Page 2 - Scientists

ICMR seeks 'out of the box' ideas from scientists to solve health problems

In an effort to encourage Indian scientists to come up with innovative ideas for finding solutions to difficult health problems, apex health research body ICMR has launched a new initiative The initiative-- First in the World Challenge -- aims to foster novel, out of the box, futuristic ideas, new knowledge generation, discovery or development of breakthrough health technologies (vaccines, drugs or therapeutics, diagnostics, interventions etc.) which has never been thought, tested or tried in the world till date. "Over the years the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has encouraged researchers within and outside ICMR by providing funding support through various research schemes. To move ahead of the curve, ICMR is looking for innovative, out of the box ideas from researchers across the country," the call for proposals document said. "Inspired by Chandrayan 3 landing on the south pole of the moon, making India the first country to do so, the ICMR is launching a new initiative

New study links black holes to the expansion of universe, dark energy

This experiment is likely to bring us closer to discovering dark energy's nature. The scientists believe it will also get us closer to understanding the true nature of black holes

Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 awarded to John Hopfield, Geoffrey Hinton

Hopfield's research is carried out at Princeton University and Hinton works at the University of Toronto

58 Pune scientists make Stanford's global top 2% list, 14 from SPPU

Among the 223,252 scientists listed in the Stanford University top 2 per cent of scientists globally, India boasts 5,352, an increase from 4,635 in 2023

'Not far from sending astronauts to moon': Scientists after Chandrayaan 4

Responding to the Union cabinet's nod to India's fourth lunar mission, the Indian scientific community said that the country is not far from sending a 'cosmonaut' to the moon.Speaking to ANI, the former director of the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad Center, Tapan Misra, said, "We should be able to land a lander there and collect stones and lunar soil and bring it back to the orbiter, and with this orbiter, we should come back and land safely and retribute. This is the very first step towards sending an Indian cosmonaut to the Moon. We will not be far from sending a cosmonaut to the moon."He further said, "The Govt of India has approved 3 programmes and one of them is Chandrayaan 4. We are happy that Chandrayaan 3 landed there...we demonstrated 2 critical technologies, we can send something to the moon and bring it back, and we can fire a rocket after landing and waiting for 14 days, it's a major development."Describing the Chandrayaan 4 mission, RC Kapoor, Astronomer & ...

Scientists discover new blood group after a 50-year mystery; details inside

A team of researchers from the University of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have identified a new blood group system known as MAL, which was first discovered in 1972

'Firehose' storm hits part of North Carolina; scientists see climate change

The Carolinas braced for a storm that forecasters warned could bring heavy rain as much as 6 to 8 inches in some spots. But one narrow band got a firehose that dumped as much as 20 inches in a so-called 1,000-year flood that shocked many with its intensity. The storm that left homes flooded, cars submerged and schools closed Tuesday in parts of North Carolina wasn't really a surprise to scientists who have long said that such rainfalls are one marker of climate change. Data shows one of the strongest relationships between climate change and precipitation is that as the atmosphere warms, the capacity to hold water increases. Therefore we see more intense rainfall in a shorter period of time, said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior researcher at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. Monday's deluge centred on Carolina Beach south of Wilmington, where more than 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain fell in 12 hours and almost 21 overall. That much rain qualifies as a 1,000-year ..

Chandrayaan-3 data confirms Moon's surface was once an ocean of magma

Latest Chandrayaan-3 data, as reported by Isro, has confirmed the theory that states that the lunar surface was once covered by an ocean of magma

Scientists propose 'Doomsday vault' on moon to save endangered species

Scientists believe that the 'doomsday vault' is a perfect way to store biodiversity samples on the moon, ensuring protection from natural disasters, wars, and socioeconomic threats, etc.

After facing criticism, Kerala govt withdraws gag order on scientists

The gag order, issued on August 1, directed the scientific community to restrain themselves from sharing their opinions with media

Scientists sequence 10,000 genomes of Indian population for database

Scientists on Tuesday announced that they have sequenced genomes of 10,000 Indians from diverse communities to create a database that could lead to gene-based remedies, with Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh calling it a watershed moment for science in India. Addressing a function in the national capital, Singh said genome study or sequencing is going to determine the future healthcare strategies across the world, both therapeutically and prophylactically. He said there is a pressing need for finding Indian solutions to Indian problems as the country emerges as a frontline nation in the comity of scientifically-advanced countries. Singh lauded the Department of Biotechnology for the ambitious goal to identify and catalogue the genetic variations of diverse Indian populations by sequencing the whole genome of 10,000 healthy individuals from 99 communities, representing all major linguistic and social groups, across the country. The Indian population of 1.3 billion

Space scientists to sarpanches: 13,000 special guests attend R-Day parade

From space scientists to sarpanches and from entrepreneurs to vendors, 13,000 special guests watched the 75th Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path here Friday. The special invitees referred to as "True VIPs" included best performers in various fields and those who made the best use of various schemes of the government such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural & Urban), PM Ujjwala Yojana, PM Street Vendor's Aatmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, PM Vishwakarma Yojana and the Rashtriya Gokul Mission among others. Sarpanches of 'vibrant villages', women workers of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, electronics manufacturing sector and the Central Vista Project, women scientists of ISRO, yoga teachers (Ayushman Bharat), winners of international sports events and Paralympic medalists were also among the invitees.

