Being "environment friendly" or "eco-friendly" is the 'in thing' today. Aiming a zero-waste or vegan or carbon-neutral lifestyle are now trendy. The recent climate strikes and the declaration of a 'climate emergency' have raised awareness on environmental issues, motivating behavioural change in people towards sustainable lifestyles. However, do people tend to perceive themselves as better than others in living such a planet-friendly life? Yes, says a study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

In a recent study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science and Education Research, Kolkata, have investigated the nest architecture of a species of Indian ant, called Diacamma indicum.

A curious question in science is to know how these different types of lions evolved and how different are today’s lions from their ancestors. In a new study, an international team of researchers have tried to answer these questions by analysing the genes of extinct and living lions. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), finds that about 500,000 years ago, modern and now-extinct lions shared a common ancestor. Further, about 70,000 years ago, two different lineages of modern lions emerged. The findings also have implications on the conservation of the remaining lion population, which is just 10% of what it was a century ago.

Scientists from ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, have observed the competition between our natural gut bacteria and pathogenic bacteria closely. They have identified some proteins involved in this interaction and have also produced microbeads, embedded with these proteins, that have the potential for oral administration to fight pathogenic bacteria. 

Three new species of horned frogs discovered from the forests of Northeast India. 

This article is a tribute to Phillip Anderson, who passed away on March 29, 2020.  Besides his pioneering works in condensed-matter physics, he also wrote extensively on the theme of reductionism and multiscale physics.

What is the importance of Social Distancing in these times of global crisis?

Genius is when someone’s works are so profound that they not only stand the test of time but test the truths of time. It has been 100 years today since Srinivasa Ramanujan was cruelly snatched away at a young age of 32. His works are yet to be fully deciphered.

Animal behaviour studies, which began in the 1970s, had a rocky start as they were viewed as a deviation from biological studies. They try to answer questions relating to why an animal's behaviour differs with different organisms and environmental factors, and the cost-benefits associated with each behaviour. Such studies help to understand not only the biology of the organism but also its ecological role. In one such study, Dr Anuradha Bhat and her group at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, have looked at the mating behaviour of zebrafish.

Research Matters is happy to bring you this article as part of the series on Mathematical Modeling and Data Analysis by the Mathematical Modeling team of Indian Scientists' Response to Covid-19 (ISRC). The second part of this series is on SIR and SEIR Models of Infectious Diseases.