Which institute led the research that made peptides strongly piezoelectric?
- A.Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru
- B.Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata
- C.Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
- D.Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology. The release names it as the institute whose researchers took up peptides, and the work was led there by Dr Goutam Ghosh with his doctoral scholar Aparna Ramesh. Options B and C are the collaborating institutions and are therefore the sharpest distractors: IISER Kolkata and JNCASR Bengaluru both contributed, and researchers from both are credited, but neither led the study. Option D does not appear in the release at all. Candidates should carry the parent department with the institute, since a question is often set on which department funds or governs a research body in the news. Note also that the discovery was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a journal name that has itself been asked.
Read the full article: CeNS Bengaluru Turns Peptides Into Piezoelectric Biomaterials
Practice Questions
How did the researchers switch on a strong piezoelectric response in the peptide material?
- A.By changing the chemical composition of the peptide
- B.By adding one per cent of a suitable co-solvent
- C.By coating the peptide with a ceramic layer
- D.By heating the peptide above 500 degrees Celsius
Show answer
The team found that in water the peptide molecules form nanofibers and show no piezoelectric response. Introducing just that small share of a co-solvent reorganised the molecules into a highly ordered supramolecular arrangement, and the piezoelectric response switched on at once.
Read the full explanation →Which structural arrangement is the fundamental requirement for piezoelectricity, according to the study?
- A.A centrosymmetric crystal structure
- B.An amorphous structure with no order
- C.A non-centrosymmetric structure
- D.A body-centred cubic structure
Show answer
The release explains that controlled chiral self-assembly aligns the molecular dipoles into such a structure, and calls it a fundamental structural requirement for piezoelectricity.
Read the full explanation →As of 6 November 2026, how many equipment items were listed on the I-STEM portal?
- A.4,044
- B.18,250
- C.31,540
- D.45,000
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As of 6 November 2026, the day its API integration with the Startup India Portal was launched, I-STEM listed 31,540 equipment items across 4,044 registered institutions, giving researchers and innovators a large national pool of scientific resources.
Read the full explanation →Who chaired the launch of the API integration between the Startup India and I-STEM portals on 6 November 2026?
- A.Dr. Parvinder Maini
- B.Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood
- C.Ateesh Kumar Singh
- D.Dr. Vishal Choudhary
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He described the integration as an institutional convergence that can lower R&D costs, avoid duplication of capital-intensive facilities and raise the use of publicly funded infrastructure.
Read the full explanation →What does the acronym I-STEM, whose portal was integrated with the Startup India Portal in November 2026, stand for?
- A.Indian Scheme for Technology and Engineering Mentorship
- B.Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map
- C.Integrated Startup Technology Enablement Mission
- D.Indian Society for Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Show answer
I-STEM is the portal that maps scientific equipment and research facilities across academic and research institutions so that they can be shared.
Read the full explanation →