Tech That, COVID-19

IISc researchers and industry partners have developed software tools driven by AI that can complement the healthcare system in fighting COVID-19   The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease we know as COVID-19, has kept us occupied through the first half of 2020. It is the first pandemic in a hundred years, affecting nearly every […]

Snakebite Treatment in India (and What We Can Do about it)

Why traditional antivenom therapy is inadequate in treating this neglected tropical disease Humans have always been fascinated by snakes. In some cultures, snakes are considered divine because they are indispensable to humans in controlling rodent pests that can otherwise cause enormous damage to food crops. But snakes can also be deadly to humans, and have […]

How a Hepatitis B Vaccine was Made in India

  P N Rangarajan is currently the Chair of the Department of Biochemistry, IISc. He obtained his PhD from IISc in 1989 and carried out his postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA. Since joining IISc as an Assistant Professor in 1993, he has carried out research in the field of eukaryotic […]

Taking on TB

India is the world’s tuberculosis capital, accounting for 27 percent of the 10 million patients globally. Understanding how drug resistance emerges and improving vaccine efficacy are key to fighting this disease. Macrophage (red) engulfing tuberculosis bacteria (yellow), taken with ZEISS FE-SEM (Image courtesy: Volker Brinkmann)   In 1890, Robert Koch believed he was going to […]

The Race for Five Million Dollars

IISc-TCS was the only Indian team to compete in the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020   The competition was only a few days away. With one drone having crashed already, all eyes were locked nervously on the two drones over the airfield outside the Department of Aerospace Engineering. During the final testing at […]

‘The beauty of quasicrystals continues to attract me’

A renowned metallurgist on his relationship with geometry, Japan, and more   My work has involved studying the geometries of materials such as crystals, glasses, twin boundaries, grain boundaries, and quasicrystals. Quasicrystals open new windows into the architecture of solids. Their beauty continues to attract me and I have worked on them for close to […]

From pipette to patient: Tools for better disease diagnosis

An overview of IISc labs involved in developing novel diagnostic tools for infectious diseases   With the recent emergence of the coronavirus infection, the world has been reminded of the lethal nature of disease outbreaks. Infectious diseases, caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and other parasites, can be transmitted to a healthy individual from another infected […]

What is AI Good For?

  In his 15 years at Google, Jay Yagnik has led many foundational research efforts in machine learning and perception, computer vision, cybersecurity, quantum AI, and more. He has contributed significantly to the success of some of Google’s most popular projects, like Google Photos, YouTube, Search, and Maps. An alumnus of IISc, Yagnik was back […]

A Martian Odyssey

  Ritu Karidhal completed her MTech from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IISc, in 2003. A senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), she has participated in many of its critical missions, including the recent Chandrayaan-2. As a Deputy Operations Director, Karidhal played a key role in steering the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), […]