Medicine 
Arrest that Biofilm! Starring the Spider Lily
The beach spider lily, Hymenocallis littoralis, has medicinal benefits. It has anti-viral properties and is useful in tumour or cancer cases. It also inhibits biofilm formation – important in overcoming pathogens. Biofilms make cells impermeable to antimicrobials and can cause antibiotic resistance. However, we lack studies on the active compounds that inhibit biofilm formation. Last… Read More ›
Targeting Malaria: Nutrient nanoparticles carry the drug
Out of the four species of malarial parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, is most deadly. Nearly one million people die, every year, from P. falciparum infections. When the parasite enters red blood cells, it ingests their haemoglobin and deposits it in a digestive vacuole. Here, hemoglobin is broken down to heme and peptides. While peptides are useful to… Read More ›
Documenting Discrimination: Perceptions of plant gender
Plants that bear either male or female flowers differ in their medicinal properties depending on the sex of the plant. Do Ayurveda practitioners and folk healers distinguish the distinct properties of male and female plants?
Lead Drugs from Brown Seaweed
Seaweeds are a predominant component of marine flora. There are several species of seaweed or macroalgae: red, brown and green. Seaweeds are a rich source of many bioactive secondary metabolites with extraordinary medicinal properties, ripe for industrial exploitation. Recently, Kajal Chakraborty and team from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin discovered sulphated polysaccharide in… Read More ›
Diagnosing Depression: Egged on by EEG
Electroencephalograms record brain activity non-invasively and have been used to study depression since the 1930s. Yet depression continues to strike celebrity and commoner alike. A timely diagnosis, could, perhaps, save lives. Generally, specialists rely on time consuming questionnaires and sessions. Now, with colleagues from Singapore, Malaysia and the US, D P Subha from the NIT… Read More ›
Gold Nanozyme to Detect Glucose
A highly sensitive sensor kit that can detect glucose in serum, tears, saliva…
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