Researchers from RRI, Bengaluru and their collaborators at Leiden University, Netherlands, and the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, delved into the lives of nuclear stars, and how gravity influences their orbits. They have identified instabilities, driven by the gravitational interactions between the stars themselves and the central black hole, this can drive a disc full of stars on nearly circular orbits into a state where the disc has more elongated orbits.
The study from IISc found a previously unidentified yeast-like symbiont inside the lac insect Kerria lacca, which gives the insect its distinctive red colour and, may also provide other nutrients in return for shelter.