Leptobrachium aryatium, a new-to-science frog recorded from a reserve forest on the edge of Guwahati. Photo: Special Arrangement GUWAHATI A study spanning 21 years has yielded a new species of frog named after an Assam college that helped a locality shed its identity as a hub of country liquor production. Guwahati’s Aryanagar used to be … Read more
Since Donald Trump regained the U.S. presidency, he has coveted Greenland. Trump has insisted that the U.S. will control the island, currently an autonomous territory of Denmark, and if his overtures are rejected, perhaps seize Greenland by force. During a recent congressional hearing, senators and expert witnesses focused on Greenland’s strategic value and its natural … Read more
For her PhD research, bat biologist Kadambari Deshpande made overnight recordings of bat echolocation calls in the Western Ghats. A “good night” would generate about 30 GB of data from 11 hours of recording with a bat detector. To process the data, Deshpande would go through several one-minute recordings, scanning every millisecond for bat calls, … Read more
Did you know that the word “atom” originates from the Greek word “atomos”? The Greek word means uncuttable or indivisible and the choice of the word comes more from philosophical concepts than from scientific studies. Atoms, as you might well have studied in school, comprise subatomic particles. The first nuclear transmutation of one element … Read more
Two old African elephants, Bully (left) and Susi, stand inside the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, March 27, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP At the Barcelona Zoo, a 40-year-old African elephant places her foot through the metal barrier where a zookeeper gently scrubs its sole — the beloved pachyderm gets her “pedicure”, along with apple slices … Read more
Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images The story so far: The preliminary findings of the GenomeIndia project, which attempted to study whole genomes of 10,000 healthy and unrelated Indians from 83 population groups, were published in the journal Nature Genetics on April 8. After excluding two populations, the published findings are based on the … Read more
A study which examined the spatial rainfall trends across India has found that the amount of rainfall per day in certain parts of India has increased during the last decade 2011-2020 compared with the previous decade (2001-2010) while certain other parts have witnessed a reduction in the rainfall amount. The study has used the GSMaP-ISRO … Read more
The rt-LAMP assay is a molecular test with high sensitivity and specificity | Photo Credit: CDC/ Ray Butler, MS Researchers at the Thiruvananthapuram-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have developed and tested a novel, cost-effective, real-time LAMP (rt-LAMP) assay for early diagnosis of TB. Much like GeneXpert and Truenat, the … Read more
Researchers have found that besides sharks, bees and platypus, even fruit fly larvae can sense electric fields and navigate toward the negative electric potential using a small set of sensory neurons in their head. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara immersed a fruit fly larva in an electric field and they found … Read more
Local climate can be used to predict the venom characteristics of Russell’s viper, a deadly snake that is widespread in India, helping clinicians to provide targeted therapies for snake bite victims, according to a study published by IISc researchers on April 10 in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) is found across … Read more
The NOAA logo is seen behind Florida governor Ron DeSantis as he talks to the media during a news conference as Hurricane Dorian approaches the U.S. state, August 29, 2019. | Photo Credit: Reuters The administration of President Donald Trump aims to eliminate the arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that oversees research … Read more
Jared Isaacman, billionaire, CEO and nominee to become the next NASA administrator, faced questions on April 9, 2025, from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during his confirmation hearing for the position. Should the Senate confirm him, Isaacman will be the first billionaire – but not the first astronaut – to … Read more
When the natural environment is stretched beyond its ability to meet basic human needs for food, clean air, drinkable water and shelter, it is not just a humanitarian concern for the world community. Research shows that these crises are a matter of national security for the U.S. and other countries. The Pentagon and the U.S. … Read more
Typhloperipatus williamsoni was spotted in the Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement A team of researchers at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment (ATREE) had reported rediscovering a long-lost species of the velvet worms (phylum Onychophora), one of the oldest living fossils in the world, after 111 … Read more
A majority of police personnel believe in using intimidation as a law enforcement tool. Misuse of force by the police has long been a contentious issue in India. It often surfaces in public discourse following high-profile cases of custodial deaths or excessive violence. India lacks a specific law to prevent torture, but there is an … Read more
