Bright idea

A HIGH-INTENSITY light can make copper oxide, formed during rusting of copper, shake-off the oxygen attached to it and turn to copper. While the finding might not help reverse the rusting on your car, it has huge implications for the production of propylene oxide, an industrially important chemical used in making plastics, toiletries, antifreeze and paints.

Happy feet

Opportunists among plants

Science and Technology - Briefs

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES Storm alert

Nutrient paradox

THE WORLD is facing a nutrient crisis, says a new report. Nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, are essential for raising crops to feed the ever increasing population and in production of energy. But the report, ‘Our Nutrient World’, suggests these human activities have altered the natural flow of these nutrients.

Green monster nailed

HUANGLONGBING (HLB) or greening disease in citrus plants has been known for over 100 years. It does not have a cure and its symptoms emerge over time. First seen in Asia, the disease has spread across the world, threatening the fruit industry. In absence of effective control methods, the infected trees are culled.

Sweaty cure

IT IS a losing battle for conventional antibiotic drugs. Many of them can no longer effectively control or kill their target microbes. The threat of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has necessitated development of new antimicrobials, called the next-generation antibiotics.

Fabric filter

ACCESS to safe drinking water is one of the biggest health concerns in the developing world. The humble cotton sari and a little bit of sunshine might provide a simple solution, shows a study.

Killing you sweetly

SUGAR is as much to blame for the diabetes epidemic in the world as unhealthy lifestyle and obesity. A study at Stanford University, in collaboration with University of California, Berkley and University of California, San Francisco, in the US, has found that additional sugar in diet may be raising the risk of Type-2 diabetes.

Salt assault

IT’S time for a fact check for those who love to sprinkle some extra salt on their food. Three studies have found eating excessive salt may trigger autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. In these diseases, body’s immune system turns against healthy cells along with diseased ones.