A team of scientists from Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have discovered a new species of plant – Reissantia (Celastraceae). Members belonging to Reissantia family are usually found in Old World tropics of Africa and the Indo- Malaya regions.  The plants are found as a climbing, scandent or erect shrub and are characterized by small flowers. The discovery is the latest in a string of new species being discovered in the Western Ghats, including the Narrow Mouthed Laterite Frog and the Karaavali Skittering Frog.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, which was later renamed to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) is a labour law passed to ensure employment for the rural population. The act provides 100 days of guaranteed wages to an unskilled manual labourer, helping them cope with the unemployment.

Saffron, the most expensive spice from the Middle East, is also well-known for its neuropsychological effects, apart from its culinary uses. Now, researchers from Savitribai Phule Pune University and University of Kansas Medical Centre have studied the potential of Safranal, a chemical present in saffron, for its anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting abilities.

Electricity has become a basic necessity today - powering our homes to running our machines, all run on electricity.  This growing need for electricity has seen the rise of smart grids - a network of electric supply system that detects changes in usage of electricity in real time and helps to manage the demand-supply equation. Smart grids also incorporate Dynamic pricing, where the amount per unit of electricity changes with time, with it costing higher at peak times and lower during other times.

A new study by scientists at Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), has found a link between lower vitamin D levels and prevalence of hypertension in pregnant women. The research, building upon previous studies that showed a correlation between low levels of vitamin D and hypertension, has focused to see if this relationship holds true in pregnant women who are at a high risk of developing hypertension.

Ever wondered what happened to all our centuries-old learning of using natural dyes on fabric like cotton, silk and wool? With synthetic dyes that are non-biodegradable, carcinogenic and pollute our waters, we are doing more harm than good to ourselves. A new study by researchers at the University of Delhi has proposed efficient techniques to extract natural dye from plant based sources like roots of turmeric, fruits of harda, petals of safflower and roots of barberry.