Category: Science & Technology

** Centre for excellence in non-thermal processing inaugurated at NIFTEM

A centre for excellence in non-thermal processing was inaugurated at National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM),Thanjavur.

It has been established at a cost of ₹10 crore for promoting next generation technologies and meeting global standards in research and academics. The research facility houses advanced food processing machinery for high pressure processing, pulse electric field processing, ultrasound processing, supercritical extraction, cold plasma processing, ultraviolet and pulsed light processing and ozone processing. In addition, with the support of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the centre will house a food irradiation unit.

** The role Fusobacterium plays in oral cancer patients in India

 Our team at ACTREC-Tata Memorial Centre developed a highly sensitive and specific automated computational tool HPVDetector to quantify the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV). 

In this study published on Mar 4, in NAR Cancer, Sanket Desai, the lead researcher from the group, developed another advanced automated computational tool — Infectious Pathogen Detector (IPD).

** Cabinet nod for setting up WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine

It is to be established under Ministry of Ayush in Jamnagar

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the establishment of a WHO (World Health Organization) Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) at Jamnagar in Gujarat. An agreement was signed by the Government of India with the world body in this regard.

The WHO GCTM, to be established under the Ministry of AYUSH ( Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy), will be the first and only global outposted centre (office) for traditional medicines.

** Indian-origin expert helming first 4G network on Moon for NASA

Indian-origin Nishant Batra working as Chief Strategy and Technology Officer (CSTO) at smartphone maker Nokia is helping NASA to build the first ever cellular network on the Moon.

Batra joined Nokia as CSTO and a member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team in January 2021.

He holds an MBA from INSEAD, a master’s degree in telecommunications and a master’s degree in computer science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and a bachelor’s degree in computer applications from Devi Ahilya University in India.

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** Chennai-based Ram Charan Company to supply chargers to Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt’s EV venture

The US-based Bolt Mobility is into personal transportation with focus on small electric two-wheelers, and is committed to ensuring access, equity, and quality of life through micromobility.

** Govt to aid startup using daylight to illuminate basements 24×7

The solar energy spectrum has 45 per cent energy as visible light, and this can be used to harvest building illumination for about 9-11 hours a day.

The Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Ministry of Science and Technology will provide Rs 5 crore as support to a startup called Skyshade Daylight Private Limited for developing new technologies for 24×7 basement illumination. The company works on lighting technologies to reduce carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency.

** 65-year-old ICF of Indian Railway exported 650 rail coaches in last few years to 14 countries

The ICF has also obtained the distinction of being the only carbon negative unit of Indian Railways.

According to official data of railway obtained by TNIE, the ICF has exported more than 650 rail coaches, shells, and other components manufactured in Chennai based unit during the last few years to 14 countries, including Thailand, Burma, Taiwan, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Malaysia, Angola and Sri Lanka.

Official sources added that the ICF has also exported one rake of 1600HP DEMU against the order of two rakes of 1600HP DEMU to neighbouring Nepal railways

** International Women’s Day: Odia scientist Dr Mamoni Dash invents polymer for pest control

This new invention in the field of agriculture has made her one of the 75 achievers under 50 in the field of Science and Technology in India.

A native of Baripada, Dash has done her post graduate from NIT, Rourkela and PhD from University of Pisa, Italy. After her post-doctoral degree from Belgium, she had joined ILS as a Ramalingaswami Fellow in 2018 and as a faculty in 2021.

** Biodegradable nanoparticles to protect crops from diseases

Developed by scientists and researchers of University of Hyderabad, IRRI and IIT-Kanpur

A novel nanoparticle-based bio-degradable-carbonoid-metabolite (BioDCM) that can protect agricultural crops from pathogens has been developed jointly by scientists and reseachers of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), Indian Institute of Rice Research-Hyderabad and IIT-Kanpur.

The invention of these novel nanoparticles would act as shields to protect crops, especially the rice crop, from infection and diseases. The technology serves as a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against various diseases in rice crops, said an official release.

** Bombay Blood: how the rare blood type was discovered

Why is it called Bombay Blood, and how was it discovered? Dr Durgadas Kasbekar of CDFD Hyderabad has written a detailed and lucid article about it in the forthcoming issue of the journal Indian Journal of History of Science , and I give a short summary of it here.  It was in 1952 that Drs. Y.M. Bhende, C.K. Deshpande and H.M. Bhatia of the Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, Mumbai published a note in The Lancet (pp. 903-4, May 3, 1952) about two patients (X, a railway worker and Y, a stab wound victim) who needed blood transfusion. None of the blood types known until then worked for them. The moment their blood samples were mixed with any of the above types, the blood coagulated or clumped up. The doctor trio tried the blood of over 160 donors and found at last that one from Mr. Z, a resident of Bombay, suited the type of both patients X and Y. This donor blood type was then named by Dr. Bhende and others as the ‘Bombay Blood Type.’ Technically it is now termed the (hh) type of blood.