2 May 2018: Roses have had their genome sequenced by scientists who say it could help to develop genetically improved versions of the popular ornamental flower. Within the 36,377 genes identified, the team found DNA coding for various desirable characteristics. For centuries researchers have been trying to breed the flowers for these traits, but they had some difficulty understanding why they are getting one colour instead of another, or why they couldn’t combine some traits like some scent with a particular colour. Roses are some of the most ubiquitous ornamental plants worldwide, and they have been cultivated for centuries, in the Mediterranean to China. For their study, Bendahmane and his colleagues began with Rosa chinensis, a species colloquially known as ‘Old Blush’. The study is published in the journal Nature Genetics. Link: https://www.nature.com
3 May 2018: Bhupathy’s Shieldtail is the latest addition to the snake fauna of the Western Ghats. The snake, currently observed only in the forests of the Anaikatty hills in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district, has been named Uropeltis bhupathyi, after the late herpetologist S. Bhupathy, for his contributions to the field. The reptile belongs to a family of snakes found only in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. They are non-venomous, burrowing and mostly earthworm-eating, and are called shieldtails after the large, flat tips of their tails, which make them appear almost sliced off. The researchers He have compared their specimens with those in museums and collections across both Europe and India, and analysed the new shieldtail’s DNA, which confirmed that it was a hitherto unknown species. The discovery is announced in the journal Zootaxa. Link: http://www.mapress.com
4 May 2018: Underwater robots have found that a vast, oxygen-depleted 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Oman is now the largest such area in the world. Scientists have known about the zone for around 50 years, but until recently they have not been able to collect very much data due to piracy and conflicts in the region. There is a 'dead zone' with little to no oxygen covering almost 165,000 square kilometres. The Gulf of Oman covers 181,000 square km. The Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ), or 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Oman covers a majority of the waterway. At least 500 dead zones have been reported near coastal areas, around the world, up from fewer than 50 in 1950. Other bodies of water with some of the largest dead zones in the world include the northern Gulf of Mexico and an area of the Baltic Sea between Denmark and southern Sweden. Link: https://agupubs.wiley.com
5 May 2018: Cambridge Analytica, the firm embroiled in a controversy over its handling of Facebook user data, and its British parent SCL Elections Ltd, are shutting down immediately after suffering a sharp drop in business. The company will begin bankruptcy proceedings, after losing clients and facing mounting legal fees resulting from the scandal over reports the company harvested personal data about millions of Facebook users beginning in 2014. Improper use of data for 87 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica, was hired by President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. It has hurt the shares of the world's biggest social network and prompted multiple official investigations in the United States and Europe. The psychological profiles of consumers could be used to sway them more effectively than traditional advertisements. Link: https://cambridgeanalytica.org
6 May 2018: NASA launched the Mars InSight lander from California rather than Florida’s Cape Canaveral. It was the first interplanetary mission ever to depart from the west coast. The spacecraft will take more than six months, traveling 300 million miles to get to Mars and if all goes well, the three-legged InSight will descend by parachute and engine firings onto a flat equatorial region of Mars, believed to be free of big, potentially dangerous rocks, on 26 November. Then it will start its unprecedented geologic excavations, to get there. InSight will dig deeper into Mars than ever before, nearly 16ft, to measure its temperature. It will also attempt to make the first measurements of marsquakes, using a high-tech seismometer placed directly on the Martian surface. NASA has not put a spacecraft down on Mars since the Curiosity rover in 2012. Link: https://mars.nasa.gov
7 May 2018: The world's first cow, named Noto,cloned from the somatic cells of an adult cow has died at the age of 19 years and 10 months, according to the Ishikawa prefectural government. The cow was cloned in 1998 and attracted attention worldwide. The average life expectancy of a cow is about 20 years, and Noto is believed to have died of old age. Noto was found unconscious in a barn on May 4, and was given nutritional supplements and other treatment. However, its breathing became laboured on Monday and it died at 3:58 p.m. on the day. In a joint research project between Kindai University and the prefectural government, Noto was created by taking somatic cells from the fallopian tube of a cow, and transplanting a cultured somatic cell nucleus into an unfertilized egg. Cloned cows are not yet in the domestic market. Link: http://agris.fao.org
