MARINE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN TAMIL NADU COAST

Ancient ports of TamilNadu coast have played a dominant role in the transoceanic trade since very early times. It has more than 800 KM coastline with several major and minor ports along the coast. The earliest literature of TamilnNadu popularly known as Sangam literature datable between the 3rd Century BC and 3rd Century AD mentions about the maritime trade of Tamil Nadu with countries like South East Asia, Ceylone, Malaya, Roman countries and China. The important ports mentioned are Arikamedu, Kaveripoompatinam, Korkai,Nagapattinam, etc. The foreign accounts of Pliny, Periplus, Itsing and Fahien, have mentioned about the ports of TamilNadu and the items of trade. Some of the sites like Kaveripattinam, Korkai and Arikamedu have been excavated extensively and evidence on the trade and commerce with other countries have been recorded. Underwater investigations at Poompuhar and Mahabalipuram have confirmed the existence of the submerged structural remains.

Many of the ports have been mentioned in the literature as well as in the inscriptions, which needs investigations to confirm their existence. The sites covered during the recent explorations are Mahabalipuram, Punjeri, Vasavasamudram, Arikamedu, Porto-Novo,Tranquebar, Thondi, Kodikarai, Thirumalarayanpattinam, Devipattinam, Manora, Manakudi, Puttan-Thurai, Korkai, Periyapattinam, Alagankulam, Rameshwaram, Kayalpattinam and Kulasekharapattinam. The data collected at the above sites are supporting the literary evidences to prove their existence as ports.

Among all, the remains of British period jetty were observed with a memory stone explaining the war between Hyder Ali and British at Porto-Novo. At Arikamedu the Roman settlement followed by French was confirmed on the creek, which provided anchoring facility to their vessels. Naval battles between French and British resulted many shipwrecks in the vicinity. Partly disturbed Chola temple and the remains of Dutch fort were noticed in inter tidal zone of Tranquebar. Alagankulam was an important port during the early centuries of the Christian era. Roman ships laden with their wine in Amphorae jars and other goods. A mooring stone was exposed up to 75 cm with two square holes near the shore. A British period warehouse was also noticed near shore. At Kodikarai a watch tower / light house of ancient period was observed in the inter tidal zone.

The antiquity of Periapattinam suggests that it was once a flourishing port particularly in the 12th-14th century AD. A stone anchor was reported near Kappalaru between Periyapattinam village and the sea coast. Korkai, an important port for pearl fishing referred in Sangam literature and located on sea coast but presently it is located about 7 KM inland may be due to regression of the sea. An ancient site about 5 KM on the north-eastern side of Present Rameshwaram temple was explored, where 2-3 M habitational deposit along the coast was observed. Probably this could have been served as a harbour as it is located in a safer place. Kayalpattinam and Kulasekharapattinam were busy ports of horse trade during medieval period resulting large number of Muslims engaged in trade even today. Let’s hope the new Marine Archaeological Explorations would bring more knowledge on the ancient maritime works.

Raju Kannan
Research Scholar

GLOBAL WARMING

One of the most serious environmental problems today is that global warming, caused primarily by the heavy use of fossil fuels. To overcome these problems the photosynthetic microalgae are the potential candidates, for utilizing excessive amount of carbon-di-oxide. Because when cultivated these organisms are capable of fixing carbon-di-oxide to produce energy & chemical compounds upon exposure to sunlight. The derivation of energy from algal biomass is an attractive concept in that unlike fossil fuels. Since microalgae are called the scavengers of environment, because their biomass has more advantages than the fossil fuels viz… it is non explosive. Example – 150’C biodiesel compared to 64’C of petroleum diesel & also it is biodegradable, free from sulphur & it reduces the emission of carbon-mono-oxide & carbon-di-oxide. Among the microalgae, Botryococcus braunii is an unique microalgal strain having 86% of long chain hydrocarbon which is directly extractable to yield crude oil substitutes by both physical & chemical process. However, the economics of fuel production from microalgal biomass is largely dependent on a microalgal carbon-di-oxide fixation step to that required for the production of biodiesel.

V. ASHOKKUMAR

RESEARCH SCHOLAR.

SPACE MICROBES

There are creatures that were living on the Space Station before the first astronauts went inside. Astronauts found a few living on the Moon. Scientists believe they could even live on Mars. These creatures are capable of living almost anywhere—and they're living inside you right now!

It's not something out of a science fiction movie. It's bacteria and other microbes, such as viruses and fungi. The tiny microorganisms hitchhiked on the International Space Station (ISS) components when they were launched, as well as on other spacecraft. Microbes go everywhere that humans do; in fact, many of them live inside and on our bodies. Most microbes are harmless, and many are actually beneficial. However, some microbes can be harmful to people's health, or could even pose a threat to the hardware and materials of the Space Station.
While microbes are just another part of everyday life here on Earth, they can be a much bigger problem on the Space Station. The threat posed by these microbes may be even greater for astronauts in orbit than for most people here on Earth, since aspects of spaceflight are known to weaken the human immune system, which could make astronauts more vulnerable to infection. In addition, experiments performed on previous spaceflightshave shown that bacteria may grow faster in microgravity than they do on Earth. Another reason microbes are a bigger problem in space is that the people on the Space Station are living in a small, contained environment of metal and plastic for extended periods of time, exposing each other to their own bacteria in the process.

Bacteria have proved to be very resilient in living in harsh conditions in spaceflight. When Apollo 12 astronauts landed on the Moon in 1970, they found something living there—bacteria from Earth. The Streptococcus mitis bacteria were found on the Surveyor 3 probe that had been sent to the Moon 3 years earlier. While unprotected exposure to space would kill a human being very quickly, the bacteria had survived launch, space vacuum, 3 years of radiation exposure, deep-freeze at an average temperature of only 20 degrees Kelvin above absolute zero, and having no nutrients, water, or energy source. Researchers at the University of Arkansas have found that bacteria commonly found in cows' stomachs can survive in an environment like the one found on Mars.

One technique NASA uses for trying to reduce microbe-related problems is by testing astronauts for infection before they begin their spaceflight, and by trying to cut down on exposure to germs before their mission to make sure they don't catch anything prior to launch. On the Space Station, equipment is used to help purify the air and water to keep them free of contamination. Things like a special paint and maintaining low humidity also help fight microbe growth on the Space Station, but despite these high-tech solutions, astronauts still have to keep microbes off surfaces the way people on Earth do—good, old-fashioned cleaning. ISS crew members regularly wipe surfaces on the Station with cloths containing a disinfectant.

However, astronauts don't always try to get rid of the bacteria on their spacecraft, because not all of them are unwanted guests. A Space Shuttle mission scheduled for early 2003, for example, includes an experiment involving Pseudomonas bacteria, a common soil and water bacteria, which actually has been a stowaway in the water supply of previous Shuttle flights. The experiment will study the effect of microgravity on the bacteria.

