NEWS ALERT 

Ecological power storage battery made of vanillin
Researchers at TU Graz have found a way to convert the aromatic substance vanillin into a redox-active electrolyte material for liquid batteries. The technology is a ground-breaking step towards ecologically sustainable energy storage. Researchers have succeeded in replacing the liquid electrolyte of redox-flow batteries, made up of ecologically harmful heavy metals or rare earths - with vanillin, an important ingredient of Austrian vanilla croissants thereby making the battery more environment-friendly. Vanillin, a commonly used flavour compound. The team used refined lignin without the use of toxic and expensive metal catalysts, so that it can be used in flow batteries. The separation and refining process was patented, and the researchers now want to commercialise the technology, especially since the process is highly scalable and suitable for continuous production. Redox flow technology is an important piece of the puzzle for the expansion of renewable energies such as wind and solar power.

A new study may revise a theory of flowing viscous liquids
The international collaborative team of researchers from Japan & India have discovered for the first time a topological change of viscous fingering (one of classical interfacial hydrodynamics), which is driven by "a partially miscibility," where the two liquids do not mix completely with finite solubility. The research team succeeded in changing the miscibility of the system to fully miscible, immiscible, and partially miscible with little change in the viscosities at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The result overturns the common understanding of more than 60 years in VF research that the characteristics of VF are divided into immiscible and fully miscible cases and demonstrates the existence and importance of the partially miscible case, which becomes the third classification category. This will open a new cross-disciplinary research area involving hydrodynamics and chemical thermodynamics.

Tunable free-electron X-ray radiation from van der Waals materials
Researchers at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have developed precise radiation sources that may replace the expensive and cumbersome facilities currently used for such tasks. The suggested apparatus produces controlled radiation with a narrow spectrum that can be tuned with high resolution, at a relatively low energy investment. The findings are likely to lead to breakthroughs in a variety of fields, including the analysis of chemicals and biological materials, medical imaging, X-ray equipment for security screening, and other uses of accurate X-ray sources. The Technion researchers have produced different van der Walls (vdW) materials and sent electron beams through them at specific angles that led to X-ray emission in a controlled and accurate manner. Furthermore, the researchers demonstrated precise tunability of the radiation spectrum at unprecedented resolution, utilizing the flexibility in designing families of vdW materials. The research opens up possible innovative application of two-dimensional materials as a compact system that produce controlled and accurate radiation that could pave the way for varied applications in X-ray imaging (medical X-ray, for example), X-ray spectroscopy used to characterize materials, and future quantum light sources in the X-ray regime.

Flexible and biodegradable electronic blood vessels
Researchers in China and Switzerland have developed electronic blood vessels that can be actively tuned to address subtle changes in the body after implantation. The blood vessels-made of a metal-polymer conductor membrane that is flexible and biodegradable-mimic natural blood vessels, were conductive in in vitro experiments, and were able to effectively replace key arteries in rabbits. The research could enable delivery of genetic material, controlled drug release, and facilitate the formation of new endothelial blood vessel tissue. The team fabricated biodegradable electronic blood vessels using a cylindrical rod to roll up a metal-polymer conductor membrane made from poly(L-lactide-co-e-caprolactone). They showed that, in the lab, proliferation and migration of endothelial cells could be induced and protein DNA delivered. The researchers tested the device in rabbits, replacing their carotid arteries - which supply blood to the brain, neck, and face - with electronic blood vessels and found that the artificial arteries appeared to function just as well as the natural ones had, with no sign of narrowing with no inflammatory response. In the future, use with minimized devices, such as minimized batteries and built-in control systems, could make all the functional parts fully implantable and even fully bio-degradable in the body.

More energy from sunlight with advanced solar panels
Researchers led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in a study show that by using a precisely controlled fabrication process, one can produce multilayered solar panels with the potential to be 1.5 times more efficient than traditional silicon panels. The team has been working to layer the semiconductor material gallium arsenide phosphide onto silicon because the two materials complement each other. Both materials absorb visible light strongly, but gallium arsenide phosphide does so while generating less waste heat. In contrast, silicon excels at converting energy from the infrared part of the solar spectrum just beyond what our eyes can see. The team has developed a process for forming pristine interfaces in the gallium arsenide phosphide cell, which led to a vast improvement.

