M. A. Baby | Congenial comrade

M. A. Baby | Photo Credit: Illustration: Sreejith R. Kumar In a political landscape ruled by grandstanding and strategising, Mariam Alexander Baby’s election as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was as quiet as it was resolute. After remaining in the shadows for several years, he emerged as the right choice … Read more

How will genetic mapping of Indians help? | Explained

Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images The story so far: The preliminary findings of the GenomeIndia project, which attempted to study whole genomes of 10,000 healthy and unrelated Indians from 83 population groups, were published in the journal Nature Genetics on April 8. After excluding two populations, the published findings are based on the … Read more

Iran’s nuclear programme | An atomic tug of war

The U.S. and Iran have started talks about the latter’s controversial nuclear programme. After Donald Trump, in his first term, unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran had maintained that it would not hold direct talks with the U.S. There were multiple … Read more

What has the SC ruled on the T.N. Governor? | Explained

The story so far: On April 8, the Supreme Court declared Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s prolonged refusal to give his assent to 10 Bills as illegal and erroneous in law. In a landmark verdict, Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan underscored the importance of cooperative federalism, amid growing concerns over the increasing politicisation of … Read more

Can fruit fly larvae sense electric fields?

Researchers have found that besides sharks, bees and platypus, even fruit fly larvae can sense electric fields and navigate toward the negative electric potential using a small set of sensory neurons in their head. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara immersed a fruit fly larva in an electric field and they found … Read more

Peter Navarro | Trump’s tariff czar

Peter Navarro | Photo Credit: Illustration: Sreejith R. Kumar The mayhem unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy caused many to wonder: does he have a qualified economist to advise him? Turns out he does. His name is Peter Navarro and he holds a PhD in economics from Harvard. Mr. Navarro, senior counsel for … Read more

Indigenous TB test can enhance accuracy, speed up testing

The rt-LAMP assay is a molecular test with high sensitivity and specificity | Photo Credit: CDC/ Ray Butler, MS Researchers at the Thiruvananthapuram-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have developed and tested a novel, cost-effective, real-time LAMP (rt-LAMP) assay for early diagnosis of TB. Much like GeneXpert and Truenat, the … Read more

IISc: Venom characteristics of Russell’s viper depend on local climate

Local climate can be used to predict the venom characteristics of Russell’s viper, a deadly snake that is widespread in India, helping clinicians to provide targeted therapies for snake bite victims, according to a study published by IISc researchers on April 10 in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) is found across … Read more

Study finds a shift in peak time of maximum rainfall

A study which examined the spatial rainfall trends across India has found that the amount of rainfall per day in certain parts of India has increased during the last decade 2011-2020 compared with the previous decade (2001-2010) while certain other parts have witnessed a reduction in the rainfall amount. The study has used the GSMaP-ISRO … Read more

How CA final thrice a year will help students, accelerate 30 lakh CA’s by 2047 target

India will need over 30 lakh Chartered Accountants by 2047 — the centenary of India’s independence. Photo shows ICAI President Charanjot Singh Nanda | Photo: ANI The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has taken a landmark step by announcing that, starting January 2025, the CA Final exams will be conducted three times a … Read more