Colossal Biosciences is an American company with an unusual marketing line: combining genomics with conservation — not in its traditional form, but through de-extinction, which is resurrecting species extinct for thousands of years. Leading this project is Harvard geneticist George Church, a prominent promoter of the company, who aims to bring back the woolly mammoth, … Read more
The telescope structure itself is a mix of fiberglass, wood, and steel — materials carefully selected for their strength and practicality. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Two groups in Kolkata related to astronomy have created what they claim to be the largest handmade telescope in the city — a 14.5-inch f/5 Dobsonian that is low-cost, … Read more
In the ongoing debate on delimitation, a conflict between a principle of democracy and one of federalism has become apparent. ‘One person, one vote, one value’ is a principle of India’s electoral system. What this should mean in practice, at a minimum, is that all Lok Sabha constituencies should have roughly the same number of … Read more
Survey reveals that four in 10 police personnel believe that reporting of custodial torture should be mandatory In recent years, concerns over police brutality and custodial torture have intensified, fuelling debates about justice, accountability, and human rights. The findings from a recent study on the ‘Status of Policing in India Report’ conducted by Lokniti-Centre for … Read more
Multiple states in the U.S. were recently in the grip of tornadoes, wildfires, and dust storms. The fires that scorched parts of Texas and Oklahoma burnt through almost 300 homes, reliving the horrors a similar blaze inflicted on Los Angeles in January this year. The fires that raged across Eaton and Palisades in particular claimed … Read more
AI safety, put simply, is the practice of ensuring that AI behaves as intended, particularly in high-risk settings like medicine. Photograph used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: Getty Images In 1982, a chilling tragedy in Chicago claimed seven lives after Tylenol (paracetamol) capsules were mixed with cyanide—not during manufacturing, but after reaching store … Read more
Scientists at Raman Research Institute (RRI) have developed an affordable electro-fluidic device that aids in preliminary screening of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). According to RRI, the innovative, cost-effective electro-fluidic micropore device, quantifies whole-cell stiffness with high-resolution and high-throughput, with specific focus on screening for SCD. “This technology has the potential to change preliminary diagnostic methods … Read more
For a long time, researchers have been looking for the sort of task that a quantum computer will be better at doing than a classical computer. Because if a quantum computer shows that it can be superior, it will achieve a milestone called quantum supremacy. Researchers from the University of Oxford and Universidad de Sevilla … Read more
Blood samples were collected from about 20,000 individuals, of which DNA samples from 10,074 individuals were subjected to whole genome sequencing. Photo: genomeindia.in Preliminary findings of the GenomeIndia project, which genotyped 10,074 healthy and unrelated Indians from 85 populations — 32 tribal and 53 non-tribal populations — across India, were published in the journal Nature … Read more
Blood samples were collected from about 20,000 individuals, of which DNA samples from 10,074 individuals were subjected to whole genome sequencing. Photo: genomeindia.in Preliminary findings of the GenomeIndia project, which genotyped 10,074 healthy and unrelated Indians from 85 populations — 32 tribal and 53 non-tribal populations — across India, were published in the journal Nature … Read more
An assortment of fruits lie in a basket. | Photo Credit: Jonas Kakaroto/Unsplash A1: Ripening of fruits is associated with the process of senescence or aging in plants. It involves changes in colour, texture, flavour, sugar content, and acidity, and is influenced by the ripening hormone ethylene. As ripening begins, there is a corresponding increase … Read more
In this handout photo provided by NASA, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, bottom, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, middle, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Zubritskiy, top, wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft for launch on April 8, 2025 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. | Photo Credit: Getty Images NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and two Russian crewmates launched … Read more
Data Point: Do schools in north India teach southern languages? | Video Credit: The Hindu With the debate over Tamil Nadu’s refusal to adopt the three-language policy still ongoing, the latest data needed to address key questions on the issue is lacking. Vital data that could help bring clarity is the list of languages currently … Read more
(L) Dire wolf pups, Romulus and Remus, take a nap on the original Iron Throne prop from ‘Game of Thrones’, (R) Jon Snow holds up his dire wolf pup “Ghost”, in a still form ‘Game of Thrones’ | Photo Credit: Colossal Biosciences/ HBO The dire wolf, the legendary beast that once prowled North America and found … Read more
Dressing up is probably one of the most annoying things. You stand in front of a mirror and try to find the right combination of clothes of various colours hoping you look more tolerable to people. This is probably one trait that distinguishes us from other animals: we spend a few good minutes every morning … Read more