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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Old stone Shivalinga unearthed in Trimbakeshwar

Mumbai: The Archaeological Survey of India is going places, literally. Barely a week after unearthing rare copper plates linked to two powerful ancient dynasties, the ASI struck ‘history’ again - this time at the famed Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik district, officials said. In a stunning discovery during an ongoing conservation drive, ASI archaeologists found an old stone Shivalinga resting in the silent depths of the temple’s historic Amrit Kund, a massive water reservoir where it...

Old stone Shivalinga unearthed in Trimbakeshwar

Mumbai: The Archaeological Survey of India is going places, literally. Barely a week after unearthing rare copper plates linked to two powerful ancient dynasties, the ASI struck ‘history’ again - this time at the famed Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik district, officials said. In a stunning discovery during an ongoing conservation drive, ASI archaeologists found an old stone Shivalinga resting in the silent depths of the temple’s historic Amrit Kund, a massive water reservoir where it remained submerged beneath years of silt, mud and stagnant water. The Shivlinga emerged into view only after the ASI team drained the lakhs of litres of water and undertook an extensive desilting operation in the Amrit Kund. Resting silently at the bottom of the nearly 20-metre-deep reservoir, the ancient relic left conservation experts plus archaeologists astonished and the locals excited. Since it was lying at the bottom of the 65-feet (20-metre) deep Amrit Kund, it is not immediately clear if the Shivalinga will be extricated from there and relocated to a new terrestrial site, or make its way to some other location or a museum. The water tank will be again filled up to the brim as the current monsoon gets underway. It was constructed by Peshwa Balaji Bajirao-III, revered as Nana Saheb, between 1755-1786 AD along with the reconstruction of the main Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple that was destroyed by the Mughal army between 1680-1690 AD. The discovery marks the second major archaeological breakthrough by the ASI in a week. Last week, the ASI had announced the recovery of two rare copper plates belonging to the Chalukyas of Navasarika (655–750 AD) and the Traikutaka dynasty (388–495 AD), from the World Heritage site of Elephanta Island off Mumbai, shedding fresh light on western India’s ancient political and cultural history. ASI to revamp Red Fort The ASI this week announced that it will carry out major restoration drives at 140 of Delhi’s 170 protected historical monuments, including the historic Red Fort from where the Prime Minister addresses the nation on Independence Day (Aug. 15) every year. The other sites are: Humayun’s Tomb, Purana Qila, Begumpur Mosque, Kotla Maqbara, City Wall and Hauz Khas complex. The works will comprise big and small repairs and conservation at all these monuments over the next few years.

AI in Sperm Sorting: An Unbiased Decision for A Better Outcome

Artificial Intelligence or AI is revolutionising fertility treatments of the future. The inclusion of AI enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of sperm selection, hence potentially improving fertility outcomes by leaps and bounds. Traditionally, sperm sorting through manual methods is subjective to judgments. Processes like centrifugation and swim-up methods are used to separate sperm based on motility and morphology. Although they are effective, they have their limitations, leading to human errors that affect the success rates of fertility treatment. For instance, studies have shown that traditional sperm sorting techniques can have variability in success rates, with reported live birth rates ranging between 15 per cent to 25 per cent per cycle depending on the method and quality of sperm. Hence the introduction of AI helps in maintaining consistency in evaluations of sperm, using the same data set for every sample which leads to better judgments.


Automation and Standardisation- Automation of sperm selection and also introduction of AI in the process have improved the results in ART. AI-assisted sperm selection improves the accuracy in choosing high-quality sperm for fertilisation purposes, and also, pregnancy and live birth rates might be improved. Technologies like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection along with AI ensure the chances of pregnancies increase by about 10-20 per cent compared to the standard procedures. AI and Automation will decrease time taken to analyze sperm and increase opportunities to select better sperm with DNA integrity for better development and higher success rates in embryo selection. These processes ensure that the sperm selection process follows consistent criteria, reducing variability in outcomes caused by human error.


Analysing Complex Data for Better Outcomes- AI plays a crucial in improving IVF outcomes by analysing complex data and providing tailored recommendations. AI-driven tools and models such as those on SpOvum.ai point towards an opportunity to optimise ovarian stimulation decisions by assessing patient characteristics and follicle growth patterns. A study revealed that the use of AI in IVF improved egg yield and reduced medication costs. AI enables fertility specialists to make data-driven choices, improving overall IVF success rates and streamlining treatment processes.


Reducing Human Error- AI models can continuously learn and refine their performance by being trained on newer data. This adaptability ensures the technology remains unbiased and up-to-date with the latest scientific insights into sperm quality and fertility success rates. Studies have shown that AI-driven sperm sorting can decrease human-related errors by up to 25 per cent, improving sperm selection quality in terms of morphology and motility.


Reduction of Sperm Damage- The new AI-driven sperm sorting techniques also include microfluidic systems that are known to exhibit several advantages over the most commonly used conventional method, which is centrifugation. Traditional centrifugation methods, such as density gradient centrifugation, also cause severe oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation of the sperm because of the very high mechanical forces involved. The AI-infused microfluidic sorting minimises this damage significantly by involving gentler processes that mimic the natural pathway of sperm selection. The studies show that the process of microfluidic sorting decreases DNA fragmentation in sperm, which gives improved opportunities for success for IVF. For example, DNA fragmentation is 20 percent lower in sperm sorted using microfluidic processes than in traditional processing methods.


AI is bound to play an increasingly definitive role in fertility treatments, which will improve the outcomes for couples experiencing infertility.


(The author is a Co-Founder & CEO at SpOvum® Technologies. Views personal.)

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