8 May 2018: Today is the 38th anniversary of World Health Assembly declaring the world Smallpox-free officially on May 8, 1980. Though the viral disease killed more than 300 million people in the 20th century, it’s now a thing of the past, the only contagious disease spread in humans that was eradicated. (The other disease that has been eradicated was Rinderpest spread in cattle). Smallpox was eradicated by a search for outbreaks, backed up with a vaccination program, starting in 1967. It was organized and co-ordinated by World Health Organization-WHO and headed by Donald Henderson. The last case in the Americas occurred in 1971 (Brazil), south-east Asia (Indonesia) in 1972, and on the Indian subcontinent in 1975 (Bangladesh). Smallpox vaccine, the first successful vaccine to be developed in the world, was introduced by Edward Jenner in the year 1796. Link: https://www.historyofvaccines.org
9 May 2018: Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, Mhadei Research Centre, Goa, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru, have discovered a new species of frog. This frog, the researchers say, belongs to the genus Fejervarya and is named Fejervarya goemchi after the historical name of Goa. The newly discovered reddish-brown coloured frog is about 4.1-4.6 cm long, and like most frogs, its breeding season begins around June with the onset of the monsoon and lasts until September. The researchers say that its physical characteristics are very similar to other members of the genus. The research was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and Ministry of Environment and Forests. The study was published in the journal Records of the Zoological Survey of India. Link: http://recordsofzsi.com
10 May 2018: In 2006, Pluto was relegated to the status of dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union. Three years ago, NASA's New Horizons, the fastest spaceship ever launched, raced past Pluto, spectacularly revealing the wonders of that newly seen world. This coming New Year's Eve, if all goes well on board this small robot operating extremely far from home, it will treat us to images of the most distant body ever explored, provisionally named Ultima Thule. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced an attempted redefinition of the word 'planet' that excluded many objects, including Pluto. Then also it was opposed by some scientists. Last March, in Houston, planetary scientists gathered at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. One presentation, titled 'A Geophysical Planet Definition', intended to set the record straight. Link: https://www.iau.org
11 May 2018: Astronauts who spend long periods of time on the Moon are likely to suffer DNA damage. Up to 90 percent of human lung cells and mouse neurons died when exposed to dust particles that mimic soils found on the Moon's surface. Harrison Schmitt, Apollo-17 lunar module pilot, is pictured here using an adjustable sampling scoop to retrieve lunar samples during the Apollo-17 mission in December 1972. Lunar dust can be seen clinging to Schmitt’s space suit. As the Moon has no atmosphere, its soil is constantly bombarded by charged particles from the upper layers of the Sun that stream through space, causing lunar soil to become electrostatically charged, like static cling on clothing. Children will be born on the moon 'in a few decades', with whole families joining Europe's lunar colony by 2050. The study is published in American Geophysical Union. Link: https://agupubs.wiley.com
12 May 2018: Richard Feynman was born 100 years ago May 11. Feynman was an American theoretical physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics. For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing and introducing the concept of nanotechnology. Feynman was a keen popularizer of physics through both books and lectures including a 1959 talk on top-down nanotechnology called There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom. Link: http://www.richardfeynman.com
13 May 2018: In a major breakthrough, researchers at IISER, Bhopal, have been successful in sequencing the complete genome of Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) which according to the scientists will go a long way in protecting the population of the national bird. This is the first attempt in the to sequence the genome of peacock. The sample of peacock was collected from Van Vihar National Park, Bhopal. The study showed that peacock genome is closer to chicken and turkey in evolution. Peacock is the national bird of India and has been given the highest degree of protection with the conservation status of ‘Schedule-I’ under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It is also a biologically very significant bird which even intrigued famous scientist Charles Darwin. This work is extremely significant since it is the first major eukaryotic bird genome. The study is published in bioRxiv preprint server. Link: https://www.biorxiv.org
