Pilia, an enigmatic genus of jumping spider has just been rediscovered in the tropical forests of Western Ghats after a staggering 123 years. The find has not only led to the description of a brand-new species, Pilia malenadu, but,  also allowed researchers to document the first-ever female of the entire genus.

Science

Bengaluru

A team of researchers from the ATREE, Bengaluru, Concordia University, Canada, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Canada, and Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, Kerala, have traced the biogeographical origins of Piper genus in India.

Hyderabad

Roopkund is a small Himalayan glacial lake in Uttarakhand, situated at an altitude of about 16,470 feet. With its breathtaking scenery, it is a popular trekking destination. However, there is more to this mysterious lake—hundreds of ancient human skeletons lie scattered here, earning it the name ‘skeletons lake’. In a recently published decade-long study, an international team of researchers seem to have traced the origins of these puzzling skeletons.

Bengaluru

Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India describe a new species of bee Melitta indica from Uttarakhand, India

New Delhi

Researchers from Savitribai Phule Pune University have identified two strains of fungi, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus sydowii, which can degrade polythene under laboratory conditions.

Bengaluru

Researchers from Singapore, Thailand and the USA, have created an antidiabetic medicine using extracts from Withania coagulans, commonly known as the Indian Rennet or paneer dodi.

Chennai

Researchers from Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, SASTRA University, Thanjavur and Elite School of Optometry, Chennai have studied how the environmental factors of a classroom affect a student’s clarity of vision.

Bengaluru

About 6,000 years ago, an unfortunate dog suffered from a relatively rare form of cancer. Since then, unlike any other cancer, its cancer cells were swiftly transmitted from one dog to another. Today, this age-old ailment has a name—Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour or CTVT.  In a  recent study, they traced the history of CTVT to Asia, and in the process, helped understand the evolution of cancer in the long term.

Bengaluru

Bengaluru’s decreasing tree cover and expanding concrete jungle in recent decades paints a grim picture of the city’s biodiversity. The tales of sparrows nesting on the roofs, parakeets pecking on the juiciest fruit in the backyard tree or the myriad coloured butterflies dancing in the garden are now fragments of imagination! So where have all the birds, animals and insects gone?

Mumbai

Researchers identify a bacterial strain that prefers aromatic pollutants over sugar as food 

New Delhi

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). 

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