Research Matters

Standing a metre tall and weighing up to a whopping 18 kilograms, the Great Indian bustards (GIB) are one of the heaviest flying birds on Earth. Yet, they are unable to ‘throw their weight around’ in this world dominated by us. Their numbers have drastically declined by nearly 90% in the last 50 years, and the future of these charismatic birds look very bleak. They are now in a tight race against time for their survival, and if things don’t change fast, they could be the first species to go extinct in independent India.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Delhi, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi and the SMiLE Incubator, Sweden have found alarming cases of drug-resistant bacteria in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). 

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College and Sassoon Government Hospitals study how household air pollution can affect tuberculosis.

A newly discovered species of ground-dwelling gecko from Karnataka has been named Hemidactylus vijayraghavani, after Prof K VijayRaghavan, the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India. Mr Zeeshan A. Mirza, a researcher from Prof VijayRaghavan’s lab at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, is the person behind this discovery.

In a recent study, researchers have reported the discovery of yet another species of frog in the Western Ghats of Kerala. This species, named Microhyla darreli belongs to the genus Microhyla, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs because of their triangular-shaped body and pointed snout. The frogs of this genus are widely distributed through Japan, China, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Researchers from NIAS, Bengaluru, Kyoto University, Japan, University of Colorado, and the Northwestern University, USA, have tried to understand what causes of the strange preference of  ‘geophagy’, or ‘eating the earth’ in primates. 

Researchers from two Spanish institutes—the University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, and CCMB in Hyderabad, have identified some genes and regulatory elements involved in damage-response of the Drosophila regeneration process.

Researchers discover eight new species of bent-toed geckos in the Northeast states of India.

Researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India have reported the first photographic evidence for the majestic tiger in the Eastern Himalayas at altitudes as high as 3,630 m.

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.