The March for Science: Did the Government Even Blink?
Several scientists also admitted that they received subtle, and some not-so-subtle, hints from their senior colleagues to stay away from the march.
T.V. Padma
Three-Nation Effort, Including India, to Beat Kala Azar Faced With New Challenge
In 2005, India, Nepal and Bangladesh launched a joint kala azar elimination initiative to bring down the incidence to less than 1 case per 10,000 people by 2015. That goal has not been reached.
Budget 2017 Extends India’s Streak of Poor Spending on Research
Scientists think there is a mismatch between the government’s rhetoric on bettering India’s research output and how much it is willing to spend for the cause.
Did a US Firm Use a Doctor-Industry Nexus in India To Push Through an Untested Drug?
“The quantum of profit for companies is higher [in medical camps], where they have independent access to captive patients and can push their products for treatment after diagnosis.”
Noted Rotavirus Researcher Gagandeep Kang Wins 2016 Infosys Prize
In India, rotavirus infections kill 98,000 children every year. Kang has been working on determining how many cases are added each year and where, and their possible control.
Does Innovation Have to be Mass Produced?
Grassroots Innovation – Minds on the Margin are not Marginal Minds is a compendium of rural innovations encountered by Anil Gupta during his travels over the last couple of decades.
Calls Grow for Reevaluating GM Mustard, Release of Data – As Do Protests
The safety review put out in the public domain has stoked skepticism in some quarters. Scientists want the government to publish the primary data and not just a review document.
Openly Burning Garbage Around Agra is Discolouring the Taj Mahal
The findings should shake Agra out of its complacency, especially if it prides itself as being home to an iconic monument that draws millions every year.
India’s Ignoring Its Rare Disorders and Their Orphan Drugs Led to the Thalassaemia Crisis
Neither national nor state health policies make any reference to rare genetic disorders despite 70 million Indians being afflicted with them.
All You Need to Know: September’s Crucial Verdict on the Sofosbuvir Patent Saga
The patent also covers the raw materials to make the drugs, which means it would allow the manufacturer to disrupt or stop exports of the raw materials from India.
The Indo-Gangetic Basin is Getting Dirtier Faster Than it is Disappearing
Groundwater levels are falling in 30% of the basin’s aquifer system. But within 60%, access to potable groundwater is restricted by excessive salinity or arsenic.
BJP’s MVA Amendment Bill Goes Soft on Road Safety After Eager Start
The document doesn’t punish people who lay bad roads, doesn’t seem keen on protecting pedestrians and just doesn’t address how road accidents must be investigated.
Museum of Natural History Fire a Chance to Secure Our National Treasures Better
The museum had been gifted to the country in 1972 by the then-PM Indira Gandhi, on India’s 25th anniversary of gaining independence.
India’s Haphazard Quality Monitoring Strategies are Letting Water Pollution Get Worse
Surface water is used for diverse purposes but the water’s quality is tested only to suit a few.
New Temperature Sensitive Poliovirus Strains Show Potential for Use in ‘Next-gen’ Vaccines
The three strains are adapted to cold temperatures but can multiply at up to 30 ºC, an international team of scientists from Europe has reported.
For Science, Centre Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth is – But Not Much Elsewhere
An unexpected – and not wholly unwelcome – surprise this year were the relatively bigger hikes for social-sector-related research.
New Guidelines on Plagiarism Released as Research Misconduct Burgeons in India
“The matter of research integrity seems to be a problem of world-wide dimensions.”
Will India’s ‘Smart Cities’ Be Climate-Resilient?
The smart cities programme needs to reinvent its entire urban planning process even if only for the reason that it’s fallacious to assume creating assets makes a city smart.
We’re Still Building Safer Roads for Cars, Not People
India has been upgrading its highways since 2000 and yet deaths due to road accidents continue to rise at the rate of 9-10% each year.
Inept Regulation Matches Speedy Clearances in India’s Coastal Zone Management
Tardy progress in regulation or conservation of coastlines on the one hand, matched by prompt project clearances on the other have come to light in one of the few, if any, detailed assessment of coastal zone management in India. The assessment report, prepared by the Delhi-based think tank […]
No Room for Complacency as Vaccine-Derived Viruses Can Lead to Polio’s Return
Vaccine-derived polio viruses excreted by people with low immunity could lead to polio re-emergence in the post-eradication era, especially as there is currently no effective strategy to treat these patients.
Even Bats Need to Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
A depletion in the population and diversity of bats — which save farmers in the US about $23 billion dollars a year by eating crop pests – will have a harmful effect on agricultural production in India
Meet the Deadly Snail Whose Venom Could Help the Fight Against Diabetes
The venom of each species of cone snail contains over 1,000 different chemicals called conotoxins that form its deadly arsenal against prey.
Scientists Attempt the ‘Designer’ Tack in the Difficult Fight Against Dengue
Amidst the seemingly losing battle against the virus, recent research has kindled hopes over ‘designer antibodies’ engineered to elicit the immune response needed to beat the virus
