Researchers at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology in Haryana have extracted an anti-depressant molecule from the common herb Shankpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy). Shankpushpi has been used in India for hundreds of years, mainly in rejuvenation therapy and also as a brain tonic. It is said to promote longevity and prevents diseases by providing strength and boosting the immunity. Testing in mice, the researchers found the extract — dissolved in chloroform solution — exhibited anti-anxiety and memory enhancing effects and relieved symptoms like nervousness and palpitation. They also said that consumption of the plant could increase protein synthesis of the hippocampus, an indicator of memory and learning enhancement activity. When administered for 10 successive days, the efficacy of the extract was found to be comparable to that of commonly prescribed drugs such as imipramine and fluoxetine.

Close but comfortable

An automated way of allowing cars to drive much closer to each other in heavy moving traffic — a method called platooning — could cut congestion, save fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, say researchers from Calcutta’s Jadavpur University. Debojyoti Mitra and Asis Mazumdar of the mechanical engineering department, who investigated the drag on platoons of four vehicles in the university’s vehicle test wind tunnel, showed how keeping safer distances between the vehicles could mean more tailgate turbulence and increased drag on individual vehicles, resulting in lower fuel efficiency. Cars moving in the same direction separated by a metre or so would reduce the drag and thus save fuel. Adding sensors and safety controls that allow vehicles to drive at such a small separation is possible, they write in the latest issue of International Journal of the Environment and Pollution.