Feature Article

The problems associated with the accidents at the Fukushima nuclear reactors continue, weeks after an earthquake and a tsunami struck Japan. On March 27, Japanese officials announced that leaked water sampled from one unit was highly radioactive, exposure to which would cause severe radiation sickness in hours. Estimates of releases of cesium-137 and iodine-131, two radionuclides likely to cause the greatest harm to human health, by different agencies are now a significant— and increasing—fraction of the release from the 1986 Chernobyl accident.

If numbers were enough, the case of Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al versus Monsanto would already be won. On March 29, family farmers—in America, this essentially means small farmers; in India it would be redundancy— along with seed dealers and international organic farming organisations, filed an unusual case against the global biotech giant. Unusual because it is a pre-emptive suit which asks a New York federal court whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s transgenic seed should land on their property. In all, the plaintiffs are said to represent 270,000 individuals.

IMAGINE a future when magnetic particles less than 100 nanometers in diameter will target, detect and capture images of cancer cells in your body.

How does this device work?


There is a phenomenon in nature called shockwave. For example, in a volcanic explosion most of the energy is carried away by a shock wave. Whenever such a wave travels through any medium, it increases the pressure and temperature within microseconds. A big Pokhran blast, for instance, would involve 150 kilo tonnes of explosives, but in the laboratory we spend little energy. When we create a blast, a tiny wave of low supersonic speed is produced. The mechanical impulse generated pushes the drug into the body without a needle.

BANANA peels may be notorious for causing slips in daily lives, but they can also prevent harmful chemicals from slipping into the body. Scientists from Brazil have found that the peel of the fruit can act as a filtration medium and pull heavy metals from water.

For surfers who like high waves, time holds promise. Researchers from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, collated satellite data of 23 years and found the wind speed over the ocean has increased substantially.

IN 2004, residents of West Virginia, US, accused a chemical manufacturing company of contaminating drinking water supply in the region with a fluorinated organic compound.

A NEW adhesive could make sticking stuff together a little easier in outer space. Most glues become brittle and loose their stickiness when moisture is removed. But this adhesive developed at Kansas State University in the US does the exact opposite, becoming stickier in drier environments. The adhesive was recently patented in the US.

THE earth is heading towards mass extinction if researchers at University of California (UC), Berkeley, are to be believed. The last time plant and animal species became extinct on a mass scale was 65 million years ago when dinosaurs perished.