Think India Foundation

Mumbai-born engineer plans to make steel out of waste

Mumbai : Even as we grapple with the growing problem of waste management, a city girl’s homecoming is marked with an innovative patented technology that uses rubber and plastic to make steel. Meet Dr Veena Sahajwalla, director of Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at the University of New South Wales, whose enthusiasm about science is simply infectious.

“I love engineering, and I have always been this problem-solving person,” she says as she reminisces her childhood days in Mumbai. At a time when girls studying science mostly opted for medicine, Dr Sahajwalla opted for engineering to become the only woman engineer in her IIT-Kanpur batch in 1980s. Her focus on sustainable materials has its roots in her childhood interest in little glass medicine bottles. “Women would collect these bottles to exchange them at the scrap guy, as there is a value attached to them. And I realised then that if I wanted to pick up rubbish and figure out a way to do something with it, I was different,” she says. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

It’s not rocket science

In a slum along the Mysore Road in Bangalore, the headquarters for the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation, or Isro, dozens of dish antennae jut out from crowded rooftops. They pick up signals directly from one of several home-grown satellites, making 24/7 television possible and spurring direct-to-home services.

“The cable guys stopped servicing our area because nobody would pay,” says S Sudhir, a resident who maintains a public toilet in Bangalore. “Now we can buy recharge TV coupons for even a day’s viewing. This is easy on the pocket.” Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

India should look beyond IITs to achieve its targets: Ashwini Kumar

NEW DELHI: Noting that India has got the unique opportunity to emerge as a global leader in science and technology, Union Minister Ashwini Kumar on Friday said the country needs to look beyond existing centres of excellence such as the IITs and think bigger to achieve its targets.

Kumar, who is the Minister for Science and Technology, said the Vision-2020 to bring India into the elite club of developed nations is now "realizable" and the country is very close to becoming a world leader in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Three RIRT students lauded for a model

BHOPAL: Three students of a city-based engineering college have developed a model, which they claim, works better compared to existing technique used in cleaning oil spillage in sea. The model, VYT Umbrella', the only entry from the state in annual technocrat model exhibition at the IIT-Roorkee, came in for praise from experts from both India and abroad.

A team of three students -- Vipul Sharma, Yousuf Ali and Tojo Thomas of the Radharaman Institute of Research and Technology (RIRT)-came together to make an economical model. "Scientists and professors from European nations appreciated our work. They took our cell numbers and e-mail IDs to contact in the future," a team member said. Incidentally, the model called VYT, takes its name from first alphabet of name of each of 3 team members. About the project, Yousuf says oil spills have been a going concern for environmentalists across the world. Several techniques have been developed to save sea water and marine life from oil spillage. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

37,000 pure-bred poultry birds culled in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR : Odisha has suffered a huge setback in poultry research and commercialisation as the parent stock of birds, being maintained in two prominent research centres, has been eliminated in the culling operation carried out following detection of bird flu here.

Containing the virus: Large scale culling of poultry to check bird flu continues for the second day at the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Poultry Breeding (for meat) at OUAT in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Photo: Lingaraj Panda

By evening on Monday more than 37,000 pure bred birds, had been culled in farms of the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) and veterinary college of the Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) here. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

'India should adopt sustainable ways of farming'

New Delhi: A top climate scientist today asked India to adopt sustainable ways of farming which is under pressure due to water crisis caused by global warming. 

UN Secretary General's Special Advisor Jeffrey D Sach also underlined the need for adopting green technology to deal with the issue of climate change in various sectors including agriculture. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

From now on PWD projects may take less time

CHENNAI : Mobile lab launched to test materials at project site

A view of the mobile testing laboratory launched by the Public Works Department recently. Photo: Special Arrangement

The time taken to complete projects undertaken by Public Works Department may now come down considerably. The department has recently launched a mobile laboratory to test the materials used in the project site. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

From cancer research to energy storage, Berkeley Lab scientist takes on big challenges

The clean-energy commute of the future could come from research conducted at facilities like Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, where Rizia Bardhan is helping to develop new hydrogen storage materials.

On a typical day, Rizia Bardhan walks through the doors of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Molecular Foundry and immerses herself in the tricky business of tweaking optical spectroscopy equipment to study phase transitions in metal hydrides.