Scientists on research mission stumble upon missing IAF aircraft debris

Over seven years after an IAF AN-32 aircraft went missing in 2016, scientists at the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) stumbled upon its debris when they were testing the instruments of their newly-acquired autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for seabed mapping in December. It was during such a testing expedition undertaken by Research Vessel Sagar Nidhi on December 9-10 last year, about 310 km off the Chennai coast, the instruments on the AUV picked up some strong SONAR reflections from the seabed at a depth of 3,400 m. The strong signals intrigued the scientists who then decided to dive deeper for a closer look. "Then we dived a little deeper and took some photographs, which were shared with the Indian Air Force through the Ministry of Earth Sciences," G A Ramadass, Director, NIOT told PTI. Ramadass said the IAF confirmed that the debris was of the AN32 aircraft that had gone missing more than seven years ago. Another scientist said initially the debris

PM Modi hails Navy's heroic operation in rescuing sailors of merchant ship

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed as "heroic" the successful conduct of an operation by the Indian Navy to free a merchant ship from the clutches of pirates in the North Arabian Sea. Addressing the 58th conference of the DGPs and the IGPs here, Modi also referred to the success of India's first solar mission craft Aditya L1 and said it is a testament to the power of India and the prowess of Indian scientists. "Two days ago, the Indian Navy completed a very successful heroic operation. When it got the message that a merchant ship was in distress, the Indian Navy and the marine commandos got active," he said. The prime minister said there were 21 sailors in the ship of which 15 were Indians. The ship was about 2,000 km away from the Indian coast. He said the Navy rescued all the sailors from danger. "The Indian sailors (after they were rescued) were hailing the bravery of the commandos and raising the slogan of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'," he said. On January 5, the Indian N

Isro scientists successfully fire 4th stage of PSLV-C58 to hold experiments

ISRO on Monday successfully did a maneuvering experiment by firing the fourth stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket twice to conduct scientific experiments. After the 44.4-meter-tall PSLV rocket lifted off from the first launch pad at 9.10 am on Monday, it placed the primary satellite XPoSat into the desired orbit after 21 minutes of flight as intended. Later, scientists at the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency fired the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket twice to reduce the altitude from 650 km to 350 km to conduct the scientific experiment in which 10 other payloads of various ISRO centres would be operational in the Low Earth Orbits under the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM) experiment. The rocket used for today's successful mission was the PSLV-DL variant, which has a lift-off mass of 260 tonnes. The fourth stage is configured as a 3-axis stabilized Orbital platform for conducting experiments. The space agency conducted a similar scientific experiment using

Iceland volcano erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula weeks after people evacuated

A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defence to be on high alert. The eruption appears to have occurred about four kilometers (2.4 miles) from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Grainy webcam video showed the moment of the eruption as a flash of light illuminating the sky at 22:17 local time. As the eruption spread, magma, or semi-molten rock, could be seen spewing along the ridge of a hill. The magma flow seems to be at least a hundred cubic metres per second, maybe more. So this would be considered a big eruption in this area at least, Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management told the Icelandic public broadcaster, RUV. In November, police evacuated the town or Grindavik after strong seismic activity in the area damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption. Iceland sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North ...

Complex, not complicated

Navigating the current economic and political challenges demands a shift in our analytical lens to one that refrains from simplifying problems

Scientists identify effective nutrition labels for India's population

Researchers have designed new front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs) for India that are easy to understand and can promote healthier food choices. FoPLs of different types highlighting various components of packaged food are in use in many parts of the world. They are mandatory in some countries and voluntarily applied by manufacturers in others. FoPLs provide key information on food components that consumers can use to make choices and purchasing decisions, such as avoiding unhealthy options and choosing healthier ones. India, which does not have an FoPL system in place yet, intends to implement one to promote informed decision-making on packaged food purchasing, as part of promoting healthier diets in the population, the researchers said. Commissioned by the World Health Organization, India, researchers from The George Institute for Global Health, Melbourne Center for Behavior Change, UNICEF, International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, conducted the study. The ...

Scientists predict warm winter, say surface temperatures may set records

Researchers have found that there is a 95 per cent chance of global average surface temperatures setting new historical records during the 2023-24 winter. The researchers at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, also said that regions in the mid-low latitudes of Eurasia and most parts of the Americas were likely to experience an exceptionally warm winter. They have attributed these likely outcomes to an imminent maturity of a moderate to strong Eastern Pacific El Nino during the upcoming northern hemisphere winter. This strong El Nino event is poised to trigger anomalous anticyclone activity in the Northwest Pacific, thereby influencing the winter climates of East Asia and North America, the researchers said in their study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. They have also predicted surface temperatures in China to be more than double the usual temperatures, potentially setting the highest winter temperature record since ..

World religious leaders, scientists inaugurate 1st Faith Pavilion at COP28

World religious leaders, scientists and global political officials came together on the fourth day of the COP28 on Sunday for the inauguration of the first-ever Faith Pavilion to discuss the role of faith communities and religious institutions in addressing the climate crisis. Held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the inauguration was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, representing Pope Francis. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Pope Francis addressed the audience virtually and highlighted the urgency for urgent action against climate change. The first-of-its-kind Faith Pavilion, which is co-hosted by the COP28 Presidency, the UAE Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, the Holy See, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Muslim Council of Elders, and a coalition of faith partners, is dedicated to the engagement of