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Category: Sceince and Technology

Welcome to our Science page — where curiosity meets discovery!
Explore fascinating facts, latest breakthroughs, and fun experiments that make science exciting and easy to understand. Whether you’re a young explorer, a lifelong learner, or just love asking “why?”, our articles and stories will take you on an inspiring journey through the wonders of nature, technology, space, and more.

  • Invent. Protect. Profit: The Role of Patents in Today’s World

    Invent. Protect. Profit: The Role of Patents in Today’s World

    In the world of innovation and creativity, protecting your original ideas is crucial. Whether you’re an individual inventor, a startup, or a research organization, understanding what a patent is and how it works can empower you to safeguard your innovations and benefit from your hard work.

    Let’s explore everything you need to know about patents—from definition to types, eligibility, and why they matter.

    What Is a Patent?

    A patent is a legal right granted by the government to an inventor. It gives the inventor exclusive rights to make, use, sell, or distribute the invention for a limited period—usually 20 years from the filing date.

    In simple terms, a patent prevents others from copying or using your invention without your permission. It acts like a property right over your idea.

    Why Is a Patent Important?

    Patents are more than just paperwork—they offer strategic, legal, and financial benefits:

    •  Protects your idea from being stolen or copied
    •  Increases commercial value—you can sell or license your patent
    • Gives competitive edge in the market
    •  Encourages innovation by rewarding inventors
    • Attracts investors and boosts credibility

    Types of Patents

    Patents can be broadly classified into three main types:

    1. Utility Patent

    • Covers: New and useful inventions or discoveries (e.g., machines, processes, compositions of matter)
    • Most common type
    • Duration: 20 years from date of filing

    2. Design Patent

    • Covers: New, original, and ornamental design of a functional item (e.g., the shape of a bottle, the look of a phone)
    • Focuses on how something looks and not how it works
    • Duration: 15 years (in the US) from grant date

    3. Plant Patent

    • Covers: New and distinct plant varieties that are asexually reproduced (e.g., hybrid plants)
    • Less common
    • Duration: 20 years

    Note: New plant varieties can be protected under “Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001” and not under patents.

    What Can Be Patented?

    To qualify for a patent, your invention must meet three main criteria:

    1. Novelty – It must be new, not disclosed publicly anywhere in the world before.
    2. Inventive Step / Non-obviousness – It must be not obvious to someone skilled in the field.
    3. Industrial Applicability – It should be useful and applicable in some industry.

    What Cannot Be Patented?

    Not everything can be patented. Common exclusions include:

    • Abstract ideas or theories
    • Mathematical methods
    • Business models (in some jurisdictions)
    • Medical treatment procedures
    • Natural substances (as they exist in nature)
    • Algorithms (unless tied to a technical solution)

    Who Can Apply for a Patent?

    Anyone can apply for a patent, including:

    • Individual inventors
    • Startups and companies
    • Research institutes or universities
    • Government bodies

    However, only the true inventor or the assignee (e.g., employer or sponsor) can file the application.

    Patent Filing: National vs International

    You can file a patent:

    • Nationally – in a specific country (e.g., India Patent Office, USPTO in the U.S.)
    • Internationally – under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) or Convention Application (application claiming the priority of a country which is a member to Paris Convention which lets you seek protection in multiple countries with a single application

    Conclusion: Patents Empower Innovation

    Patents are a cornerstone of innovation. They encourage creativity, provide monetary rewards, and help build a robust ecosystem for invention. Whether you’re working on a new technology, a clever product design, or a biological breakthrough, securing a patent ensures that your hard work is protected and profitable.

    So, the next time you come up with a groundbreaking idea, remember: a patent could be your best friend.