Plastic-eating enzyme 'cocktail' heralds new hope for plastic waste
Scientists from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have created an enzyme 'cocktail' that can digest plastic up to six times faster. A new enzyme when combined with earlier enzymes like PETase can accelerate the breakdown of plastic and breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) back into its building blocks thereby creating an opportunity to recycle plastic infinitely and reduce plastic pollution and the greenhouse gases driving climate change. PET is the most common thermoplastic, used to make single-use drinks bottles, clothing and carpets and it takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, but PETase can shorten this time to days. PETase and the new combined MHETase-PETase both work by digesting PET plastic, returning it to its original building blocks. This allows for plastics to be made and reused endlessly, reducing our reliance on fossil resources such as oil and gas.

New detector breakthrough pushes boundaries of quantum computing
Physicists at Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed a new detector for measuring energy quanta at unprecedented resolution. This discovery has opened the way for bringing quantum computing out of the laboratory and into real-world applications. The type of detector is called a bolometer, which measures the energy of incoming radiation by measuring how much it heats up the detector and could match the current state-of-the-art detectors used in quantum computers. The next steps for their research is to resolve the smallest energy packets ever observed using bolometers in real-time and to use the bolometer to measure the quantum properties of microwave photons, which not only have exciting applications in quantum technologies such as computing and communications, but also in fundamental understanding of quantum physics.

New algorithm could unleash the power of quantum computers
A new algorithm that fast forwards simulations could bring greater use ability to current and near-term quantum computers, opening the way for applications to run past strict time limits that hamper many quantum calculations. The new algorithm will be able to fast forward quantum simulations to solve problems that were previously out of reach. Computers built of quantum components, known as qubits, can potentially solve extremely difficult problems that exceed the capabilities of even the most powerful modern supercomputers. Applications include faster analysis of large data sets, drug development, and unraveling the mysteries of superconductivity, to name a few of the possibilities that could lead to major technological and scientific breakthroughs in the near future. The algorithm has enabled scientists to quantum-mechanically simulate a system far beyond the time scales that quantum computers can achieve without the VFF algorithm.

Biochip innovation combines AI and nanoparticle printing for cancer cell analysis
A team from the University of California, Irvine have created a new lab-on-a-chip that can help study tumor heterogeneity to reduce resistance to cancer therapies. They combined artificial intelligence, microfluidics and nanoparticle inkjet printing in a device that enables the examination and differentiation of cancers and healthy tissues at the single-cell level. The team combined machine learning techniques with accessible inkjet printing and microfluidics technology to develop low-cost, miniaturized biochips that are simple to prototype and capable of classifying various cell types. In the apparatus, samples travel through microfluidic channels with carefully placed electrodes that monitor differences in the electrical properties of diseased versus healthy cells in a single pass. The UCI researchers devised a way to prototype key parts of the biochip in about 20 minutes with an inkjet printer, allowing for easy manufacturing and use of reusable or, if disposable, inexpensive materials. The incorporation of machine learning to manage the large amount of data the tiny system produces enables improvement of the accuracy of analysis and reduced dependency on skilled analysts, which can also make the technology appealing to medical professionals in the developing world.

Engineering team develops novel miniaturized organic semiconductor
Field Effect Transistors (FET) are the core building blocks of modern electronics such as integrated circuits, computer CPUs and display backplanes. Organic Field Effect Transistors (OFETs), which use organic semiconductor as a channel for current flows, have the advantage of being flexible when compared with their inorganic counterparts like silicon. An engineering team led by Dr Paddy Chan Kwok Leung at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has made an important breakthrough in developing the staggered structure monolayer Organic Field Effect Transistors. OFETs, given their high sensitivity, mechanical flexibility, biocompatibility, property tunability and low-cost fabrication, are considered to have great potential in new applications in wearable electronics, conformal health monitoring sensors, and bendable displays etc. This sets a cornerstone to reduce the size of OFETs and push them to a sub-micrometer scale, which is critical for meeting the requirement for commercialisation of related research.