14 May 2018: Ennackal Chandy George Sudarshan (ECG Sudarshan), acclaimed physicist, passed away in Texas today. He was recommended nine times for the Nobel Prize but was never awarded. Born on 16 September, 1931, at Pallam in Kottayam district of Kerala, he studied in CMS College, Kottayam, did his M.Sc. from Madras Christian College and Ph.D from University of Rochester, New York. Sudarshan specialised in Quantum Optics and his major contributions to theoretical Physics were: (1) Quantum theory for tachyons: Particles that could possibly move faster than light, which challenged Einstein’s assertion that nothing with mass can travel faster than the speed of light. (2) V-A theory of the weak force: A theory about weak interaction between subatomic particles. (3) Glauber–Sudarshan P representation: A quantum mechanical description of photons to explain the quantum properties of light. Link: http://www.keral.com
15 May 2018: Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave away the DRDO Awards while commemorating the National Technology Day. Some of the the awardees include former Secretary Department of Defence, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Director General, DRDO Dr VK Saraswat for DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award-2017, the same scientist for DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award-2016, the Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Director General (Missiles & Strategic Systems) Dr G Satheesh Reddy for Technology Leadership Award -2016. 11 May is the National Technology Day in India to commemorate the first of the five nuclear tests that were carried out at Pokhran Test Range on 11 May 1998. Hansa-3, India’s first indigenous aircraft was first tested on the same day in Bangalore.in 1998. The successful test firing of Trishul, a short range missile, was also done on the same day. Link: http://www.drdo.gov.in
16 May 2018: NASA has confirmed it is sending an autonomous helicopter to Red Planet that will travel with the Mars rover mission, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020. The small, lightweight Mars Helicopter will demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars as per NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Started in August 2013 as a technology development project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Mars Helicopter weighs at 1.8 kgs. Its fuselage is about the size of a softball, and its twin, counter-rotating blades will bite into the thin Martian atmosphere at almost 3,000 rpm, about 10 times the rate of a helicopter on Earth. This makes United States the first nation to fly the first helicopter on a planet other-than earth. Link: https://www.nasa.gov
17 May 2018: In 1893, Norwegian explorer and zoologist Fridtjof Nansen set off on a mission to reach the North Pole in a wooden vessel named Fram. Now, 125 years after Nansen's Fram expedition, scientists are planning to retrace the voyage to gather new insights on the Arctic region where climate is changing fast. The MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) mission will leave Norway in the fall of 2019, cruising to a point north of the Siberian archipelago, across the Fram strait, and then steer to a point where the ship will stay stuck for a year, or so. The ship is the German research vessel Polarstern. Scientists believe the Arctic Ocean is a carbon sink which guzzles more greenhouse gases than it belches, due to the activity of phytoplankton. But how these tiny creatures survive in the cold through long periods of darkness is a mystery. Link: http://www.mosaicobservatory.org
18 May 2018: Five years ago today, actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie announced to the world in a New York Times op-ed that she is a BRCA1 gene mutation carrier, and that she underwent a preventative double mastectomy to help reduce her breast cancer risk. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor-suppressing genes, and mutations of these genes elevate a person’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer to 72 percent and 69 percent, respectively. Jolie’s essay played a critical role in increasing awareness of both BRCA mutations and genetic testing. Her announcement had such a significant impact, scientists observed what’s now referred to as the 'Jolie effect', genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations increased by 64 % in the three-week period after Jolie’s essay ran in the Times. Six months later, genetic testing rates remained 37% higher than prior to the publication. Link: https://www.nytimes.com
19 May 2018: In 1987, NOAA scientists were part of an international team that proved this family of wonder chemicals was damaging Earth's protective ozone layer and creating the giant hole in the ozone layer that forms over Antarctica each September. The Montreal Protocol, signed later that year, committed the global community to phasing out their use. Production of the second-most abundant CFC, CFC-11, would end completely by 2010. A new analysis of long-term atmospheric measurements by NOAA scientists shows emissions of the chemical CFC-11 are rising again, most likely from new, unreported production from an unidentified source in East Asia. From 2014 to 2016, emissions of CFC-11 increased by 25 percent above the average measured from 2002 to 2012. The new NOAA research published in the journal Nature. Link: https://www.nature.com
