On the 26th of March, 2018, Prof. K VijayRaghavan, ex-Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and ex-Director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), was appointed the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. He succeeds Dr. R. Chidambaram and is expected to assume the office shortly.

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical devices that use the power of respiring microbes to convert organic matter into electrical energy. Thus, they can help treat wastewater and also generate electricity. Realising the vast potential these cells have, scientists are finding ways to improve their performance and efficiency.

In a new study, researchers have developed a low-cost and eco-friendly method to extract gold from electronic waste using the leaves of the plant Lagerstroemia speciosa, commonly called the Pride of India. They have applied the principle of biosorption—the ability of biological materials in an aqueous solution to bind with heavy metals—to extract gold from wastewater.

Power cuts in many parts of the country are so commonplace that we have learnt to accept and adapt to the erratic supply, no matter how frustrating. With summer rearing its fiery head, the threat of sitting in sweltering heat without fans or air-conditioners is a nightmare. A recent UN report found that 10% of people from developing countries have no access to electricity!

In a new study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, have found that ten confined water molecules play a significant role in keeping the insulin molecules together. In their findings published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry, the researchers have used computer models to study how water molecules help in stabilising the structure of insulin for storage in our body.

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) celebrated its 6th Foundation Day on Tuesday, March 20th, at the India Habitat centre in New Delhi. This year, the theme for the Foundation Day celebration was ‘Sustaining Innovation: A market driven pathway’. The event saw a participation from large number of dignitaries from the industry and academia, public and private sector, policy makers and national and international organizations.

The Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) organised by the Rashtrapati Bhavan in association with the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) India and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

Interspeech--the world’s largest and most comprehensive conference on the science and technology of spoken language processing -- is coming to India for the first time ever. This year will witness the 19th edition of Interspeech, which will be held during September 2-6, 2018 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Hyderabad, India, with an expected international participation of over 1500 delegates.

In today’s gadget-filled world of cameras, cell phones, smart watches and other lightweight and wearable devices, thin film transistors are commonplace. They are made by stacking thin layers of semiconductors, insulators and metals. In a study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, have explored how creating textures in metal films used in such transistors could help make them easy to control.