The mountainous state of Sikkim and its famous Yumthang hot spring now has another distinction—the abode of Geobacillus yumthangensis, a new species of bacteria. In a recent study, researchers from the Sikkim University, Gangtok, and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, have isolated a new species of bacteria from the waters of the hot spring.

The U.S. News & World Report, an American media company and a leading authority in education rankings, has recently announced the 2019 Best Global Universities Rankings covering 1,250 educational institutions from 75 countries across the globe.

In a recent study published in the journal General and Comparative Endocrinology, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have described how urbanisation is shaping the social behaviour and strategies of lizards. The researchers conducted their studies on the South Indian rock agama (Psammophilus dorsalis), a common resident of rocky hills in South India.

The success rate of the ambitious Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), driven by the Government of India, is appaling, reports a study.

In a new study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and the Institute of Pulmocare and Research, Kolkata, have developed a new, efficient method to detect asthma—by listening to the sound made by the lungs of the patients. Their findings were published in the journal Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine.

On the 25th of October, 2018, an event was organised in New Delhi to celebrate the successes of a decade-long Indo-UK collaboration in research and innovation, and to mark the launch of the UK Research and Innovation India (UKRI India). UKRI India is a new body that partners with universities, research organisations, and government funding agencies to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish.

Researchers described a close association between microbes and plants that they live in, and how this relationship benefits both. The association, called the ‘rhizophagy cycle’, involves friendly bacteria and fungi that live in the roots of specific plants and help in nutrient transfer.

Researchers from ICAR-NDRI, Karnal and the ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar, described how some proteins present in the saliva of a female buffalo might help in detecting their estrus or mating stage.

In a recent announcement, Dr Shekhar C. Mande, the current Director of the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune has been appointed as the new Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), India. He succeeds Dr Girish Sahni, who retired on 31st August 2018. CSIR is one of the world’s largest publicly-funded research and development organisations and is known for its contributions in diverse areas of science.

In a recent study, scientists have reported that the extract of the plant Toxicodendron pubescens, commonly called the Atlantic poison oak, could help alleviate neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage. The study included researchers from the R. C. Patel Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, SVKM’s Institute of Pharmacy, Janmangal Homeopathy and Wellness Centre and UAE University.