Setbacks in quest for a cure to AIDS
Scientists share concerns about inconclusive evidence that links a promising new drug to birth defects- Scientists reported several setbacks in the quest for a cure to AIDS on Tuesday, highlighting concerns about inconclusive evidence that links a promising new drug to birth defects at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.
Emerging antimicrobial resistance in leprosy
A six-year study carried out across 19 countries has now shown that antimicrobial resistance is emerging in leprosy cases. This global data shows that a total of 8% of the Mycobacterium leprae bacterial strains studied showed gene mutations conferring resistance towards drugs such as rifampicin, dapsone and ofloxacin.
Gaps in India’s digital accessible information on bird occurrence
With citizen science, especially in bird sightings, taking off in the country, scientists tried to use these online data to study if bird occurrence has altered across India over time. Though a lot of information is available after the 2000s, they found very little data before 1980 has been made available digitally, making comparisons impossible.
Flying into trouble: Harriers decline as grasslands disappear
Harrier birds, a migratory raptor species that regularly visits vast swathes of India, are declining.
IISc, IIT-D chosen for special grants
Six higher education institutions including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, the Indian Institutes of Technology at Mumbai and Delhi, and the proposed Jio Institute of the Reliance Foundation, have been named Institutions of Eminence (IoE) by the Centre.
‘Chemists must display generic medicines’
Soon chemists across the country will have to prominently display generic medicines ”” medicines that are off-patent, locally manufactured and much cheaper than the original formulations they’re based on in a dedicated rack in their shops.
Telecom firms oppose TRAI’s public Wi-Fi model
Industry associations have urged the government to review Trai’s recommendation to provide internet through Wi-Fi without a licence, which they claim violates the Indian Telegraph Act and Trai Act.
Alternative cereals can save water
If Indian farmers were to switch from growing rice and wheat to ‘alternative cereals,’ such as maize, sorghum, and millet, it could reduce the demand for irrigation water by 33%.
PSLV bags first Australian order
The Indian PSLV launcher has broken into a rising Australian space market and bagged its first small but promising order from Down Under.
Mars may have hosted life form before earth
After analysing grains of the mineral zircon extracted from a Martian meteorite known as Black Beauty, scientists have found that Mars’ crust formation ”” which is the end product of planet formation ”” took place at least 100 million years earlier than on the earth.