Latest news with #IISc
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Health
- Time of India
Indian Institute of Science scientists create artificial enzyme to tackle deadly blood clots
Bengaluru: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science ( ) have created a novel metal-based nanozyme that could help prevent abnormal blood clotting linked to conditions such as pulmonary thromboembolism — when a blood clot, often originating from a deep vein in the leg, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, obstructing blood flow. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The artificial enzyme imitates natural antioxidant enzymes and works by controlling levels of toxic reactive oxygen species, which can trigger excessive platelet activation and dangerous clot formation. "Blood clots normally form as a protective response when blood vessels are injured. However, in diseases like Covid-19 or pulmonary thromboembolism, this process can go into overdrive, creating excess clots that block blood vessels and contribute to thrombosis," IISc said Tuesday. The research team, led by Prof G Mugesh from the department of inorganic and physical chemistry, tested various nanomaterials before identifying "spherical vanadium pentoxide nanozymes" as the most effective. These materials mimic glutathione peroxidase, a natural enzyme that reduces oxidative stress. "The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce reactive oxygen species levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial," Prof Mugesh explained. Tests on human blood platelets showed the nanozymes successfully prevented excessive clot formation. When injected into mice with pulmonary thromboembolism, the treatment significantly reduced thrombosis and improved survival rates, with no toxic effects observed over five days. Unlike conventional anti-clotting drugs, which can cause dangerous bleeding as a side effect, IISc said, the nanozymes don't interfere with normal blood clotting processes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The nanozymes modulate the redox signalling and don't interfere with normal blood clotting. This means they won't cause bleeding complications that are a major concern with current therapies," PhD student Bidare N Sharath Babu, one of the study's authors, said. The team now plans to investigate whether the nanozyme could prevent ischaemic stroke, another condition caused by blocked blood vessels. Professor Mugesh expressed optimism about the potential human clinical trials, noting that the experiments used human platelets with successful results.
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Indian team announced for the International Junior Science Olympiad 2025, Russia
The Indian team for the 2025 International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), to be held in Sochi, Russia, has been officially announced. The announcement was made following the Orientation-cum-Selection Camp (OCSC) held from May 15 to 30, 2025, at the Talent Development Centre (TDC) of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Challakere. The following students will represent India: Aadish Jain, Mahendragarh Public School, Haryana; Anmol Kumar, Manu Vatika School, Punjab; Asmi Inamdar, KVIIT Powai, Maharashtra; Ruhan Mohanty, DAV Public School, Odisha; Sai Sharavan Mavalla, Narayana Co. School, Telangana; S.V. Tejas, Surajkund International School, Tamil Nadu. The team will be accompanied by three leaders, Dr. Shirish Pathare, HBCSE, Mumbai; Prof. Vedavyasa, retired Professor from St .Joseph's College Bengaluru; and Dr. Aravinda S, TDC, IISc, Challakere. Dr. Geetha R.S., retired professor from Vijaya College, Bengaluru, will serve as the scientific observer. The students were selected based on their performance in rigorous written and practical tests in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The exams are uniquely designed to test students' conceptual understanding, application of knowledge, and critical thinking in science. The team was declared at the valedictory function for the camp on May 31, 2025, at Vidyavardhaka Sangha (VVS), Rajajinagar, Bengaluru. Prof. L S Shashidhara, Director, NCBS, was the Chief Guest of the program, and Prof. Subba Reddy, Chief Research Scientist, IISc, and Convener, Talent Development Centre (TDC), IISc, Challakere, was the special guest. The camp was organised by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) Junior Science Olympiad cell in collaboration with VVS. The VVS Chairperson and the IAPT president presided over the function. In 2024, the Indian team performed outstandingly at IJSO 2024 in Romania, with all six students bagging a gold medal each. The team also won the country winner trophy.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
2023 Madhyamik topper comes first among girls with 16th rank in JEE(A)
KOLKATA: A Madhyamik topper in 2023, Katwa's Devdutta Majhi has come out on top among girls in this year's JEE (Advanced), securing an overall rank of 16 with 312 marks. The Katwa Durgadasi Chaudhurani Girls' High School student, who had ranked 6th in HS, aims to join IISc for further studies. Besides Devdutta, four other candidates from the IIT Kharagpur zone are among the top 100. Following Devdutta's brilliant performance, which she says is the result of two years of hard work, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee congratulated her on X. Devdutta wants to conduct research in the fields of AI and robotics. Devdutta told TOI that she had studied for JEE by herself, without much help from coaching centres. She went online for expert consultations and mock tests. "I kept myself away from all programmes and family gatherings to focus only on studies. One has to practise and study every day, for at least two years, if they want to do well in competitive exams," she said. Since Madhyamik, Devdutta has been studying 10 hours a day. She gave up playing the violin, once her favourite hobby, and went back to it only after her JEE exams. In the last two years, her only pastime has been speaking to her mother about her preparations.