It’s fair to say that what she does is difficult to grasp. Why she does it is easy: “I want to help solve big problems. That’s why I’m here,” she says. Read more

Source : physorg.com

Scientists urged to find solutions to problems faced by Karnataka

MANGALORE : Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and top space scientist and Chairman of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad U.R. Rao on Saturday urged the scientific community to find solutions to the “burning” problems of the State and the country.

They were participating in the inauguration of a two-day seminar on “Science and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities” organised by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, headed by Prof. Rao, at Mangalore University. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Bharat craves for innovation

Attempts for rural technology incubations have been small and somewhat sporadic so far 

As the Indian economy grew rapidly over the past 20 years, it generated wealth for its citizens. However, the rapid economic rise has been accompanied by high differential growth in prosperity of the people — as incomes of certain sections have grown much faster compared with others. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

Laser-powered study on climate change

VELLORE: The National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) attached to the Department of Space, government of India, is planning to set up a network of LIDAR (Laser Radar System) with the help of indigenously developed sensor tools in ten locations across the country in the first phase to study the aerosol distribution over India.

This was disclosed by Dr A Jayaraman, director of NARL, Gadanki (near Chittoor, AP) while inaugurating a two-day Third International conference on ‘Sensors and Related Networks’ (SENNET 12) organised by the School of Electronics Engineering and Center for Nano Technology Research attached to the VIT university on its campus on Friday. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

125 food testing labs on cards

PUNE: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed to set up 125 food testing laboratories in the country. The authority has also proposed to form guidelines to keep a check on flavoured drinking water, said V N Gaur, chief executive officer of FSSAI. The proposals have been submitted to the Union government for approval.

Gaur was speaking at the two-day 21st Indian Convention of Food Scientists and Technologists organised on the theme 'Innovations in food science and technology to fuel the growth of the Indian food industry'. Swapan Kumar Datta, deputy director general, Indian Council for Agricultural Research, New Delhi, Vasudha Kamath, vice-chancellor, SNDT University, Mumbai, and G Venkateswara Rao, acting director Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, were present for the convention that started on Friday. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Tech connectivity among varsities a must: Kalam

AHMEDABAD: The first convocation of Charotar University of Science and Technology (Charusat) was held in Changa where 160 students were awarded degrees on Wednesday.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam in his address laid emphasis on research and said that the university will achieve great heights if the culture of research is imbibed in students by their teachers. He urged the students to focus on research and help achieve his vision 2020 targets which envisage a nation where the urban and rural divide has reduced to a thin line, where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water. "Technological connectivity among universities should be pursued on war footing using cost effective virtual classrooms," said Kalam. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cutting dirty diesel pollution can reduce global warming while it improves human health

My colleague, Dan Lashof, just posted a great summary of the study, published in Science this week, that explained how cutting soot and smog pollution could help reduce the impacts of global warming in the short-term, while improving human health and buying time for critically important reductions in carbon pollution to take effect over the long term.  The study included a list of 14 key strategies like cleaner diesel engines, improved cookstoves, and capturing methane releases from coal, oil and gas production.

Here’s the key take-away: 

“[T]argeted measures to curb methane, black carbon, and carbon dioxide emissions would yield huge public health and environmental benefits.  Pollution reductions from this strategy would prevent 700,000 to 4.7 million premature deaths each year, increase crop yields, and greatly reduce the risk of extreme climate disruption that lies beyond global warming of 2 degrees Celsius.” Read more

Source : switchboard.nrdc.org

No shortcuts, please

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began 2012 by delivering two significant speeches. He spoke at the Indian Science Congress on January 3 and on January 10, released a report by some NGOs and corporates on the status of hunger and malnutrition in the country. Though the two speeches were on divergent issues,put together, they convey a disturbing approach towards realising India's potential. 

Invoking the legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (whose 125th birth anniversary is on December 22, 2012) and Satyendranath Bose (the elusive search for a sub-atomic elementary particle bearing his name, Boson, that may revolutionise humanity's understanding of our universe, continues at the CERN laboratory's Large Hadron Collider experiment), the PM ended by candidly admitting that India's spending on scientific research and development (R&D) is "too low and stagnant". At present, we spend less than 0.9% of our GDP on R&D. The PM bemoaned that China has left us behind on this and urged that we should spend at least 2% of our GDP on R&D by the end of the 12th Plan period. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

New radar to predict accurate weather updates in New Delhi

New Delhi : Delhi citizens would now be able to get more accurate short-term weather updates to help them better plan their daily lives,thanks to a first-of-its-kind Doppler radar that would enable the weather department provide quick and area-specific information.

