Month: May 2026

    Scientists have developed a promising new cancer treatment after discovering that bacteria living inside tumors may hold the key to attacking cancer cells from within. The experimental therapy works by cutting off the tumor’s energy supply while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed. Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago focused on microbes that naturally exist inside cancer tumors, an area known as the “tumor microbiome.” While these bacteria were once believed to be biologically unimportant, scientists are now finding they may play a much bigger role in cancer treatment. The research team created a tiny protein fragment called aurB from a bacterial protein known as auracyanin. This protein comes from bacteria and was engineered into a peptide capa...

    India is battling one of its harshest heatwaves of the season, with temperatures soaring dangerously close to 48 degrees Celsius in several regions. Uttar Pradesh’s Banda remained among the hottest places in the country for the second consecutive day, recording a blistering 47.6°C, while Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and parts of central India continued to reel under extreme heat conditions. Major cities including Delhi, Ahmedabad and Nagpur witnessed temperatures between 41°C and 44°C, making outdoor activity risky during peak afternoon hours. Even nights have offered little relief, as minimum temperatures in many states stayed nearly five degrees above normal, worsening discomfort for millions. According to the India Meteorological Department, the sever...

    Across the hill landscapes of Northeast India, a once-familiar sound is fading the steady hum of bees moving through flowering fields. For farmers and beekeepers, this silence is not just an environmental concern, but a warning of deeper ecological disruption. In places like Assam’s Karbi Anglong and parts of Nagaland, farmers recall a time when bees were constant companions in traditional jhum fields. These shifting cultivation systems once supported a rich mix of crops that flowered at different times of the year, ensuring a continuous food source for pollinators. Today, that balance is breaking down. Elder farmers describe how jhum fields once hosted 30 to 40 crop varieties growing together paddy, maize, millets, sesame, pulses, pumpkins, and more. This dive...

A new study led by researchers at the University of Maryland has revealed that Antarctic ice loss may speed up much faster than current climate models predict because of a hidden ocean feedback loop that scientists say has largely been overlooked. The research, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, found that meltwater flowing from Antarctic ice shelves does more than raise sea levels. It also changes ocean circulation in ways that trigger even more melting, creating what scientists describe as a self-reinforcing cycle. The study was led by Madeleine Youngs from the university’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. According to Youngs, most current global climate models used to guide international policy do not fully include this interaction between melting ice and oc...

    Researchers at Arizona State University are exploring an unusual solution to help deserts recover after devastating wildfires fungi commonly found in oyster mushrooms. The research focuses on using mycelium, the underground root-like network of fungi, to stabilise soil damaged by fire and reduce erosion in desert regions increasingly threatened by climate change and invasive grasses. The project began after the 2025 Saddlebrooke Fire in Arizona scorched more than 200 acres of grazing land near Falcon Valley Ranch. Months after the fire, researchers found the landscape still badly damaged, with deep soil erosion, blackened vegetation and invasive grasses spreading across the burned land. Civil engineering student Henry Nakaana and environmental engineering stude...

    India is moving forward with an ambitious $9 billion infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island that aims to transform the remote island into a major maritime, aviation, and military hub in the Indo Pacific region. The massive development plan includes a deep-sea megaport at Galathea Bay, a new international airport near Campbell Bay, expanded military infrastructure, roads, tourism facilities, and a planned township that could dramatically reshape one of India’s most ecologically sensitive island regions. Officials say the project is strategically important because of the island’s location near the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors through which nearly 30% of global trade passes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the...

    A new body of research is revealing a powerful but often overlooked truth healthy ecosystems are directly linked to stronger business performance. According to a study conducted in New Zealand, companies operating in regions with richer biodiversity consistently show higher productivity, sales, and profits compared to those in degraded environments. The research analyzed more than 117,000 business records from 2009 to 2022 and combined them with detailed environmental indicators, including river health, drought exposure, land use patterns, and invasive species. Using an economic framework known as the Cobb-Douglas production model, researchers measured how environmental quality often called “natural capital” influences firm output. The findings suggest that a 1% i...

    A new global study has found that nearly 19% of the world population is at high risk from climate related disasters, with researchers warning that billions of people are already exposed to dangerous environmental conditions linked to droughts, floods, heatwaves and cyclones. The research combined household-level vulnerability data with local exposure to four major climate hazards agricultural droughts in rural areas, floods, extreme heatwaves, and tropical cyclones across 160 countries in 2021. According to the findings, around 4.5 billion people are expected to experience at least one of these hazards at intensities severe enough to trigger major social and economic impacts during their lifetime. Researchers identified “high risk” populations as people who are...

    India is witnessing a sharp decline in reservoir storage levels, with 13 major reservoirs now falling below 50% of their normal capacity, according to the latest Central Water Commission (CWC) data. The rapid depletion has raised concerns over future pressure on drinking water supply, irrigation needs and hydropower generation particularly as temperatures rise and monsoon uncertainties persist. Storage falls by 8 BCM in just two weeks CWC data shows that water stored in 166 monitored reservoirs declined from 71.082 billion cubic metres (BCM) on April 30, 2026, to 63.232 BCM on May 14, 2026. This represents a loss of nearly 8 BCM in just 14 days. While current storage is still reported to be about 24% higher than the long-term average, the steep weekly decline s...

    A new study suggests that shrinking Arctic sea ice is not only warming the planet but also increasing the likelihood of unusual and severe winter cold outbreaks across the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers report that declining sea ice may be driving more frequent disruptions of the polar vortex, the atmospheric system that normally keeps Arctic air locked in the far north. Polar vortex instability linked to sea ice loss The polar vortex is a large ring of fast moving winds high above the Arctic that traps extremely cold air around the pole during winter. When it weakens or breaks down, Arctic air can spill southward, triggering sudden cold waves across North America, Europe, and Asia. According to atmospheric scientist Jian Rao and his team at Nanjing Universi...