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Crafting Communication – Recollections of a BLiSC Workshop
Reflections on conducting a Science Communication Workshop at BLiSC
The Communications Office of the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster organised a workshop titled “The Craft of Science Communication” for its campus members in May this year– the first of its kind designed and executed entirely in-house.
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Here are four cool things Bengaluru scientists invented recently
Researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem) in Kodigehalli have developed a gel that can protect farmers from the side effects of organophosphate pesticides. Organophosphate pesticides are very commonly used in India. While effective at killing insects, these can also harm humans and even cause death.
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Insects are disappearing in India, and we don’t even have data
Sanjay Sane, by his own confession, began the systematic documentation quite by accident and realised soon the importance of it. When he set up his lab at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in 2012, the institute asked him to start a project at Agumbe, Karnataka. He chose hawkmoths as his study subject – a group he was familiar with from his initial work on their migration.
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Habitat loss and lack of conservation threatens Poona Skink
The reptile is also very tough to spot. Zeeshan Mishra, a vi ..
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Cell surface organization at the nanometer scale
How do cell membranes integrate mechanical and chemical signals in response to activated sensors? Satyajit Mayor’s group at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, has published a new study that sheds light on this process. The team has shown that when a signal for cell migration activates sensors on the cell membrane, specific proteins are clustered together on the cell surface to form ‘nanodomains’. Nanodomain formation is crucial for cell migration, and involves both chemical and mechanical signals.
A battle rages on in silence. -
A non-flower, but just as bright for insects
Researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) here, who had co-published an international study on why pollinators prefer some flowers over others, are turning to art to aid their search.
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Scientists pave the way for a new therapy for type 2 diabetes
Researchers at the Bengaluru-based National Centre for Biological Sciences have come up with a finding that could pave the way for developing a new treatment for type 2 diabetes.
The scientists have found that an enzyme called PIP4K in the body plays a major role in determining the ability of cells to detect and respond to the hormone insulin. The reduced ability of cells to respond to insulin following a meal results in Type 2 diabetes. The condition is an important health problem.
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A matter of fine balance: electrical balance in the brain
Image: Despite more than a million fold difference in the light intensity, our brains enable us to see the same scene in broad daylight and a dim night by the process of normalization. This article shows how brains "can" perform normalization by precisely balancing two equal and opposite forces - excitation and inhibition.
Artist of the graphic: Hrishikesh Nambisan
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Meet Annamma Spudich: A molecular biologist who is reviving ancient India's healing knowledge
Spudich, in collaboration with National Centre For Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, was recently invited by Google Cultural Institute to curate an online exhibit of her works. The institute was launched in 2011 to make important cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to digitally preserve them. It partners with renowned institutions to make exhibition and archival content available online. -
Researchers describe a new genus and species of rain-loving snake from Northeast India
The newly described snake belongs to the family Colubridae—the largest family of snakes with more than 1,700 species. The family name comes from the Latin word for snake—coluber. S. atemporalis falls under Natricinae, a subfamily of colubrid snakes that are found in or near water, and have rotund bodies and heads that are broader than their bodies.