Science for all: Most flowers usually pick one father and stick with him

Representative image. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K./The Hindu Conflicts lurk inside every flower with multiple seeds. The embryos jostle for food, the maternal and paternal genomes bargain over control, and pollen grains compete to be fertilised. Scientists have therefore wondered whether natural selection encourages one-parent broods that keep such quarrels to a minimum and, … Read more

Game-changer virus developed by Kerala Forest Research Institute can help save teak plantations

Teak defoliator larva (Hyblaea puera) killed using HpNPV | Photo Credit: special arrangement A revolutionary technology developed by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) can transform the way teak plantations are protected from their most notorious pest – the teak defoliator moth (Hyblaea puera). The institute has successfully identified, mass-produced and patented a naturally occurring … Read more

‘Defect to win’: science is set to be overwhelmed by fraud papers

A meticulous new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 4 has warned that systematic scientific fraud is no longer a fringe concern but a pervasive, organised, and rapidly growing threat that jeopardises the foundations of research worldwide. The study has revealed a fine-grained break-up of the actors, methods, … Read more

A random number generator using quantum physics and a blockchain

In September 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that American and British intelligence agencies had successfully cracked much of the online encryption internet users used to keep their personal data private. Snowden’s solution appeared ironic to many: to adopt end-to-end encryption en masse, rendering mass surveillance prohibitively expensive and cumbersome. In end-to-end encryption, an algorithm converts … Read more

Why are parachutes shaped like that?

A parachute lets you float in the sky, gazing at the vast lands below, before gently landing back on your feet. For adventure lovers, it’s an adrenaline rush and a moment to cherish forever. The purpose: Slow and steady A parachute’s main purpose is simple but life-saving: it slows you down in mid-air. When someone … Read more

Simpler tests could slash biosimilar costs, widen patient access

A supervisor inspects pre-filled syringes of a biosimilar of Adalimumab at a Zydus Group facility in Changodar, Gujarat, 2014. The biosimilar is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. | Photo Credit: AFP Most of the drugs that we consume are called ‘small molecule drugs’. Their chemical structure is reasonably simple. Disprin, for instance, has a molecular … Read more