The C-band polarimetric radar,that comes in addition to an S-band radar already operating in Palam office in South Delhi,is expected to offer significant improvements in rainfall estimation,precipitation classification,data quality and weather hazard detection. Read more

Source : bernama.com 

Using digital tools to animate the classroom

As children move from concrete to abstract concepts in learning, educators are constantly experimenting with ways to make the subject more ‘real' for children.

Bindu Thirumalai

With innovations in technology, educators have been exploring possibilities of using simulations for science and graphic calculators for mathematics, to bring alive and animate certain phenomenon or concepts. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

The poverty of innovation

A knowledge economy like ours has to understand the new knowledge society that civil society is seeking to create

One of the ironic things about the new year is that we actually think it is new. We expect new thoughts, new models and new rituals and all we get is the re-treading of old ideas. Last few days saw the celebration of a whole series of events around innovation. There was the venerable Indian Science Congress celebrating its 99th session. I want to look at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech as a part of the landscape of current thought. Read more

Source : asianage.com

Time to rethink on food production, research methods: ICAR chief

Bhubaneswar: Director General of Indian Council of Agriculture and Research (ICAR) S Ayappan has underscored the importance of scientific research in the field of agriculture and the challenges it is facing presently. 

While speaking on 'Feeding Crores for Ever' during the 99th Science Congress at the KIIT University, Ayappan said that the work of the scientists in the areas spanning pesticides, agricultural machines, rural development, renewable energy sources, materials technology, molecular plant breeding and genetically improved grains is changing our agriculture and spearheading a remarkable silent revolution which is shaping our country's progress through this decade of innovation. Read more

Source : indiaeducationdiary.in

India in fray to create elusive HIV vaccine

NEW DELHI: Could an antibody from the blood of an Indian HIV patient help create the elusive HIV vaccine? (Antibody is an infection-fighting protein produced by our immune system when it detects harmful substances).

The hunt has begun to identify 100 volunteers belonging to a rare group of HIV infected patients who stay healthy for years without requiring life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART). These antibodies in their blood are the ones that bars HIV from entering their blood cells and replicating, thereby progressing to AIDS. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

PM outlines ambitious plan to 'change the face' of science

Bhubaneswar : With India overtaken by countries like China in R&D, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today outlined an ambitious plan to "change the face" of science which includes doubling investments and urged women to take up careers in this area where they are under-represented.

Inaugurating the 99th Indian Science Congress, he voiced concern over a large number of women scientists remaining unemployed due to lack of job opportunities. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Silver linings in a dull year

From the successful testing of Agni-4 to a futuristic gene card and the creation of monsoon clouds, an otherwise dull year for Indian science saw an occasional bright spark here and there

In an otherwise uneventful year for Indian science in which Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) failed to achieve any breakthrough in operationalising the heavy-duty geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle and nuclear establishment was unable to come out of the Fukushima consequences, two little-known flights were the silver lining. Read more

 

Source : deccanherald.com

‘Science can help conserve orchids'

ALLAHABAD: Orchids are one the most exquisite and abundant members of the plant kingdom, but they need conservation through scientific intervention and research, said Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor Prof SK Sopory on Wednesday.

Prof Sopory was speaking on the inaugural day of a three-day conference on 'Orchids in India: Diversity, characterisation & resource development for community' that began at National Academy of Sciences on Wednesday. He said orchids can be better conserved through tissue culture and genetic mutation. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Scientists Pioneer New Methods In Climate Studies

Using sophisticated new methods of statistical analysis to study patterns of extreme rainfall in India, a handful of members of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Expeditions in Computing Program have created a research tool that has already resolved an ongoing debate in the science community and may go on to revolutionize the study of climate change.

Scheduled for official publication in February of next year, the journal Nature Climate Change pre-published the critical paper online on Dec. 19 conducted by engineer and computer-science expert Vipin Kumar of the University of Minnesota and his co-author Auroop Ganguly of the civil and environmental engineering department at Northeastern University in Boston and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Using new so-called ‘data-driven methods’, the two NSF members and their team have identified significant geographic variability in India‘s climate over the course of the last 50 years. Read more

Source : redorbit.com

Aerosols increasing over India

[NEW DELHI] Aerosols — particles or droplets suspended in the air that impact climate  by scattering or absorbing the sun’s radiation — are increasing across India, new research shows.

