Research Matters

Whose cup of tea is it – ours or leopards’?

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The conversion of lush green forests into plantation for the profit of the East India Company still have lasting effects on the Indian wildlife today. Researchers from the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, study the conflict between leopards and humans due to this altered landscape. They find that from tea plantations to protected areas, leopard inflict non fatal attacks on humans, which are most likely the big cats attempt to defend itself.

Scientists study the role of the tiny electrons in massive galaxy clusters

An international team of scientists from Indian Institute of Technology –Indore, India, University of Witwatersrand,  South Africa, Raman Research Institute, India, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India and Australia Telescope National Facility, Australia has, for the first time, calculated the power radiated by high-energy electrons in radio galaxies and galaxy clusters.

New study on mRNA binding to STAR proteins may help in designing drugs against diseases

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research at Mohali, study how a type of genetic material called messenger RNA (mRNA)and how it interacts with STAR proteins. The findings of the study shed light on protein folding and could also be used to design new types of drugs.

Relationship between sexual selection and mating outside a social group

In the study of evolutionary biology, a lot of importance is given to trade offs in the survival of organisms. Questions like when should a predator hunt or when should it conserve energy, when should a prey remain solitary and when should it be social, are often always answered by weighing in the tradeoffs. Another important aspect of an organism’s life is passing on its genes and hence, many tradeoffs come into play when studying different mating systems seen in nature.

Researchers use new scaffolding material from tasar silk for tissue engineering

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Historically silk threads have been used for medical applications like sutures. In modern times silk mats are increasingly being recognized as a promising material for regenerative surgery. Researchers from Karnataka University, Dharwad explore the healing properties of silk mats made from wild species of silkworm Antheraea mylitta or tasar silkworm.

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