Simplified cost-effective method for direct detection of SARS-CoV-2
A research team from the University of Vermont has developed a simplified method for detection of RNA of the SARS-Cov2 virus by omitting an intermediate step of RNA extraction which avoids the need for scarce RNA extraction reagents and also significantly reduces the time, labor and costs. The current global shortage of RNA extraction kits has caused a severe bottleneck to COVID-19 testing. Their new direct RT-qPCR approach has an accuracy of 92%. Importantly, the direct method had sufficient sensitivity to reliably detect those patients with viral loads that correlate with the presence of infectious virus. Thus, this strategy has the potential to ease supply choke points to substantially expand COVID-19 testing and screening capacity and should be applicable throughout the world.

Sensor rapidly detects COVID-19 infection
Caltech researchers have developed a new type of multiplexed test (a test that combines multiple kinds of data) with a low-cost sensor that may enable the at-home diagnosis of a COVID infection through rapid analysis of small volumes of saliva or blood, without the involvement of a medical professional, in less than 10 minutes. The team has developed wireless sensors that can monitor conditions such as gout, as well as stress levels, through the detection of extremely low levels of specific compounds in blood, saliva, or sweat. The sensors are made of a 3D graphene structure with tiny pores which makes it sensitive enough to detect, with high accuracy, compounds that are only present in very small amounts. The new version of the sensor, named SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex, contains antibodies and proteins that allow it to detect the presence of the virus itself; antibodies created by the body to fight the virus; and chemical markers of inflammation, which indicate the severity of the COVID-19 infection. The device has given good results in tests with blood and saliva samples from individuals who have tested positive or negative for COVID-19. Following further testing, and regulatory approval it may be available for widespread use at home. This platform could be modified for other types of infectious disease testing at home and integrated into telemedicine systems.

New research supports sofosbuvir in combination with other antivirals for COVID-19
According to new study published by Columbia Engineering, Sofosbuvir-terminated RNA is more resistant to the proofreader of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, than Remdesivir-terminated RNA. The study supports the use of the FDA-approved hepatitis-C drug EPCLUSA-Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir - in combination with other drugs in COVID-19 clinical trials. The SARS-CoV-2 exonuclease-based proofreader maintains the accuracy of viral RNA genome replication to sustain virulence. Any effective antiviral targeting the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase must therefore display a certain level of resistance to this proofreading activity. The study found that the RNA terminated by Sofosbuvir resists removal by the exonuclease to a substantially higher extent than RNA terminated by Remdesivir, another drug being used as a COVID-19 therapeutic. Currently, COVID-19 clinical trials with a number of hepatitis C drugs such as EPCLUSA and the combination of Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir (which is similar to Velpatasvir) are ongoing in several countries.

AI can detect COVID-19 in the lungs like a virtual physician, new study shows
A new study involving researchers from University of Central Florida has shown that artificial intelligence can be nearly as accurate as a physician in diagnosing COVID-19 in the lungs. The study shows the new technique can also overcome some of the challenges of current testing. Researchers demonstrated that an AI algorithm could be trained to classify COVID-19 pneumonia in computed tomography (CT) scans with up to 90 percent accuracy, as well as correctly identify positive cases 84 percent of the time and negative cases 93 percent of the time. The new UCF co-developed algorithm which can accurately identify COVID-19 cases, as well as distinguishing them from influenza, thus serving as a great potential aid for physicians. The research demonstrated that a deep learning-based AI approach can serve as a standardized and objective tool to assist healthcare systems as well as patients and can be used as a complementary test tool.

New COVID test doesn't use scarce reagents, catches all but the least infectious
A team of scientists at the University of Vermont, working in partnership with a group at the University of Washington, has developed a method of testing for the COVID-19 virus that doesn't make use of these chemicals but still delivers an accurate result, paving the way for inexpensive, widely available testing in both developing countries and industrialized nations like the United States, where reagent supplies are again in short supply. The method for the test omits the step in the widely used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test where the scarce reagents are needed. The accuracy of the new test was evaluated using 215 COVID-19 samples that RT-PCR tests had shown were positive, with a range of viral loads, and 30 that were negative. It correctly identified 92% of the positive samples and 100 percent of the negatives.