M.MANJU PARKAVI

I M.Sc., INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY

CARL LINNAEUS – AN EVOLUTIONIST

Carl Linnaeus, also known as Carl von Linne or Carolus Linnaeus, is often called the Father of Taxonomy. His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes). His ideas on classification have influenced generations of biologists during and after his own lifetime, even those opposed to the philosophical and theological roots of his work.

Biography of Linnaeus
He was born on May 23, 1707, at Stenbrohult, in the province of Smaland in southern Sweden. His father, Nils Ingemarsson Linnaeus, was both an avid gardener and a Lutheran pastor and Carl showed a deep love of plants and a fascination with their names from a very early age. Carl disappointed his parents by showing neither aptitude nor desire for the priesthood, but his family was somewhat consoled when Linnaeus entered the University of Lund in 1727 to study medicine. A year later, he transferred to the University of Uppsala, the most prestigious university in Sweden. However, its medical facilities had been neglected and had fallen into disrepair. Most of Linaeus's time at Uppsala was spent collecting and studying plants, his true love. At the time, training in Botany was part of the medical curriculum, for every doctor had to prepare and prescribe drugs derived from medicinal plants. Despite being in hard financial straits, Linnaeus mounted a botanical and ethnographical expedition to Lapland in 1731. In 1734 he mounted another expedition to central Sweden.

Linnaeus went to the Netherlands in 1735, promptly finished his medical degree at the University of Harderwijk, and then enrolled in the University of Leiden for further studies. That same year, he published the first edition of his classification of living things, the Systema Naturae. During these years, he met or corresponded with Europe's great botanists, and continued to develop his classification scheme. Returning to Sweden in 1738, he practiced medicine (specializing in the treatment of syphilis) and lectured in Stockholm before being awarded a professorship at Uppsala in 1741. At Uppsala, he restored the University's botanical garden (arranging the plants according to his system of classification), made three more expeditions to various parts of Sweden, and inspired a generation of students. He was instrumental in arranging to have his students sent out on trade and exploration voyages to all parts of the world: nineteen of Linnaeus's students went out on these voyages of discovery. Perhaps his most famous student, Daniel Solander, was the naturalist on Captain James Cook's first round-the-world voyage, and brought back the first plant collections from Australia and the South Pacific to Europe. Anders Sparrman, another of Linnaeus's was a botanist on Cook's second voyage. Another student, Pehr Kalm, traveled in the northeastern American colonies for three years studying American plants. Yet another, Carl Peter Thunberg, was the first Western naturalist to visit Japan in over a century; he not only studied the flora of Japan, but taught Western medicine to Japanese practitioners. Still others of his students traveled to South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Many died on their travels. Linnaeus continued to revise his Systema Naturae, which grew from a slim pamphlet to a multivolume work, as his concepts were modified and as more and more plant and animal specimens were sent to him from every corner of the globe. Linnaeus was also deeply involved with ways to make the Swedish economy more self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign trade, either by acclimatizing valuable plants to grow in Sweden, or by finding native substitutes. Unfortunately, Linnaeus's attempts to grow cacao, coffee, tea, bananas, rice, and mulberries proved unsuccessful in Sweden's cold climate. His attempts to boost the economy (and to prevent the famines that still struck Sweden at the time) by finding native Swedish plants that could be used as tea, coffee, flour, and fodder were also not generally successful. He still found time to practice medicine, eventually becoming personal physician to the Swedish royal family. In 1758 he bought the manor estate of Hammarby, outside Uppsala, where he built a small museum for his extensive personal collections. In 1761 he was granted nobility, and became Carl von Linné. His later years were marked by increasing depression and pessimism. Lingering on for several years after suffering what was probably a series of mild strokes in 1774, he died in 1778.

His son, also named Carl, succeeded to his professorship at Uppsala, but never was noteworthy as a botanist. When Carl the Younger died five years later with no heirs, his mother and sisters sold the elder Linnaeus's library, manuscripts, and natural history collections to the English natural historian Sir James Edward Smith, who founded the Linnean Society of London to take care of them.

Linnaeus's Scientific Thought

Linnaeus loved nature deeply, and always retained a sense of wonder at the world of living things. His religious beliefs led him to natural theology, a school of thought dating back to Biblical times but especially flourishing around 1700: since God has created the world, it is possible to understand God's wisdom by studying His creation. As he wrote in the preface to a late edition of Systema Naturae: Creationis telluris est gloria Dei ex opere Naturae per Hominem solum - The Earth's creation is the glory of God, as seen from the works of Nature by Man alone. The study of nature would reveal the Divine Order of God's creation, and it was the naturalist's task to construct a "natural classification" that would reveal this Order in the universe.

However, Linnaeus's plant taxonomy was based solely on the number and arrangement of the reproductive organs; a plant's class was determined by its stamens (male organs), and its order by its pistils (female organs). This resulted in many groupings that seemed unnatural. For instance, Linnaeus's Class Monoecia, Order Monadelphia included plants with separate male and female "flowers" on the same plant (Monoecia) and with multiple male organs joined onto one common base (Monadelphia). This order included conifers such as pines, firs, and cypresses (the distinction between true flowers and conifer cones was not clear), but also included a few true flowering plants, such as the castor bean.

A. JAYAPRAKASH

Research Scholar

CLINICAL TRIALS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Although there are many definitions for clinical trials, they are generally considered to be biomedical or health-related research studies in human beings that follow a pre-defined protocol. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the safest and fastest way to find treatments that work in people, and new ways to improve health. Many clinical trials are done to see if a new drug or device is safe and effective for people to use. These clinical trials are conducted in phases. The trials at each phase have a different purpose and help scientists answer different questions.

In Phase I trials, researchers test an experimental drug or treatment in a small group of people (20-80) for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects. In Phase II trials, the experimental study drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people (100-300) to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety. In Phase III trials, the experimental study drug or treatment is given to large groups of people (1,000-3,000) to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the experimental drug or treatment to be used safely. In Phase IV trials, post marketing studies delineate additional information including the drug's risks, benefits, and optimal use.

Developing countries like India and Latin American countries are becoming ideal destinations to conduct clinical trials. There are many reasons for this. Mainly, flexibility of the government rules, availability of large pool of patients, trained physicians, low capital input and reduced study period. However, the clinical trials in developing and under developed nations are reported to misuse the patients. In several cases, patients were not informed what for they are used. And there are media reports that many patients have suffered a lot due to clinical trials and even many were died.

But using human for research is not a recent issue. Several controversial studies have contributed to the development of regulations to protect human research participants. Here I am giving very few examples for this from the web pages.

