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KNOW A SCIENTIST

 

 

    Dr. Luc Montagnier, born on 18th August 1932 at Chabris, France. He was awarded noble prize for the discovery of human immunodeficiency virus. Retroviruses are viruses whose genomes consist of RNA and whose genes can be incorporated into host cell’s DNA. In 1983, Luc Montaigner and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi discovered a retrovirus in patients with swollen lymph glands that attacked lymphocytes - a kind of blood cell that is very important to the body's immune system. The retrovirus, later named as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), proved to be the cause of the immunodeficiency disease AIDS. This discovery has been crucial in radically improving treatment methods for AIDS sufferers.

 

    

200-year-old banyan tree near Ambattur gets new lease of life

 

    A team of horticulturists and a group of residents have successfully transplanted a 200-plus-year-old banyan tree uprooted by cyclone Vardah on December 12 at Ayanambakkam near Ambattur.


    Horticulturist and landscape expert B Ilango, who was part of the operation, told Times of India that residents of the area had approached him to take up the transplantation work. He visited the spot and agreed to help in the work.

    On the first day the residents used a bulldozer to push the tree, and this damaged a few portions. The second day, branches were pruned, fungicide applied on the branches and rooting enzymes applied on the roots. On the third day, the tree was transplanted in a 6 foot-deep pit. A 40-tonne crane was used to lift the tree. Will the tree survive the transplant operation? Ilango said his team had successfully transplanted banyan trees in a few other places and they survived.

    Water has to be sprayed on the branches for the next 45 days. After that, the roots need to be watered. Once that is done, the tree will get back its life, he said.

 

SECOND CHANHE: Replaning the tree.

 

 

Source: The Times of India. January 04, 2017.

 

Chennai: Sembakkam lake, a de facto dumping ground, to be restored

 

     Residents of Chitlapakkam have reason to cheer in the New Year. The Sembakkam lake, a source of water for the neighbourhood that is witnessing a real estate boom, will be restored soon.

 

      Volunteers of Pratiks Enviro Solutions, who restored the Madipakkam lake after thousands of fish died in it, plan to restore the Sembakkam lake. "We will approach the government with a proposal. We are planning to treat the water and ensure that fish do not die due to the inflow of sewage," said Dakshayani S Dalavai, managing trustee of the organisation. "The municipality must stop dumping garbage into the lake. Green algae and water hyacinth have to be removed permanently from the water body," she said.

 

 

Source: The Times of India. January 04, 2017.



ENVIS CENTRE Newsletter Vol.15, Issue 1, Jan - Mar 2017
 
 
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