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Times Top News

Pixxel’s hyperspectral satellite set for launch

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Science


Pixxel Space’s first commercial hyperspectral satellite, named ‘Fireflies’, is to be launched into space by SpaceX Transporter-12 rocket on January 14. 

A hyperspectral satellite is an earth observation satellite equipped with optical and infra-red cameras that can capture a wide range of wavelengths, split into many narrow spectral bands. To put it simply, they provide very high-resolution images. 

The space startup, backed by investors such as Accenture Ventures, Blume and Lightspeed, has three demo satellites in orbit; it intends to launch six commercial ones this year, and 18 more in 2026 and 2027. 

The first three of the six are smaller, weighing 50 kg each; the others will weigh 200 kg each. Pixxel’s satellites are designed to provide 5-metre resolution while capturing 150 bands of wavelengths — making them state-of-the-art.





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Melatonin’s role in treating Parkinson’s disease 

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Science


Scientists have proved that nano-formulation of melatonin, the hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness, showed improved antioxidative and neuroprotective properties and could be a potential therapeutic solution for Parkinson’s disease (PD). 

One of the most common neurological disorders, PD is caused by the death of dopamine-secreting neurons in the brain due to the aggregation of synuclein protein. Available medication can only minimise the symptoms but cannot cure the disease, and this underlines the need to develop improved therapeutic solutions. 

Studies over the last decade have shown the implications of PD-related genes in governing a quality control mechanism called ‘mitophagy’, which identifies and removes dysfunctional mitochondria and reduces oxidative stress. 

Among several other antioxidants, melatonin, a neurohormone secreted from the pineal gland (an endocrine gland present in the brain) that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and is used to treat insomnia, could be a potential inducer of mitophagy to mitigate PD. 

The molecular pathways melatonin follows as a PD antagonist remain poorly elucidated, despite being a safe and potential neurotherapeutic drug with a few limitations like less bioavailability, premature oxidation, and so on. 

A group of researchers from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, used human serum albumin nano-formulation to deliver the drug to the brain and studied the molecular mechanism behind melatonin-mediated oxidative stress regulation. 

Using a biocompatible protein (HSA) nanocarrier for the delivery of melatonin to the brain, Dr Surajit Karmakar and his team have proved that nano-melatonin resulted in a sustained release of melatonin and improved its bioavailability. 

They found that nano-melatonin demonstrated enhanced antioxidative and neuroprotective properties. It not only improved mitophagy to remove unhealthy mitochondria but also improved mitochondrial biogenesis to counteract a pesticide (rotenone) induced toxicity in an in-vitro PD model. 

The improvement is attributed to the sustained release of melatonin and targeted delivery to the brain, resulting in increased therapeutic efficacy compared to bare melatonin. 

The increased antioxidative effect is a result of mitophagy induction through the upregulation of a crucial epigenetic regulator called BMI1, which controls gene expression. The reduction in oxidative stress contributes to alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.





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Welcome brain drain

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Science


Are you taking sleep tablets? Well, they may allow you to sleep peacefully but there is a flip side.

Every night our brain undergoes a process of rinsing. It has been known about for a decade now — thanks to the work of Dr Maiken Nedergaard at the University of Rochester — that when we sleep the ‘glymphatic system’ in the brain releases the cerebrospinal fluid to flush out toxic chemicals that have entered the brain because of our metabolic activities. 

New research has discovered how the efficiency of the glymphatic system is regulated by a chemical called norepinephrine, which is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter. The higher the levels of norepinephrine, the more alert you are. 

When you take a sedative, it depresses the level of norepinephrine, which brings down your alertness and lets you drift off into sleep. But low norepinephrine means the glymphatic system is not working well which, in turn, means the cleansing of the brain is not happening as it should. 

This was discovered through experiments on mice by a group of researchers that included Nedergaard, and their findings have been published in the journal Cell. But the researchers say this pretty much holds for humans too. 

Moral of the story: Junk your sleeping tablets and allow yourself to be brainwashed.





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Jaggery making hits sweet spot with use of solar power

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Science


Jaggery making is a cottage industry that provides livelihood to millions but, on the flip side, it has a negative environmental impact as the conventional manufacturing process involves open earth furnaces burning bagasse — a fuel with poor combustion characteristics. Some production units also use alternative fuels such as plastic or rubber waste, releasing harmful flue gases through chimneys. These practices can also reduce product quality, leading producers to use artificial additives to enhance appearance for market value.

Now, researchers led by Prof KS Reddy, at IIT-Madras’ Heat Transfer and Thermal Power Lab, have developed a solar-powered method for jaggery production that could transform this traditional sweetener’s environmental impact. With the use of sustainable energy, it addresses both the pollution and inefficiencies of current practices in jaggery production.

The system uses solar stills to produce jaggery from sugarcane juice. The approach combines refrigeration and solar heating, reducing energy requirements from nearly 100 MJ to 11 MJ per kg of jaggery produced.

Three-day process

On day 1, freshly harvested sugarcane is steamed to soften its outer shell. Extracted cane juice is then cooled to remove water in the form of ice.

On day 2, the juice undergoes secondary concentration in a series of solar stills. These stills utilise solar radiation and external reflectors to evaporate the remaining water content. The system can also operate without direct sunlight, using auxiliary heating methods.

On the final day, the concentrated juice is heated in batches to eliminate the remaining moisture, producing high-quality jaggery.

Valuable byproduct

The method generates distilled water as a valuable byproduct. The added revenue from distilled water production can reduce the payback period to less than five years. 

