Nipah Virus
The virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs). The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses. Nipah virus infection is an emerging zoonotic disease of public health importance in the WHO South East […]
Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one of the most common encephalitides worldwide. The disease is caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus and is found across south and east areas of Asia. It is a zoonosis – an animal disease that can spread to humans. JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in […]
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
Acute encephalitis syndrome is a severe case of encephalitis transmitted by mosquitoes and is characterized by high fever and inflammation of the brain. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2006, coined the term AES to signify a group of diseases which seem similar to one another but are difficult to differentiate in the chaotic environment of an outbreak. The […]
Mamallapuram Stone Sculptures
The hand-crafted stone sculptures of Mamallapuram have been recently granted the Geographical Indications (GI) tag. The exquisite rock-sculpting techniques exhibited in Mamallapuram date back to early 7th century CE. The Pallava dynasty, which ruled the area between 6 and 9th centuries A.D., is responsible for the development of port town as a centre of art […]
Kandhamal Haldi
Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric), famous for its healing properties, has received GI tag. Key facts: The golden yellow spice, named after the district where it is produced, has been cultivated since time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value. Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal. Apart from domestic use, […]
Erode Turmeric
Recently Erode’s unique slender turmeric received a GI tag for its distinctive fragrance and colour. Erode’s turmeric is smaller and more slender when compared with other varieties, and it has a high curcumin content of around 3.9%. The loamy red and black soil of the Erode region is believed to be the reason behind the […]
Odisha’s Rasagola – GI Tag
Odisha gets GI tag for its version of Rasagola The name of the geographical indication will be read as “Odisha Rasagola“. West Bengal got GI tag for its ‘Banglara Rasagola’ which has been existing since 1863. Now both Odisha and West Bengal has GI Tag for their own version of Rasagola. The mention of the […]
What are Intellectual Property Rights?
Intellectual property rights (IPR) are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names and images used in commerce. They usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time. These rights are outlined in Article 27 […]
LiFi
Light-fidelity (LiFi) is a technology used for free-space communication using visible and near-visible light. It is similar to Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), a technology for wireless local area network communication using microwaves. Microwaves can pass through walls while transmitting signals whereas visible and near-visible light cannot pass through walls. Thus it makes LiFi signal network more […]
4D Printing
Scientists have successfully developed the world’s first 4D printing for ceramics. It can be used to create complex, shape-changing objects. 4D printing is conventional 3D printing combined with the additional element of time as the 4th dimension. The 4D printed objects can re-shape or self-assemble themselves over time with external stimuli, such as mechanical force, temperature, […]