Subject : Science & tech Context : A group of researchers at University of Rochester, Intel corporation and University of Nevada in the U.S. have created a material that is superconducting at 15 degrees Celsius. Concept : A new material composed of carbon, hydrogen and sulphur superconducts at 15 degrees Celsius. Superconductor Superconductors are materials […]
Subject : Science and tech Context : NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touched asteroid Bennu, from where it is meant to collect samples of dust and pebbles and deliver them back to Earth in 2023. Concept : Bennu is a 500-meter wide asteroid in an elliptical orbit around the sun. It is a carbonaceous asteroid composition […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Researchers at Duke University have identified a number of silent mutations in the virus’s genetic code that helped it thrive after it crossed over to humans. Concept: Mutations The DNA sequence is specific to each organism. It can sometimes undergo changes in its base-pairs sequence. It is termed as a […]
Subject : Science and tech Context : Convalescent plasma therapy could soon be discontinued as a treatment for COVID-19 patients, the Centre. Plasma therapy failed to benefit COVID-19 patients in the largest randomized trial conducted in India, carried out by the ICMR which found that plasma didn’t particularly help lower mortality or severity of COVID-19 […]
Subject : Science and tech Context : Cancer patients in India can get better access to immuno-oncology therapies, if more global trials on these drugs are undertaken in India, according to IQVIA, a human data science company. Concept : Immunotherapy Immunotherapy tries to help the immune system recognise cancer as a threat, and attack it. […]
Subject: Science and tech Context : Pharma Major Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories have received approval for trials in India. Concept : The vaccine has been called Sputnik V, named after the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik-I launched by the Soviet Union. It is the first Covid-19 vaccine to be approved. The vaccine is based on the […]
Subject: Science and tech Concept: Neutralizing antibody A neutralizing antibody (NAb) is an antibody that defends a cell from a pathogen or infectious particle by neutralizing any effect it has biologically. Neutralisation renders the particle no longer infectious or pathogenic. Neutralizing antibodies are part of the humoral response of the adaptive immune system against viruses, […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS among antenatal women has dropped from 0.27% to 0.18% in Tamil Nadu, according to the findings of the recent HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2019. Concept : HIV attacks CD4, a type of White Blood Cell (T cells)in the body’s immune system. T cells are those cells that […]