Latest news with #Kashmir-based
Mint
7 days ago
- Science
- Mint
India's first gene-edited sheep developed by Kashmir university researchers. All you need to know
Researchers at a Kashmir-based Agricultural university have produced India's first gene-edited sheep, marking a historic milestone in the field of animal biotechnology. The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) has called it a "ground-breaking scientific achievement". The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework, news agency PTI said. The team of researchers led by Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, Riaz Ahmad Shah achieved the feat after a research of around four years. Shah's team had previously cloned India's first Pashmina goat- 'Noori'- in 2012, a milestone that garnered global acclaim. "This path-breaking development places India on the global map of advanced genome editing technologies and positions SKUAST-Kashmir at the forefront of reproductive biotechnology research," Shah told PTI, adding, it marks a historic milestone in the field of animal biotechnology. The gene editing was performed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and adhered to international biosafety protocols. Shah said the gene-edited lamb has been modified for the 'myostatin' gene - a regulator of muscle growth. 'By disrupting this gene, muscle mass in the animal is enhanced by nearly 30 per cent, a trait naturally absent in Indian sheep breeds but known in select European breeds like the Texel,' he said. For now this has been done at research level. 'The technique has multiple applications. We can edit the genes responsible for diseases to produce disease-resistant animals. It can also help in the twinning of animals at birth,' Shah told The Indian Express. Gene editing, also known as genome editing, is a group of technologies that allow scientists to precisely change an organism's DNA. These technologies enable the addition, removal, or alteration of genetic material at specific locations within the genome. The development comes on the heels of the recent release of India's first gene-edited rice variety, endorsed by Union Ministry for Agriculture, and further cements India's growing prowess in genomic science, Shah said. "The introduction of this mutation through gene editing, and not through traditional crossbreeding, represents a technological leap akin to the revolution Artificial Intelligence is driving in the 21st century," he said. SKUAST-Kashmir vice-chancellor Nazir Ahmad Ganai described the achievement as the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in the country. "This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India. With gene editing, we have the ability to bring precise, beneficial changes without introducing foreign DNA, making the process efficient, safe, and potentially acceptable to both regulators and consumers," he said. Through gene editing, the researchers targeted a gene in a sheep variety that helps in boosting its muscle weight and gives heavier, almost 30 per cent more weight than normal sheep. This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India.
Mint
7 days ago
- Science
- Mint
India's first gene-edited sheep developed in Kashmir Agricultural university. All you need to know
Researchers at a Kashmir-based Agricultural university have produced India's first gene-edited sheep, marking a historic milestone in the field of animal biotechnology. The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) has called it a "ground-breaking scientific achievement". The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework, news agency PTI said. The team of researchers led by Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, Riaz Ahmad Shah achieved the feat after a research of around four years. Shah's team had previously cloned India's first Pashmina goat- 'Noori'- in 2012, a milestone that garnered global acclaim. "This path-breaking development places India on the global map of advanced genome editing technologies and positions SKUAST-Kashmir at the forefront of reproductive biotechnology research," Shah told PTI, adding, it marks a historic milestone in the field of animal biotechnology. The gene editing was performed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and adhered to international biosafety protocols. Shah said the gene-edited lamb has been modified for the 'myostatin' gene - a regulator of muscle growth. 'By disrupting this gene, muscle mass in the animal is enhanced by nearly 30 per cent, a trait naturally absent in Indian sheep breeds but known in select European breeds like the Texel,' he said. For now this has been done at research level. 'The technique has multiple applications. We can edit the genes responsible for diseases to produce disease-resistant animals. It can also help in the twinning of animals at birth,' Shah told The Indian Express. Gene editing, also known as genome editing, is a group of technologies that allow scientists to precisely change an organism's DNA. These technologies enable the addition, removal, or alteration of genetic material at specific locations within the genome. The development comes on the heels of the recent release of India's first gene-edited rice variety, endorsed by Union Ministry for Agriculture, and further cements India's growing prowess in genomic science, Shah said. "The introduction of this mutation through gene editing, and not through traditional crossbreeding, represents a technological leap akin to the revolution Artificial Intelligence is driving in the 21st century," he said. SKUAST-Kashmir vice-chancellor Nazir Ahmad Ganai described the achievement as the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in the country. "This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India. With gene editing, we have the ability to bring precise, beneficial changes without introducing foreign DNA, making the process efficient, safe, and potentially acceptable to both regulators and consumers," he said. Through gene editing, the researchers targeted a gene in a sheep variety that helps in boosting its muscle weight and gives heavier, almost 30 per cent more weight than normal sheep. This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India. "We have got the offspring from the mother, and one with the mutated gene is distinctly heavier than the non-mutated,' the vice-chancellor said adding that the DNA of the mutated lamb, which is now three months old, will be sent to foreign research labs for further verification.