Nazi Government Research: During Second World War prisoners in concentration camps were used as subjects in Nazi experiments designed to advance the war effort. The studies involved battlefield medicine and chemical warfare experiments in which prisoners were tortured, usually to death. As a result of the methods used to conduct the experiments, the physicians involved were put on trial by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany from October 1945 to October 1946. Additional trials conducted by United States judges appointed by President Truman were held from December 1946 to August 1947. Fifteen of the 23 defendants were convicted and seven were executed for murder, torture and other atrocities.

Willowbrook Hepatitis Study (Mid 1950s to Early 1970s): The Willowbrook study involved infecting mentally retarded children with a Hepatitis virus to study the progression of the disease and to test vaccinations that were being developed at the time. Due to overcrowding, children were denied entrance to the Willowbrook State Mental Hospital unless parents enrolled their children into the less-crowded hepatitis ward.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study: In 1932, the Public Health Service of United States of America enrolled several hundred syphilitic black males to document the effects of the untreated disease over time. Tuskegee was chosen because approximately 40% of the male population of the town was infected with the disease. Treatment was withheld from study subjects when penicillin was accepted as the treatment for syphilis in 1943. This study was stopped in 1973 but not before many subjects became seriously ill, transmitted their disease to others or died. This study exemplifies unfair subject selection practices, denial of informed consent and excessive risk in relation to study benefits.

Milgram Study (1963): The Milgram study involved instructing subjects to administer electric shocks to a study confederate in response to poor performance. The subject believed that he/she was involved in a study about learning and memory with each shock intended to affect the learning process. The confederate pretended to be hurt by the shock - in some cases, to the point of losing consciousness; however, he/she did not really feel any shock. The study objective was to assess obedience to authority. This study resulted in significant psychological stress for some subjects including sweating, trembling, stuttering and serious seizures in three subjects. However, in a post-experimental interview, about half of the subjects expressed that they were glad to have participated in the experiment. The question of whether this study was ethical remains open to debate among scholars today.

US human radiation experiments (1944-74): Thousands of experiments took place during the cold war era in which humans were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation to test the effects of the atomic bomb, to gather safety data on the effects of the atomic bomb and to develop treatments for cancer patients. . In many cases, subjects provided informed consent prior to their participation, however this was not the case for subjects who were sick, imprisoned or otherwise vulnerable, including 54 mentally retarded children who were intentionally fed radioactive breakfast cereal. In 1993, an advisory committee to former President Clinton apologized for conducting these experiments.

M. Jayaprakashvel
Research Scholar

ARTIFICIAL LETTERS ADDED TO LIFE'S ALPHABET

Two artificial DNA "letters" that are accurately and efficiently replicated by a natural enzyme have been created by US researchers. Adding the two artificial building blocks to the four that naturally comprise DNA could allow wildly different kinds of genetic engineering, they say. Eventually, the researchers say, they may be able to add them into the genetic code of living organisms.

The diversity of life on earth evolved using genetic code made from arrangements of four genetic "bases", sometimes described as letters. They are divided into two pairs, which bond together from opposite strands of a DNA molecule to form the rungs of its characteristic double-helix shape.

The unnatural but functional new base pair is the fruit of nearly a decade of research by chemical biologist Floyd Romesberg, at the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, US. Romesberg and colleagues painstakingly created a library of nearly 200 potential new genetic bases that are slight variations on the natural ones. Unfortunately, none of them were similar enough in structure and chemistry to the real thing to be copied accurately by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA inside cells.

Random generation
Frustrated by the slow pace designing and synthesising potential new bases one at a time, Romesberg borrowed some tricks from drug development companies. The resulting large scale experiments generated many potential bases at random, which were then screened to see if they would be treated normally by a polymerase enzyme.

With the help of graduate student Aaron Leconte, the group synthesized and screened 3600 candidates. Two different screening approaches turned up the same pair of molecules, called dSICS and dMMO2. The molecular pair that worked surprised Romesberg. "We got it and said, 'Wow!' It would have been very difficult to have designed that pair rationally”. But the team still faced a challenge. The dSICS base paired with itself more readily than with its intended partner, so the group made minor chemical tweaks until the new compounds behaved properly.

Novel DNA
“We probably made 15 modifications,” says Romesberg, “and 14 made it worse”. Sticking a carbon atom attached to three hydrogen atoms onto the side of dSICS, changing it to d5SICS, finally solved the problem. "We now have an unnatural base pair that's efficiently replicated and doesn't need an unnatural polymerase," says Romesberg. “It's staring to behave like a real base pair”. The team is now eager to find out just what makes it work. "We still don't have a detailed understanding of how replication happens”, says Romesberg. “Now that we have an unnatural base pair, we are continuing experiments to understand it better”.

In the near future, Romesberg expects the new base pairs will be used to synthesize DNA with novel and unnatural properties. These might include highly specific primers for DNA amplification; tags for materials, such as explosives, that could be detected without risk of contamination from natural DNA; and building novel DNA-based nanomaterials.
Increased 'evolvability'

More generally, Romesberg notes that DNA and RNA are now being used for hundreds of purposes: for example, to build complex shapes, build complex nanostructures, silence disease genes, or even perform calculations. A new, unnatural, base pair could multiply and diversify these applications.

The most challenging goal, says Romesberg, will be to incorporate unnatural base pairs into the genetic code of organisms. “We want to import these into a cell, study RNA trafficking, and in the longest term, expand the genetic code and 'evolvability' of an organism”.

Journal reference: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Published on Web 25 Jan 2008. Discovery, Characterization, and Optimization of an Unnatural Base Pair for Expansion of the Genetic Alphabet
Aaron M. Leconte, Gil Tae Hwang, Shigeo Matsuda, Petr Capek,
Yoshiyuki Hari, and Floyd E. Romesberg
Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California, 92037, U.S.A.

News Compiled by
Prof.N.Raaman
Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany
University of Madras, Guindy Campus
Chennai-600 025
Email:raaman55@gmail.com

NANOBES

Nanobes are tiny filamental structures first found in some rocks and sediments. Some hypothesize that they are the smallest form of life, ten times smaller than the smallest known bacteria.

Nanobes were discovered in 1996 (published in American Minerologist, vol 83., 1998) by Philipa Uwins, University of Queensland, Australia.

The smallest are just 20 nanometers in diameter. Some researchers believe them to be merely crystal growths, but a purported find of DNA in nanobe samples may prove otherwise. They are similar to the life-like structures found in ALH84001, the famous Mars meteorite from the Antarctic. Recently there has been some interest amongst bio-tech companies in commercial application of nanobes in utilization of plastics. Some researchers believe nanobe-like organisms might be implicated in a number of diseases. They might be responsible for the formation of some types of renal stones. They might even explain mysterious calcification of teeth in the human mouth, and thus actually be a useful or necessary symbiont (like Acidophilus).Although nanobacteria are sometimes called nanobes, it has not yet been confirmed that the names "nanobacteria" and "nanobes" could in fact be considered as synonyms, as both entities are controversial and are still under research.

