Subject: Science and tech Context: Currently in India, RT-PCR tests can tell if a person is infected with novel coronavirus or not. It does not reveal the amount of virus (viral load in scientific parlance) present in the person. Concept: The PCR test amplifies the genetic material from coronavirus through multiple cycles. Since coronavirus has […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: A supercomputer’s recent analysis of data on the contents collected earlier from the lungs of patients with the COVID-19 infection has showed that a phenomenon called a ‘bradykinin storm’ Concept: Scientists are still trying to understand the causes for the rapid deterioration in some patients with COVID-19. While the cytokine storm […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Hydroponic weed has seen a high demand and is ordered through the Darknet, Narcotics Control Bureau found in drug racket Concept: Hydroponic Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants without using soil. Hydroponic flowers, herbs, and vegetables are planted in inert growing media and supplied with nutrient-rich solutions, oxygen, and water. This […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Higher consumption of white rice regularly is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, observes a paper published after studying 1,32,373 individuals from 21 countries Concept: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease of high blood sugar (glucose) levels that result from problems with insulin secretion, its action, or both. Normally, blood glucose […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Two years after coming in the spotlight after the alleged poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skirpal and his daughter YuliaSkirpal in Britain, the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok is back in the news. Concept: During the Cold War, when the Soviet Union and the United States were at loggerheads, the two were […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Billions of years ago, a collision between two black holes sent gravitational waves rippling through the universe. In 2019, signals from these waves were detected at the gravitational wave observatory LIGO and the detector Virgo. Concept: LIGO The LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) is a group of scientists focused on the direct detection […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers has launched new nutraceuticals under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) for sale through Janaushadhi Kendras across country. Concept: Nutraceuticals is a broad umbrella term that is used to describe any product derived from food sources with extra health benefits in addition to the […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Using mass spectrometer, researchers at the Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have been able to detect novel coronavirus with 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity with respect to RT-PCR Concept: The new method can directly detect the virus without amplifying […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, a Deemed to be University, Pune has developed herbal-based immunity boosting room freshener product named “Healthy Air” to contain the spread of COVID-19. Concept: The product Healthy Air has been developed with various extracts of herbal oils like Neem, Neelgiri, Camphor, Daalcheeni, Tulsi, Lemon, Turmeric, Laung, […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Precision medicine gains important at the time of COVID pandemic. Concept: Precision medicine is an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person. Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, is a new frontier for healthcare combining […]