CEPI to include India’s THSTI among 6 other labs for Covid vaccine testing
The global Initiative of Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness for Innovation (CEPI) has identified India’s Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) laboratory for centralised assessment of Covid-19 vaccines. This is expected to greatly harmonize the vaccine trial process in India and allow different vaccine candidates to be compared and accelerate the selection of the most effective candidate. Currently, more than 30 covid-19 vaccines are at different stages of development in India with three in human trials and nearly four in advanced stages of pre-clinical trials. Under the CEPI Global network, the laboratory will use the same reagents and follow a common set of protocols to measure the immune response of multiple vaccine candidates under development and trial. The Department of Biotechnology has been implementing the IndCEPI mission ‘India Centric Epidemic Preparedness through Rapid Vaccine Development: Supporting Indian Vaccine Development’. The THSTI runs comparability studies with other laboratories internationally.

Moving towards a vaccine to reduce yield loss due to diseases in rice
With scientists uncovering the mechanism by which a bacterium called Xoo (Xanthomonas oryzaepv oryzae) that causes a serious bacterial leaf blight disease in rice interacts with rice plants and causes disease. India is now close to a vaccine to boost the immune system of rice. Researchers in the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB), Osmania University, are working to develop few molecules which are derived from either the Xoo bacterium or from the infected rice cell walls. The team is developing new disease control strategies which they can use as vaccines and reduce huge yield losses to rice cultivation throughout the world. The study will reveal novel elicitors of rice defence responses and provide new knowledge about the basic aspects of plant-pathogen interactions that might lead to new ways of reducing yield losses for a crop that at least half of the world’s population depends on.

Scientists discover two new species of pipeworts from the Western Ghats
Two new species of a plant group known for their varied medicinal properties have been discovered in the Western Ghats, which is among thirty-five global biodiversity hotspots. The plant group known as pipeworts (Eriocaulon), which completes their life cycle within a small period during monsoon, exhibits great diversity in the Western Ghats, having around 111 species in India. Most of these are reported from the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas, and around 70% of them are endemic to the country. One species, Eriocaulon cinereum, is well known for its anti-cancerous, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties. E. quinquangulare is used against liver diseases. The medicinal properties of the newly discovered species are yet to be explored. According to researchers, future studies will focus on elucidating the evolutionary history of the genus in India. They are trying to develop DNA barcodes to enable the identification of species with just a portion of the leaf.

India successfully tests anti-submarine weapon system
India successfully tested an anti-submarine weapon system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a Supersonic Missile assisted release of Torpedo, SMART. The DRDO said that "supersonic missile-assisted release of torpedo (SMART) has been successfully flight tested and all the mission objectives including missile flight up to the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly. It also stated that the tracking stations - Radars, Electro Optical Systems - along the coast and the telemetry stations including down range ships monitored all the events. It is a missile-assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo system for anti-submarine warfare operations far beyond torpedo range.

Prime Minister inaugurates Mega Virtual Summit on Artificial Intelligence
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated RAISE 2020, a Mega Virtual Summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI). He said the teamwork of AI with humans can do wonders for our planet and wished India to become a global hub for Artificial Intelligence. He said the approach towards this goal is powered by core principles of: Teamwork, Trust, Collaboration, Responsibility and Inclusivity. He said the National Programme on Artificial Intelligence will be dedicated for solving problems of society and listed the sectors in which he envisions a big role for AI - agriculture, creating next generation urban infrastructure, addressing urban issues like: reducing traffic jams, improving sewage systems and laying energy grids, making disaster management systems stronger and solving the problem of climate change. He suggested using AI to seamlessly bridge language barriers and preserve the diversity of languages and dialects. He also suggested using AI for knowledge sharing. The Prime Minister said Algorithm Transparency is key to establishing trust in how AI is used, and it remains our collective responsibility to ensure it. He urged to protect the world against weaponization of AI by Non-State Actors. The Prime Minister said AI will unlock the unique potential of each person and will empower them to contribute more effectively to the society. He wished that the Action Roadmap for Responsible AI created out of the discussion would help in transforming the lives and livelihoods of people across the world.

