Weekly Newsletter | Issue #1
1 Jan 2025, A digest from Research Matters, a scicomm initiative by Gubbi Labs.
Greetings from Research Matters!
Wishing you a very happy new year! What a journey it has been for all of us at Research Matters! We would like to thank each of you who has been instrumental in our journey.
Our journey in science communication began about a decade ago with the Science Media Center at IISc. We quickly expanded to write about research across the country and thus evolved into Research Matters. Besides our research-based stories, we have been making videos, podcasts, SciQs, and op-eds/features. During the course of this journey, we have also expanded into regional languages - ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada), हिंदी (Hindi), मराठी (Marathi), தமிழ் (Tamil) and অসমীয়া (Assamese).
The last few years, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, have been particularly challenging here at Research Matters. We have failed to maintain our usual content stream and apologise to our readers and well-wishers.
But we are back now, better than ever. We are kicking off the new year by re-launching our widely popular newsletter- packed with even more content, including research-based articles, S&T news and events from around the country, science titbits, toons, infographics, science puzzles and games, and much more. We are also pleased to announce that Gubbi Labs has won a grant as part of the Journalism AI Innovation Challenge by PolisLSE, with support from the Google News Initiative, which will allow us to explore the use of Generative AI tools to improve the science news cycle. Stay tuned for more updates on this.
As India embarks on one of the costliest subscription services in the world through the One Nation One Subscription initiative, which would enable access to publications for our researchers, Research Matters aims to make that research accessible to the broader population, bridging the gap between science and society.
Thank you again, and we promise you more excitement on the science communication journey. We also want to hear from you - please send us any feedback and suggestions.
-- Team of Editors and Writers at Research Matters.
Stories in this edition
Needle-Free Shock Syringes for Painless Medical Treatments | IIT Bombay
Researchers at IIT Bombay developed a shockwave-based needle-free syringe that ensures painless and safe drug delivery with lesser damage to the skin and a lower risk of infection.
How machine learning is helping scientists discover new materials | IISc
Researchers from IISc have used Machine learning algorithms like GNN to predict the properties of new materials.
Innovative Aerogel Material Offers Breakthrough in Gold Recovery from E-Waste | IISER Pune, CSIR-NCL, BioAgro Tech Pvt. Ltd.
The zirconium-based aerogel is a lightweight porous material and is efficient at absorbing gold ions, even when present in trace amounts.
The dynamics of cooperation: How linking social strategies can boost cooperation | IISER Kolkata
The research looks at social dynamics through the lens of multichannel games. The study reveals interesting ideas about cooperation among humans.
Mars Mission Cleanroom found to be harbouring new bacterial species | IIT Madras, JPL etc.
While going through the bacteria found from the Nasa's Mars 2020 Mission clean room, scientists discovered a novel species that could be helpful in fighting off harmful bacteria and viruses
Featured Op-ed
Lived Experience, Real Solutions: How Youth Are Redefining Health Research
By Anita Shet and Soumya Swaminathan
Videos
IIT Bombay team develops Arotrack, an affordable, portable water-pollutant detecting device
7 Awesome Facts about Dragonflies and Damselflies
A New Open-source app can track climate change through lake water temperatures!
Research Beat | Research-based news in other media
Science welcomed multiple new species in 2024 - Mongabay India
Nasa's Parker Solar Probe 'operating normally' after historic approach to Sun - India Today
The speed of human thought lags far behind your internet connection: Study - Deccan Herald
Astronomers build galaxy-sized ‘detector’ to map universe’s vibrations - The Hindu
Blog Post: One nation, one subscription: A good first step - Rahul Siddharthan
FAQ on One Nation One Subscription by Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary DST: Part 1 and Part 2 (on LinkedIn).
Events
Science Gallery Bengaluru has a very interesting exhibition going on why Bengaluru is the way it is! Check out, Sci560: Science in the City, the current exhibition at Science Gallery Bengaluru. Do drop-in if you haven’t yet!
Science Games & Puzzles
Try your luck at Scidle, a science wordle, and share your score with the world!
Listen to the latest episode of Janasuddi by Dr Kollegala Sharma in Kannada. And do listen to another fantastic podcast by Prof GV Pavan Kumar called Pratidhvani.