I can’t swim. Imagine that you can’t either. Also, imagine that you fall into this big body of water. You are drowning. The water is slowly filling into your lungs. They say it can take from minutes to hours. But, who are ‘they’? ‘They’, who you can see and hear and are on the banks of that big body of water. ‘They’ are standing on the hard surface, while you are trying to grab onto something, or find a footrest somewhere. However, you can’t because you’re drowning, and you don’t want to. Perhaps, ‘they’ also don’t want you to die.

IIT Bombay researchers study the effects of poor ventilation on occupants of low-income households

Researchers from IISc, Bengaluru, and the Kerala Forest Department, have reported the presence of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in two species of Indian monkeys.

The variability of monsoon rains due to climate change affects Marathwada and Vidarbha regions the most, says a district level study.

The new year is here and we are still revelling in the spirits of 2018! One of our significant initiatives of 2018 was communicating science in regional languages so that the compelling science stories reach far and wide, breaking language barriers. After our debut with Kannada, we scored big with Hindi, Marathi and Assamese. The year 2019 holds more promise and we are all excited about it! Here we present a selected list of stories that were our top ‘local flavours’.

As we bid adieu to 2018 and welcome 2019, here is a snapshot of India’s year in science. From remarkable satellite launches, scientific breakthroughs and a cocktail of controversies, the year that went by was eventful for various reasons. Here is an attempt to travel down the memory line, reflecting on what we saw and what we could learn. While this is not an extensive list and in no way ranked, it is an attempt to highlight India’s year in science.

The year 2018 was marked by exciting discoveries and inventions in the field of medical sciences, life sciences, archeology, physical sciences, and planetary sciences. While some are headline-hitting, most are crucial in cementing our understanding of various tenets in these areas. As we come close to bidding goodbye to 2018, here is a sneak-peek into the trendsetters in science in this year, in no particular order.

You asked it and here we have! Wondering what was popular on Research Matters in 2018? Following are our top-ten stories that gained traction by readers like you. Thank you for your support and hope to see it continue in the years to come.

As the curtain falls on 2018, here is a tribute to those great Indian scientists and innovators who died in the year. These eminent people contributed to various fields of science and helped put India in the frontiers of global scientific advancements. This is in no way an exhaustive list, but it is an effort to bring to the fore the achievers who have left an indelible mark behind. 

In a recent study, researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, USA, St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, and the King George's Medical University, Lucknow, have revealed how changes in the gut microbes are related to inflammation in the HIV-infected children.