Under optimal conditions, the system produces 100 kg of jaggery and 169.78 kg of distilled water daily while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3,000 tonnes over its operational lifetime.

“Logistics, cost and awareness are critical,” says Reddy. “At the moment, we are working with internal teams in IIT to ensure that deployment on the field is effective.”

The system achieves nearly 50 per cent energy efficiency under solar conditions.

While still in the research phase, this approach demonstrates how traditional food production processes can be modernised to meet both environmental and economic demands. Its potential success could offer a model for integrating renewable energy into other food production systems.

(Yasaswini Sampathkumar is a writer based in Guwahati)





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Bacteria that crave toxins

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Science


Researchers at IIT-Bombay have identified two genera of bacteria, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, that have great potential in agriculture. 

These groups of bacteria can break harmful aromatic (or ring-shaped) compounds that enter the soil through insecticides, herbicides and industrial effluents into useful nutrients for plants. 

Aromatic compounds like naphthalene, benzoate and phthalates are used to make cosmetics, textiles, food preservatives and pesticides. 

They are useful, for sure, but turn into a problem when they enter the soil. 

They hinder seed germination, inhibit plant growth and, through the plants, poison us. Removing them from the soil is neither easy nor cheap — they are stable compounds that do not react easily with added substances; they are also typically not soluble in water and cannot be drained off. 

But they also happen to be bacteria food.

Dual action

Prof Prashant Phale, from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT-Bombay, and Sandeesh Papade, research scholar, decided to approach the problem from a different angle — recruiting bacteria and letting them loose in the soil. 

The bacteria broke down the undesirable compounds into simpler compounds — much like cutting long chains into small bits. In the process, they released nutrients useful to plants, such as phosphorus and potassium. While the aromatic compounds are insoluble in water, the released nutrients are soluble and can be absorbed by plants. “They also produce substances called siderophores, which help plants absorb iron in nutrient-limited environments,” notes an article on the IIT-Bombay website. Further, the bacteria also contribute to plant growth and health by producing the growth hormone indoleacetic acid. 

“While these bacteria are cleaning the soil, they are also helping plants grow healthier and more robust by fertilizing the soil and improving soil health,” Prof Phale says in the article. 

Interestingly, when these two groups of bacteria were used together, they produced even more beneficial results. “The consortium displayed strong plant growth promoting as well as phytoprotection ability against toxicity of aromatics,” the researchers say in a paper published in Environmental Technology & Innovation. 

The ability of the two genera to co-exist is notable because you can then make biofertilizer-cum-biocontrol formulations. 

Phale notes that these bacteria can eat up harmful fungi too. In the future, researchers want to test how these bacteria can benefit plants during droughts and other environmental stress conditions. 

“The assistive eco-physiological traits (biofilm, resistance to fusaric acid and salinity tolerance) displayed by strains indicated their better adaptability, survival and niche colonisation behaviour under environmental extremities,” the paper says.





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Why India should explore the idea of floating nuclear power plants

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Science


Nuclear-powered submarines, icebreakers and traditional nuclear power plants are now passé for Russia’s integrated nuclear power company Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation.

With a floating nuclear power plant (FNPP), Akademik Lomonosov, functioning in the Arctic port town Pevek since 2019, Russia is now eyeing a global market, including India, for such units. 

An FNPP is located on a ship and can be connected or disconnected to the power lines of a coastal town; it can be towed to any location, as needed. 

Akademik Lomonosov — named after 18th century Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov — is docked on the icy shores of the East Siberian Sea. The vessel houses two small lightwater reactors with 14-15 per cent enriched uranium fuel, each with a generation capacity of 35 MW — like those powering Russia’s icebreaker vessels.

Given that India is blessed with a 7,500-km coastline and several islands, the question is whether such a ship-mounted small nuclear power plant can be used to power its islands or coastal towns. The life of such plants is about 40 years and can be extended.

Accrued expertise

Russia is building four more FNPPs of 50 MW capacity for its use. As of December 19, 2024, Akademik Lomonosov has supplied about 978 million kWh of electricity to the Chaun-Bilibino energy hub in Chukotka, meeting the region’s energy needs for more than a year. 

Rosatom is working on a new floating nuclear power plant with four reactors at Cape Nagleyynyn in Chukotka and a land-based small modular reactor with the latest RITM-200 reactor in Ust-Kuyga, Yakutia. 

Options before India

Can India look at the option of a floating nuclear power plant? 

Rosatom’s Director General Alexey Likhachev has said that the company is interested in expanding cooperation with India, including implementing floating and land-based nuclear power units, apart from serial construction of high-powered plants. 

The floating plants need no land, are inherently earthquake resistant, have an abundance of water for active or passive cooling, and have no need for spent fuel storage facilities on land. Rosatom officials say the FNPP will not leave any nuclear traces, and the vessel can be decommissioned at a specified place. 

As in the case of the 1,000 MW power plants at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, both countries can work in cooperation for the FNPPs. 

At an event in Moscow in 2023, Likhachev had said the two countries could cooperate in constructing small floating nuclear reactors. Russia can provide the nuclear heart (reactor) and other systems while India can take care of the tow boat and the electrical systems needed for an FNPP.

Cost factor

A retired senior official of the Indian nuclear sector said the government must identify one or two shipyards and look at series production of vessels for housing small nuclear power plants. 

“The cost of such plants will be a major factor for India. Russia has nuclear icebreakers. They can build new plants or remove the nuclear power plants from icebreakers and mount it on a barge as a floating nuclear power plant,” the Indian official, who declined to be identified, said. 

As for fuel, it can be imported if the plants are under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

(The writer is an independent journalist based in Chennai)





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