Claims

It is a living organism (contains DNA or some analogue, and reproduces).

Has a morphology similar to Actinomycetes and Fungi.

No article or research states that Nanobes are Nanobacteria.

Nanobes are 20 nm in length which biological conventional wisdom assumes is too small to contain the basic elements for an organism to exist (DNA, plasmids, etc.), suggesting that they may reproduce via some unconventional means, like RNA instead of DNA.

The Martian meteorite ALH84001, discovered in 1996 in the Antarctic, contained similar tubular structures which some astrobiologists suggest could be proof of life at an earlier time on Mars.


GAYATHRI V

I MSc INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY

AMAZING HUMAN FACTS

The average human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells.
The only jointless bone in our body is the hyoid bone in the throat.
It is impossible to sneeze with our eyes open.
The average life of taste buds is 10 days.
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
When we sneeze all our body functions stop, even our heart[0.1 micro second].
Children grow faster in the spring time.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
Our ears & nose continue to grow throughout our entire life.
A human being loses an average of 40-100 strands of hair a day.
A foetus acquires finger prints at the age of three months.
Every person has a unique tongue print.
After spending hours working with computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper, it would probably appear pink.
Babies are born with 300 bones, but adults have 206 bones.
It involves 17 muscles to smile & 43 muscles to frown.
Beards are the fastest growing hairs in the human body.
Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it.
Finger nails grow faster than toe nails.
Humans spend one-third of their life time in sleeping.
People do not get sick from cold weather; it is from being indoors a lot more.
The human brain stops growing at the age of 18.
The storage capacity of the human brain exceeds 4 tetrabytes.
Smart people have more zinc in their hair.
Our skin is the heaviest organ.
Our thumb equals with the length of our nose.
The teeth are the only part of the human body that can’t repair itself.
The average human body contain enough fat to make 7 bars of soap & enough phosphorus to make 2200 match heads.
The structural plan of a whale’s, a dog’s, a bird’s & a man’s arm are exactly the same.
In a square inch of the skin, lies 4 yards of nerve fibres, 1300 nerve cells,100 sweat glands, 3 million cells & 3 yards of blood vessels.
The average human blinks his eye 62,05,000 times a year.
15 million blood cells are destroyed in the human body every second.
The most sensitive cluster of nerves is at the base of spine.
Our skull is made up of 29 different bones.
A man who smokes a pack a day will loose 2 teeth every 10 years approximately.
Our hairs and nails are still growing even after our death.

S. SELVALAKSHMI
I Msc APPLIED PLANT SCIENCE

DO YOU KNOW?

• A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
• An ant can lift fifty times of its own weight.
• An ostrich’s eye is bigger than it’s brain.
• If you shout consistently 48 years, 7 months & 6 days, you will produce sound energy which can heat one cup of coffee.
• Elephants are the only animal that cannot jump.
• Education is the word with all vowels.
• A snail can sleep for three years.
  
  
  SALMAN JAVED SYED
  I MSc APPLIED PLANT SCIENCE.

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

The University Botany Laboratory (UBL) was established in 1930 a small unit at the Agri-Horticultural Society’s Gardens on Cathedral Road. In 1933 the unit moved into its own Laboratory building constructed behind the Senate House at Chepauk. On elevation as the Centre of Advanced Study the department moved to the Centenary building of the University of Madras. In 1985, the department was shifted to the Guindy Campus, into a five-floor building. The department, besides the CAS-SAP status of the University Grants Commission received financial support through the UGC-COSIST and the DST-FIST programmes.

Prof. T. Ekambaram was the first Honorary Director of the Laboratory. He was a plant physiologist who had his training with Prof. F.F. Blackman. During Prof. T. Ekambaram’s short tenure as Director, three Master’s theses and few publications appeared.

In 1933, Prof. M.O.P. Iyengar took over as the first permanent Director. Prof. Iyengar had worked on algae with Prof. F.E. Fritsch in London and was a respected teacher and botanist. At the UBL, he established a school of research in algology, the first of its kind in the country. The work he initiated was broad based and covered limnological observations of fresh water, estuarine, and marine algae, besides systematics, morphology, life-histories and cytology of algae. These pioneering, work brought international acclaim to Prof. Iyengar and to the UBL. Especially noteworthy were the contributions of the group to our knowledge of green, red and blue-green algae and of diatoms. Prof. Iyengar was invited to contribute a Chapter on Chlorophyceae in the Manual of Phycology edited by Prof. Gilbert M. Smith published by Chronica Botanica. Contributions continued to flow from several students who had their training from Prof. Iyengar.

In 1944, there was a re-orientation of the work from algae to plant pathology and mycology with the appointment of Dr. T.S. Sadasivan to the Directorship of the UBL in succession to Prof. Iyengar on his retirement. To begin with, work was initiated on soil borne diseases of plants, especially Fusariose wilts of cotton and pigeon pea, and on the ecology of soil-borne fungal pathogens and their interactions with root systems of plants. Several other areas were taken up for study later and these included: physiology of fungi and the physiology of host-pathogen interactions, particularly in Fusariose wilts in plants; techniques of bioassay, especially of heavy metals using fungi, spectrochemical studies on uptake of ions by fungi and by plants, the role of vivotoxins and of fungal enzymes in diseases syndromes, and respiration and electrophoretic studies on plant tissues. For the first time in the country, a given disease such as Fusariose wilt of cotton plants was taken up for in-depth study from many angles; autecology and behaviour of the pathogen in soils, host-pathogen interactions and disease systems, pathogenesis, and the role of toxins and enzymes in wilt, and the basis of disease resistance. These studies were later on extended to understanding of other disease systems such as Pyricularia blast of paddy, and tikka of groundnut due to Cercospora. In every case, special attention was paid to elucidating the basis of resistance/susceptibility of cultivars to disease. The UBL gained recognition as the centre for plant pathology in the country and this was reflected in the invitation to Prof. Sadasivan to serve on the Editorial Board of the three- volume international treatise on Plant Pathology published by the Academic Press in 1959.

The first Doctoral thesis to be submitted from the UBL was in 1947 and was in the area of Plant Pathology by Prof. C.V, Subramanian. In recognition of the outstanding work done over the years at the UBL it was chosen by the University Grants Commission for elevation to the status of a Centre of Advanced Study in 1963. The UGC sanctioned a Chair in Mycology to which Prof. C.V. Subramanian was appointed in 1964. Additionally, the University created a Chair in Algology to which Dr. T.V. Desikachary was appointed in the same year. The UBL received generous assistance from the University Grants Commission, the UNESCO and the U.K. (Under Colombo Plan) by way grants and equipments.