Scientists at CeNS find new insights into LEDs emitting high-quality white light
Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore found that though nanocrystals of inorganic chemicals caesium lead halide show the promise of white light emission. The capability of white light emission rests in the fact that the emission from these crystals can be easily tuned over the entire visible spectrum by varying their halide compositions. However, they failed to emit white light due to an interparticle mixing between the nanocrystals that resulted in a single emission. The researchers found that halide ions of the crystals migrate from one particle to another even at room temperature and form an alloy of nanocrystals, which yield a single emission. Understanding of this reaction kinetics will help in developing strategies to prevent interparticle mixing, and the team is pursuing research to create LED that produce good quality white light.

CSIR-CMERI Develops High Flow Rate Water Purification Technology
Amidst the increasing contamination of fluoride and iron in drinking water which can have several adverse effects including liver disease, irregular heart rhythm and neuronal disorder etc., CSIR-CMERI has developed a dual solution to purify the water. According to the report by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the groundwater in more than ten thousand five hundred rural habitations distributed in various states of India are found to be contaminated with elevated fluoride concentration. Therefore, the need for an affordable water purification technology for fluoride and iron removal has been far urgent than ever. The CSIR-CMERI developed Fluoride and Iron removal system is comprised of three staged purification system. The first FRP make vessel (Chamber-I) is for rapid removal of precipitated iron. The next one (Chamber-II) is one of the most crucial chambers for removal of the left-over iron from the contaminated water. In final stage fluoride will be removed from contaminated ground water by ‘fluoride removal unit’ (Chamber-III), where the adsorbents will fulfil the purpose of fluoride mitigation. The CSIR-CMERI transferred its High Flow Rate Fluoride & Iron Removal technology to M/s Capricans Aqua Private Limited, Howrah, West Bengal, in Durgapur (WB).

DST collaborates with IBM to build STEM career opportunities for girl students
The Department of Science & Technology (DST) and IBM India announced collaborations to scale up two DST initiatives- Vigyan Jyoti and Engage with Science (Vigyan Prasar). Vigyan Jyoti programme aims to promote STEM learning among girl students and to inspire them towards STEM careers by creating a level-playing field for meritorious girls from grades 9 to 12 to pursue STEM in their higher education, especially from the top colleges in the areas where girls are hugely underrepresented. Engage with Science of Vigyan Prasar is another initiative to build interest and create a community of practice with students, teachers, and scientists connecting the high school students to the higher education institutions. According to DST Secretary, scaling up of the interactive learning platform ‘Engage with Science’ will make learning relevant and foster scientific spirit among the country’s youth, and it would address the school students directly who need more knowledge outside the classroom and provide insights into an interactive way of learning, thus helping sift the useful from the useless.

CSIR-KPIT demonstrates Hydrogen Fuel Cell fitted car
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and KPIT successfully ran trials of India’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) prototype car running on an indigenously developed fuel cell stack at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. The fuel cell is a low temperature PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) type Fuel Cell that operates at 65-75 degree centigrade, which is suitable for vehicular applications. The 10 kWe automotive grade LT-PEMFC fuel cell stack is developed based on CSIR’s know-how. The heart of PEM fuel cell technology includes the membrane electrode assembly, which is wholly a CSIR knowhow whereas KPIT brought in expertise in stack engineering which included light-weight metal bipolar plate and gasket design, development of the balance of plant (BoP), system integration, control software and electric powertrain that enabled running the fuel cell vehicle. The technology is expected to be more suited for commercial vehicles (CV) such as buses and trucks, since HFC technology requires a much smaller battery for a very large operating range. Hence, HFC technology offers more promise for the CV segment. According to project scientists, the technology has a great future and owing to its indigenous development and is expected to be more commercially viable than ever before

