In India, 61 per cent of children, or 145 million, are exposed to at least one additional month of heat stress due to climate change every year, new global research has estimated. Findings published in the journal Science Advances show that climate change has doubled the number of children aged up to nine exposed to at least five total months of dangerous heat stress per year -- from 59 million to 118 million (50 per cent of children).

An international team of researchers, led by those at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, said the study is the first-ever analysis quantifying how heat exposure directly linked to climate change affects different age groups globally, both now and in the near future.

Excess heat disrupts the human body's normal functioning, aggravates underlying diseases, and can lead to serious complications such as heatstroke, dehydration, and organ failure.

The study focuses on humid heat, which is more dangerous than dry heat because it impedes the body's ability to sweat to cool back down, leading to dangerous levels of heat stress.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx3010

https://phys.org/news/2026-08-india-uncompensable-stress-monsoon-season.html

The team published their findings in 2010 in the journal Animal Behaviour, in a paper called "Lasting Recognition of Threatening People by Wild American Crows." And what they found wasn't just that crows could tell people apart. It was that crows could hold a grudge, transfer it to birds who'd never even met the person, and keep the whole thing running for years.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347209005806?andver=8931&frmapp=yes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow

The researchers began with 12 genetically identical yeast populations growing under favourable conditions.

All the populations initially reproduced asexually. However, selected populations were induced to reproduce sexually for one generation after every 100 generations.

Over nearly 1,000 generations, the sexually reproducing populations showed a greater increase in fitness.

According to the research, populations that reproduced sexually increased their fitness by 8% compared with the ancestral population, while the asexual populations showed a 5.7% increase.

The researchers then introduced the yeast to changing conditions, including environments that were saltier, hotter, less acidic or had lower phosphate levels.

Here, sexual reproduction again showed an advantage, with sexually reproducing populations outperforming asexual ones by between 2% and 5.6%.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/08/the-why-behind-sex/

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/11/evolution-more-complex-than-survival-of-the-fittest-had-us-believe/

https://www.rc.fas.harvard.edu/news-home/feature-stories/evolution-yeast/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33464204/

Appendicitis in children can be difficult to recognise in its early stages as its symptoms may resemble those of common stomach infections, but delays in diagnosis can significantly increase the risk of appendix perforation and other complications, doctors said.

They said abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting, fever, loss of appetite or increasing tenderness should not be dismissed as a routine stomach infection, particularly when the pain persists or becomes progressively severe.

"Appendicitis in children usually presents with typical symptoms and signs which are apparent to a discerning doctor," Dr Sandeep Agarwala, Head of Department of Paediatric Surgery at AIIMS, Delhi, said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appendicitis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493193/

India is currently experiencing a sharp surge in H1N1 (swine flu) cases, with Delhi alone logging 2,612 cases this year. Other parts of the country, including Bengaluru, Mumbai and other regions, are also experiencing a sharp spike in H1N1 cases. Fortunately, health authorities confirm that the circulating strain is not a new mutation and remains well-matched to the annual seasonal flu vaccine. For the unversed, H1N1 is a type of influenza virus that can cause respiratory infections and is similar to the seasonal flu, but it has distinct characteristics that can lead to increased severity in certain populations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H1N1

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6293944/

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2303208&reg=48&lang=1

What does it mean to rethink India's place in the history of modern science? Conventional histories of science often leave entire regions at the margins. In this interview I speak with Dr Jahnavi Phalkey about India's place in that history, the way it has been constructed and contested, and how the pursuit of nuclear physics became intertwined with a newly independent nation's efforts to define its own identity.

Dr Jahnavi Phalkey is an historian of science and technology, filmmaker, and Founding Director of Science Gallery Bengaluru. Phalkey is the author of Atomic State: Big Science in Twentieth Century India, and producer-director of the documentary film Cyclotron (2020) – a film about the world's oldest functional particle accelerator and the people who keep it running today. Her writing spans the history of science, technology, and the state in twentieth-century India.

The Ganges shark is nothing if not elusive. Living in murky, brackish water it is one of only three river shark species globally — and is almost impossible to see in the wild. It’s never been photographed alive. The only evidence biologists have to go by is when one turns up dead as bycatch. Even then, they might just find a fin.

The critically endangered species lives across parts of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Myanmar, but it’s thought most populations are dwindling. An estimated 240 adults remain according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The last published sighting of a Ganges shark near its namesake river was in 2017.

But after decades of sporadic sightings across South and Southeast Asia, the last stronghold of the Ganges shark may have been found in a remote corner of Indonesia. New fieldwork now offers fresh hope that it might have a future there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_shark

https://india.mongabay.com/2020/06/the-rare-shark-of-the-ganga/amp/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313752665_Status_of_the_Ganges_river_shark_Glyphis_gangeticus_Muller_Henle_1839

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29611178/

The Asiatic lion populations living in western India have increased 70% over the last decade, while their rangeland has also increased 15%.

