Explorers of the Library of Nature

The National Centre for Biological Sciences is delighted to welcome Dr. Vinothkumar Kutti Ragunath who joins the Centre as its newest faculty member.

A novel regulator for membrane traffic in cells has been discovered by a team of scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Babraham Institute. The molecule, Phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinase or PIP4K is a molecular overseer of membrane dynamics that functions as a negative regulator of endocytosis.

Horse taming does not generally come to mind in connection with molecular biophysics, where one studyies the shape, structure and dynamics of proteins and DNA. However, scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in India and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA, have found two enzymes that interact with each other in a manner somewhat like a trainer taming a wild mustang.

Plants are sessile and they are constantly in a struggle with their environment. Most plants have developed elaborate mechanisms to counter a variety of environmental stresses, be it pathogens, or unfavorable soil and climatic conditions. However, when plants were converted into crops, most of their energy was diverted towards making more grains. This selection pressure forced crop plants to give up their natural ability to manage environmental stresses. This is the single biggest reason for crop failure due to environmental stresses.

Granny Knows best

No food, yet larvae reach within and develop

NCBS-TIFR aims to garner funds to bolster lifesciences research

Noted biotechnology entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, has provided Rs 5 crores as Endowment funding support, to the Bangalore Life Science Cluster, for advancing modern biological research.

With NCBS-TIFR turning 25, an Endowment Fund is being launched with a goal of reaching Rs 25 crores to mark the success of the past 25 years. Dr. Shaw’s announcement comes as a generous and much-needed boost to seed this Fund directed towards the growth of scientific capabilities at the extended NCBS-TIFR campus.

Professors welcome ordinary folks into the knowledge universe