Vigyanvani: Recent Episodes
N.B. Nair
Vigyanvani is the podcast arm of Indian Science Journal, a niche digital journal devoted for research news on Agriculture, Healthcare and Science & Technology.
Kerala-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology has developed a unique technology to detect highly rare cancer cells circulating in blood stream, using a robust custom-made centrifugal prototype. The technology involves a non-invasive blood test blood test to ascertain while treating a patient, whether the cancer has a tendency to spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer is rapidly emerging as a matter of public health concern in India. The rising cancer incidence in the country is bound to exert tremendous strain on people and the health systems, which may be least prepared to manage this burden, according to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
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India is the second most affected nation due to global warming. UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), had pegged India’s loss due to this global phenomenon at 238 billion US dollars. A recent estimate by WMO estimated, natural disasters, such as cyclones, floods and droughts have cost India around 87 billion US dollars in 2020 alone.
12.6 percent of India’s land area, barring snow covered region, is prone to landslide hazard. In 2021, over 2000 people lost their lives in cyclonic storms, heavy rains, floods and landslides, according to federal Ministry of Earth Sciences.
A research lab in Amrita Global University or Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham in Kerala has developed a first-of-its-kind advanced landslide warning system integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques. It has a sensing system, Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless technology to ensure that the entire system works with least human intervention. The system is capable of monitoring, detecting and forecasting multiple hazards - landslides, earthquakes, floods, forest fires and droughts with minute changes. It can also be used for building management system including dams/reservoirs.
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It is believed that dark chocolate has health benefits. Is it true, or just wishful thinking, promoted by market forces? Limited studies suggest that cocoa, an ingredient in chocolate, may have health benefits. Researchers in the United States are studying whether concentrated doses of cocoa flavanols can improve health. Thousands of participants are involved, in the study of how cocoa supplements affect everything from eye disease to heart health, cancer risk, and cognitive abilities. (Podcast source: NIH, US Dept of Health, Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)
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A latest study at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi revealed, yoga practitioners had lower, stress, anxiety and depression, higher wellbeing and peace of mind during the lockdown imposed in the country to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
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India has an estimated 56 million cases of depression and another 38 million suffer from anxiety disorders, according to a report by WHO. Quite often we ignore mental health. But poor mental health can affect our ability to make healthy decisions and fight off chronic diseases. In this episode we bring you an interview with Dr Shyam Diwakar, Director of the newly established Mind Brain Centre, at the Amrita University, Kerala on the correlation between mental and physical health. (Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)
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Wounds of patients with ulcer, dialysis and bed sores do not heal easily with antiseptics available now. But a polyherbal formulation developed by Dr. Vikas Gautam, Medical Microbiologist at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh promises to heal such wounds fast.
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Scientists at the National Institute of Ocean Technology, NIOT in Chennai are close to developing bio-degradable plastic from seaweed. Conventional plastics pose a grave threat to soil and water, but bioplastics have the same quality as in those made from plant materials like corn starch and sugarcane.
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