Prof. Sadasivan retired in 1973 and was succeeded by Prof. C.V. Subramanian as Director. Prof. Subramanian relinquished the Directorship in 1976 to take up the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship awarded to him. He assumed again in July 1979. The Golden Jubilee of the department was celebrated in 1980 and an International Symposium was organized. He was the founder President of the Mycological Society of India. He also was a member of the University Grants Commission during 1979-82. Prof. C. V. Subramanian retired in 1985 and now resides in Chennai and is an active participant of the activities of the CAS in Botany. He recently inaugurated the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the Botany Department and also the Asian Conference on “Emerging trends in Plant Microbial interaction held on December, 2005. He is a great source of inspiration and encouragement.


Prof. Mahadevan became Director and continued till his retirement in June 1998. Prof. Mahadevan strengthened the instrumentation facility of the Centre. During his time several sophisticated instruments were added to the facility which include: Transmission and scanning Electron Microscopes, high speed Centrifuges, recording spectrophotometers and spectrofluorimeter with computer terminals, Electroporator, PCR thermocyclers and research microscope with Phase contrast, dark field and fluorescent objectives. He introduced the Computer culture in the Centre and the administrative staffs were given training in handling Computers. Basically a Plant pathologist and biochemist, he was interested in the degradation of secondary metabolites especially the biochemical pathways. One of his important findings was to designate dissimilatory Plasmids that were involved in microbial degradation of aromatic compounds. His other interest included: forest ecology, bioremediation, gene sequencing and bioinformatics. He organized an International workshop in 1986 to mark the Centenary Celebration of the eminent algologist Prof. M.O.P. Iyengar which was followed by an International Symposium on Phycology in 1987. The Indian Botanical Society elected Prof. Mahadevan as its Secretary and the Annual Conference was held in 1988 at the CAS in Botany. He also organized the Asian Conference on Mycorrhiza and the Asian Mycological Conference. He conducted the International symposium on Phycology to celebrate the 75th Birth anniversary of Prof. T.V. Desikachary in 1994 and the International Conference on Plant Pathogenic Bacteria in 1996. The laboratory manual published with his student Dr. R. Sridhar is a popular book of research scholars. He was succeeded by Prof. D. Lalithakumari.

Prof. Lalithakumari concentrated to work on Plant disease management first with reference to chemical fungicides and pesticides and later on with biological control of plant diseases. She developed protocols for protoplast fusion techniques in fungi, especially for strain improvement. Bioremediation of xenobiotic compounds and Industrial effluents, molecular mechanism of fungicide resistance, forecasting fungicide resistance, extra chromosomal and gene involvement in which in fungicide resistance, characterization of mitochondrial of genomic DNA of plant pathogen, mechanism of degradation of textile mill dyes, heavy metal detoxification and degradation of hydrocarbons were the topics perused during her period. Prof. Lalithakumari conducted several training programmes and workshops for the benefit of not only researchers but also for rural women and farmers. She convened the National Symposium on Phycology in the New Millennium and also the Annual meeting of the Phytopathological Society. Prof. Lalithakumari was also the coordinator of the Indian herbal Science Programme and developed Agrotechniques for selected medicinal Plants. She revived the Dr. E.K. Janaki Ammal Herbal garden at Maduravoyal and trained students in the study of medicinal plants. She was President of the AMI (Madras Chapter) and Fellow of the Indian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Prof. Lalithakumari was recipient of the Hari Om Ashram Award, The Best Women Scientist award and Tamil Nadu State award for Environment. Prof. Lalihakumari retired in 2003. She moved to British Guyana on a teaching assignment and now is a research scientist at Michigan State University.


Prof. N. Anand became the Director in 2003. He took his Ph.D. under the guidance of the eminent Phycologists of the country, Prof. T.V. Desikachary and was awarded the D.Sc., degree of the University of Madras in 2004. He concentrated on developing modern infrastructure in the Centre besides improving the academic ambience in the Centre. He also served as the Dean (Research) of the Univeristy of Madras. He worked the micro-algae especially on the taxonomy and biology of the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). The Ministry of Environment and Forests designated him as the Coordinator of the All India Coordinated Project on Taxonomy of algae in 2003 which he continues. He organized several training programmes, national conferences and participated in the organization of the 150th year celebrations of the Univeristy of Madras. He was succeeded by Prof. R. Rengasamy on January 2008.

Prof. R. Rengasamy joined the Centre in 1976, joined the faculty and obtained his Ph.D in 1981 under the guidance of Prof. V. S. Sundaralilngam. He has been working on ultrastructure and usefulness marine algae. His areas of interest include: cultivation of marine algae, investigate the role of sea weeds in bioremediation and as source of bioproducts, biofuels from microalgae and molecular taxonomy of microalgae. He recently organized a National conference on algal Biodiversity and Biotechnology. Additional grants from UGC for strengthening the infrastructure is now being utilized effectively. Prof. Rengasamy has been establishing rapport with Industries through projects and recently visited Australia for a major collaboration for research on Biofuels from algae.
.

The department also has Prof. K. Manibushan Rao D.Sc., Prof. K. Natarajan. Prof. B.P.R. Vittal and Dr. M.V. Viswanathan as Emeritus Professors. Prof. G. Kulandaivelu has recently joined as Sesquicentennial Emeritus Professor. Dr. K. Janardhanan has joined as UGC Emeritus Professor. The Centre has also Research Associates under the DST-Women Scientist Programme, Dr. Sivakami Sundari, Dr. Prema Paul and Ms. Meena.


The Centre has been concentrating on research in three major thrust areas namely, Algology, Mycology and Plant Pathology. Ph. D., programme is the strength of the Centre. There are also M. Phil and post-graduate teaching programmes, M.Sc., Applied Plant Science and M.Sc. Industrial Microbiology. The Centre has excellent basic facilities, sophisticated Instrumentation facility, Library facility, networking facility and field laboratory.

The motto of the Centre from the time of inception is research of excellence.



Prof. N. Anand., D. Sc

GLOBAL WARMING

GLOBAL WARMING

V. ASHOKKUMAR - RESEARCH SCHOLAR.




One of the most serious environmental problems today is that global warming, caused primarily by the heavy use of fossil fuels. To overcome these problems the photosynthetic microalgae are the potential candidates, for utilizing excessive amount of carbon-di-oxide. Because when cultivated these organisms are capable of fixing carbon-di-oxide to produce energy & chemical compounds upon exposure to sunlight. The derivation of energy from algal biomass is an attractive concept in that unlike fossil fuels. Since microalgae are called the scavengers of environment, because their biomass has more advantages than the fossil fuels viz… it is non explosive. Example – 150’C biodiesel compared to 64’C of petroleum diesel &also it is biodegradable, free from sulphur & it reduces the emission of carbon-mono-oxide & carbon-di-oxide. Among the microalgae, Botryococcus braunii is an unique microalgal strain having 86% of long chain hydrocarbon which is directly extractable to yield crude oil substitutes by both physical & chemical process. However, the economics of fuel production from microalgal biomass is largely dependent on a microalgal carbon-di-oxide fixation step to that required for the production of biodiesel.