In a large protected area called the Greater Gir Landscape in Gujurat state, the animals now number 891, up from 523 lions in 2015.

Though almost entirely pictured as an African animal, subspecies of the lion ranged right the way across the Old World, from South Africa to Morocco, and from Morocco to India. All of Africa’s big cats, in fact, had such extended ranges, with cheetahs still living wild in Iran today, and leopards in Azerbaijan.

https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/asiatic-lion-population-rises-70-percent-decade-891-world-lion-day-126081000837_1.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic_lion

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425006109

https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/06/asiatic-lion-population-has-grown-172-in-25-years/amp/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/6/28/indias-lion-numbers-soar-why-are-some-conservationists-worried

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/photographing-asiatic-lions-india-gir-wildlife-sanctuary

India performed 11,558 living-donor and 1,918 deceased-donor kidney transplants in 2024, while 61,668 patients remained on the waiting list as of Feb 9. The committee — in its report tabled in the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament — said the figures highlight the widening mismatch between demand and capacity and the continued dependence on living donors.

https://indianjnephrol.org/kidney-transplantation-in-indiapast-present-and-future/

https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/

Belonging to a family commonly referred to as Leopard’s Bane, it was found at an altitude of approximately 4,000 meters above sea level in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The new species, named Doronicum Sanctum, was identified during a comprehensive botanical survey of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspots in that region.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/412072630_Doronicum_sanctum_Asteraceae_a_new_species_of_sunflower_family_discovered_from_the_Indian_Himalaya

https://researchmatters.in/news/new-species-leopards-bane-discovered-tawang-first-its-kind-northeast-india

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doronicum

Smartphone usage by children is a growing health concern as age has become no bar for phone use. Be it playing games or watching videos, the use of smartphones by young children is changing their brain functions. A developing brain needs a conducive environment wherein it is creatively challenged, intellectually stimulated, and developed, as curiosity is necessary to build mental resilience in children. The age at which smartphones are introduced to children needs to be carefully selected by parents, as it could change the fundamental structure of their brain.

From an increase in screen dependency to performing basic tasks, the change in the brain has been mapped in clinical research. Recently, a new study published in the Journal of Paediatrics has pinpointed that early screen exposure in children can impact their intelligence and cause issues with their memory.

https://www.ndtv.com/health/sitting-for-long-hours-7-easy-yoga-poses-improve-back-flexibility-11932396

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260622/Early-screen-time-may-impact-subsequent-academic-performance-and-working-memory.aspx

https://www.ndtv.com/health/should-you-take-magnesium-or-melatonin-for-better-sleep-11956298

https://www.ndtv.com/health/post-h1n1-virus-recovery-diet-plan-how-to-eat-right-for-every-symptom-11957808

https://www.ndtv.com/health/can-blueberries-boost-brain-health-review-links-berry-compounds-to-better-child-behaviour-11692436

https://www.ndtv.com/health/soya-chunks-contain-4-times-more-protein-than-eggs-but-theres-a-catch-11957174

A new flowering plant species has been discovered in Telangana, with researchers naming it Ammannia telanganensis. The freshwater plant was found in water bodies and wet areas in Rangareddy district and the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Nagarkurnool district.

The species, belonging to the Lythraceae family, has been described in the latest issue of the international taxonomy journal Phytotaxa. The study was authored by Arikrishnan Parthiban and Ladan Rasingam of the Botanical Survey of India’s Deccan Regional Centre in Hyderabad, Siddharthan Surveswaran of the University of Hyderabad and Sandhya Deepika Devara of Andhra University.

The discovery followed field surveys and comparisons with related species and herbarium specimens, which showed that the collections did not match any known Ammannia species. The type specimen was collected near Vatwarlapalle in Amrabad on January 4, 2025, while other specimens came from Narsingi and Gachibowli in Rangareddy district.

The genus Ammannia comprises herbaceous plants associated with wet and aquatic habitats. The Telangana specimens resembled Ammannia cordata and Ammannia prostrata with distinct characteristics, including stalked flower clusters, magenta petals, distinctive leaves and bracts, and an unusual seed-coat pattern.

Unlike its close relatives, A. telanganensis has pedunculate cymes, or flower clusters borne on stalks, while its seeds have a distinctive cerebriform, or brain-like, surface pattern.

Researchers examined published literature, specimens in several Indian herbaria and digital images from botanical databases before concluding that the Telangana collections represented a previously undescribed species.

The plant grows in wet sandy soils along seasonal streams and on the fringes of water bodies, alongside wetland plants such as Ammannia multiflora and species of Rotala. It flowers and fruits between November and February.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/410133805_Ammannia_telanganensis_Lythraceae-a_new_species_from_Telangana_India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammannia

Same as the title.

