Page 4 - Scientists

BF.7 coronavirus variant not worrisome for India: Scientist Rakesh Mishra

Allaying fears about BF.7 variant of coronavirus, a prominent scientist on Friday said it is a sub-variant of Omicron strain and that India need not worry too much about its severity on the population. Speaking to PTI, Rakesh Mishra, Director, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bangalore, however cautioned that wearing face masks and avoiding unnecessary crowds is always advisable. The former director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology further said China has been witnessing an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases as the neighbouring country has not passed through different waves of the infection that India had faced. "This is a sub-variant of Omicron. Main features will be like Omicron except some small changes, there is no big difference. Most of us have gone through the Omicron wave. So, we don't have to worry about it. Essentially, it is the same virus," he said. China is experiencing a surge in infections due to its "zero-Covid policy", under which

Updated On : 23 Dec 2022 | 10:27 AM IST

Study finds how long Covid causes smell loss for months, even years

Scientists have uncovered details about the reason behind loss of smell continuing as part of long Covid symptoms, according to a new study. The reason some people fail to recover their sense of smell after COVID-19 is linked to an ongoing immune assault on olfactory nerve cells and an associated decline in the number of those cells, a team of scientists from Duke University, US, report. Olfactory nerve cells are associated with our ability to distinguish scents and smells. The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, provide an important insight into a vexing problem that has plagued millions who have not fully recovered their sense of smell after COVID-19, the study said. While focusing on the loss smell, the findings also shed light on the possible underlying causes of other long COVID-19 symptoms - including generalized fatigue, shortness of breath, and brain fog - that might be triggered by similar biological mechanisms. "One of the first symptoms th

Updated On : 22 Dec 2022 | 1:02 PM IST

Many marine species may go extinct before being discovered: Scientists

More than 90 per cent of marine species are undescribed and many may go extinct due to human activity before they are discovered

Updated On : 09 Dec 2022 | 7:49 AM IST

UN summit: Scientists warn nations not to repeat past mistakes on nature

Scientists around the world are warning governments who will be gathering in Montreal this week for the United Nations biodiversity summit to not repeat past mistakes and are urging officials to avoid trade-offs between people and conservation needs in a report Monday. The study published in the One Earth Journal found that even though there has been an increase in investment in conservation over the last three decades governments have not succeeded in bending the curve on biodiversity decline. The conference known as COP15, which begins Tuesday, hopes to set the goals for the world for the next decade to help conserve the planet's biodiversity and stem the loss of nature. So far the world has failed to meet goals set at previous meetings. The scientists proposed six areas for action for delegates working toward what's known as the global biodiversity framework. They include greater involvement of local communities and addressing both direct causes of nature decline such as the ...

Updated On : 06 Dec 2022 | 8:02 AM IST

Global space cooperation integral part of Indian space programme: Offficial

Global space cooperation is an integral part of India's space programme, a top Indian space scientist has said and supported the idea of nations coming together to replicate the International Space Station for another outpost in space. In this entire journey of the Indian space programme, global space cooperation has always been an integral part, Krunal Joshi who is currently a counsellor, Space (ISRO) at the Embassy of India told a recent ASCEND Conference. Participating in two-panel discussions at the prestigious ASCEND conference, hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in Las Vegas from October 24 to October 26, Joshi told the space scientific community that India has launched more than 350 satellites from 33 countries. In the 1960s, India dedicated Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station to the UN and a variety of research and launch experiments were done from here. India today has more than 230 agreements with over 55 countries and five ...

Updated On : 04 Nov 2022 | 6:05 PM IST

Scientists discover new evidence for possibility of liquid water on Mars

An international team of researchers has found new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. The results, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, provide the first independent line of evidence, using data other than radar, that there is liquid water beneath Mars' south pole. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge with involvement from the University of Sheffield, used spacecraft laser-altimeter measurements of the shape of the upper surface of the ice cap to identify subtle patterns in its height. They then showed that these patterns match computer model predictions for how a body of water beneath the ice cap would affect the surface. Their results are in agreement with earlier ice-penetrating radar measurements that were originally interpreted to show a potential area of liquid water beneath the ice. There has been debate over the liquid water interpretation from the radar data alone, with some studies suggesting

Updated On : 05 Oct 2022 | 2:44 PM IST

New durable coating may kill Covid virus in minutes, say US scientists

Scientists in the US have developed a durable and safe-to-use coating that may kill the COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, E. coli and MRSA bacteria, and a variety of other pathogens within minutes. The coating developed by researchers at the University of Michigan killed 99.9 per cent of microbes even after months of repeated cleaning and abrasion on real-world surfaces like keyboards, cell phone screens and chicken-slathered cutting boards. The coating could be a game changer in traditionally germ-laden public spaces like airports and hospitals, said Anish Tuteja, a professor at the University of Michigan. "Disinfectant cleaners can kill germs in only a minute or two but they dissipate quickly and leave surfaces vulnerable to reinfection" said Tuteja, a co-corresponding author of the research published in the journal Matter. "We do have long-lasting antibacterial surfaces based on metals like copper and zinc, but they take hours to kill bacteria. This coating offers the best of b