High on power

WE HAVE developed ultra-fast means of telecommunication and swankiest of electronic devices. But no matter how high-tech these gadgets are, they still rely on the humble battery for sustenance. The device has evolved much over the years. Lithium-ion batteries have replaced the basic carbon-zinc and alkaline ones, which are still used in flashlights and TV remotes. Now, a study on power storage capacity of lithium-ion battery has ensured the omni-present device would be doubly efficient in future.

Watch the clock

MOST heart attacks occur in the morning. Depression and suicidal thoughts peak in the middle of the night. Travelling across time zones makes people feel out of sorts. While these appear to be different observations, there is one interesting phenomenon common to them all: a clock that constantly ticks inside of us.

A cosmetic leap of faith

The latest Sunsilk advert doing rounds on TV showcases its new range of hair care products. Sunsilk’s breakthrough formulations claim to provide root-to-tip nourishment to each strand. Its patented formula entails nanoparticles with a highly concentrated protein compound which coats every strand and supposedly provides even deposition across the strand.

Quest for life

Alternatives to endosulfan

An ad hoc working group has been established to review and identify the information gaps on alternatives to endosulfan and to assess these alternatives. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be roped in to undertake studies on integrated pest management alternatives to endosulfan.

Evergreen Novartis

For sheer persistence you have to hand it to Novartis. Ever since its blood cancer drug Glivec was refused a patent in 2006, the Swiss multinational has been fighting India’s patent law, or at least a crucial section of it, with the patent authorities and in the courts. With case now in the Supreme Court, there is a high sense of expectancy— and unease.

TB diagnosis in two days

ABOUT 500,000 people in India die from tuberculosis (TB) every year. The disease can lie dormant in an infected person for years without showing any symptoms but those with weakened immune system, like HIV/AIDS patients and the malnourished, are likely to develop active and contagious TB. Current diagnostic techniques, including a series of blood and skin tests, and chest X-rays, can take four to 12 weeks to give accurate diagnosis of whether a person has inactive infection or active disease.

Warming behind floods

TWO recent studies have clinched enough empirical data to repudiate any climate change sceptic. For the first time, the studies have pinned down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for frequent extreme weather events like rainfall and floods.

Unholy smoke!

Most readers might find it difficult to credit what follows. This is a story of how bilateral and multilateral investment treaties are being used to satisfy corporate greed, how large corporations, even those in the unsavoury business of selling cigarettes, can sue countries for passing public health laws intended to protect their citizenry from health hazards and killer diseases.

Arsenic fixer identified

BIOLOGISTS have identified genes in plants that control arsenic accumulation. The discovery promises to prevent the heavy metal from entering the food web and also clean contaminated sites through bioengineered plants.