It was a routine practice in India to give infants a sunbath. But now, many kids remain indoors for a major part of their day, owing to a changing lifestyle. A recent study from Delhi has recommended that infants must be given a sunbath for 30 minutes in a week to attain sufficient levels of vitamin D, that is, 20 nanograms per ml. More than 50% of the Indian population is vitamin D deficient, according to some studies, which is a health concern especially for infants. This is because its deficiency leads to rickets, a malformation of leg bones.

With the increasing use of electrical and electronic devices, the amount of ‘electronic waste’ that we generate is quickly filling up our landfills. Recycling electronic waste or e-waste is a challenge due to the emission of poisonous gases in the process. Now, a new study has designed various adsorbents to be used in the process of recycling by burning the e-waste. By using these adsorbents, the researchers hope, could make the whole process less toxic for the air and for ourselves.

 Riboflavin or vitamin B2 is a water-soluble vitamin that acts a co-enzyme and is required for cellular respiration. Riboflavin can neither be synthesized by the human body, nor be stored in the body, owing to its water-soluble nature. Thus, we need to regularly supplement the levels of riboflavin in our body through dietary intake. Today, although found in various foods like eggs, green vegetables, milk and meat, there are numerous cases of riboflavin deficiency occurring on a regular basis.

Eyes have been described as one of the most beautiful organs of our body that is our window to the world, quite literally. But not everyone is fortunate to look through that window crisp and clear. Millions today suffer from blindness in the eyes due to many medical conditions. The good news is that some type of blindness like corneal blindness is completely curable, provided there is a generous soul that decides to donate his/her eyes at the time of death. Eye donation is slowly gaining awareness and many today are pledged donors. But how does one become a donor? How is the cornea taken from the donor and what is the status of eye donation in India? Find out more on the account of National Eye Donation fortnight.

Cancer, described as the ‘emperor of all maladies’ by Siddharth Mukherjee’s book by the same name, is a disease which needs no introduction. Currently regarded as a collection of diseases, cancer is most accurately characterized by an unregulated growth of cells within the body -  be it within organs like the pancreas, lungs and brain, or fluid connective tissues like the blood. Given that cancer itself is so diverse and multifaceted, there are many therapies used to combat it, like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and immunotherapy, to name a few.

What is common between albumin, gelatin and casein? They are all proteins! And not just that, they are proteins used for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Proteins are large biomolecules that are composed of long chains of amino acids. The chemical groups that the amino acid are composed of lead to the protein having polar (water soluble) and nonpolar (water insoluble) regions. Hence when introduced into water, proteins tend to bury their nonpolar region by folding into different 3D shapes.

Captivity and confinement has had devastating effects on humans and the same can be true in the case of wild animals, especially the big cats. In this new study, scientists observe the hormones produced by captive big cats, like the Bengal Tiger or Leopard, to measure the amount of stress they endure during captivity. The study also throws light on stereotypy -  a coping mechanism developed by captive animals, and its relation to the amount of stress they experience. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one third of the world’s population is  infected with Tuberculosis (TB) . India accounts for the quarter of the world’s burden of TB and has the highest number of multidrug resistant TB  cases worldwide. While multidrug resistant TB poses a major challenge for healthcare providers worldwide, many steps have been taken to treat this form of disease and control its spread.

Red blood cells (RBC) are the primary carriers of oxygen in all the vertebrates They pick up oxygen from the lungs, flow through the circulatory system and deliver the oxygen to the different cells and tissues. White blood cells (WBC), on the other hand, are the bodies primary defense system. Produced in the bone marrow, WBC helps the body fight invaders, like virus and bacteria.

The warming climate has made the world panic. Although some countries are still skeptical, most scientists agree about the inevitable rise in the temperature of the planet by the year 2030. Several countries have already started a shift towards renewable sources, like solar and with the Paris agreement, the world joined this movement.