Indian Express
a day ago
- General
- Indian Express
JEE Advanced 2025: AIR 5 Ujjwal Kesari prefers BSc Physics at IISc Bangalore over BTech from IIT-Bombay
Ujjwal Kesari has bagged the fifth rank in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2025 by obtaining 324 marks out of 360 marks. He appeared from the IIT Delhi zone. The 17-year-old wants to study at IISc Bangalore and do a Bachelor of Science in the subjects before moving to research and a PhD in physics. JEE Advanced Rank Predictor | JEE Advanced Result 2025 | JEE Main CRL 1 'For research, IISc is India's best institute, and I had aimed for a seat there from my 7th grade itself,' the JEE Advanced topper added. 'I knew IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) was an easier option for admission to IISc Bangalore, but I chose JEE Advanced 2025 over other entrance exams as there is more study material and guidance available around,' he said. The result of the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE Advanced) 2025 has been announced today, June 2. As many as 54,378 (44,974 male and 9,404 female) candidates qualified for JEE Advanced this year. Most candidates from the IIT Hyderabad zone have qualified JEE Advanced 2025 exam. As many as 12,946 students have qualified from the IIT-H zone alone, followed by 11,370 from IIT Delhi and 11,226 from the IIT Bombay zone. As many as 5,445 have qualified from the IIT Roorkee zone, 5,353 from IIT Kharagpur zone, 5,295 from IIT Kanpur zone, and 2,743 from IIT Guwahati zone. Kesari appeared in the January session of JEE Main this year. He scored 99.999 percentile, and unlike many top scorers, he was sure he wouldn't appear again. In the final result of JEE Main, he secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 33. He was enrolled in a three-year classroom coaching programme at Vidyamandir Classes, Delhi. Speaking about his preparation strategy, the JEE Advanced CRL 5 said that he studied for 10-12 hours and used to sleep for 8 hours every day. When asked if coaching is necessary, he said, 'Being in a coaching is necessary so that you are in a competitive environment, you are always up to date with the syllabus and you get teachers to guide you when you struggle.' 'Had I not been core science subjects, I would have taken philosophy or geography. These subjects, I feel, are more inclined towards science as compared to other subjects like history and polity,' he said. He is originally from Bihar but his family shifted to Delhi from his kindergarten years. His father runs a consultancy business, primarily in placement services. His mother is a homemaker, and he has a sister who is a researcher in the field of history Mridusmita Deka covers education and has worked with the Careers360 previously. She is an alumnus of Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University. ... Read More
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bacteria and Beans Could Be the Secret Sauce for Moon Bricks
Bacteria can strengthen lunar soil for making bricks on the moon, cutting down on costs. Bacteria produce calcium carbonate to help fill cracks in building materials. Adding guar bean extract to lunar material drastically increases brick strength. Humanity has been reliant on bacteria for centuries. From fermentation and agriculture to making vaccines and genetic engineering, bacterial strains have found widespread industrial and lifestyle applications. In the near future, they could help make resilient bricks to build habitats on the Moon's surface. A team from India has developed a process reliant on bacteria to make stronger brick-like structures that can survive the harsh atmosphere of the moon. The approach is notable because it uses the lunar soil as the base material. Or in the words of NASA, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). One of the biggest challenges in the quest to build a settlement for humanity away from Earth is hauling all the material and equipment to an extraterrestrial body. According to Jennifer Edmunson, acting Program Manager for NASA's Centennial Challenges, flying from Earth to the Moon can cost $1-1.12 million per kilogram of cargo. To avoid that, NASA has actively explored in-situ ideas that can exploit the material locally available on the Moon, and even Mars. Building on that approach, a