Sclerostin plays a crucial role in bone formation but restrains abnormal bone growth in joints, which can worsen osteoarthritis. This paradox inspired the design of two short peptides with opposite functions — one restores bone in osteoporosis, while the other protects cartilage in osteoarthritis
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The Madras High Court’s order to lift the ban on the sale of non-iodised salt was not based on scientific evidence but on a procedural flaw: the expert committee that informed the regulation was deemed not inclusive enough of dissenting voices. The court’s remedy — dismantling a life-saving public health shield to fix a process issue — is a perilous overcorrection
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By reducing the GST rate for bidis from 28% to 18% while increasing the GST rate for other tobacco products to 40%, the new GST rates, labelled as “landmark tax framework” and “next-generation GST reforms”, are a public health disaster
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Two studies provide new insights into one of the most consequential episodes in human history. Genomic evidence links Y. pestis to the plague of Justinian, marking the begining of the First Pandemic (AD 541-750) in the ancient city of Jerash, Jordan. Genomic evidence also shows Y. pestis was circulating in human populations for millennia even before the Justinian outbreak
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A strange statistic emerges in the data on child suicides in India — contrary to what is seen in other age groups, a higher number of girls die by suicide when compared to boys. 55% of all suicides under-18 years age are among girls. The reasons: higher incidence of sexual assault, love failure, unwanted marriage and pregnancies, and limited emotional support from family members
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Stressing that “nothing in this historical record” can “justify” the horrors faced by a civilian population in Gaza, the over 4,400 scientists have in a statement urged the Israeli Government to “act immediately to end this human-made humanitarian crisis”
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A newly developed Artificial Intelligence-powered system is capable of automatically analysing MRI scans, accurately detecting the severity of knee osteoarthritis within a limited time, and even predicting potential disease progression if timely treatment is not undertaken
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Unlike trees, bamboos, which have hollow culms and fibrous tissues, seldom get fossilised. That makes the Imphal Valley bamboo fossil remarkable — not only does it retain structural features such as nodes, internodes, and nodal buds, but it also preserves scars of thorns, details that almost never survive fossilisation
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While suicide rates are generally similar among males and females in the 15-29 years age group in India, the suicide rates during 2014 and 2019 among female adolescents aged 14-17 years in India were two-six times higher than other Southeast Asian countries, while suicide rates among male adolescents were in line with global average
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Traditionally, scientists estimate lake volume using satellite images and some empirically derived mathematical formulae. But these approaches often rely on rough assumptions. The recent work showed that these methods can be off by more than 1,000% in some Himalayan lakes. The implication: some lakes hold huge volume of water, possing a risk of glacial lake outburst floods
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