The previous issue of BOTZINE

Magazine of CAS in Botany







Edited by
P. Palani, Ph.D
Lecturer, President-Botany Club
CAS in Botany
University of Madras (Guindy Campus)
Chennai-600025

Inside

Content Page No.

Foreword from the Director 2
From the Editor’s 3

1. Science: Transgenic rice for disease resistance 4
M. Jayaprakashvel
2. Odds and Ends: A forgotten Discoverer 6
V. R. Vijayanandraj
3. Near sighted: Opening ancient doors 8
M. Jayaprakashvel
4. Bits and pieces: 9
S. Krishnakumar
5. Stalwarts: Prof. T. S. Sadasivan 12
K. Srinivasan
6. Cartoon corner 14
A. Jeyaprakash
7. Lighter side of the science 15
M. Thamilventhan and G. Prakash
8. Proud moments 16
Compilation: M. Krishnaraj
9. Thesis 17
Compilation: M. Krishnaraj



Editor: Dr. P. Palani, President-Botany Club
Editorial Assistance: M. Jayaprakashvel, K. Srinivasan & V. R. Vijayanandraj, Research Scholars, CAS in Botany






From the Director’s desk

The Botany Club of our Centre has been celebrating the end of every year with great enthusiasm as Open Day, Botany Day, Students Day and Cultural Day. It has always been a happy occasion for every member of the Club and the CAS in Botany family eagerly waits the joyous occasion. I am pleased to learn that one of the events is the bringing out of a small magazine entitled “Magazine of CAS in Botany” ably edited by Dr. P. Palani, PhD, President of the Botany Club. The magazine contains useful information as short reprints on various interesting aspects authored by the student member of the Club. It’s a good beginning at the end of the academic year.

My congratulations to the team of the Botany Club and best wishes.

Prof. N. Anand, D.Sc.,
Director
Center for Advanced Studies in Botany
University of Madras
Guindy Campus
Chennai-600025


From the Editor’s desk

I am very much delighted to make you known that the Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras stands out among the academic departments of the University of Madras in having a registered Botany Club of 50 years old. The functions of the Botany Club primarily are to bringing in activities other than the usual academic ones. One of the long felt needs of the Club is to bring out a magazine encompassing the latest developments made in various disciplines of Botany in particular and the advancements made in Science in general. With the excellent idea and cooperation of faculty member, research scholars and student we are bringing out “Magazine of CAS in Botany”. It has been decided to circulate the magazine in electronic form for the first few months among the members of CAS in Botany and we are hoping to bring it in print form also depending on the feed back from the readers. I request the members of the scientific fraternity to feel free to express your ideas which can be incorporated in the magazine so as to increase the variety of components and quality.


P. Palani, Ph.D
Lecturer, President- Botany Club
Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany
University of Madras (Guindy Campus)
Chennai-600025

TRANSGENIC RICE FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE

M. JayaprakashvelResearch Scholar

The ever-increasing human population especially in the developing countries and various biotic and abiotic stresses has posed a challenge to boost the rice production in a limited cultivated land. Genetically engineered plants with genes expressing desirable traits can be produced in a relatively short time with more precision and can be of direct value in the agri-food industry. More recent applications of biotechnology to rice breeding, particularly genetic transformation of rice, was started in late 1980s. The application and future prospects of transformation technology to engineer the resistance against insect pests, fungal diseases (blast, sheath blight, bakanae and foot, rot) and bacterial diseases have been addressed (Jain and Jain, 2000). Feng and Li of Zhongshan University, China have developed a transgenic rice through particle bombardment method by combining rice chitinase gene, alfalfa glucanase gene and barley ribosome inactivating protein for enhanced resistance against blast disease. Lin et al. (1995) transformed chitinase gene in to rice through protoplast fusion technology for the resistance of Sheath Blight. Liu et al. (2004) enhanced rice resistance to sheath blight by transformation with cell wall degrading enzyme genes from Trichoderma atroviride.

Indica rice cultivars ADT38, ASD16, IR50 and Pusa Basmati were transformed with thaumatin like proteins and chitinase through particle bombardment method. Thus obtained transgenic lines displayed significant level of protection against sheath blight and sheath rot disease (Kalpana, et al., 2006). Datta et al. (2001) have enhanced resistance to sheath blight by constitutive expression of infection related chitinase in transgenic elite indica rice cultivars like IR 72 and IR64 that are developed by biolistic and PEG mediated transformation system. Several R genes (Xa4, Xa5, Xa13 and Xa21) for BLB resistance were pyramided in to elite indica rice varities such as Jyothi in order to delay the break down of pathogen resistance. Moreover blast resistant genes such as Pi2 were transformed into blast susceptible variety IR50 through conventional breeding programmes (Gnanamanickam et al., 1999). However, transgenic rice lines are having ethical concerns and due to several phases in approval, their commercial usages are still a hurdle in India. Tu et al. (1998 & 2000) transformed Xa21 gene into IR72 and evaluated its performance in controlled field conditions. The evaluation of transgenic rice is to be simplified in order to facilitate the transgenic rice development for disease resistance. It has to concentrate more on other aspects of transgenics development such as there has been no resistance source identified from any rice germplasm for sheath blight disease. Several pathogens evolve during times and so the already released resistant varieties are to be reevaluated adequately for which the population biological studies on pathogen has to be intensified.

A Forgotten Discoverer

Vijayanandraj. V.R.Research scholar

Ever heard of Ernest Duchesne? If not, this article has something new for your brains to store in.
Alexander Fleming generally receives credit for DISCOVERING penicillin, but to be technically precise Fleming RE-DISCOVERED the substance. Oops! Did science books right from our school-days misinform us about a great discovery? Let’s revisit history to discover it. Ernest’s discovery of the antibiotic properties of penicillin was thirty-two years before Fleming discovered it, but his research went unnoticed. The research submitted as a doctoral thesis in 1897, was the first study ever in the history of science to report a therapeutic property of a mold.
I would like to walk you through a much interesting story behind penicillin discovery rather than the hyped accidental discovery by Fleming from contaminant plates. Ernest’s observations on why the Arab boys taking care of the horses at the army hospital kept their saddles in a dark and damp room to encourage mold to grow on them, was the major breakthrough. When he asked them why, a surprising answer came “the mold of the saddle helped to heal the saddle sores on the horses”. Intrigued, Duchesne prepared a solution of the mold and injected it into a diseased guinea pig. To his surprise it recovered.” In a series of meticulous experiments, Duchesne studied the interaction between the pathogenic form of Escherichia coli and Penicillium glaucum, a species different from Fleming’s report (Pencillium notatum). He showed that the latter was able to completely eliminate the former in a culture containing only these two organisms: a remarkable discovery of the antibiotic properties of a mold was recorded.
At the time of this discovery Ernest’s was just 23 and was unknown among the scientific community (a reason for not getting recognized?). He urged for more research, but even the renowned Institutes of those times like Institute Pasteur did not acknowledge his dissertation. After getting his degree, unfortunately his army service prevented him from doing any further work and this gentleman died of tuberculosis at very young age of 37.
Then, why the discovery was forgotten? The French medical student Duchesne originally discovered the antibiotic properties of Penicillium, but failed to report a connection between the fungus and a substance that had antibacterial properties, and Penicillium was forgotten in the scientific community until Fleming’s rediscovery. I’m still confused whom should be credited. Is it the Arab boys or Ernest or Fleming? I leave it to your discretion.

