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Posts by Kernel Staff

Self shocks turn crystal to glass at ultralow power density

07 Nov 2024 under Focus

In breakthrough collaborative work published in Nature, researchers show that a material called indium selenide can “shock” itself to transform from a crystalline to glassy phase using very low power. This transformation lies at the heart of memory storage in devices like CDs and computer RAMs. It consumes a billion times less power than the traditional […]


Neuromorphic Platform Presents Huge Leap Forward in Computing Efficiency

04 Oct 2024 under Focus

In a landmark advancement, researchers at IISc have developed a brain-inspired analog computing platform capable of storing and processing data in an astonishing 16,500 conductance states within a molecular film. Published in the journal Nature, this breakthrough represents a huge step forward over traditional digital computers in which data storage and processing are limited to just […]


Synthetic Antibody Neutralises Deadly Snakebite Toxin

01 Mar 2024 under Focus

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute and the Evolutionary Venomics Lab (EVL) at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a synthetic human antibody that can neutralise a potent neurotoxin produced by the Elapidae family of highly toxic snakes, which includes the cobra, king cobra, krait and black mamba. […]


The “Eyes” Have it: Demystifying Gaze and Attention

01 Mar 2024 under Focus

Two new studies from the Centre for Neuroscience (CNS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) explore how closely attention and eye movements are linked, and unveil how the brain coordinates the two processes. Attention is a unique phenomenon that allows us to focus on a specific object in our visual world, and ignore distractions. When we […]


Cracking the Structure of a Crucial Neural Transport Protein

13 Jul 2023 under Highlights

Using Cryo-EM, a powerful microscopy technique, researchers at IISc and collaborators have decoded the molecular architecture of a transporter protein controlling the movement of a key neurotransmitter. Neurons or nerve cells communicate by releasing chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Each neurotransmitter can activate specific sets of proteins called receptors that in turn either excite or inhibit […]


Computational analysis shows how dengue virus evolved in India

08 Jun 2023 under Focus

A multi-institutional study on dengue led by researchers at IISc shows how the virus causing the disease has evolved dramatically over the last few decades in the Indian subcontinent. Cases of dengue – a mosquito-borne viral disease – have steadily increased in the last 50 years, predominantly in the South East Asian counties. And yet, there are […]


Neuromorphic Camera and Machine Learning aid Nanoscopic Imaging

21 Feb 2023 under Focus

In a new study, researchers at IISc show how a brain-inspired image sensor can go beyond the diffraction limit of light to detect miniscule objects such as cellular components or nanoparticles invisible to current microscopes. Their novel technique, which combines optical microscopy with a neuromorphic camera and machine learning algorithms, presents a major step forward […]


Record-breaking Radio Signal Detected from Distant Galaxy

16 Jan 2023 under Focus

Astronomers from McGill University in Canada and IISc have used data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune to detect a radio signal originating from atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy. The astronomical distance over which such a signal has been picked up is the largest so far by a large margin. […]


Kernel Issue 6, 2022

29 Dec 2022 under Newsletter

Plasma‐activated-water to Combat Multidrug‐resistant Pathogens

29 Dec 2022 under Highlights

Researchers from IISc have demonstrated the generation of plasma-activated water containing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species such as H2O2, NO2−, and NO3− in high strengths (hs-PAW). This hs-PAW was found to be capable of inactivating even hypervirulent multidrug resistant pathogens. The study, led by Lakshminarayana N Rao and Dipshikha Chakravortty, also shows that plasma-activated water […]


Protein synthesis in cells without a nucleus

29 Dec 2022 under Highlights

Translation, or protein synthesis, is the final step in the central dogma of molecular biology, where an mRNA carrying information from DNA synthesises proteins. It is an indispensable process that is performed by almost all living cells. An exception where translation was believed to be absent is red blood cells (RBCs). Now, a team led […]


Enhanced water evaporation from nanoporous graphene

29 Dec 2022 under Highlights

With growing global water stress, there is a pressing need to develop potable water technologies with a lower carbon footprint. Enhancing the kinetics of liquid–vapour transition from nanoscale confinements is an attractive strategy for developing evaporation and separation applications. The ultimate confinement limit for evaporation is an atom-thick interface hosting Angstrom-scale nanopores.  Researchers led by […]


In the Wake of a Cylinder at Mach 6

29 Dec 2022 under Highlights

Air gusts or currents in the wake of a fast-moving object like a car or truck is a common phenomenon that many among us have experienced. In such ‘wake flows’, air typically moves around in an unsteady and whirling manner. This motion of air presents very interesting patterns in space, with a certain associated periodicity […]


Kernel Issue 5, 2022

11 Oct 2022 under Newsletter

Kernel Issue 4, 2022

12 Aug 2022 under Newsletter

Compact Nanopositioning Stages with Large Range and Multiple Degrees of Freedom

12 Aug 2022 under Highlights

Precision positioning stages are often central to science and technology at the micrometer and nanometer length scales in diverse fields such as microscopy, robotics, automation and metrology. These stages are used to hold in place, or move in a specified manner, a piece of equipment or a sample. Therefore, compact multi-degree-of-freedom stages with large dynamic […]


3D Bioprinting of Tissues Using Natural Biomolecules

14 Jun 2022 under Highlights

Tissue engineering focuses on tissue and organ regeneration by creating scaffolds using biomaterials called bioinks. Bioinks comprise of cultured cells and biocompatible materials like a hydrogel, and are specific to the tissue being transplanted. The scaffolds are 3D printed, maintaining structural and functional compatibility with human tissues ranging from soft tissues to bone. In the […]


Kernel Issue 3, 2022

14 Jun 2022 under Newsletter

Kernel Issue 2, 2022

25 Apr 2022 under Newsletter

Using Protein Dynamics to Study Role of Water in Biological Reactions

25 Apr 2022 under Highlights

Water is generally regarded as the “matrix of life”. But how exactly does water help in biological reactions? This question has perplexed researchers for years. In recent work led by Biman Bagchi at the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit (SSCU), researchers have attempted to understand this issue by focusing on three different proteins: myoglobin, […]


RapidET: A Mems-Based Platform for Rapid Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

25 Apr 2022 under Highlights

Conventional diagnosis of breast cancer involves the histological and immunohistochemical analysis of tissue sections obtained through clinical biopsy. For surgical margin assessment within the operating room, the standard technique is frozen section examination, which takes between 30 min to two hours to give results. Technologies for rapid and label-free diagnosis of malignancies from breast tissues […]


Kernel Issue 1, 2022

04 Mar 2022 under Newsletter

Breakthrough Result in Computational Geometry

04 Mar 2022 under Highlights

Maximum Independent Set of Rectangles (MISR) is a fundamental problem in fields such as computational geometry, approximation algorithms, and combinatorial optimisation. In this problem, given a set of (possibly overlapping) rectangles on a plane, one needs to find the maximum number of non-overlapping rectangles. MISR finds numerous applications in practice, such as in map labeling, […]


Kernel Issue 9, 2021

21 Dec 2021 under Newsletter

Kernel Issue 8, 2021

15 Nov 2021 under Newsletter