Research Matters

04/01/2026

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝟒 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐳 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭!

How much do you know of last week's Indian science?
Test your speed and accuracy on everything from bird-strikes to eco-friendly tableware!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀:
1️⃣ 45𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
2️⃣ 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯

A fun and engaging weekly quiz to test your knowledge of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

31/12/2025

𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆!

This year at Research Matters, we bridged the gap between science and society through research-based articles, regional science articles in Kannada, Hindi and Marathi, participated in the JournalismAI challenge by Polis LSE and Google News Initiative, and launched new content: Scidle, and the India STEAM Quiz. As we prepare for 2026, we invite you to join our AI workshop at the India Science Festival in Pune this January. And stay tuned for a host of new content coming up next year.

Explore the best of 2025 Indian science in our latest newsletter: https://researchmatters.substack.com/p/2025-research-matters-year-in-review



Gubbi Labs Department of Science and Technology, Government of India Anusandhan National Research Foundation - ANRF

Weekly Newsletter | Issue #53 - 31 Dec, 2025

30/12/2025

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐀 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

As 2025 concludes, India celebrates a remarkable year of scientific progress.

We saw the discovery of the Indian Octopus Squid and new moth species, alongside critical snow leopard surveys. On the cosmic front, researchers used Gujarat's minerals to date Martian history and detected massive black hole mergers. Engineering feats like the Chenab Bridge proved our mettle in large-scale engineering, while green energy catalysts demonstrate practical solutions to climate change. From decoding the genetic ancestry of the Kodavas to mapping Himalayan rock glaciers and advancing regenerative medicine, the Indian scientific community continued to address mysteries of biology and address local challenges with ingenuity.

As we look back on a year defined by discovery and resilience, take a moment to dive deep into the fifteen key stories that shaped our world!

Check: https://researchmatters.in/index.php/news/2025-year-discovery-and-resilience-indian-science

A look back at the fifteen key stories of the year on Research Matters, showcasing the ingenuity and dedication of the Indian scientific community in 2025.

28/12/2025

We have a new quiz for this week!
EPISODE 3 of STEAM quiz!

How much do you know of last week's Indian science?
Test your speed and accuracy on everything from gut microbes to space missions!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀:
1️⃣ 45𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
2️⃣ 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯

26/12/2025

Research Matters wishes you a joyful holiday season!

We’re taking a short break and will be back soon.
Stay tuned!

24/12/2025

Hurricane damage assessment, VOICE Fellowship updates, vulture-killing drugs, a mathematician chasing a conjecture, and a graphene battery breakthrough--
Science this week spans crisis, curiosity, and cutting-edge innovation! 🧪🌍

Read: https://researchmatters.substack.com/p/hurricane-damage-voice-fellowship to dive deeper into the scoop!

Weekly Newsletter | Issue #52 - 24 Dec, 2025

21/12/2025

𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘇 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸!
𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘇!

🧬🌾 How much do you know of last week's Indian science?
𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘭𝘻𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀:
1️⃣ 45𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
2️⃣ 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯

20/12/2025

The Battle for Vulture Survival in South Asia 🦅

Vultures are vital for human health, but they face a deadly pharmaceutical threat. Despite government bans on diclofenac, undercover surveys in pharmacies show that other toxic drugs like nimesulide and aceclofenac are still being sold to farmers. The study is published in Bird Conservation International, Cambridge University Press, and stresses that safety testing must be mandatory for all new veterinary drugs to prevent a total population crash.

Head to: https://researchmatters.in/news/despite-ban-vulture-killing-drugs-still-shelves-many-pharmacies-south-asia-including-india to dive deeper!

Despite successful bans on the veterinary drug diclofenac in Nepal and parts of India, a decade-long undercover investigation reveals that toxic alternatives like flunixin and nimesulide are rapidly replacing it, posing a renewed existential threat to the region’s critically endangered vulture pop...

18/12/2025

Here's a question in this week's edition of India STEAM Quiz.

Which Indian institution is hosting the next edition of the India Science Festival? Is it IISc Bangalore, IIT Madras, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, or Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune?

Do you know the answer? Go find out similar questions that you may know the answers! Go take the quiz here: https://quiz.researchmatters.in

17/12/2025

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵-𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁: 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟱𝟭 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 '𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹,' 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀—𝗽𝗹𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘇!
Check: https://researchmatters.substack.com/p/indian-mustards-defenses-water-on to dive deeper!

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16/12/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐥: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

A major review by IIT Roorkee and University of Tennessee researchers details how environmental stressors from a warming planet are directly attacking human vision. The eye, exposed as a mucosal surface, is vulnerable to increasing air pollution (linked to glaucoma), rising UV radiation (cataracts), and vector-borne diseases (river blindness). Extreme weather, like heatwaves and floods, also spikes dry eye and conjunctivitis cases. This crisis disproportionately affects low-income groups. The study is published in Journal of Biosciences, Springer Nature.

Want to know why the elderly and low-income populations will suffer the most?
To dive deeper into the scoop, click: https://researchmatters.in/news/blinding-heat-ocular-toll-climate-change

A new review reveals that rising global temperatures, increased pollution, and extreme weather events are driving a global surge in eye diseases, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities and challenging healthcare systems.

15/12/2025

!
Three Unknown Micro-Moth Species Found in the Indian Himalayas

Researchers from ICAR-IARI have confirmed the discovery of three new micro-moth species (Gelechia adi, G. bilobuncusa, and Istrianis ladakhensis) across the high-altitude regions of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. The specimens were identified using advanced DNA barcoding and detailed morphological analysis of their reproductive organs and wings. The findings emphasize the immense, undocumented biodiversity in India's northern mountain ranges. The study is published in Zootaxa.

Want to know why detailed analysis of moth genitalia is key to classification? To dive deeper into the scoop, click: https://researchmatters.in/news/icar-iari-researchers-discover-three-new-moth-species-indian-himalayas

Gelechia bilobuncusa (top, left: ), Gelechia adi (top, right), and Istrianis ladakhensis (bottom). Image credit: Authors, https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.1.6