OPENING ANCIENT DOORS

M. JayaprakashvelResearch Scholar

Just a ten minutes walk from our department at Gandhimandapam Road in Kotturpuram, one can find Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS), an organization that involves in the research and extension work. It is registered as an independent trust in Chennai on 1995. The organization has ongoing research programmes in the areas of biodiversity conservation, organic agriculture and vrkshayurveda. They strongly believe that the future lies in understanding and harnessing the potential of indigenous knowledge systems and integrating them into the mainstream of scientific, industrial and everyday thinking, for which the organization is working for the past two decades. Their extension work involves training, training for farmer, NGOs, students and teachers of colleges and also training on organic home gardening for city dwellers. Further, they have a strong publication wing by which they publish books, newsletters and also various forms of visual media on diverse topics under organic agriculture and indigenous knowledge wealth. They do publish in Tamil for the benefit of farming community.
Aiming at identifying important traditional seed varieties and orienting the agricultural community towards conserving and cultivating them CIKS has been involved in setting up farmer's seed banks/community seed bank. Through this programme, more than 130 varieties of paddy and 50 vegetable varieties are being conserved in farmer’s fields and experimental farms. This work is currently spread in four districts covering 125 villages with a network of 3,000 farmers. The organization is being headed and motivated by Mr. A.V. Balasubramanian, Director and Dr. K. Vijayalakshmi, Research Director. Mr. M. M. Murugappan, of the Murugappa Group is the Chairman of the CIKS trust. For more information www.ciks.org can be browsed.




THE DEBATE CONTINUES !!!
VEGETARIANISM AND VEGETARIAN FOOD.
S.Krishna Kumar,
Research Scholar, Lab.No.102, CAS in Botany

If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower,
fruit or water, I will accept it – Bhagavad–gita (9.26)

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This is an old saying that is very much true. After a quarrel with the husband, the wife often patches up through preparing a favourite dish for the husband. The husband quickly falls into the trap and the quarrel is forgotten and life becomes once smooth sailing. Our cultural heritage has always had the behaviour of welcoming the guest and immediately asking the question – Do you want something hot or cold? Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea or would you prefer cold drinks? If the guest was already expected for the day, the mistress is busy making elaborate preparation in the kitchen. Her menu is often prepared in tune with the liking of the guest. If he is a non-vegetarian an item of fish, mutton or chicken is sure to be included and if a vegetarian, a cup of thick curd would keep the guest contented and he would elate the mistress with the comment “Mami” the food was delicious.

The terms vegetarian and non-vegetarian often thought to be synonymous to Brahmin and Non-Brahmin respectively. What is often not clearly understood between these two groups is that it is not food that makes the difference but it is very much the cultural habits. Among the Bengali Brahmins, fish is a very much relished dish. Brahmins from a well demarcated sect with peculiar attitudes towards life and living. While it is not an intention here to explain Brahminism, let us go into their food habits in general.

It is believed that Brahmins are vegetarians with a strong liking for curds. There is no meal that is said to be complete without a course of curds. It is believed that curd cools down not only the body but also the inner temperament. But has anyone realized or attempted to think the actual source of curds. It is a product of milk, be it cow or buffalo and therefore of animal origin. Does this have any linking to the meaning of vegetarian diet per se? A vegetarian diet is one which is of plant origin. Now the most preferred curds that is of such an importance in the diet of a Brahmin has an animal origin and therefore should be considered as non-vegetarian food.

The hen’s egg has vital nutrient that puts one faster on the roads of recovery after an ailment. Hence doctors prescribe a regular intake of the hen’s egg for good health. The egg is a rich source of all nutrients except Vitamin C. it has a protein of high quality. A vegetarian egg is of late being very commonly talked about. No book on embryology would give a definition to such a type of egg. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed that vegetarian egg refers to an egg that is not fertilized and therefore cannot produce new life. Hence it could be consumed by vegetarians. If the difference between veg and non-veg is in its capability to produce new life, then I beg to differ from this point of view, as plant life begins with seeds and seeds such as pulses and cereals form a major part of our veg food.

Human diet is not restricted to any special food category. Man eats a variety of foods, of both plant and animal origin. Variety is for him, the spice of life more so in foods, than in anything else. This desire for variety is justified by the fact that no single food provides all the nutrients that we need. We have to supplement cereals with other foods that provide plenty of fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals salts. Some fats like sesame oil and sunflower oil does not increase blood cholesterol. Others like Coconut oil, butter, ghee and vanaspati increase cholesterol levels. Ghee which is ‘lavishly recommended in a Brahmin diet therefore appears harmful to the body.

Fish and sea foods are rich sources of protein and B vitamin and also minerals especially calcium. Plants contain indigestible polysaccharides in the cell wall and these constitute the fibre of the food in addition to such substances as hemicellulose, mucilage pectin, gum etc. Incorporation of fibre in diet improves glucose tolerance in diabetics by decreasing carbohydrates digestion and rate of absorption in the intestine. There is also a reduction in serum cholesterol. Green vegetables and unprocessed cereal grains are rich in fibre and prevent constipation. The vegetarian diet is more suitable to the human constitution, is low cholesterol and just as rich as the non-veg diet in vitamin and proteins. It is advisable for non-vegetarians to go for more vegetarian dishes based on dried beans, peas and lentils, low calories with high fibre content like stemed vegetables and salads, whole meal bread, corn, oats, barley and fruits.

A seed is the reproductive unit of a plant from which new life begins. When the seed sprouts is when the new life begins. It is the most nutritious foods and aids faster recovery rates when used as healing diets. Sprouting seeds are a good source of vitamins especially A,B,E and K and help in curing ulcers, blood clots, anemia and infertility.