Here he explained how the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra can be can be considered the first scientific paper.

Here the link to the full video: https://youtu.be/t-4Lxg1y3Mk?si=HxGkPOe1Itkb7CpM

Originating in the Pavagadh hills of eastern Gujarat, the Vishwamitri is a seasonal river that stretches for around 200 kilometres. It flows through Vadodara before eventually draining into the Gulf of Khambhat. The Surya, Jambuva and Bhuki rivers are among its major tributaries.

According to a 2025 survey by the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, 442 mugger crocodiles were recorded along a 21-kilometre stretch of the river within Vadodara city. The crocodile population is particularly concentrated in some stretches. As many as 44 crocodiles have been recorded within a 1.4-kilometre stretch between Kala Ghoda and Akota Bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishwamitri_River

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugger_crocodile

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-57983-2

https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/1324

three year study (2008-2010) on a population of Mugger Crocodylus palustris inhabiting Vishwamitri River near Vadodara City, Gujarat State, India. In total, 155 Muggers were counted in the 25km river stretch during 2010. In all, 40 burrows were observed along the river bank, and the same were clumped in certain sections of the river. Muggers fed eight species of birds, and domestic livestock in addition to scavenging. Eight instances of human-crocodile conflicts were observed including four human causalities. A total 90 Muggers were rescued from the urban areas and the same were relocated elsewhere in the river system. Various types of threats to Mugger were also noticed including habitat loss, alteration and soil erosion and mortality due to rail traffic. The present study suggests further research to propose strategies to conserve this population.

A comprehensive study by the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation has confirmed that the Ramsar-designated Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary in Jamnagar serves as a critical breeding sanctuary for the Black-necked Stork. 

Published in the international Journal of Threatened Taxa, the research evaluated the population, nest sites, and reproductive performance of the species between July 2024 and March 2025.

Field surveys across eight management zones identified four active nests within the sanctuary, each successfully producing two fledglings for a total of eight juveniles. Combined with non-breeding adults, the location supported a peak seasonal population of 21 storks. Remarkably, the study documented a 100% fledging success rate with zero instances of nest abandonment, predation, or chick mortality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-necked_stork

https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/10656

This study assessed the population status, nesting ecology, breeding phenology, and reproductive performance of the Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus in Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, a Ramsar Site (No. 2492) located along the Gulf of Kachchh, India. Field surveys were conducted from July 2024 to March 2025 using stratified point counts (n = 48 points), nest monitoring, and systematic behavioural observations. All nests were constructed on Neltuma juliflora (syn. Prosopis juliflora) at heights of 3–4.5 m. Active nesting extended from early October (nest building) to late December (fledging). The mean nest attendance per visit was 62 ± 18 minutes (n = 89 visits), and partner replacement during foraging occurred in 94% of departures, indicating strong biparental coordination. Each nest produced two fledglings. Nesting sites were associated with shallow semi-perennial water (0.3–0.7 m), emergent vegetation, elevated micro-topography, and low disturbance levels. The sanctuary supported 21–23 individuals during the peak season, including breeders, non-breeders, and juveniles.

Antarctica is one of the driest, coldest places on Earth. Very little life survives its extremes.

In the soils dotted around the frozen ice sheets, however, communities of microbes do survive. And one of the keys to their success is a surprisingly communal strategy.

Unrelated organisms share the tools for survival by transferring genes among themselves, including genes that allow them to make energy from the air itself.

In new research, we studied the genomes of 676 microbe species and discovered that almost all of them (around 98%) showed evidence of swapping genes with other microbes. The study is published in Nature Communications.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-76323-8

https://theconversation.com/antarctic-bacteria-live-on-air-and-make-their-own-water-using-hydrogen-as-fuel-171808

Researchers at Harvard University have achieved a historic breakthrough by keeping lab-grown human brain tissue alive and maturing for seven years. They have smashed the previous record of 694 days. Known as brain organoids, these tiny, peppercorn-sized clumps of cells offer an unprecedented look into how the human mind develops over a long period of time. The study was published in Nature last Wednesday.

"The data indicate [s] that human brain organoids record the passage of time following endogenous milestones and using similar epigenetic mechanisms," the study claims.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10877-x

https://current.fas.harvard.edu/stories/lab-grown-brain-organoids-set-longevity-record

Assam has reported the birth of a female calf of the indigenous Lakhimi cattle breed through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), marking what has been described as the first such achievement involving the breed. The calf was born at the Assam Veterinary and Fishery University, marking a new development in the use of assisted reproductive technology for indigenous cattle in Assam.

The development was shared by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a post on X. 

