Did you know Down;s syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in humans? Characterized by physical and mental disorders of varying degree, this disorder is seen in 1 per 800 births in India and these numbers are set to increase. But what causes Down’s syndrome in the first place and how is it treated? On this World Down Syndrome Day, here is a all you need to know about this disorder and how you can help those affected by the same. 

Did you know that the mouth, which is the gateway to our digestive health, is one of the most neglected parts of the body? With a zillion bacteria that call it home, our moth, teeth and tongue have a lot to endure. On the event of World Oral Health Day, lets understand the oral health situation in the country and resolve to keep our mouth clean and healthy.

Autophagy, or self-eating, is a process where cells in our body devour some of the cell components to replenish their nutrient supply during severe shortage.  This process, though sounds gruesome, is essential for our survival and any defect in this mechanism could lead to neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Several research, inspired by Nobel Laureate Prof. Yoshinori Ohsumi’s work on autophagy, has now uncovered new dimensions on our understanding of how cells function.

The Internet has revolutionised our way of life, enabling things that were hard to imagine earlier. With the Internet, one can work sitting at home, doctors can treat patients anywhere in the world, and with the advent of smartphones, simple activities like commuting has a whole new meaning. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have redefined communication and made reaching out to a large number of people very easy. Any of us can be an ‘influencer’ with the potential to be heard by millions of people.

If you have ever visited the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium (JNP) in Bengaluru, you are sure to be mesmerized by the art of story telling in the recorded videos played during the shows and the cartoons on display. If there is one person that has to be credited to introducing this uniqueness to the planetarium, it is definitely Prof. C V Vishveshwara, famously called the ‘black hole man of India’.

The 3rd of March every year was declared World Wildlife Day by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the signing of the landmark Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. Aimed at celebrating and raising awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants, the day is a chance for us to think about the major threats to wildlife including habitat change, over-exploitation and illicit trafficking.

This year’s National Science Day, celebrated to commemorate the discovery of Dr. C V Raman’s ‘Raman Effect’, is themed around ‘Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons’. One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability today, and the prevalence of disability is highest in developing countries like India. A report by World Bank estimates that about 110-190 million of them experience significant disabilities.  ‘Persons with disabilities’ or PwDs include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which may hinder their full and effective participation in the society.

ISRO hit a century of sorts with its launch of 104 satellites in one go. This has been a world record and everyone is proud of ISRO for what it has achieved. Have you wondered what enabled this scientific and technological achievement? Much of the ground work happened at Indian Institute of Science in primarily three scientific and engineering departments - aerospace, materials and electrical communication engineering. Aerospace Engineering helped in building and launching the satellites. Materials Engineering, then Metallurgy helped in arriving at the right composites, alloys and materials for the outer cover for launch vehicles and satellites that helped them to weather extreme conditions. The Electrical Communication Engineering Department helped with the technology to control and communicate with the satellites. It is interesting to note that all three were established during 1940s and before India became independent in 1947. In many ways from the science and technology to building capacity, IISc has been playing a key role. 

India celebrates National Science Day today in memory of the day when Nobel Laureate Sir C V Raman discovered a fundamental principle of light, which was named the “Raman Effect.” It is the day to celebrate the spirit of science - the same spirit, with which Dr. Raman pursued his research and believed in his words - “the essence of scientific spirit is to look behind and beyond…”

Scientists have unearthed a natural biochemical entity from our own body, called microRNAs that could soon become a coveted tool in our disease-fighting arsenal. With the dawn of the genomic era, our fight against major diseases is increasingly getting channelized towards acquiring a fresh perspective of disease metabolism and consequently devising newer molecular strategies to combat these diseases. MicroRNAs (or miRNA) are one such new kid on the block, which have completely changed our perspective towards designing disease therapeutics. MicroRNAs are tiny RNA molecules that were once thought to be a waste product of our protein-producing machinery. Made of the same building blocks as our DNA, these pygmy RNA molecules could very well be the answer to curing diseases like cancer, diabetes, viral infections, genetic defects & many other metabolic disorders.