  • “Wasted Harvest: The Silent Catastrophe on Our Plates”

    “Wasted Harvest: The Silent Catastrophe on Our Plates”

    Imagine this: a farmer in Punjab carefully tends to rows of golden wheat. After months of toil, he finally harvests a bumper crop—but before it ever reaches a plate, a third of it is lost in transport, spoiled by heat and poor storage. Meanwhile, in a high-rise kitchen thousands of miles away, perfectly good spinach wilts in the fridge before it’s tossed in the bin. In another scenario somewhere in an urban India, quintals of onion produce gets destroyed in the hope of good price while people in metropolis buying onions costing more than Rs 100 per kg. These two moments—one rural, one urban—are worlds apart, yet stitched together by a shared thread: food loss and waste, one of the planet’s most overlooked environmental emergencies.

     The Scale of the Problem: A Global Gluttony of Waste

    According to the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 in 2022 alone, the world wasted 1.05 billion tons of food, precisely about 132 kg per person per year or about one-fifth of all food available to consumers (UNEP, 2024).
    • Households generated 60% of the total food waste, followed by food services (28%) and retail (12%).
    • This translates to over 1 billion meals wasted every single day, while 783 million people globally go hungry (UN News, 2024).

    The Environmental Toll: Wasting More Than Just Food

    Food waste is not just about what’s scraped off our plates—it’s about everything that went into producing it:

    • Water: Agriculture consumes 70% of global freshwater. Wasting food wastes the water used to grow it (FAO, 2013).
    • Energy: Food production and transport require large amounts of fossil fuels and electricity.
    • Land: Nearly 30% of global agricultural land is used to produce food that is never eaten (FAO, 2013).
    • Climate: Decomposing food in landfills emits methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period (IPCC, 2014). Food waste contributes to 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is nearly five times more than the entire aviation industry (UNEP, 2024).With a growing global population and rising demand for food, reducing waste is not just a choice—it’s a climate imperative. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States (FAO, 2013).

     Behind the Scenes: The Science of Spoilage and Loss

    Food waste is generally classified into two categories:

    1. Food Loss (Pre-consumer)

    Occurs during production, harvest, storage, and transport—especially in low and middle-income countries. For example, India loses up to 30-40% of fruits and vegetables post-harvest, largely due to poor cold storage infrastructure (FSSAI, 2021).

    2. Food Waste (Post-consumer)

    Happens at retail and consumer levels, driven by:

    • Overbuying and poor planning
    • Misunderstood expiry labels
    • Aesthetic standards that reject “ugly” produce

    In richer countries, per capita waste at household level is as high as 80–110 kg/year, compared to 6–11 kg/year in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (FAO, 2011).

     From Waste to Wisdom: What Can Be Done?

    For Governments & Industries:

    • Invest in cold chains, silos, and rural roads to reduce pre-consumer loss.
    • Enforce “ugly produce” acceptance in supermarkets.
    • Scale digital solutions for inventory management and food redistribution (e.g., Zomato Feeding India, OLIO app).
    • Launch public-private partnerships for measurement and reporting, as seen in the UK and Japan (UNEP, 2024).

    For Individuals:

    • Learn the difference between “best before” and “use by” dates.
    • Plan meals and buy only what you need.
    • Store food properly and use leftovers creatively.
    • Compost kitchen waste instead of sending it to landfills.
    • Support food banks and rescue organizations.

    A Future Where Every Grain Counts

    The challenge of food waste may seem massive, but it’s one of the few global crises that is entirely preventable. The UNEP emphasizes that with just moderate effort, countries can cut food waste in half by 2030, fulfilling UN SDG 12.3 (UNEP, 2024). It will take a recalibration of our relationship with food—from something cheap and disposable to something deeply valuable. Because when we waste food, we’re not just throwing away calories.
    We’re throwing away land, labor, water, hope and the Earth’s future.

    For more information

    UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024: https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/food-waste-index-report-2024.

    FAO (2013). Food Wastage Footprint: Impacts on Natural Resources https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/1694038d-98f7-40f6-be4b-98782544b9f9/content.

    IPCC (2014). AR5 Climate Change Report: IPCC Summary. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/