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Pakistan links of arrested JMB activist in Bengal being probed
Kolkata: Pakistan links of one of the three Indian associates of Bangladesh-based Islamic fundamentalist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police earlier, are being probed. Sources said coded encrypted messages recovered from the mobile phones of Aazmal Hossain and Saheb Ali Khan, who were arrested from Birbhum district earlier this month, show their links only with associates of Bangladesh-based fundamentalist outfits, namely JMB, Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HUT), and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). However, the sources added that similar coded and encrypted messages recovered from the mobile phones of the third arrested local associate of JMB, Abasuddin Molla, show his regular communication with some individuals based out of Pakistan as well as with those associated with the Jammu and Kashmir-based fundamentalist group Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Molla was arrested from Paturi village in the minority-dominated Diamond Harbour area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, just a day after two others were held from Birbhum district. The cops have also recently updated a district court in Birbhum about their initial findings against these arrested accused, both from interrogation as well as through the coded and encrypted messages recovered from their mobile phones. The investigating officials, the sources added, are currently interrogating the trio to get details of their recruits for the sleeper cells of JMB in the state. Recently, the Union Home Ministry received information from intelligence agencies about the alleged role of illegal Bangladeshi intruders behind the violence and vandalism at the minority-dominated Murshidabad district over violent protests against the newly promulgated Waqf (Amendment) Act. The names of JMB, HUT and ABT surfaced in that intelligence input. However, considering the geographical locations of the pockets where the tension and violence had been maximum this time, especially Samserganj, the possibility of ABT playing some role behind the latest violence sounded more logical. On the eastern side of the international borders at Samserganj and Dhulian, is the Bangladeshi district of Chapai-Nawabganj, which is considered the stronghold of ABT. The sources added that because of this geographical proximity, the chances of ABT's involvement in the latest developments at Murshidabad are most likely.
Mint
21-05-2025
- Mint
‘Feel like I've been reborn': Kashmir startup co-founder recalls Delhi-Srinagar Indigo flight turbulence
Delhi Srinagar Indigo flight Turbulence: An Indigo flight from Delhi to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm leading to severe turbulence on 21 May, prompting the pilot to report the 'emergency' to air traffic control at Srinagar. The flight carrying more than 220 people, however, later landed safely at 6:30 pm at Srinagar airport but not before leaving the passengers in panic as it navigated the massive mid-air turbulence. Videos from inside the plane, in which passengers can be heard screaming and praying for their safety, have gone viral on social media platforms. One of the passengers on board the flight was Sheikh Samiullah, a startup co-founder from Srinagar. 'Everything seemed normal, until the pilot suddenly announced a rough patch ahead and asked us to fasten our seatbelts. I'm a frequent flyer, but I've never experienced turbulence like this. It was terrifying. I'm truly grateful to the pilot for landing us safely,' Samiullah, the co-founder of FastBeetle, a logistics tech platform, told news agency PTI. Co-founded in 2019 by Samiullah and his friend Abid Rashid Lone, FastBeetle a Kashmir-based tech start-up focused on last-mile logistics. In 2021, FastBeetle became Kashmir's first start-up to raise $100,000 in a pre-Series A funding round. 'Heart's still racing, but I feel like I've been reborn. Grateful to Allah," he said later in a post on X. The airline said the flight from the national capital to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm and the plane landed safely at the Srinagar airport. "IndiGo flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm en route. The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar," the airline said in a statement. Not enough details were available about the extent of damage to the plane due to the hailstorm but visuals on social media indicated damage to the aircraft's nose. 'I was in the plane and am heading back home from Srinagar. It was a near death nose of the plane is was panic and people were screaming. Everyone was scared,' one Owais Maqbool Hakeem, who was on board the flight, said in a post on X. Several domestic and international flights to Delhi airport from various airports have been halted or diverted due to weather conditions in Delhi, ANI reported quoting airport sources. IndiGo and Air India have also issued advisories for passengers asking them to check the status of flights. 'Heavy rain and thunderstorm in #Delhi, #Chandigarh and #Kolkata is impacting flights. We understand weather delays are never easy, we sincerely appreciate your patience. Do check your flight status before heading to the airport,' said IndiGo in a post on X. Heart's still racing, but I feel like I've been reborn. Grateful to Allah. (With inputs from agencies)
Business Recorder
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
‘Facts must not be the casualty in any conflict': CPJ
NEW DELHI: The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the nationwide block on access to The Wire independent news site as the latest act of media censorship. 'Facts must not be the casualty in any conflict,' said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. 'Blocking The Wire's website and the social media accounts of other news outlets is an alarming attempt to stifle critical journalism at a time when independent reporting is more essential than ever. We call on the Indian government to immediately lift the blockade on The Wire and cease using national security concerns as an excuse to suppress media freedom.' The internet block coincides with a significant escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan, which have traded fire across their frontier in disputed Kashmir this week. The Wire criticized the blocking as 'arbitrary and inexplicable' and a violation of the constitutional guarantee of press freedom. Internet Service Providers told The Wire that they had received orders to block the site under a government directive issued under the Information Technology Act, 2000. The social media platform X said it had received executive orders to block over 8,000 accounts in India, including the Kashmir-based news outlets Free Press Kashmir and The Kashmiriyat and Maktoob Media, which focuses on human rights and minorities. Separately, on May 7, The Hindu newspaper said it had deleted a post on X, which reported that three Indian jets had crashed in Jammu and Kashmir, because it did not have 'on-record official information.' Journalist Hilal Mir has been placed under preventive detention until May 13 for allegedly spreading anti-national content and promoting secessionist ideology online. In late April, the government blocked one Indian and 19 Pakistani YouTube channels, one journalist was assaulted and two political commentators and satirists face legal action over their coverage of the Kashmir attack. The information ministry has banned live coverage of anti-terrorist operations, citing security risks.