20 May 2018: Cyclone Sagar is building up at Aden off Yemen coast in Arabian sea and is likely to intensify further slightly, according to a warning bulletin issued by Indian Metereological Department, adding that it is moving towards Gulf of Oman. Gale winds speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph is very likely around the centre of the cyclone covering Gulf of Aden and adjoining areas of southwest and west central Arabian sea. The Sagar Cyclone is less likely to have any significant impact on coastal Gujarat. However, not willing to take any chance, the state administration has initiated precautionary measures that include hoisting of Distant Warning Signal- Number 2 at all major ports along the Gujarat coast. Fishermen are advised not to enter deep sea in view of the present weather conditions. Link: http://www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in
21 May 2018: For the first time, the genome of the Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) has been sequenced as part of plans to generate a high-quality draft genome sequence of the animal. Although endangered and threatened by various extinction risks, this tiger subspecies is the most populous one with the highest genetic diversity and the strongest chance of survival in the wild. The sequenceing of genome of Bengal tiger were carried out by scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) and a Hyderabad-based private company. The genome was compared with the genome of Amur or Siberian tiger. The researchers claim that this is the first report on the discovery of copy number variants and large structural variants in the genome of a wild, endangered species. The study is published online in the journal BioRxiv. Link: https://www.biorxiv.org
22 May 2018: Today, the world celebrated the International Day of Biodiversity. This year’s event was special because it is the 25th anniversary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is now ratified by 196 nations. The UN General Assembly proclaimed May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity by its resolution 55/201 of December 20, 2000. This year’s theme is 'Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity'. The notable previous themes were Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism (2017), Island Biodiversity (2014), Water and Biodiversity (2013), Marine Biodiversity (2012), Forest Biodiversity (2011), Biodiversity, Development and poverty reduction (2010), Invasive Species (2009), Biodiversity and Agriculture (2008), Biodiversity and Climate Change (2007), Protect Biodiversity in Drylands (2006), Biodiversity and Poverty (2003). Link: https://www.cbd.int
23 May 2018: There is panic in Kozhikode, the coastal city of Kerala after three members of a family died due to a ‘rare virus’ over the last fortnight. Report from National Institute of Virology, Pune suggested that it is Nipah virus. Nipah is a type of Henipa-virus which is a genus of RNA viruses. Based on sero-prevalence data and virus isolations, the primary reservoir for Nipah virus was identified as Fruit bats. The name Nipah refers to the place, Kampung Baru Sungai Nipah in Port Dickson where it was first isolated. The outbreak was originally mistaken for Japanese Encephalitis (JE). Nipah virus is one of several viruses identified by World Health Organisation as a likely cause of a future epidemic in a new plan developed after the Ebola epidemic for urgent research and development before and during an epidemic toward new diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines. Link: http://www.who.int
24 May 2018: Indian botanist Kamaljit S. Bawa, president of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), received the prestigious Linnean Medal in Botany from the Linnean Society of London. Dr. Bawa is the first Indian to win the award ever since it was first constituted in 1888. Dr. Bawa established the Conservation Society in 2003, ATREE and ‘India Biodiversity Portal’. The Linnean Medal is awarded to a biologist every year by the Linnean Society of London. Incidentally, the first scientist to receive the Linnean Medal was Sir Joseph D. Hooker who compiled the monumental seven-volume Flora of British India, the first ever comprehensive account of India’s plants. Other recipients include Alfred Wallace (father of biogeography) in 1892 and Ernst Mayr, who proposed the most accepted ‘biological species concept’ and definition, in 1977. Link: https://www.linnean.org
25 May 2018: Russia's first-floating nuclear power plant arrived in the Arctic port of Murmansk over the weekend in preparation for its maiden mission, providing electricity to an isolated Russian town across the Bering Strait from Alaska. According to Akademik Lomonosov, the state company behind the plant, it could pioneer a new power source for remote regions of the planet, but green campaigners have expressed concern about the risk of nuclear accidents. Greenpeace has called it the 'nuclear Titanic'. Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, which developed the floating power plant, said that it docked the unit in Murmansk where it was towed from St Petersburg, the city where it was built. It will start operations there next year. It will be replacing a coal-fired power plant and an aging nuclear power plant supplying more than 50,000 people with electricity in Chukotka. Link: https://www.greenpeace.org
