You will be intrigued to know that photonics, which is the study of optics and lights, has emerged as one of the potential fields for the development of medical, telecommunications, and Defence-related technologies. Have you ever thought how intricately the science of photonics is associated with your daily routine? Almost every aspect of your life is governed by the principles of physics, mainly involving the heat and light.
In the same way as the applications of electronics have increased dramatically since the invention of the first transistor in 1948, the innovative applications of photonics continue to emerge. There are few common examples of the use of photonics field, such as the light bulb, the flashlight, or any other device that emits light. More obvious examples include the digital signal displays like computer monitors, mobile phone displays, and so on. The above mentioned examples elaborate the significance of photonics in our everyday lives.
Are you wondering if photonics has certain discrete applications as well? Yes, there are more discrete applications of photonics. The telescopes use lenses that refract light for enabling the sight of objects placed at great distances. Again, the use of X-rays and ultrasound in biomedical imaging is another great example of the potential use of photonics. With so many applications, more and more R & D projects are being carried out in photonics to produce better and more valuable applications.
Have you ever wondered what the science of genomics could do for improving the survival of mankind? Well, a lot an achieved by proper research and development programs in genomics. Genomics, the powerful new wave of health-related life sciences, has great potential to improve the current status of health problems in developed as well as developing countries.
Earlier, the technologies which are related to genomics, such as DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, were considered quite expensive and unattainable in developing countries. They were considered applicable only to wealthy nations. However, this perception has changed in the last few years with better research and development initiatives in genomics in different parts of the world. Through the rigorous efforts of academic institutes and research companies worldwide, certain applications of genomics have become simpler and inexpensive to the level that they can now be used to replace older technologies that are being used for healthcare in developing nations.
With the help of genomics research, a number of simple and user-friendly tests are being developed for hepatitis, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, and many other diseases. Large number of genomics research programs are being undertaken to study microorganisms with remarkable biochemical properties with the aim to reduce pollution. Thus, these recent developments in genomics highlight the importance of a genomic approach towards global healthcare.
The role of food is indispensable in the complete healthcare of human beings. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, had described the role of food by stating, “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”. The nutraceuticals industry has originated on the basis of this principle itself.
What are nutraceuticals? How can you assess a nutraceutical for its quality? The term “nutraceuticals” is a basically a combination of the words nutrition and pharmaceutical. It includes those food that provide health benefits in addition to their basic nutritional value. The nutraceuticals include fortified food along with certain dietary supplements that are sold mostly in the form of capsules, tablets, or powders.
The primary idea behind the use of nutraceuticals is that the organic extracts of certain food materials offer positive benefits for both the mind and body. A number of therapeutic areas, such as cold and cough, anti arthritic, digestion problems, sleeping disorders, blood pressure, prevention of certain cancers, depression, osteoporosis, diabetes, and many other ailments are covered by nutraceuticals.
What is the future of nutraceuticals industry? The nutraceuticals industry claims to provide remedies for combating or altogether curing a long list of ailments in the coming few years. A large number of R & D projects on nutraceuticals are taking place in different academic institutions and government organisations all across the globe. The National Research Council (NRC), Canada is a reputed federal body which has given numerous beneficial nutraceuticals after years of research and development.
Ever wondered what exactly are fuel cells? Why different government bodies, corporate businesses and academic institutions are working day and night to develop and produce them? Well, fuel cells are very simple devices. They generate electrical power efficiently and quietly without causing any form of pollution. Unlike other sources of power that make use of fossil cells, the by-products from a running fuel cell are heat and water.
Fuel cells contain no moving parts and have only four functional components, namely the cathode, the electrolyte, the anode, and the interconnect. In more technical terms, it can be defined as an electrochemical energy conversion device that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy. There are many research and development programs on fuel cells that are being carried out all around the world. In Canada, National Research Council (NRC) is one of the premier institutes working on the development of fuel cells.
There are multiple uses of fuel cells in various domestic and industrial applications. Fuel cells are highly useful for generating power in remote locations where it may be difficult to obtain conventional power. Some of the places where fuels cells prove useful include remote weather stations, rural places, large parks, and in certain military applications. Are you surprised with the wide range of applications of fuel cells? Don’t be surprised because fuel cells are being used much more widely than you think.
If you observe carefully, you will acknowledge the fact that different stages of technological evolution are recognised by the type of dominant tools in each of them. We are currently in the ‘electron’ age after passing through the ’stone’ age, the ‘copper’ age, and the ‘iron’ age. Photonics, the study of photons, is being expected to develop as a possible alternate technology in future. In layman’s term, it is study of light and optics.
As a possible alternate technology of the future, photonics holds many promises. A number of investigations are being undertaken to harness the capability of carrying information and energy by photons. In the field of communication, success has already been achieved from the research results of photonics. Optical fibres have taken the place of copper cables for carrying huge amount of information across the barriers of land and sea. In addition, even the Internet cables around you have become optical and no longer remain electronic, thanks to the field of photonics!
The field of photonics is very massive and broad. Its applications are used in almost every aspect of daily lives. Try to think about it, don’t you feel that your daily life is greatly affected by heat, light, and physics? You will not be surprised to find that almost everything that you do in your daily routine is affected by one or more feature of photonics. Therefore, a number of research and development projects in photonics are being carried out in various parts of the world for further improving our lives.
Do you know the significance of studying proteomics? The study of proteomics is important because proteins play an important role in the structure and functions of all living organisms. There is little doubt that proteomics which is the study of an organism’s complete set of proteins will have a major impact in the field of life sciences in the coming few years. This is because of the reason that for thorough understanding of the biological processes, you need to understand the functioning of proteins in and around the living cells.