Sensor with 100,000 times higher sensitivity could bolster thermal imaging
US Army-funded research has developed a new microwave radiation sensor with 100,000 times higher sensitivity than currently available commercial sensors. Researchers said better detection of microwave radiation will enable improved thermal imaging, electronic warfare, radio communications and radar. The microwave bolometer developed under this project is so sensitive that it is capable of detecting a single microwave photon, which is the smallest amount of energy in nature. This technology will potentially enable new capabilities for applications such as quantum sensing and radar. The graphene bolometer sensor detects electromagnetic radiation by measuring the temperature rise as the photons are absorbed into the sensor. The researchers achieved a high bolometer sensitivity by incorporating graphene in the microwave antenna. A key innovation in this advancement is to measure the temperature rise by superconducting Josephson junction, while maintaining a high microwave radiation coupling into the graphene through an antenna.

Study finds yoga and meditation reduce chronic pain
A mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course was found to benefit patients with chronic pain and depression, leading to significant improvement in participant perceptions of pain, mood and functional capacity, according to a study in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Most of the study respondents (89%) reported the program helped them find ways to better cope with their pain, while 11% remained neutral. The small-scale study was conducted in a semi-rural population in Oregon where issues of affordability, addiction and access to care are common. Participants received intensive instruction in mindfulness meditation and mindful hatha yoga during an eight-week period. The study found that mindful meditation and yoga led to significant improvements in patients' perceptions of pain, depression and disability. Following the course, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores, a standard measure of depression, dropped by 3.7 points on a 27-point scale. The findings show meditation and yoga can be a viable option for people seeking relief from chronic pain.

Geologists solve puzzle that could predict valuable rare earth element deposits
A team of geologists from the Camborne School of Mines, have discovered a new hypothesis to predict where rare earth elements neodymium and dysprosium could be found. The elements are among the most sought after, because they are an essential part of digital and clean energy manufacturing, including magnets in large wind turbines and electric cars motors. For the new research, scientists conducted a series of experiments that showed sodium and potassium - rather than chlorine or fluorine as previously thought - were the key ingredients for making these rare earth elements soluble. This is crucial as it determines whether they crystalise - making them fit for extraction - or stayed dissolved in fluids. The experiments could therefore allow geologists to make better predictions about where the best concentrations of neodymium and dysprosium are likely to be found.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020: CRISPR/Cas9 method for genome editing
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 to Emmanuelle Charpentier, Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Germany, and Jennifer A. Doudna, University of California, Berkeley, USA "for the development of a method for genome editing." Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna have discovered one of gene technology's sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors which can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has had a revolutionary impact on the life sciences and is contributing to new cancer therapies and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true. Researchers need to modify genes to find out about life's inner workings. This used to be time-consuming, difficult and sometimes impossible work. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, it is now possible to change the code of life over the course of a few weeks.

India pushes bold ‘one nation, one subscription’ journal-access plan
The Indian government is pushing a bold proposal that would make scholarly literature accessible for free to everyone in the country. According to researchers consulting for the government, the plan involves negotiating with the world's biggest scientific publishers to set up nationwide subscriptions, rather than many agreements with individual institutions that only scholars can use. The proposal is expected to be part of the government’s latest science, technology and innovation policy, which is being developed by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. If successful, India would become the largest country to strike deals that give access to pay-walled articles to all citizens - more than 1.3 billion people. Estimates suggest that research institutes in India spend at least 15 billion rupees (US$200 million) on subscriptions to paywalled scholarly literature each year. Government could significantly reduce these costs and expand access to all Indians by clubbing together to negotiate with publishers.

