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- Why in News?
- Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have engineered a metal-based nanozyme using vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) to combat abnormal blood clotting associated with conditions such as pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). This innovation targets excessive platelet activation, a key factor in PTE that leads to dangerous blood clots or thrombosis, which can be fatal.
- Normally, when a blood vessel is injured, platelets activate to form clots and stop bleeding. However, in PTE, this process becomes hyperactive, resulting in the formation of excess clots that obstruct blood flow and pose serious health risks.
- About Nanozymes
- Nanozymes are nanomaterials that mimic natural enzyme activity. They offer several advantages over biological enzymes, including high catalytic efficiency, greater stability, lower production costs, and scalability. These properties make them promising for a wide range of biomedical and industrial applications, including therapeutic solutions for clot-related disorders.
- Why in News?
- Scientists believe that thermophilic bacteria found in hot springs hold immense potential as untapped sources of novel and potent antibiotics. These heat-loving microbes thrive in extreme temperatures and may possess unique biochemical pathways capable of producing powerful antimicrobial compounds that can address rising antibiotic resistance.
- About Thermophilic Bacteria
- Thermophiles are microorganisms that flourish in high-temperature environments, typically between 40°C and 90°C. Their resilience stems from their ability to form spores—dormant and highly resistant structures that allow survival under extreme conditions.
- Applications of Thermophiles
- These bacteria are already known for their wide-ranging industrial and medical uses, including:
- Converting xylose to ethanol for biofuel production
- Breaking down crude oil for environmental cleanup
- Recovering heavy metals from waste
- Processing agricultural residues into usable sugars
- Serving as hygiene indicators in dairy industries
- Supporting breast cancer treatment research
- Assisting in the degradation of textile dyes for wastewater remediation
- Why in News?
- Pulsars have recently garnered significant attention in the scientific community due to groundbreaking discoveries that challenge existing astrophysical theories.
- Key Provisions:-
Pulsars are highly magnetized, rapidly spinning neutron stars that emit focused beams of electromagnetic radiation from their magnetic poles. As the star rotates, these beams sweep across space like a lighthouse. When one of the beams points toward Earth, it is detected as a pulse of radiation. This creates the illusion of the pulsar turning on and off at regular intervals. The interval between these pulses, known as the pulsar’s period, is determined by the star’s rotation rate. These periods are extremely precise, making pulsars some of the most reliable natural timekeepers in the universe. The intense magnetic field of a pulsar channels charged particles along its magnetic axis, accelerating them to near-light speeds and producing the radiation we observe. Importantly, the pulsing effect results from the stable spinning motion of the star, not changes in its magnetic strength. Pulsars are crucial tools for studying extreme physics and cosmic phenomena.