Satellite data shows increasing aerosols over India. NASA

The findings by S. Ramachandran and colleagues from the space and atmospheric sciences division of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, were published online last month (20 November) in Atmospheric Environment. Read more

Source : scidev.net

Bangalore to house India’s first Nano Park

Today, at the fourth edition of Bangalore Nano 2011, not only was the stage set for a R&D centre ( the Indian Institute of Nanoscience and Technology) which is being set up here in Bangalore with funding support from the Central Government, but the Karnataka government has gone one step ahead and announced the setting up of a Nano Park in Bangalore. According to the Karnataka Chief Minister, a state-of –the-art Nano Park would be set up near the Bangalore International Airport which will house a Nano Incubation Center with world class facilities to develop this sector on similar lines as IT services/products and biotechnology.

When I spoke with M.N. Vidyashankar, Principal Secretary, IT, who is spearheading the whole show, he said that the entire framework for the Nano Park has been put in place and the global tender for the setting up of the Nano Park -- the first of its kind in India -- would be announced on the 16th of January 2012. Read more

Source : eetimes.com

Renting a womb is no big deal

New Delhi : Twenty years ago, a childless couple would simply approach a female member of the extended family to bear a baby for them. This Indian style surrogacy, where things stayed in the family, started changing nearly a decade ago and today it has become acceptable for couples to pay a stranger to bear a baby for them.

Awareness about surrogacy has grown tremendously, and the stigma around the concept has also reduced. While India was  a surrogacy destination for NRI couples and westerners five years ago, today more urban Indian couples are opting for it. "Sixty per cent of couples are from Chennai, 15 per cent are from outside Tamil nadu and 25 per cent of the couples are from abroad," Geetha Haripriya said. Read more

Source : indiatoday.intoday.in

When nature fails, IVF prevails

Mumbai : Health experts estimate that city hospitals specialising in IVF do 700 to 900 procedures each annually, of which more than 50 per cent are for women over 35. “Nearly 60 per cent women over 35 have trouble conceiving naturally,” says gynaecologist Vaishali Birhade who advises women in their 30s to get pregnant as soon as they can.

The number of women seeking assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF has been increasing steadily in the last few years, say experts. Though there is still social stigma attached to fertility treatments or test-tube babies, more and more couples are seeking medical intervention. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

Patna University gets Rs 5 cr central grant

PATNA: Patna University (PU) has added yet another feather in its cap by getting the sanction of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, for its ambitious interdisciplinary project for advanced research and education in the departments of life sciences.

The DBT has sanctioned Rs 5 crore for this project. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Launch of $400,000 Abdul Kalam Scholarship scheme announced for Indian students

BANGALORE: Universities and Science Minister of the United Kingdom David Willetts today announced launch of $400,000 A P J Abdul Kalam Scholarship scheme for Indian students and signing of an MoU between Oxford University and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

The scheme, being offered by Queen's University, Belfast would offer scholarships to 100 Indian students enrolling in postgraduate engineering, science and technology programmes in September 2012, he told reporters here. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Govt plans to set up Rs 5,000-cr PPP fund for R&D

Mumbai : The government plans to set up a public-private partnership fund of Rs 5,000 crore for supporting joint research and development (R&D), Minister of State for Science & Technology Ashwani Kumar said here today.

“The sub-committee of the PM's council of trade and industry on promotion of public-private partnership (PPP) for R&D has prepared and submitted a concept paper. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

IIT-Mumbai, Amity University submit bids for engineering campuses in New York

NEW YORK: The Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and Noida-based Amity University are among 15 institutions worldwide that have submitted bids to the city of New York to set up a science and engineering campus here under a plan by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to drive local economic growth and create jobs.

The city received seven proposals from a total of 17 institutions. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Focus on vector-borne diseases

MADURAI : Scientists and entomologists who gathered here for a conference on vector-borne diseases recently have unanimously expressed that diseases caused by mosquitoes became a major challenge for India and it called for a fight across the country to control the situation.

They have called for steps on a war-footing to tackle vector-borne diseases such as Japanese Encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya and malaria which are causing either morbidity or mortality for affected people in both urban and rural areas. The Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME), which is a premier institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research in the city, organised the 5th conference of Medical Arthropodology on October 18 and 19 by inviting researchers and experts in the field of vector-borne diseases from various places. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

India's longest railway tunnel excavated in J-K

Srinagar (PTI) : The Kashmir rail link project took a significant leap today with the completion of excavation work of a 11km-long tunnel, the longest in the country, underneath the rugged Pir Panjal mountains. The Pir Panjal tunnel, which constitutes a vital link between Udhampur and Qazigund of the national project, runs below the existing Jawahar road tunnel and promises to reduce the travelling distance between Banihal and Qazigund from 35 km to only 11 km.

