Kappa variant of Covid-19 Subject: Science & tech Context: Recently, two cases of Kappa variant of Covid-19 have been recorded in Uttar Pradesh. Concept: Kappa variant of Covid-19 According to World Health Organization (WHO), Kappa is one of the two Covid-19 variants (the other being Delta) first identified in India. The Delta and […]
Zika virus Subject: Science and Tech Context: Kerala is on alert after detecting at least 15 cases of the Zika virus. All district administrations have been told to keep a close eye on cases of mosquito bites, and conduct fumigation drives. Concept: Zika is a viral infection, It spread by Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue […]
Methane-producing Processes on Enceladus Subject : Science & tech Context : Recently, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected an unusually high concentration of methane, along with carbon dioxide and dihydrogen, in the moons of Saturn by flying through their plumes. Concept : The giant water plumes erupting from Enceladus have inspired research and speculation […]
Tocilizumab Subject: Science and Technology Context: The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the use of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockers — tocilizumab and sarilumab — as part of COVID-19 management protocol. Concept: IL-6 IL-6 is an inflammatory marker that is responsible for a cytokine storm in the body, mostly in the second phase of COVID-19 […]
Genomic Variants of Oral Cancer Database (dbGENVOC) Subject : Science & tech Context : Recently, the DBT-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani has created a database of genomic variations in oral cancer called ‘dbGENVOC’. Concept : dbGENVOC is a browsable online database of GENomic Variants of Oral Cancer and is a free […]
National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) Subject : Science & tech Context :A research paper by scientists at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), announcing a breakthrough in the field of chemical biology, and published in the prestigious Nature Chemical Biology (NCB), has been retracted as its key findings were manipulated. Concept […]
New online platform maps Pegasus spread Subject: Science & tech Context: An online database about the use of the spyware Pegasus was recently launched by the Forensic Architecture, the Amnesty International and the Citizen Lab to document attacks against human rights defenders. Concept: About Pegasus It is a spyware developed by the Israeli […]
SwabSeq Subject: Science and Technology Context: An article in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a team of scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have reported real-world results on SwabSeq, a testing platform that uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time to detect Covid-19. Concept: SwabSeq uses sample-specific molecular barcodes to […]
Sutra Sero survey model Subject: Science and Technology Context: If a fully immune-escape variant of SARS-CoV2 doesn’t surface, the third Covid-19 wave will only be a ripple when compared to the second wave that killed more than 2.5 lakh in a short span of time, according to a mathematician Concept: Sutra model Agrawal, […]
Lambda CovidVariant may be a emerging threat Subject : Science & tech Context: Amid Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to drive the rise in infections around the world, another variant, Lambda, is increasingly being seen by scientists and health experts as a new emerging threat. Concept : Lambda Covid Variant It […]