Researchers Develop Miniature CRISPR Tool for Plant Genome Editing Tool
Genome editing technology has revolutionized agriculture bringing market-ready innovations such as high-oleic soybeans, low-pungency mustard greens, and high-GABA tomatoes. This technology has enormous potential to improve agricultural sustainability.
The SpCas9 nuclease which has a large molecular weight of approximately 1350 amino acids, has been the most popular genome editing tool for a long time. However, because of its size, there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, especially when trying to distribute it within cells efficiently via viral vectors.
Reducing the size of RNA-guided genome editing nucleases is a critical goal to overcome these limitations. In addition to increasing delivery efficiency smaller nucleases make it easier to create fusion proteins, which expands the potential uses for genome engineering.
Researchers at the ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack, have created a tiny plant genome editor in a ground-breaking study. It is only a third the size of the popular Cas9. Derived from the transposon-associated TnpB of Deinococcus radiodurans this novel genome editor protein has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in editing several genes in both monocot rice and dicot Arabidopsis.
TnpB requires a transposon-associated motif (TAM) next to the target sequence for targeting, just like Cas9, which also needs a protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). TnpB expands the potential of genome editing by targeting certain genomic areas that Cas9 is unable to.
The work represents substantial progress in the field of plant genome engineering by showcasing TnpB as a very portable, adaptable, and promising tool. It was published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Zomato acquires Paytm’s entertainment ticketing business.
Zomato, set to acquire Paytm’s entertainment ticketing business, will launch its new app for the going-out Business District in the next few weeks. It intends to eventually make the switch and move both its acquired and current businesses into the District app’s going-out section.
On Wednesday the fast-food delivery and rapid commerce company said that it has signed a final deal to purchase Paytm’s entertainment ticketing division for a total of ₹2,048 crores. It expects this transaction to be completed within this quarter.
The corporation stated that the going-out business would be dispersed over several platforms following this acquisition. It stated in a BSE filing that it will keep operating its current going-out operations on the Zomato app, which includes dining out and event ticketing. “The acquired business (movie + sports + event ticketing) would continue to run on Paytm’s main app for a transition period of up to 12 months, as part of the deal, the Insider and TicketNew applications would also be transferred to Zomato, it continued.
“The District app will replicate the features shortly, and we will gradually encourage users to switch from the Zomato, Paytm, Insider, and TicketNew apps to the District app over time. We will eliminate the duplication and terminate this business on all other applications once the majority of clients begin transacting on the District app,” the company wrote in a statement outlining the potential acquisition to shareholders.
The company noted that customers have to go to different apps to book movie tickets, IPL tickets, dining-out table reservations discover live entertainment and book weekend getaways, among others. “We want to position “District” as the brand that consumers turn to when they are thinking of going out. In line with this thinking and our belief around building super brands’ as opposed to super apps’, we think that a new brand will help customers build an association with going-out use cases and also allow us to build a loyalty program that drives higher retention,” Zomato’s management stated.
In an analyst report, Karan Taurani, Senior Vice President, of Elara Capital, noted that the entertainment ticketing business has the potential to report a healthy CAGR of 15-20 percent in the near-to-medium term. This will be supported by factors such as rising per capita income, growing acceptance of live events in tier-2 markets, higher ticketing revenue, and the emergence of new sports events such as WPL, PKL, and ISL, among others. After this acquisition, Taurani predicted that Zomato’s live business, which is already operating at a yearly run rate of ₹400 crore, would increase by 75% to ₹700 crore.
According to Motilal Oswal Financial Services Research, Zomato has proven that it can extract value from previous acquisitions, most notably Blinkit. While the District app might not make up much of Zomato’s business on its own, if done well, it could give the company a significant influence over urban consumers’ spending habits in areas such as food, groceries, and entertainment (such as dining, movies, sports, and music).
Rajesh Nambiar, named NASSCOM President-Designate, succeeds Ghosh.
Cognizant’s managing director and chairman of India Rajesh Nambiar, has announced his resignation. Nambiar has joined the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) as president-designate after leaving Cognizant. The incumbent president, Debjani Ghosh, whose tenure ends in November 2024, is expected to be succeeded by Nambiar.