"It is one of the modern tunnels of the world, which also has provision for a 10-feet wide parallel road running adjacent to the rail track for carrying out rescue work," said Member (Engineering), Railway Board, A P Mishra this afternoon. Given its length, proper ventilation has been provided and measures will be taken to provide mobile connectivity for seamless communication even while travelling through it, he said, adding the entire tunneling work will be completed within six to seven months. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Anti-nuclear protests in Tamil Nadu gather strength

The protests gathered strength after a tsunami swamped the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, exposing citizens to alarming levels of radiation

Koodankulam, Tamil Nadu: L. Devasagayam moved into the tsunami resettlement quarters in the village of Idinthakarai on the coast in the far south of Tamil Nadu after his neighbourhood further south was destroyed in the 2004 calamity. But now, he worries that the colourful home that he gratefully accepted after that disaster could be his undoing.

 The reason for the fear confronts him when he steps out of his house. Clearly visible at a distance of about 2km are the twin domes of the Koodankulam nuclear power plant, a project against which area residents have been protesting, with increasing vehemence in recent weeks.

 

 

Gaining momentum: A protest demonstration in front of the Koodankulam nuclear power plant.

 Photo: R S Kumar/Mint                                                                          

 Read more

Source : livemint.com

Berkeley lab studying effects of pollution on "cool roofs"

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are conducting a study to determine how pollution impacts the cooling effect of white roofs.

Temperatures in cities and other urban areas often register as higher than those of surrounding rural areas. This is because cities tend to suffer from the "urban heat island effect," when roofs and pavements absorb and retain the heat of the sun, raising the surrounding area's temperature. Read more

 

 

Source : ecoseed.org

Nano Ganesh removes obstacle for farmers

Santosh Ostwal's low-tech innovation is making waves

New Delhi : VCs in India can’t be bothered with Santosh Ostwal’s low-tech product. But the world—including Barack Obama’s Chief Technology Officer—loves it. Read on to find out why.

In a world governed by robotics and embedded smart chips, Santosh Ostwal’s invention comes off as quaintly old fashioned, something that was perhaps slapped together at night by a bunch of intoxicated IIT engineers to aid in a midnight prank. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Behavioural lab in XLRI to guage prospective consumers

Mumbai : XLRI designs inter-disciplinary system that will allow researchers to explore the mindset of buyers across categories.

So far, companies in India relied on market research by leading firms in the field to understand consumer behaviour and then position their products appropriately. But, Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI) may alter that paradigm in India. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Addressing rural power shortage problems innovatively

Electricity is generated using an old bicycle and bullock cart

Power shortage is nothing new to India.

“Though our country claims to have developed in terms of science and technology, erratic power supply or complete breakdown for hours together has almost become routine today,” says Mr. Chandrakant Pathak, inventor and manufacturer of non conventional energy equipment in Pune. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Tripura needs more government initiatives:Tripura Chief Minister

Agartala (IANS) : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar Saturday asked the centre not to apply all-India models, norms and systems in geographically-isolated northeast region which, according to him, needs special approach both in infrastructure and service sectors.

‘Don’t execute all-India BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) or PPP (Public-Private Partnership) models for building infrastructure or to provide services in basic sectors,’ Sarkar said while addressing a seminar here on ‘Reaching the heart of the northeast – inclusive growth’. Read more

Source : inewsone.com

Survey finds four river basins polluted in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram : Scientific management of wastewater, regulation of sand mining and land use controls have become imperative to address the deterioration of water quality in rivers, the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) has recommended to the government.

An Environmental Monitoring Programme on Water Quality carried out by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) has reported pollution of four river basins, namely Pamba, Chalakudy, Bharathapuzha and Anjarakandi-Mahe-Thalassery. In its report on the findings, KSCSTE has mooted an action plan for river basins. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Citizens vow to join ‘clear snarl’ campaign

MUMBAI: Following the TOI campaign, which started off with transport consultant Ashok Datar's crusade to clear bottlenecks that bring the city's traffic to a grinding halt, an overwhelming number of citizens have come out in his support and pledged him their allegiance to help clear Mumbai's roads of the serpentine queues of vehicles.

