P Surat

An amendment to the New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules (2023), recently passed by the Government of India, aims to replace the use of animals in research, especially in drug testing.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) recently outlined a plan for a potentially revolutionary new area of research called “organoid intelligence”, which aims to create “biocomputers”: where brain cultures grown in the lab are coupled to real-world sensors and input/output devices.

India is ill-equipped to detect or respond to biological threats arising from natural or artificial sources – even though it has a large biotechnological capacity.
Given the availability of this strength, our key policy priorities should be to raise awareness, establish a science-policy connection and mobilise resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought along with it increased transmission of disinformation as well. Can ‘citizen science’ offer solutions? Sunila Dixit talks to Surat Parvatam and Suryesh Namdeo about the concept of ‘citizen science’ and how it can be used effectively to develop scientific awareness.

The lack of a framework specifying reasonable working hours puts students in a vulnerable position, and could lead to burnout and loss of productivity.

Institutionalisation of citizen science in India could help to harness its potential

I report on a recent virtual event that initiated a dialogue on the possibilities and challenges of implementing human-relevant models and frameworks in India.

Human-relevant systems are needed to understand COVID-19

What works in mice may not work in humans, especially in infectious diseases.

Recently, several papers published from various Indian universities were reported to contain either re-used, duplicated, or fabricated images in research manuscripts

Day Zero: The day when a city’s taps dry out and people have to stand in line to collect a daily quota of water.

Wind is a green alternative to fossil fuels, but its complex environmental impact may stand in the way of widespread use and acceptance.

Researchers have found that reproductive functions of bean plants reduced upon heat stress and that this damage could be reversed by application of GABA

Detachment of retina in the eye is one of the leading causes of blindness in developing countries. In a recent study, researchers created a biopolymer that can act as a natural vitreous substitute–a clear gelatinous substance that fills the cavity between lens and retina.

Climate change studies in India got a crowdsourced citizen science push when a programme involving local farmers assessed how different wheat varieties were performing in the face of the country’s changing climate