Antimicrobial Air Purifier developed by IIT Kanpur and IIT Bombay:
- As the new normal has changed since the beginning of the pandemic, the measures that humans need to adopt to ensure their safety have also changed drastically.
- The regular air purifiers that help humans breathe clean air, are now not enough to save us from the deadly microbes, contaminating the air currently.
- So in an attempt to help us breathe cleaner air, safe from deadly microbes, AiRTH- in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and IIT Bombay, has created an anti-microbial air purifier. The company claims that this air purifier can deactivate microbes in real-time, even those that are of the size of the coronavirus.
- Scientists at IIT Kanpur have claimed that they have created an air purifier that can kill black fungus along with other viruses present in the air.
- It has been claimed that this air purifier can filter and deactivate microbes contaminating the air in an area of 600 square yards.
- This invention will especially be useful to sanitise hospitals where currently UV rays and chemical sprays are being used. Unlike the traditional methods, this air purifier can be used even when hospital premises are full of patients as it is non-lethal.
- Experts say that black fungus can reach inside the human body via mouth and nose and in light of the recent fatality of this fungal infection, this air purifier seems useful. It is different from normal air purifiers that only catch the microbes on a filter, from where these microbes can escape at anytime.
- The anti-microbial air purifier works in three steps- firstly, it deactivates the microbes as they enter the purifier. Then, these microbes are captured in a special filter and lastly, the microbes are deactivated for a second time. This three-step process ensures that a live virus doesn’t escape and contaminate the air again.
- AiRTH claims that this air purifier has been tested in two different labs and the test results from both places have proved that it can deactivate particles equal to the size of the coronavirus. With these positive test result, the company further assures that this anti-microbial air purifier can keep the air around us 99% clean.
IIT Delhi’s study maps the effects of nature on the human brain
- Human brain has actually been designed to love nature. This phenomenon is called biophilia (bio=life, Philia = love). Living amid nature and appreciating it not only calms down the mind, but it also improves its performance.
- In a recent study it was found that even brief experiences of nature (like a walk in park, garden; taking care of plants in garden, viewing greenery) can help people to concentrate on their tasks in a better way.
- For long, nature has been seen as a source of peace and energy. Nature has also been sought for increasing health and well-being, as well as inspiring creativity.
- However, it’s only recently that the scientific community has begun to examine the restorative attributes of the nature.
- There is a growing interest to understand the underlying transformative processes- psychological, cognitive and neurophysiological, that are activated while in natural surroundings.
- This study is an attempt to map the effects of nature experience on our brain processes. Participants were observed while they were presented nature audio/ video as stimuli to evoke experience akin to being in nature albeit in lab settings.
- The brain activity was examined during the nature experience and while a task was performed both before and after the experiment’.
- Findings of this study suggest that nature experience enhances attention as the participants after their nature experience were able to overcome distractions more efficiently.
- The underlying neurocognitive processes of inhibitory control mechanisms in the fronto parietal regions of the brain get enhanced post nature experience. Enhanced alpha in frontal and theta in fronto-central regions of the brain indicating a state of relaxation and internalized attention was found associated with nature experience.
World No Tobacco Day:
- The World No Tobacco Day is observed every year on 31 May to make tobacco users aware of the opportunity to lead a healthier life.
- The aim of this day is to spread awareness about the dangers of using tobacco and how health problems can be tackled by doctors when one quits smoking.
- In 1987, the Member States of the World Health Organisation created World No Tobacco Day to draw its attention towards the tobacco epidemic. They also wanted to focus on the preventable death and disease tobacco causes.
- It was in 1987 when the World Health Assembly passed the Resolution WHA 40.38 and picked 7 April 1988 to be “a world no-smoking day.”
- Later on, in 1988, a new Resolution WHA 42.19 was passed for all health and community workers to help people quit tobacco. The Assembly then further marked World No Tobacco Day on 31 May to be celebrated annually across the globe.
- This year the day informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco and what people around the world can do to claim their right to a healthy living.
- This year, the theme is ‘Quit tobacco to be a winner’. Around the world, there are several campaigns on social media, where people post ideas and tips to help others quit smoking using #CommitToQuit. This hashtag is sure to inspire the masses and to refrain from tobacco intake.
International Biodiversity Day:
- Experts from different parts of India discussed the importance and different aspects of biodiversity conservation, its relationship with technology and sustainable development at a programme organised on the occasion of International Day of Biological Diversity.
- Biodiversity gives the answer to several sustainable development challenges, and we should give our best efforts to save and conserve the biodiversity from extinction.
- International Day of Biological Diversity was conducted online organised as part of the celebrations of the 75th year of India’s independence: Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava on May 22, 2021.
- Bio-Diversity & Eco-System is one of the thrust areas of research at IASST and highlighted the different biodiversity-related ongoing research projects in this institute.
- Some important resolutions pertaining to augmentation and strengthening the research on conservation and exploration of biodiversity were also taken this year.
- The International Day for Biological Diversity is a United Nations-sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues held on May 22 annually which falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.