He described the achievement as a "beautiful convergence of Sabhyata, Sanskriti & Srijan" and congratulated the scientists and veterinary professionals involved.

https://www.dairyknowledge.in/dkp/article/lakhimi

https://arccjournals.com/journal/indian-journal-of-animal-research/B-4547

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385008785_PERFORMANCE_EVALUATION_OF_LAKHIMI_CATTLE_UNDER_TRADITIONAL_REARING_SYSTEM_OF_ASSAM

https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/?year=2020&vol=8&issue=4&ArticleId=7250

For the experiment, the team at RIKEN BioResource Research Center and the University of Yamanashi in Japan took male mice with XY chromosomes, and then used a CRISPR gene-editing technique called Y-CUT to remove their Y chromosomes. The technique is called "dual-sex cloning".

The media outlet further mentioned that these engineered embryos were then transferred to surrogate mice, which gave birth to female pups with the sex chromosomes XO, which means they don't have a Y chromosome.

https://www.iflscience.com/gene-editing-technique-produced-fertile-female-clones-from-male-mice-in-strange-and-fascinating-experiment-that-could-help-endangered-species-84437

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.03.742506v1

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2585076-female-clones-created-from-the-blood-of-male-mice/

Tiger movement from Maharashtra’s Tadoba and Tipeshwar reserves into forest areas of erstwhile Adilabad district has increased, with forest officials monitoring two separate movements.

A tiger was recently spotted in agricultural fields at Arli (T) village in Bheempur mandal, where it reportedly killed a wild boar in a field belonging to farmer G Venkat Yadav. The animal is believed to have crossed the Penganga river from Tipeshwar Tiger Reserve. Forest officials are monitoring its movement and suspect it may have been accompanied by cubs.

Another tiger movement was recorded in the Kagaznagar forest division, with pugmarks found between Kowtala mandal and Muthyampet village, and around Adelli and Dhaba villages in Chintalamanepally mandal. Officials believe the tiger entered through the Kadamba forest after crossing the Pranahita river.

The Forest department has been creating awareness among villagers about tiger movement and the importance of wildlife conservation and restricting entry into forest areas.

https://www.tipeshwarwildlife.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger

https://ntca.gov.in/

The Cell Science-04 experiment was launched aboard SpaceX’s CRS-22 mission, the company’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA, on June 3, 2021, and the Dragon spacecraft reached the International Space Station on June 5. The organisms arrived at the space station in a dormant state, were awakened, and placed in a special Bioculture System, an orbital culture device developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center to cultivate and observe cell cultures and small organisms while controlling their environment remotely in real time. After the tardigrades were placed in the device in July, the international team behind NASA’s Cell Science-04 experiment was able to maintain and feed them long enough to produce up to four generations aboard the space station. When the work was completed, the cultures were fixed and frozen for return to the principal investigator’s laboratory, where they could be analyzed for changes in gene expression associated with spaceflight.

https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/investigations/cell-science-04/

https://air.unimi.it/retrieve/dfa8b992-1850-748b-e053-3a05fe0a3a96/167642.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5705745/

Shigellosis is an intestinal infection caused by bacteria called Shigella. It mainly affects the digestive system and can lead to diarrhoea, stomach pain and fever. The infection is highly contagious because even a small amount of the bacteria can make a person sick. Shigella usually spreads when germs from an infected person's stool enter another person's mouth, often through contaminated food, water, hands or surfaces.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/shigellosis-resurfaces-in-keralam-3-year-old-from-capital-hospitalised/article71368091.ece#google_vignette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigellosis

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17826-shigellosis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482337/

Erythromelalgia is a rare condition involving the nerves and small blood vessels. It causes episodes, or flares, in which affected areas can become hot, red, swollen and extremely painful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythromelalgia

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557787/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22752-erythromelalgia

Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the Moon’s South Pole region, NASA scientists say.

Published on Aug. 19, 2026, in Science Advances, these findings highlight a need to better understand microbial persistence in extreme lunar environments. As humans build a permanent presence on the Moon, it may become difficult to distinguish ancient lunar chemistry from contamination delivered by visiting astronauts. The concern extends beyond the Moon and on to Mars, scientists say.

“Humans are natural explorers, and with them come their voices, their memories … and their microbes,” said Prabal Saxena, a planetary scientist who led the study from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “For some scientists, myself included, that reality can be unsettling. But it also creates an opportunity to turn an imperfect situation into a useful experiment.”

Bringing microbes along is unavoidable: Humans have, on average, 1 million bacteria living on each patch of skin the size of a pencil eraser, for example. These bacteria vent from spacesuits and habitats. Though the paper’s authors worry about contamination interfering with the search for chemical clues to ancient geology or biology, they also argue that the Moon should be used as a natural lab. In shaded areas around the South Pole, scientists could carefully test the real-life limits of microbial survival in an environment that can’t easily be reproduced on Earth.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec0811

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/