Author: auto_blogs

Researchers have found that besides sharks, bees and platypus, even fruit fly larvae can sense electric fields and navigate toward the negative electric potential using a small set of sensory neurons in their head. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara immersed a fruit fly larva in an electric field and they found the larva reoriented itself and began moving toward the negative electrode. They found the neurons crucial to electroreception were located on either side of the larva’s head. Exposing the head segment to an electric field under the microscope confirmed their initial finding. They found that…

The rt-LAMP assay is a molecular test with high sensitivity and specificity | Photo Credit: CDC/ Ray Butler, MS Researchers at the Thiruvananthapuram-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have developed and tested a novel, cost-effective, real-time LAMP (rt-LAMP) assay for early diagnosis of TB. Much like GeneXpert and Truenat, the rt-LAMP assay too is a molecular test with high sensitivity and specificity. The rt-LAMP assay was able to detect TB DNA even when only 10 copy numbers were present per microlitre in a sample. The main handicap that prevented the use of LAMP for TB diagnosis…

A study which examined the spatial rainfall trends across India has found that the amount of rainfall per day in certain parts of India has increased during the last decade 2011-2020 compared with the previous decade (2001-2010) while certain other parts have witnessed a reduction in the rainfall amount. The study has used the GSMaP-ISRO data to arrive at this conclusion. The study has also found that the timing of peak rainfall has also shifted in different ways across certain Indian regions during the last decade (2011-2020) compared with the earlier decade (2001-2010).The study, which was published in the Geophysical Research Letters on…

Local climate can be used to predict the venom characteristics of Russell’s viper, a deadly snake that is widespread in India, helping clinicians to provide targeted therapies for snake bite victims, according to a study published by IISc researchers on April 10 in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) is found across the Indian subcontinent and is responsible for over 40% of snake bite-related deaths in India each year. Its venom is extremely variable, and snake bites cause different symptoms in different regions of India. The toxic effects of snake venom are caused by the concentrations of different…

The NOAA logo is seen behind Florida governor Ron DeSantis as he talks to the media during a news conference as Hurricane Dorian approaches the U.S. state, August 29, 2019. | Photo Credit: Reuters The administration of President Donald Trump aims to eliminate the arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that oversees research on climate change and refocus the U.S. fisheries service to support energy development, according to a draft White House budget document.The moves are part of a plan to downsize NOAA dramatically, slashing agency funding by around $1.67 billion, or 27%, according to the proposal.The Office…

When the natural environment is stretched beyond its ability to meet basic human needs for food, clean air, drinkable water and shelter, it is not just a humanitarian concern for the world community. Research shows that these crises are a matter of national security for the U.S. and other countries.The Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community have long paid close attention to the influence of climate change on national security. Although recent intelligence reports of the Trump administration have omitted any mention of climate change, prior intelligence reports have shown how climate change can generate flash points for global conflict,…

Jared Isaacman, billionaire, CEO and nominee to become the next NASA administrator, faced questions on April 9, 2025, from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during his confirmation hearing for the position. Should the Senate confirm him, Isaacman will be the first billionaire – but not the first astronaut – to head NASA. Perhaps even more significant, he will be the first NASA administrator with significant ties to the commercial space industry.As a space policy expert, I know that NASA leadership matters. The head of the agency can significantly shape the missions it pursues, the science…

Typhloperipatus williamsoni was spotted in the Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement A team of researchers at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment (ATREE) had reported rediscovering a long-lost species of the velvet worms (phylum Onychophora), one of the oldest living fossils in the world, after 111 years.Named Typhloperipatus williamsoni, the ancient species — estimated to be around 220 million years old — was spotted by the team in the Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and the rediscovery was published in the Journal of Natural History. The study provides the first molecular data…

Colossal Biosciences is an American company with an unusual marketing line: combining genomics with conservation — not in its traditional form, but through de-extinction, which is resurrecting species extinct for thousands of years. Leading this project is Harvard geneticist George Church, a prominent promoter of the company, who aims to bring back the woolly mammoth, a distant ancestor of the elephant. The stated logic is to combat global warming. During the Pleistocene Ice Ages, the mammoth roamed lush grasslands across the tundra. Until its extinction around 5,000 years ago, the Arctic tundra also supported large populations of bison, wolves, cave…

The telescope structure itself is a mix of fiberglass, wood, and steel — materials carefully selected for their strength and practicality. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Two groups in Kolkata related to astronomy have created what they claim to be the largest handmade telescope in the city — a 14.5-inch f/5 Dobsonian that is low-cost, powerful, and easy to handle.Built by young scientists and optical observers from Observational Astronomy Centre (OAC) and from Institute of Astronomy Space and Earth Science (IASES) the telescope, according to the groups, will create a unique opportunity for space research that will serve not just…