Author: Science India Bureau
Image Courtesy: IISc TECH TALK In a significant breakthrough that could change the way diabetes is managed, scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have developed a new method for monitoring blood glucose levels—without the need for painful finger pricks or invasive sensors. Using photoacoustic sensing, the team has demonstrated how light and sound can be used to estimate glucose concentrations in the body non-invasively. The study, published in Science Advances, marks a promising step towards painless, portable glucose monitoring devices for daily use. “For people with diabetes, frequent blood sugar testing is essential, but the current methods…
Image Courtesy: Colossal Biosciences International News For decades, the dire wolf (Canis dirus) existed more in legends and pop culture, thanks to shows like the Game of Thrones, than in living reality. Thought to have gone extinct approximately 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, dire wolves roamed across the Americas, preying on large herbivores like bison and horses. Their powerful build, greater than that of today’s gray wolves, made them formidable apex predators. However, the once impossible has now become reality. Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotechnology company, has announced the successful birth of three dire…
Image Courtesy: DRDO India achieved a significant milestone in its directed energy weapons programme with the successful demonstration of a 30KW laser weapon. This high-powered laser, developed under the Sahastra Shakti programme, can neutralise drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and static targets at a range of 4 km. A successful demonstration of this first high-powered laser weapon—a 30KW laser beam capable of neutralising drones, UAVs, and static targets was conducted at the National Open Air Range (NOAR) in Kurnool on 13 April. The foundation for laser-based defence began with a 2012 research paper advocating indigenous development. The programme took shape…
Dr Subbanna Ayyappan, a pioneering fisheries scientist and former Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), passed away on 10 May 2025, at the age of 70. Known as the architect of India’s Blue Revolution, his work reshaped the country’s fisheries sector and redefined agricultural research and education. He was the first non-crop scientist to lead the ICAR. Throughout his tenure, he led various projects to modernise India’s agricultural research infrastructure. Under him, ICAR broadened its research scope, prioritising transdisciplinary methodologies and incorporating advanced technology. He also served as the Chairman of the Karnataka Science and Technology…
Image Courtesy: PIB YOUNG SCIENTIST/ Dr KRISHNA MURTHY SL Dr Krishna Murthy S L, a plant breeding scientist at the ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal, has been awarded the Vigyan Yuva Puraskar for Agriculture for his outstanding contributions to the development of stress-tolerant rice varieties. Recognised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), his research has significantly advanced rice cultivation in challenging agro-ecological zones affected by salinity, alkalinity, and phosphorus deficiency. Currently working in the Division of Crop Improvement at CSSRI, Dr Murthy’s work focuses on combating abiotic stressors, particularly soil salinity and nutrient deficiency, that severely…
Image Courtesy: Twitter International News We all have heard about frozen water, frozen liquid and even frozen nitrogen, which is a gas. But frozen light? Sounds like an idea from a sci-fi film! In a groundbreaking achievement, a team of Italian scientists has successfully frozen light and demonstrated that it can behave like a supersolid. This discovery, published in the Nature journal on 5 March, under the title ‘A Supersolid Made Using Photons’, marks a major leap in quantum physics. It has been described as “only the beginning” of understanding supersolidity. The research team, led by Italian physicists Antonio Gianfate…
YOUNG SCIENTIST/ PROF PRABHU RAJAGOPAL Prof Prabhu Rajagopal, a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), was recently conferred with the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu. He was awarded the Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in the newly introduced category of Technology and Innovation. This prestigious award recognises his pioneering contributions to remote assessment technologies for infrastructure assets, an area where he has combined expertise in mechanical engineering, robotics, and ultrasonic technologies to bring significant advancements. His contributions in guided ultrasonics, submersible robotics, and non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of infrastructure have not only advanced…
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0/ FacetsOfNonStickPans The Union Budget 2025-26 made an important announcement of the creation of a Makhana Board in Bihar. The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in her budget speech on 1 February announced an allocation of Rs 100 crore for this initiative. “A Makhana Board will be established (in Bihar) to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana… The Board will provide hand holding and training support to makhana farmers, and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant Government schemes,” said the Finance Minister. Sitharaman highlighted the success of…
BUDDING INNOVATOR / RISHEEK KUMAR In December last year, when President of India Droupadi Murmu conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025, one of the awardees was Jammu & Kashmir’s Risheek Kumar, the founder of the Union Territory’s first cybersecurity company, Hackers Pathshala. The achievement of the teenaged cybersecurity entrepreneur assumes importance because of his age and also because of the circumstances in which he got interested in the topic of cybersecurity. Answering questions for Science India over email, Risheek said, “I started learning about cybersecurity since I was 15 years old, after internet was restored in Jammu and…
The human genome is the ultimate instruction manual of life—a comprehensive blueprint that directs every biological process essential to our existence. Composed of DNA, which in turn is made up of four nucleotides (Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G), and Thymine (T)), our genetic code stretches across an astonishing three billion letters. Every cell in our body houses this intricate sequence organised within 23 pairs of chromosomes. Through the marvel of heredity, we inherit half of our genetic material from our mother and the other half from our father, ensuring that the blueprint of our life is a unique blend…