Cow Gut Enzyme Targets Bacterial Biofilms
10 Sep 2026 under Focus
The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii poses a substantial threat in healthcare settings, readily forming biofilms on wounds and medical surfaces, contributing to persistent infections and delayed healing. Its growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and status as a WHO critical priority pathogen underscore the urgent need for new wound management strategies. However, many current treatments are ineffective against its biofilms. […]
How EMCV Hijacks Host Protein Machinery
10 Sep 2026 under Focus
Viruses lack their own molecular machinery required for protein synthesis. Instead, they hijack the host’s protein-making machinery, specifically ribosomes and translational factors. This process is essential for viral multiplication and infection. Viruses have RNA genomes or mRNAs containing structured regions called Internal Ribosomal Entry Sites (IRES) that help capture the host ribosome to translate viral […]
Managing Multi Agent Systems
30 Mar 2026 under Features
Pavankumar Tallapragada’s lab studies and designs systems with multiple decision-makers – humans, algorithms, and machines A fundamental problem in many engineering systems is decision-making. Some examples include controlling temperature in a room, planning and controlling the motion of a robot, and automatic traffic signalling. In many such problems, there is a single or centralised decision […]
Anthropogenic Changes Threaten Survival of Eastern Himalayan Birds
12 Dec 2025 under Focus
Insectivorous birds found in the understorey of the Eastern Himalayas are under threat due to habitat degradation, a new study from IISc has found. Researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) studied how changes in forest microclimates after selective logging influence the survival of wild bird populations in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, […]
Novel Fast Charging Solution for Electric Vehicles
03 Oct 2025 under Focus
With surging popularity for Electric Vehicles (EVs), rapid charging is a challenge as it requires power delivery exceeding 1 MW (which can power about 1,000 homes). Conventional charging stations rely on bulky line frequency transformers (LFTs), which are expensive due to extensive use of copper and iron. These stations also have multiple conversion stages involving […]