‘VAIBHAV Summit’ celebrates science and innovation from India and the world
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit on 2ndOctober which brings overseas and resident Indian researchers and academics under a common platform to debate upon collaboration mechanisms to strengthen academic and science and technology (S&T) base in India for global development. The Summit will run from 3rd October to 30th October 2020 among researchers through webinar mode. Concluding session is planned on 7th November on Sir CV Raman Jayanti. The summit was organized by around 200 academic institutes and S&T departments, led by India’s Principal Scientific Adviser. At the summit, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the government's initiatives to boost scientific research and innovation, adding that science is at the core of the efforts towards socio-economic change. He noted that in 2014, India introduced four new vaccines under national immunisation programme including an indigenously developed Rotavirus vaccine; and that India needs top-class scientific research to help farmers; to ensure more youngsters develop an interest in science and to build Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and to celebrate science and innovation for India and the world.

UN Summit on Biodiversity sounds alarm
World leaders at the UN Summit on Biodiversity gave the message that our planet is in dire crisis, and something must be done. The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that out of 18 critical contributions that nature provides to people, 14 have already been lost, including the ability to regulate pollination, climate, and air quality. The Summit on Biodiversity was expected to be a crucial milestone to build momentum towards an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). A Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, signed by 75 countries and the EU before the Summit, was a promising sign. The pledge, dubbed the “High Ambition Coalition for People and Nature” by many speakers, contains commitments to transition to sustainable production and consumption, mainstream biodiversity, end environmental crimes, and strengthen means of implementation. However, the signatures of many leaders from megadiverse countries were missing from the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature—including Australia, the US, China (the host of COP 15), Brazil, and India.

EU expands powers to block Chinese and US companies from Horizon Europe
Research ministers have agreed to more aggressively police foreign participation in the EU’s research programme, adding a new provision to Horizon Europe that is aimed primarily at preventing China and the US from getting access to sensitive European research. The new provision inserted in article 18 of the Horizon Europe text, enables Brussels to “exclude the participation of legal entities established in the union or in associated countries directly or indirectly controlled by non-associated third countries or by legal entities of non-associated third countries from individual calls”. The EU will exercise this power for “duly justified and exceptional reasons”, the text says. EU officials are particularly concerned about the potential for Chinese state-controlled enterprises to take data or intellectual property from European companies and export it to China. Politicians in Brussels plan to introduce a tougher mechanism to vet acquisitions of Europe’s technology jewels. The new powers need to be confirmed by the European Parliament.

India & Japan deliberate on ways to strengthening health care for elderly
India and Japan held discussions to collaborate on strengthening health care for older people and reimagine aging and the research, demonstration, and implementation required for this purpose. According to lead Indian participants, expansion of initiatives like the National Program for Health care of the elderly, Ayushman Bharat and implementation of WHO’s long term care protocol (ICOPE) could help in strengthening health care for older people. The discussion was jointly organized by India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI). Japanese representative highlighted the scope of reimagining ageing through education and re-training of the elderly and stressed on the need of strengthening bilateral relations towards achieving universal health care by working together. The Indian envoy similarly noted that dividing the entire work in two aspects, namely ‘Research’ and ‘Demonstration and application’, should be the way forward for India and Japan to strengthen their bilateral relations.

India, Japan finalise key cyber-security deal to boost cooperation on 5G, AI
India and Japan have finalised an ambitious agreement on cyber-security to boost cooperation on 5G technology and critical information infrastructure. The proposed cyber-security agreement will promote cooperation in capacity building, research and development, and security and resilience in critical information infrastructure, 5G, internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). The two sides will also share information on countering cyber-security threats and develop joint mechanisms to mitigate threats to information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. The two sides will also cooperate on cyber-security at international bodies such as the UN. The ministers of both countries “emphasised that a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region must be premised on diversified and resilient supply chains; and in this context, welcomed the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative between India, Japan, Australia and other like-minded countries”. The proposed agreement covers critical information infrastructure, including infrastructure for banks and payment systems, telecommunications and internet, nuclear reactors and energy transmission systems, transport systems such as air traffic control, and water supply systems. The Japanese side agreed to be the lead partner in the connectivity pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) and jointly take both countries’ respective visions for the Indo-Pacific forward. IPOI has seven pillars – maritime security, trade and connectivity, disaster risk reduction and management, science and technology cooperation, reducing marine pollution, sustainable use of marine resources, and capacity building.

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