In healthcare, effective drug delivery remains a key challenge. Traditional pills and injections offer relief but often cause side effects and have limited efficacy. Active matter therapeutics transform treatment by delivering medicines precisely to affected areas, reducing side effects and enhancing drug delivery.

The exhibition ‘Critical Zones: In search of a common ground’ urges visitors to contemplate innovative ways of coexisting with other life forms for a sustainable future on Earth. The travelling exhibition is on display at Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) from February 16 to 17 March 2024. Sindhu M, a PhD student at IISc, shares her experience of visiting this exhibition at SGB.

Traditional peer review processes are known for being opaque and long-drawn, causing significant delays in publication and much anxiety to the authors. Thanks to the academic community's efforts, the process is evolving to reduce the time burden and increase transparency and inclusivity. This article describes some of the novel peer review models and their pros and cons.

Cells perform a complex feat of picking and proofreading amino acids for protein synthesis. Several aspects of this translation process were shrouded in mystery for a long time. This article traverses Rajan Sankaranarayanan’s two decades of seminal research that decoded some of the checkpoints and helped biologists better understand the error-free protein translation mechanisms.

Do bacteria derive benefits by living in diverse communities? How is this important for ecological balance? Jithin Sunny, a PhD scholar in the Department of Biotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, has often wondered about the philosophical takeaways from his research on bacterial population study. Together with Bins Sebastian, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, Madras Christian College, Chennai, he discusses a vital question ‘Can an invisible yet significant group of living organisms give us lessons on our society and the interactions within?’