This new study from researchers at IISER Pune delves into the potential biological function of an 'orphan enzyme' using a variety of biochemical, molecular, and structural techniques. Siddhesh Kamat, the Principal Investigator who led this project was recently awarded the EMBO Young Investigators Award as well as the Merck Young Scientist Award.

The question of how stem cells can differentiate to give rise to multiple different cell lineages has fascinated biologists for years. Now, a team of researchers from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai and Ashoka University, Sonepat, have come up with a theoretical model that links the physical properties of the stem cell nucleus to its eventual fate.

Are humans the only species who respond to the death of loved ones with grieving and distress? Evidence suggests otherwise, and now researchers from the Indian Insitute of Science, Bengaluru, have observed Asian elephants in the wild displaying a variety of behavioural reactions upon encountering the death of other elephants.

In the last few years, research into engineered microscopic particles (nanobots) that can navigate through the body to deliver drugs with precision has intensified. Now, Researchers from IIT Guwahati have come up with nanobots synthesized from tea extracts, playfully named 'teabots', which can serve as biocompatible drug-delivery agents.

Just like animals, plants often face threats from their environment, including attacks by parasites, pests, and grazing animals. Unlike animals, however, plants cannot simply move away from the source of such threats. A new study from researchers at NIPGR, New Delhi, offers insights into the intricacies of the plant defence system and how it recognizes and responds to danger, particularly from insect pests.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that kills lakhs of Indians every year. Early detection of the disease is key to administering treatment; however, this has been hampered by the fact that current diagnostic techniques are often costly and time-consuming. Now, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, have come up with an inexpensive paper-based diagnostic device for tuberculosis detection.

As the problem of antibiotic resistance mounts worldwide, there is a pressing need for identifying and testing novel drug targets. Recently, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, and the Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow, has identified a protein pathway in an antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain which can be targeted using a small molecule to effectively kill the bacteria.