A new study has shown that a compound extracted from licorice root, commonly used in candies, can help fight rare, but deadly infections. Eat candies to ward off rare, but deadly infections. A team of scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospitals for Children have revealed that a compound called glycyrrhizin might be an effective tool in battling life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections resulting from severe burns. The...
More »SEARCH RESULT
India set to lead effort for binding biodiversity treaty by Aarti Dhar
Even before the dust has settled on the controversial Copenhagen climate deal, India is set to take the lead in pushing for a single legally binding treaty for access to and benefit sharing of biological resources at the 10th Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held at Nagoya, Japan, in October. The CBD was one of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro....
More »Piracy of old Indian knowledge rising by Rashme Sehgal
Biopiracy in the field of medicine is on the rise with Europe and the US being granted 2,000 patents every year for drugs based on Indian traditional systems of medicine. These patents are being granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTP), the European Patent Office (EPO) and other overseas patent offices. This startling claim was made by forests and environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday. It is to reverse...
More »IMD evolving a model for accurate climate forecast by P Venugopal
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the problem of climate change now turning into an increasing reality, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is working on the development of a model that can forecast the subtleties of the phenomenon with a fair degree of accuracy into the next five or 10 years, according to Secretary to the Ministry of Earth Sciences Shailesh Naik. Addressing a session on ‘Science Programme for the Country,’at the 97th Indian...
More »India’s food security challenge by Lux Lakshmanan
A solution to the pulses and edible oils crisis is entirely within reach. The state of India’s food security is worsening by the year. The cost of food items is increasing rapidly, making them unaffordable to a majority of the people. Added to these woes is the short supply of pulses and edible oils, which forces the Central government to import them. Pulses play a critical role in the diet of...
More »