26 May 2018: Researchers at the University of Minnesota, demonstrate that the chemical element Ruthenium (Ru) is the fourth single element to have unique magnetic properties at room temperature. Only three elements on the periodic table have been found to be ferromagnetic at room temperature, Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), and Nickel (Ni). The rare earth element Gadolinium (Gd) nearly misses by only 8 degrees Celsius. From an application perspective, Ru is interesting because it is resistant to oxidation, and additional theoretical predictions claim it has a high thermal stability, a vital requirement for scaling magnetic memories. This high thermal stability is the focus of ongoing research at the University of Minnesota. The discovery could be used to improve sensors, devices in the computer memory. The study is published in Nature Communications. Link: https://www.nature.com
27 May 2018: There are a total of 33 species of bats found in Kerala including three new species which were added in 2016. Up until 2000, the bat diversity of Kerala was represented by 24 species and the remaining have been added in the last three years. A new study added three hitherto unreported species of bats, namely Hipposideros galeritus, Miniopterus fuliginosus and Rhinopoma hardwickii. Inventories of bat species are important for understanding species diversity, ecological niches, and threats like forming natural reservoirs of diseases like present Nipah-fever in Kerala. Some of the commonly seen bats in Kerala include Indian flying fox, Black-bearded tomb bat, Fulvus round leaf bat, Greater false vampire bat, Lesser false vampire bat, Chocolate pipistrelle, Lesser woolly horseshoe bat and Blyth's horseshoe bat. The study is published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. Link: http://threatenedtaxa.org
28 May 2018: The State Government of Tamil Nadu, India issued an order to seal and permanently close the Sterlite Copper Smelter Plant in Thoothukudi. 13 people were killed in Thoothukudi last week when police opened fire on anti-Sterlite protesters, who were marching to the Collectorate to seek the closure of the polluting plant. As per the Government Order issued by the Department of Environment and Forests, under sections 18(1)(b) of the Water Act 1974, in the larger public interest, the Government endorse the closure direction of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and also direct the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to seal the unit and close the plant permanently. In the order, the government said that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board did not renew the Consent to Operate to Vedanta Ltd’s Copper smelter plant in its order dated April 9, 2018. Link: https://www.sterlitecopper.com
29 May 2018: For long-term conservation of the critically endangered Kashmir Stag or Hangul (Cervus canadensis hanglu) in Kashmir, it is necessary to take up conservation efforts beyond protected areas, a new study has suggested. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has only about 200 Hanguls in the wild. Systematic efforts are underway to conserve them at Dachigam National park on the outskirts of Srinagar. However, continuous inbreeding and geographic isolation have reduced their genetic diversity and any natural calamity or disease outbreak can cause local extinction of this species. Hangul is the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir stag is the only surviving sub-species of red deer in the Indian sub-continent, classified as critically endangered by IUCN. The study published in journal Current Science. Link: http://www.currentscience.ac.in
30 May 2018: Scientists from the University of San Diego decided to use the bio-materials of the last Northern White Rhinos (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) to restore the sub-species. This decision was taken after the last male named Sudan died, leaving just two females of white rhinos, in the entire world. The team investigating the genetic history of the Northern White Rhinos through DNA sequencing plans to use the DNA of the sub-species or the nearest related subspecies of animals. The Northern and Southern White Rhinos separated around 80,000 years ago and genetically haven’t changed much. While their bloodline remained the closest of any other extinct species of rhinoceros. However, the plan to clone the Northern White Rhinos was criticized by geneticists. The analysis is published in Genome Research. Link: https://genome.cshlp.org
31 May 2018: The Nipah virus has, so far, claimed 17 lives in Kerala, India. The goverment of Kerala has urged the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for the rapid deployment of candidate therapeutic molecules against this rare and fatal infection which is called 'Hendra' in Australia. The antibody will be brought to India, and will be given to confirmed patients of the virus, as in those who show sure signs of headache followed by high fever, fits, mental instability, etc. The vaccine used against Hendra in Australia was successful and worked on mostly all patients on whom it was administered. But, in India, although the family (Polymixovirus) to which the Nipah virus belongs is the same, the virus itself isn't the same as suspected. The vaccine ICMR is requesting from Australia is a human monoclonal antibody called m102.4, the vaccine against Hendra, jointly developed by the Australian Animal Health Laboratory. Link: https://www.csiro.au
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