The task of studying proteomics is not simple. In fact, it is more difficult than genomics because an organism’s genome is more or less constant while the proteome – the entire complement of proteins-differs from cell to cell. In addition to that, the sheer number of proteins in the body makes the study all the more challenging.
There are numerous research and development programs that are being conducted in Canada as well as in other parts of the world. The National Research Council (NRC), Canada is one of the premier institutes of Canadian federal government where a number of R & D projects on proteomics are being undertaken. With every passing day, the scientists worldwide are discovering the innumerable benefits of proteomics in refining the existing system of medical healthcare.
According to Stephen DeFelice, MD, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine (FIM), Cranford, nutraceutical is the food that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention or treatment of a disease.
Functional food comprises those food that are cooked using scientific knowledge. Functional food provides the body with the required amount of vitamins, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates that are needed for the body’s healthy survival. When functional food helps in the prevention or treatment of diseases, other than anemia, it is called a nutraceutical. Examples of nutraceuticals include fortified dairy products like milk and citrus fruits like orange. Thus, a functional food for one consumer can act as a nutraceutical for another consumer.
Nutraceutical refers to the extracts of food that claims to have a medicinal effect on human health. The nutraceutical is usually contained in a medicinal format, such as a capsule, tablet, or powder in a prescribed dose.
Nutraceuticals differ from dietary supplements and so they must not only supplement the diet, but should also aid in the prevention and treatment of disease. The nutraceuticals are being used to achieve desirable therapeutic results because they have lesser side effects as compared with other therapeutic agents. Thus, it can be rightly said that when a functional food aids in the prevention or treatment of diseases, except anemia, it is called a nutraceutical.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity and heat, thus doing away with combustion. As far as its working principle is concerned, a fuel cell operates like a battery. On the other hand, a fuel cell does require recharging like a battery does. It produces energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied to it.
A fuel cell system includes a fuel reformer that can utilise the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel be it natural gas, methanol, or even gasoline. Since the fuel cells do not rely on combustion, emissions from this type of a system is much lesser than emissions from the cleanest fuel combustion processes.
Fuel cells are the best option available to reduce urban air pollution. The reason is, compared to vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine, fuel-cell powered vehicles have very high energy conversion efficiency. Moreover, fuel cells emit only carbon dioxide and water vapour and so, do not cause any air pollution. As a result, fuel cell powered vehicles make a positive impact on the air quality.
Last but not the least, fuel cells ensure a quiet operation. This makes fuel cells a viable option for residential areas where the noise pollution is undesirable.
Canada’s Ballad’s Power Systems and Germany’s Dailmer-Benz are world leaders in the application of fuel cell technology for meeting transportation needs.
The NRC Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation fosters the NRC Fuel Cell Program. It has collaborated with various industries, universities and other government agencies to provide research and innovation support to sectors like fuels research, system integration and manufacturing and component development.
“Size does not matter”- You must be wondering that this saying does not hold true in the modern era where size is associated with strength. However, there are billions of microscopic structures constantly at work, fuelling our existence! The cutting edge Nanotechnology has opened a window into the world of these mighty “lilliputians”!
Nanotechnology is the study of minute particles of the size of one billionth of a metre. This unit is referred to as One nanometer in common parlance. Nanometer is used to measure microscopic distances between DAN strands. Thus, the distance between the two DNA strand is around 2 nanometers.
The modern tools has helped us to unwind the complex structure of the DNA Helix. DNA Nanotechnology has developed mind boggling techniques like MAYA-II, which can prove very helpful in controlling the cancer cells in the body.
Nanotechnology is also doing groundbreaking work in the field of molecular biology. The use of precise machine and tools help in creating molecules and atoms of desired size. These molecules can then be further used for pharmaceutical purposes.
The physical attributes of materials undergo a drastic change at the nanometer level. Surprisingly, gold turns into liquid and silicon becomes a conductor at the nanometer level. The field of Nanotechnology is very interesting and provides tremendous research opportunities. It is also a very lucrative career option and employs the best brains in the industry. The amalgamation of technology and molecular biology is helping in evolving life saving molecules.
Do you get angry when you are unable to wake up in the morning and go for a jog on the city roads? Well, you should consider yourself lucky. The environment in our cities has become so polluted that it will do you more harm than good.
Global warming is for real. The greenhouse gases have punched a deep hole in the ozone layer. Most of these green house gases come from burning the fossil fuels. However, the main culprit is petrol. The combustion of petrol produces many toxic gases which are pumped into our atmosphere.
Countries across the world are spending billion of dollars and coming together to create a synergy to achieve the common goal of saving the environment. The Kyoto protocol is one such example. The greatest importance in the protocol is being attached to develop Environment and Sustainable development Technologies.
The alternative sources of energy help a country reduce their carbon emission and earn brownie points in the protocol. The cleaner sources of energy utilise natural sources to produce unimaginable amount of energy. Some of the breakthrough alternative sources developed so far are listed below:
1) Fuel Cells: They utilise the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen to provide sustainable and renewable energy. The fuel cells can even run your cars and only produce water as a waste material.
2) Oil Sands: Oil sands are basically mixture of clay, water and a form of petroleum called bituminous. The Oil Sands can act as an alternative source of extracting oil.
There are many other research being carried out in the field of generating energy from renewable sources like air and water. Maybe these sources can save our environment.