A person’s food habit generally takes shape during childhood. A number of unrelated factors dominate childhood diet. The financial position of the family, its cultural attainments, the relative importance attached to food, social customs, religious taboos and a number of extraneous factors operate to determine the food pattern of the children. There can be no second opinion to the statement that vegetarian diet gives you good health and long life. Non-veg foods are certainly rich in proteins, vitamins and mineral salts but in addition have various undesirable side effects, such as they increase blood pressure and cholesterol. There is high risk of artherosclerosis and angina. This does not require you to be taboo to such foods, lest you may be losing the gem of life and living. But try to include some spice into your eating habits and have variety through supplementing veg food with non-veg items.
“Catch and train them when they are young” is the slogan which is being used in a number of fields. Why not use the same in developing food habits. Teach your children to take a mixed diet that is well balanced consisting of all the food nutrients in required proportions and do not mix religion here.




PROF. T. S. SADASIVAN
(Summarized from D. Subramanian. 2001. T. S. Sadasivan - a tribute. Current Science 81(7): 845-846).

By

K. SrinivasanResearch Scholar

Life

Prof. T. S. Sadasivan (Toppur Seethapathy Sadasivan) was born in Madras on 22 May 1913. He got graduation in Botany from the Madras Presidency College in 1934 later he went to the Lucknow University for his Masters under the renowned Palaeobotanist, Birbal Sahni. He then enrolled for D. Sc., in mycology under S. N. Das Gupta in the same university. Subsequently he went to England to join the Rothamstead Research Station, Harpenden to work for his Ph. D., under F. C. Bawden and S. D. Garrett specializing in plant virology and soil microbiology. He returned to India in 1940 after obtaining his Ph. D., from the University of London and rejoined the Lucknow University. In 1941 he took up the position of Microbiologist at the Punjab Agricultural College, Lyallpur, now in Pakistan. In July 1944, he joined as Reader in the University of Madras and became the Head of the Botany Laboratory succeeding M. O. P. Iyengar. He passed away in Chennai on 18th August, 2001 leaving a gaping void in our midst.

Research

Prof. Sadasivan’s group launched studies on soil-borne diseases in crops such as cotton, pigeon pea and rice, aimed at controlling the survival of their pathogens in soil and developed concepts such as competitive saprophytic ability, rhizosphere effect, etc. Prof. Sadasivan’s group also pioneered studies on host-pathogen interaction at physiological and biochemical levels and was the first to demonstrate fusaric acid, a metabolite produced by Fusarium in wilting cotton plants.

Honours, a few

In recognition of his immense service the growth of botanical studies and Indian Science, Prof. T. S. Sadasivan was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974. He also received the Bhatnagar award for Biology (1960), the Birbal Sahni Medal (1962), the Jubilee Medal of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (1971) and the Sunderlal Hora Medal of the Indian National Science Academy (1973). Prof. T. S. Sadasivan was elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1945 and served on its council for nearly a quarter a century and became its President in 1971 soon after the demise of its founder Sir. C. V. Raman. He was elected Vice-President of the International Botanical Congress for five consecutive terms and Vice-President of the first International Plant Pathology Congress in London in 1966.

Fun from web

M. Thamizhvendan and G. PrakashI M. Sc., Industrial Microbiology

1.
A Mathematician, an engineer and a physicist were traveling through Scotland when they saw a black sheep through the window of the train.
"Aha", says the engineer, "I see that Scottish sheep are black."
"Hmm", says the physician, "You mean that some Scottish sheep are black".
"No", says the mathematician, "All we know is that there is at least one sheep in Scotland, and that at least one side of that one sheep is black!"

2.
Teacher: What is the formula for water?
Student: H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O
Teacher: That's not what I taught you.
Student: But you said the formula for water was...H to O

3.
A doctor, an engineer, and a fungal taxonomist arrived at The Pearly Gates. The doctor said how he'd healed the sick, helped the lame; but he was a sinner and was sent to Hell. The engineer told how he'd built homes for the homeless, etc.; but he messed up the environment, so he was sent to Hell. The taxonomist was frightened by all this, but as soon as he mentioned his occupation, God said "You've already been thru Hell: Welcome to Heaven."
You can find more in www.mykoweb.com;www.juliantrubin.com.


Proud moments
Students

Compilation: M. Krishnaraj, Research Scholar

v Mr. S. Ramesh, Research Scholar got selected under the German Exchange DADD sandwich programme to do part of his research in Gottingen University, Germany.
v Mr. M. Arulmani and Mr. Sudhakar received CSIR Senior Research Fellowship.
v Mr. Shakthi and Mr. Rajasekar, Research Scholars has been awarded with Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship.s
v S. Krishnakumar, Research Scholar has been selected for Overall best performer Championship award in the workshop on Recent techniques in Structural and Functional Genomic at CIMAP, Lucknow.
v Mr. K. Karthik, Reasearch Scholar was selected for best oral presentation award in a national conference at Kuvembu University, Karnataka.
v Mr. A. Jayaprakash, Research Scholar has been selected for the best poster presentation award in the MSI conference at J.J.College of Arts and Science, Pudukottai.
v Best paper award to Prof. N. Raman, M. Elamvazhuthi and M. Jayam in the national symposium on Recent Trends in Medicinal Plants Research, University of Madras, Chennai.
v Mr. M. Kumar has been awarded second prize for the best poster in the International conference on mushroom biology and biotechnology held at NCRM, Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
Faculties
v Prof. N. Raaman has been awarded with Tamil Nadu Scientist Award, 2006 and also he moved to Washington State University, United States of America for advanced research
v Dr. N. Mathivanan has gone to Washington State University, United States of America under DBT overseas research fellowship

List of research scholars who have submitted their Ph. D., thesis since November 2006 to 2007

Compilation : M. KrishnarajResearch Scholar

1. C. Sreenath Kumar
2. R. Dhandapani
3. V. Devanathan
4. K. Malarvizhi (Prof. P.T. Kalaiselvan)
5. V. R. Vijayanadraj
6. Ms. Padmapriya
7. K. Amutha
8. K. Kumaresanss
9. M. Jayam
10. S. Selvarajan
11. S. Jayavelu
12. K. Malarvizhi (Dr. N. Mathivanan)
13. K. Srinivasan
14. V. Shanmugaiah
15. V. Arun
16. Boney Kuriyakose

BOTZINE The magazine of the club coming again

Friends,

You may know that last academic year we brought out a magazine BOTZINE from the through botnay club. Due to the lack of interested participants, it is delayed for the subsequesnt issues.We are again bringing the magazine alive for which we need ur cooperation. We need your cooperation in the form articles and suggestions and possibly to help us in typing and lay out. Expecting support from you. Inform to ur friends too.Send ur artilces to botzine@rediffmail.com or handover to club secretary Mr. Babu.

LAST DATE FOR ARTICLES SUBMISSION = FEBRUARY 11, 2008MAGAZINE WILL BE RELEASED IN PRINTED FORMAT BEFORE 15 FEBRUARY 2008.

By

The Editorial Team
Botzine