Nanomaterials are revolutionising the way we do things with applications in medicine, electronics and biocompatible materials, to name a few. Scientists are studying various nanoforms of carbon—nanotubes, nanocones, nanohorns, two-dimensional graphene and even carbon onions! Now, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have added a new form to this list called nano carbon florets. These nano-sized florets, shaped like marigold flowers, have much more than just good looks to flaunt; they can help keep the environment clean by removing harmful heavy metal pollutants from industrial effluents. In a study published in the journal ACS Applied Nano Materials, Prof C Subramaniam and his team from the Department of Chemistry have designed nanocarbon florets that can remove up to 90% of pollutants containing arsenic, chromium, cadmium and mercury.

A recent study by researchers at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) in Pune, India, explains the anomaly in the sun's atmospheric temperature. 

Researchers show that the shape of dried paint or ink deposit is related to the concentration and size of particles in these colloids.

Ever wondered why we use only specific inks for the inkjet printer? Why not any random dye? The wrong ink may result in non-uniform and patchy printing. Printing inks are colloids—tiny solid particles suspended in a liquid. The size and the concentration of the solid particles in ink specified for printers are designed to deposit uniformly on paper.

In a recent study, researchers synthesize a novel trehalose molecule that can form long, helical polymers under high temperatures.

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a leading cause of death worldwide. In 2017 alone, 10 million people across the globe were affected by the disease, and about 1.6 million succumbed to it.

Researchers suggest an experiment to understand when and how cloning can happen in nature.

Building on their previous research, researchers at Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai have tried to find out the root cause of sepsis in a recent study. So far, most drugs treat the symptoms of sepsis, such as inflammation, rather than its causes. In this study, the researchers find that broken pieces of chromosomes could trigger sepsis. The results of the study are published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Study uses three-dimensional simulations to understand how flying insects navigate their terrain

Researchers from ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research, Karnal, and ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, have proposed a faster and reliable approach to identify different varieties of wheat. Using a mix of software engineering, mobile application development and genetic analysis, they have developed a new web-based server called VISTa—the first-ever plant variety identification system in the world—to identify wheat varieties.

In a recent study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad have developed a blood glucose sensor to monitor blood sugar using light. It can measure a wide range of values of blood glucose, between 10 to 200 mg/dl, say the researchers. The average blood sugar level in healthy adults when fasting is between 70 to 120 mg/dl.