Climate change threatens centuries-old cultural practices too, says IIT-M prof
koraga community
— a marginalized tribe from coastal Karnataka — is fading due to climate change, said Deepak Paramashivan, assistant professor from the department of humanities and social sciences,
IIT Madras
.
Reduced rainfall, rising temperature, and shoreline erosion deeply affected the koragas' way of life, he said at the World Intellectual Property Day tech talk held at IIT Madras on Saturday. Their traditional instruments — the dolu, cande, tala, and kolalu — require specific types of wood, such as Indian kino and jackfruit trees which are now harder to find due to deforestation and climate change, he said.
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"Climate change remains a distant and confusing concept for communities such as the koragas, even though they face its harshest effects," Paramashivan said. Restrictions on forest produce made it even more difficult for tribal people to make and maintain their musical instruments, some of which lasted for more than 200 years. He said that climate change threatens not just the environment, but also centuries-old cultural practices.
On the sidelines of the event, IIT Madras director V Kamakoti who spoke to the media, said the institute has incubated more than 100 deep-tech startups in 2024.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
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From D2C brands to MSMEs using 3D printers over traditional manufacturing methods to the industry shifting towards alternatives to plastics for raw materials, the evolution of 3D printing in India is both exciting and far-reaching. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Evolution of 3D printing Over the past decade, 3D printing in India has undergone a striking transformation—from a tool reserved for niche prototyping to a powerful enabler of industrial innovation. 'The evolution of 3D printing can be seen from building a prototype a decade ago to complete end products now,' says Rahul Chandalia , CEO of WOL3D, a leader in India's 3D printing market. Rahul Chandalia, CEO of WOL3D, says that 3D printing in India has evolved from making prototypes to end-products. 'Initially, the high costs and limited expertise confined it [3D printing] to research labs and design studios, with its early promise centred around rapid prototyping,' says Anuj Budhiraja, VP-Phillips Additive, part of machining manufacturer Phillips Machine Tools India. Live Events 'However, expensive technology and limited local expertise did not deter its evolution. Today, 3D printing is no longer experimental; it is helping manufacturers move faster, lighter, and smarter, enabling innovation across key industries,' he adds. The government's support, he says, has also been pivotal in this journey. 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AI can help automate slicing processes, adjust print parameters in real time, and predict errors, reducing manual intervention and increasing throughput,' he says. Moreover, ML models analyse data from sensors and cameras to detect defects during the printing process, ensuring higher quality outputs and reducing material waste, he adds. From healthcare to defence, 3D printers are facilitating a wide range of applications across sectors. 'In manufacturing, they support rapid prototyping as well as the production of lightweight, performance-oriented components. In healthcare, they enable cost-effective, patient-specific implants and prosthetics. In aerospace and defence, they are used to produce complex, high-performance parts that must meet strict material and weight requirements,' says Budhiraja. According to Traxcn, there are about 240 3D printing companies in India currently. WOL3D, which began selling 3D printers in 2016, has seen tremendous growth since then. 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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Indian study finds what makes thyroid cancer aggressive, recurrent and treatment-resistant: What this means for precision therapy
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New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
‘Around 30% Indians are at obesity risk'
HYDERABAD: Long-term tracking of thousands of healthy Indian individuals has revealed that 25% to 30% became obese by adulthood, even though they showed no signs of the condition at the beginning. This finding is part of a global study that offers new genetic insights into obesity and introduces a polygenic risk score (PRS) capable of predicting the likelihood of developing obesity as early as age five. The study involved over 600 scientists across 500 institutions, including researchers from Hyderabad-based CSIR-CCMB. Led by senior geneticist Dr Giriraj Ratan Chandak, CSIR-CCMB contributed to ensuring that the genetic data from Indian participants reflected South Asian diversity. Dr Chandak told TNIE, 'The study included four Indian cohorts mainly from Mysuru, Mumbai and Pune, ranging from 2,200 to over 20,000 individuals, many of whom have been followed for nearly two decades. The long-term data allowed researchers to assess how genetics and lifestyle together influence obesity progression over a lifetime.' The study also found that individuals with a higher genetic risk are more prone to obesity but tend to respond better to lifestyle interventions, although they may regain weight more quickly when those interventions are discontinued. Indian obesity patterns driven by distinct genetic traits, finds study The PRS model proved more accurate for people of European ancestry compared to South Asians. The model, created using genetic data from over five million individuals of various backgrounds, was found to be twice as effective as previous models. By integrating the influence of hundreds of thousands of genetic variants, it evaluates an individual's risk of obesity, serving as a robust early-warning tool to inform preventive lifestyle adjustments.
