Why in News: Moderna, the Massachusetts-based American biotechnology company, has indicated that it may begin human trials for a vaccine for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). What is HIV? HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune …
How atomic energy works? Atomic energy can be released in two ways – either by breaking up heavy nuclei, like uranium, into smaller fragments, releasing a lot of energy in the process, or by fusing together light nuclei like hydrogen …
What is smog? Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. It was first described over 5 decades ago as a mixture of smoke and fog, hence the name “smog”—but today it has a more specific definition and composition. Smog is …
About GMOs Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or by natural recombination. The …
Why in News: Researchers from IIT Madras and IISER Kolkata have developed a method to detect minute quantities of chemicals in solution. How did they achieve this They use a variation of absorption spectroscopy that surpasses the systemic limits imposed …
What is it? It is an initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in collaboration with ISRO, DRDO, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Navy. …
What is food fortification? Food fortification is defined as the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and …
What’s in the news? Recently, seven people were killed, 17 injured and over 35 missing after a cloudburst hit a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir. Cloudburst events have been reported from several places in J&K, Union Territory of Ladakh, …
Why in News? Indian scientists have found a theoretical model explaining a unique kind of motion, called direction reversing active motion, exhibited by some bacteria. How does a bacteria move Bacteria move by propelling themselves with a velocity that changes …
Why in News? Scientists from the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium, an international collaboration of around 30 institutions, reported the most complete sequencing of the human genome until now. What is a gene? The gene is the basic physical unit of inheritance. …