Rocking the World of Science
05 Jan 2021 under Features
Attreyee Ghosh and her team dig deep to unravel the secrets of the ground beneath our feet When Carole King sang, “I feel the earth move under my feet,” she didn’t mean it in a literal sense. But she was right: the planet’s interior is dynamic. Yet, we seem to know little about what is […]
Molecular Cages that Mimic Enymes and Kill Bacteria
01 Nov 2020 under Highlights
Researchers from the Departments of Inorganic & Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry have synthesised molecular architectures that can kill disease-causing bacteria in water, including the infamous methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. They fashioned these molecules to mimic natural enzymes, using the principles of supramolecular chemistry, which deals with how molecules assemble spatially, and the intermolecular forces responsible […]
Nanomotors as Probes to Sense Cancer Environment
01 Nov 2020 under Focus
Magnetically-driven nanomotors can stick to the matrix surrounding cancer cells, which can help probe their environment and selectively target them An interdisciplinary team of researchers from IISc has used a 3D tumour model and magnetically-driven nanomotors to probe the microenvironment of cancer cells. The team consists of researchers from the Centre for Nano Science and […]
Using Mechanics to Engineer Tissues
01 Oct 2020 under Features
Namrata Gundiah’s lab blends biology with mechanics to answer fascinating questions about human health and bio-inspired materials “Understanding biology is really fun,” says Namrata Gundiah, an engineer working at the intersection of mechanics and biology. Gundiah is an Associate Professor and DST Ramanujan Fellow, and heads the “Biomechanics laboratory” at IISc’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. […]
Robust Nanostructures for EMI Shielding
01 Sep 2020 under Highlights
Electro-magnetic interference (EMI) is a persistent issue that plagues modern electronics as it is the main source of noise, disrupting circuits. The efficiency and robustness of existing EMI shielding materials are quite low, which makes them ill-suited for high-end electronics. To overcome this, researchers in the Department of Materials Engineering designed a novel nanostructure involving […]
Devitrification Demystified
01 Sep 2020 under Focus
Scientists at JNCASR and IISc have visualised how glass transforms into a crystal for the first time in experiments Glass is amorphous in nature – its atomic structure does not involve the repetitive arrangement seen in crystalline materials. But occasionally, it undergoes a process called devitrification, which is the transformation of a glass into a […]