On a social networking site, Datar had asked citizens about their views on how to get around crowded junctions scientifically and improve road discipline. He urged people to show the government how to think beyond flyovers, sea links and projects that only encourage more vehicles on roads and not decongest them. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

New technologies altering healthcare landscape, says UN report

LONDON: New ways of doing business, often triggered by novel technologies, have up-ended public and private sector roles in development — offering a new landscape of healthcare opportunities for women and children in developing countries, according to a UN report.

The fundamental change is that it is now the private sector that is creating infrastructure, and the public sector is arriving afterwards to exploit it for health purposes, according to the co-author of the report, Tore Godal, a medical doctor and special advisor on global health to the Norwegian prime minister. Read more

Source : scidev.net

World Atlas ice loss claim exaggerated - scientists

LONDON : The Times Atlas of the World exaggerated the rate of Greenland's ice loss in its thirteenth edition last week, scientists said on Monday.

A member of a team of Cambridge scientists trying to find out why Arctic sea ice is melting so fast, walks on some drift ice 800 km from the North Pole September 3, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Stuart McDILL/Files

The atlas, published by HarperCollins, showed that Greenland lost 15 percent of its ice cover over the past 12 years,based on information from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado in the United States. Read more

Source : in.reuters.com

IIT Kharagpur, US varsity develop low-cost rapid blood test kit

The device will bring down to Rs. 20 the cost of blood tests to detect diseases such as malaria, dengue

Kharagpur (West Bengal): In partnership with the University of California–Irvine in the US, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp), has developed a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) device that will bring down to Rs. 20 the cost of blood tests to detect diseases such as malaria, dengue and tuberculosis.

Though not considered a gold standard by doctors, RDT devices generate immediate results and do not need skilled operators. They are popular in areas where healthcare facilities are limited. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Now, a UAV to monitor air quality

Bangalore : Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), which are used extensively in US and Europe for monitoring the atmosphere, could soon be a reality in India if scientists from the St John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, have their way.

For the last three months, a team comprising scientists SN Omkar from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Navakanth Bhat and Bharadwaj from the Electronics and Communication Engineering, (IISc), Prashanth and Prem Mony from the St John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, and Retd Lt Gn Dr VJ Sundaram, National Design Research Forum, have been involved in the design, development and testing of a prototype atmosphere-monitoring UAV. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

CSE starts course on environment and development

PUNE: A certificate course for students, journalists, development communicators has been organised by Centre for Science and Environment ( CSE) this November. The course will involve interaction with some of the country's leading thinkers, academics, activists and development professionals on key environment and development challenges. One can learn from them on ecological rights, natural resource management, food security, climate change and global environmental governance, urban growth, pollution control.

This course is for students and those who aspire to be communication experts with multilaterals and international agencies or journalists. Those pursuing or who have completed Bachelor's degree (any discipline) can apply. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do’

Bangalore : The safety precautions taken in India to lessen the effects of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunami is poor said TG Sitharam, chairman, Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning, IISc. Delivering a talk on ‘Engineering preparedness for disaster mitigation’ at the Institution of Engineers, on the 44th Engineer’s Day celebration, Sitharam said that India lagged behind in its preparedness to mitigate natural disasters.

“In India, everyone wakes up only after a disaster has occurred and forgets about it within months,” he said. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Jharkhand first state on GIS water map!

Fast depleting water tables in Jharkhand could be a cause for concern but the good news is that the State Government is ready with scientific data and details to tackle the problem.

Jharkhand has now become the first State of the country equipped with a Geographical Information System where information about the water table on the surface and ground in any part of the State can be availed at the click of the mouse. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Diabetes is blinding young population

INDORE: Beware of rising blood sugar level, it may not only force you to give up sweets but can also make you blind. India, which already has the dubious distinction of being the diabetic capital of the world, is now witnessing a larger number of patients reporting vision-loss at an early age.

According to a recent study, nearly 18 per cent of urban working population is falling prey to retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in working age group. Dr Rajiv Raman, director, vitreoretinal services at Choithram Nethralaya and also the principal investigator of this study, says, "With diabetes hitting working population aged 35 and above, more and more numbers are reporting with retinopathy. Out of 100 patients with diabetes, 18-20 are diagnosed with mild to severe retinopathy." Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com