In September of last year, Nambiar was named CMD of Cognizant India. Before resigning, he served in this capacity for less than a year. Nambiar was a member of the Executive Council of the IT trade association NASSCOM before being named CMD. He was chosen to serve as NASSCOM’s chairperson in 2023. Before working at Cognizant, Rajesh Nambiar was a TCS, IBM, and Ciena leader.
“Nambiar is an industry leader having worked and led global teams at TCS, IBM, Ciena, and Cognizant,” stated Nasscom in a release. India’s tech industry is now a worldwide powerhouse thanks in large part to his strategic plans and leadership.”
According to Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh, “The tech sector is pivotal to India’s growth, and Nasscom has played a key role in shaping India’s tech leadership globally.” The Nasscom leadership is completely equipped to uphold the charter, and I have no doubt Rajesh will take it to even higher levels.
Cognizant has appointed Rajesh Varrier as Nambiar’s successor. Officially, the change in leadership will begin on October 1, 2024. In addition, Varrier—who will be stationed in Bangalore—will be given the vital duty of acting as the Global Head of Operations beginning on September 2, 2024.
In his new position, Varrier will answer directly to Ravi Kumar S, the current Cognizant CEO.
As Global Head of Operations and Chairman & Managing Director, of India, Varrier’s responsibilities will include operations delivery excellence, workforce planning, the India Leadership Council, expansion in India, and other key responsibilities.
Crucially, he will act as the company’s regional leader for its employees headquartered in India, directing company transformation initiatives and serving as the company’s representative while it carries out its expansion strategy throughout the country.
“My years of association with Rajesh Varrier give me great confidence that together with our growing team of leaders in India, we can continue to build upon our already strong foundation,” stated Ravi Kumar S in a statement. “The job of India Chair is deeply important to our culture.”
Rajesh Varrier held positions as EVP Head of Global Services and Infosys Americas, and Global Head of Infosys’ Microsoft and Digital divisions before joining Cognizant. In the past he was also SVP of Digital Experience for Infosys’ Microsoft division.
Varrier founded the analytics company Activecubes and served as CIO and digital officer for Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance before joining Infosys. He graduated from the University of Mumbai with a physics undergraduate degree and a computer engineering postgraduate degree.
India Surpasses China As Top Importer Of Russian Oil
India has surpassed China to become the world’s largest consumer of Russian oil, according to Reuters. According to trade and industry data India imported 2.07 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in July, representing a 4.2% month-over-month and 12% year-over-year increase. Data from Chinese customs indicates that India imported more crude oil in July than China did through pipelines and shipping (1.76 million BPD).
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine when Western countries stopped importing Russian energy supplies, Russian oil has been purchased by Indian refiners at a lower price than Brent. Due to the deployment of larger Suezmax tankers, India’s purchases of Russian ESPO Blend crude increased to 188,000 bpd in July. Refiners in northeast China are typically the biggest ESPO buyers thanks to their proximity to Russia; however, they are now buying less due to tepid fuel demand.
India is also looking to develop its oil fields in the coming years. Four largely unexplored sedimentary basins in India could hold up to 22 billion barrels of oil S&P Global Commodity Insights has reported. The Mahanadi, Andaman Sea, Bengal, and Kerala-Konkan basins—which are lesser-known Category II and III basins—have more oil than the Permian Basin, which has extracted 14 billion of its 34 billion barrels of recoverable reserves thus far.
Rahul Chauhan, an upstream analyst at Commodity Insights has emphasized the potential of India’s unexplored oil and gas sector: Under the Open Acreage Licensing Program (OALP), ONGC and Oil India own acreages in the Andaman Sea and have several major projects planned. To participate in current and future OALP bidding rounds and explore these frontier zones India still awaits the entry of an international oil company with deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration competence,” he stated.
Merely 10% of the sedimentary basin spanning 3.36 million square kilometers in India is presently being explored. However according to Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri when blocks are awarded under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) rounds the percentage will rise to 16% in 2024. The OALP has awarded 144 blocks totaling around 244,007 sq km thus far.