliser and protein-rich animal feed from maize waste. This technology has already been marketed by a Secunderabad-based entrepreneur, said K V S S Sriram, managing director of the company. The Thapar Corporate Research and Development …
many institutions formed by human societies are designed so that they can function only when a prescribed minimum number of members are present. Familiar instances are parliaments and boards of management. The idea, presumably, is to ensure that a handful of individuals do not hijack the institution. Curiously, cellular and …
not very long ago, scientists disproved the widely held belief that it is not curry, worry and hurry that cause stomach ulcers but the wily bacterium Helicobacter pylori . This germ has since been implicated in a wide variety of gastrointestinal diseases from stomach inflammation to ulcers and even cancer. …
should the last known samples of the smallpox virus be destroyed or preserved for medical research? Or, should the vials of virus continue to remain in deep-freeze in case a future enemy develops it into a biological weapon? These are some of the questions at the heart of an on-going …
according to Canadian scientists at the life sciences firm AstraZeneca, chicken and cow manure, old newspapers, straw and wood chips, can be used to clean up land contaminated with dangerous chlorinated pesticides such as ddt. The team came up with the alternative using local bacteria that feed on organic waste …
it is not only humans that have understood the importance of sticking together for success. For long we have known that animals also keep together for survival. But few expected that tiny microbes also adopt this strategy to ward off the efforts of drugs and doctors to finish them. Now …
the first equal-arm balance was used by the ancient Egyptians some 5,000 years ago. The ancient Romans further improved the balance. In the 18th century came the use of edges of knives. In more recent times, accurate electrical balances replaced the balance in most laboratories. But now, researchers at the …
The world is shrinking for Santosh Kumar Manjhi. Bedridden for the past few months, the boy looks much too young for his 13 years of age. His world is limited to his small room in village Capshar in district Saran of northern Bihar. His stomach is swollen, his body reduced …