team of experts at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has developed a method to create what they refer to as 'space bricks.' The fundamental material used to make these bricks is lunar soil, combined with urine (as the source of urea) and guar bean, which is commonly grown in India and used to produce a food thickening powder called guar gum. This plant extract is used in powdered form as an additive to boost the material's strength. This is where the bacteria, a species named Sporosarcina pasteurii, come into the picture. It combines the calcium and urea in the building material to create calcium carbonate crystals that fill the cracks developing in the brick over time. 'The final product obtained after a few days of incubation was found to possess significant strength and machinability,' says the team. Broadly, the process is called bio-cementation, while the repair process is known as Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). As per a paper published in the Frontiers journal, the bacterial repair can extend the functional lifespan of lunar bricks on the lunar surface. Interestingly, this won't be the first time that urine, or the aforementioned bacterial species, has appeared in space research. Experts at the University of Manchester created a material called AstroCrete that would essentially combine Martian soil with urine and astronaut blood. Interestingly, the biocomposite material turned out to be nearly as strong as concrete. As far as the bacterial species goes, it's a special one, and the strengthening properties of this bacterium have already been demonstrated with Earth-based projects. During a TED Talk, Magnus Larsson demonstrated an award-winning method of using bacteria to make solid dunes and prevent the expansion of the Sahara desert. Ginger Krieg Dosier, an assistant professor at the American University in Sharjah, has also developed a method to produce biobricks using the same bacterial species, urine, and sand. The core role of Sporosarcina pasteurii is to produce calcium carbonate, which is deemed extremely compatible with the constituents of concrete. When cracks appear in concrete, the bacterial material triggers the formation of calcium carbonate to fill the cracks and seal them. In a separate paper published in the PLOS Journal, the team tested another bacterial species named Bacillus velezensis. It is approximately ten times more affordable, and during lab tests, it produced twice the amount of the crack-filling material. Calcium supplements are recommended by doctors worldwide to boost the strength and growth of bones. In nature, calcium's role in minerals isn't too different. The teams at IISc and IIT began their work on space bricks with bacteria, urea, and calcium. The base material was lunar soil simulant (LSS), which is rich in silicon, carbon, oxygen, and aluminum. The guar gum, extracted from guar beans, plays a crucial role in making the construction material due to its role as a polymer additive. In fact, as per the research paper published in the Ceramics International journal, the organic gum increased the brick's strength by nearly six times. 'In independent experiments performed under flask conditions, it was observed that guar gum accelerated both bacterial growth and MICP related activity,' says the research paper. Another impressive aspect of these space bricks is that they are quite machinable and allow free-form shaping to suit the construction needs. A simple lathe is all that's needed to shape the material, which opens the doors for easily making interlocked designs and reducing the hassle of specialized molds. The team is now looking forward to making larger bricks and scaling up the manufacturing process beyond labs. The focus ahead will be on making the bricks stronger so that they can brush off seismic activity on the lunar surface. Yes, the moon is full of surprises, and 'moonquakes' are one of them. Interestingly, the same team is also working on a similar bacteria-driven strategy for making bricks using the Martian soil. The real challenge, of course, will be transporting the machinery that can harvest the lunar regolith and turn it into space bricks. Let's hope the Artemis mission brings back the glory days of mankind on the moon and opens the doors for long-term settlements.
