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Flying senses: How insects find objects in a big, big world
In 1974, 39-year-old Ronald Prokopy was living in a small trailer with his wife and new-born son. Barely a year earlier, the couple had moved to Bailey's Harbor in Wisconsin, a tiny town with a population of about 600. The move was precipitated by two of Prokopy’s chief passions. His newly established orchard, ambitiously named ‘Prokopy Bio-Experimental Farm’ was one. His lifelong obsession with the apple maggot fly was the other. -
New species of Pika discovered in the Sikkim Himalayas
Researchers at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru have identified a new species of Pika, high up in the Sikkim Himalayas. In their recently published study, the group, including Dr Uma Ramakrishnan and her collaborators, probed the genetic origins of the little mammal, only to discover an entirely new lineage, with a unique evolutionary past. Their work is expected to pave the way for a deeper understanding of biodiversity in the Himalayan region. -
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-chancellor of Cambridge University visits campus
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-chancellor of Cambridge University visited the NCBS and inStem campus on the 16th of September. Sir Leszek, accompanied by a senior Cambridge delegation also took time to interact with researchers on the campus. The visit served to reinforce several existing links between the campus and the University of Cambridge, and to commemorate Sir Leszek's instrumental role in fostering links between the institutions during his Vice-chancellorship.
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How did the modern eukaryotic cell acquire its transport system?
The inside of a present day plant or animal cell quite closely resembles a busy city. Like an urban metropolis with different districts interlinked by a traffic network, a cell has distinct compartments connected to each other by a dynamic transport system.
One set of such interlinked compartments - the Golgi complex - is essential for many cellular functions, and a question that has long puzzled scientists is: how did such a complex compartment and traffic system arise within a cell?
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A tail of gene expression
Imagine trying to fly a kite without a tail. It swoops and loops and wiggles and finally crashes down into the ground. A kite without a tail is unstable, but add a tail at the right place, and your kite will fly steady.
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