Role of animal serum in making of vaccines Subject : Science & tech Context : The government on Wednesday issued a clarification stating that Covaxin, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, did not contain the serum of a newborn calf. Concept : The virus is killed, or inactivated, before being used […]
Antigenic Drift Subject : Science & tech Concept : Background In India, it was known as the Bombay Fever that broke out in the city in June 1918, with one of the possible entry points being ships carrying troops returning from the First World War in Europe. It hit different parts of the […]
Space-time induces neutrino oscillations Subject: Science & tech Context : Professor Amitabha Lahiri of S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) an autonomous institute under the DST, showed in a paper published along with Subhasish Chakrabarty, his student, that the geometry of space-time can cause neutrino oscillations through quantum effects even […]
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Subject: Science & tech Context: Women’s rights activists say feminism in the South Ko had been simmering under the surface, but it became more prominent sometime in 2015 following the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, in the country linked to a Korean man returning from the […]
Freeze-dry Covid-19 test Subject: Science & tech Context : Researchers have discovered that commercially available PCR tests can withstand the freeze-drying process, making them shelf-stable for up to 30 days and 50°C without sacrificing sensitivity and accuracy. Concept: The researchers found that the testing reagents could be pre-mixed with a standard preservative, freeze-dried […]
Covaxin is ‘highly purified’ says Bharat Biotech Subject: Science & tech Context: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday refuted some social media posts on the composition of Covaxin, where it has been suggested that it contains newborn calf serum. Concept: It said that newborn calf serum was used only for the preparation/growth of […]
No discrimination over allocation of medicines to treat Black Fungus Subject: Science & tech Context: The Centre on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that anti-fungal drugs like Amphoterecin B used for treating black fungus had been allocated to states on a need-based system and there was no discrimination against any state, including […]
Aluminium – The EV Manufacturer’s dream metal Subject: Science & tech Context: Electric vehicles are set to push the demand for aluminium exponentially, with innovation in products being the focus of the downstream aluminium sector. Concept: Aluminium is a soft, silvery-white, ductile, nonmagnetic metal in the boron group. It is the third most […]
Govt Confirms first death from reaction to vaccine Subject: Science & tech Context: A government panel studying COVID-19 vaccine side effects on Tuesday confirmed the first death due to anaphylaxis following vaccination. Concept: According to a report submitted by the national Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) Committee, a 68-year-old man died from anaphylaxis […]
AY.1 not a variant of concern yet: Centre Subject: Science & tech Context: AY.1, or B.1.617.2.1, has a mutation called K417N that is linked to high infectivity and has been associated with the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa. Concept: A new COVID-19 variant has mutated from the highly transmissible Delta or […]