IIT-Mandi Team Discovers Molecule that Can be Used for Treatment of Diabetes
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi identified a drug molecule which triggers the release of insulin by pancreas and can potentially be used as an orally administered medicine for diabetes. According to the research team, the molecule is called PK2 and the findings of the research have been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Diabetes is associated with insufficient insulin release by beta cells of pancreas in response to blood glucose levels. The release of insulin entails many intricate biochemical processes. One such process involves protein structures called GLP1R present in the cells. A hormonal molecule called GLP1, released after the ingestion of a meal, binds to the GLP1R and triggers the release of insulin.
May 02, 2022
UAE's Probe Finds New Auroras on Mars
Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) probe, Hope, captured stunning images of Mars' enigmatic auroras that will provide new insights into the interactions between the Red Planet's atmosphere, its magnetic fields and the solar wind.
Auroras are dancing waves of light like the northern lights seen on Earth. They appear on a planet when solar activity disturbs its atmosphere.
The latest observations by EMM include a never-before seen phenomenon, dubbed the 'sinuous discrete aurora' -- a huge worm-like aurora that extends halfway around the Red Planet.
NASA Scientists Crack 60-year-old Mystery of Explosions on Sun
Scientists at NASA developed a theory that explains how explosions occur on the Sun, and help better predict geomagnetic storms and solar flares that can impact Earth. An explosive process called magnetic reconnection triggers solar flares, which can, in just minutes, release enough energy to power the whole world for 20,000 years. Scientists have spent the last half-century trying to understand how this process happens.
The team at NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) has a new theory that explains how the most explosive type of magnetic reconnection - called fast reconnection - occurs and why it happens at a consistent speed.
Magnetic reconnection is a process that occurs in plasma - energetic, fluid-like material that is exquisitely sensitive to magnetic fields.
From flares on the Sun, to near Earth space, to black holes, plasmas throughout the universe undergo magnetic reconnection, which rapidly converts magnetic energy into heat and acceleration. While there are several types of magnetic reconnection, one particularly puzzling variant is known as fast reconnection, which occurs at a predictable rate.
May 01, 2022
60 Countries Join Hands for Open, Free and Secure Global Internet
The US, all the European Union (EU) member states and 32 non-EU countries signed a "Declaration for the Future of the Internet" that calls for an "open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure" internet.
The declaration represents a political commitment among partners to advance a positive vision for the internet and digital technologies.
It also reaffirms and recommits its partners to a single global Internet - one that is truly open and fosters competition, privacy, and respect for human rights.
The declaration aims to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people and promote a global Internet that advances the free flow of information.
Apr 29, 2022
SpaceX Launches NASA's Crew-4 Mission
SpaceX's Crew-4 astronaut mission for NASA was successfully launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom by the crew, successfully separated from the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket and is now flying on its own.
Harrison Schmitt, the last person to step on the moon with the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, was at the Kennedy Space Center where he witnessed the successful launch.
The Crew-4 flight carries mission commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and mission specialist Jessica Watkins, all of whom are NASA astronauts. The flight also carries mission special Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Apr 28, 2022
MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar Launches Digital India RISC-V Microprocessor (DIR-V) Program
Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched Digital India RISC-V Microprocessor (DIR-V) Program. Its overall aim is to enable the creation of Microprocessors for the future in India, for the world and achieve industry-grade silicon and Design wins by December 2023.
Launching the program in New Delhi Mr. Chandrasekhar mentioned that DIR-V program will see partnerships between Startups, Academia and Multinationals, to make India not only a RISC-V Talent Hub for the World but also supplier of RISC-V System on Chips for Servers, Mobile devices, Automotive and Microcontrollers across the globe.