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    Large parts of India are experiencing unusually cold conditions in the opening weeks of 2026, with temperatures dipping well below seasonal norms across east, central and southern regions. Meteorologists are now closely monitoring the possibility of a rare and intense cold blast affecting north India later this month, potentially driven by an Arctic-origin weather system. The cold spell, which began in December 2025 in several regions, has intensified in early January. On January 12, multiple locations across the plains of northwest India recorded sub-zero or near-zero minimum temperatures. The outskirts of Gurgaon reported temperatures close to minus one degree Celsius, while Fatehpur Shekawati in Rajasthan recorded a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius on January 11. ...

    Hidden beneath forest floors, inside rotting wood, across deserts, caves and even near the summit of Mount Everest, lives one of Earth’s most ancient and important groups of animals springtails. These tiny invertebrates, largely unknown outside scientific circles, have been quietly shaping the health of the planet’s ecosystems for more than 400 million years. Springtails, scientifically known as Collembola, evolved alongside mosses and lichens long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Today, they are found on every continent, including Antarctica, thriving in environments ranging from humid rainforests and mangroves to frozen polar soils and underground caves nearly 2,000 metres deep. Despite their insect-like appearance, springtails are not insects. They lack wings...

    The recent deaths of at least 21 people in Indore after consuming contaminated tap water have once again highlighted the deep-rooted weaknesses in India’s urban water supply systems. Preliminary investigations indicate that leakages in the city’s drinking water pipeline allowed sewage to enter the supply, a problem that officials say is linked to ageing infrastructure and the close proximity of water and sewerage lines underground. Such incidents are not isolated. Cities like Bengaluru have also reported repeated contamination scares, despite years of investment in urban water infrastructure. Experts argue that the core issue lies in India’s dependence on intermittent water supply systems, where water flows for only a few hours a day. These systems, they say, are str...

    Scientists studying fossil remains in eastern China have uncovered a rare and puzzling discovery: two nearly spherical dinosaur eggs that contain no traces of embryos or bones, but are instead filled with large mineral crystals. The finding offers fresh insight into how fossilisation can occur under unusual geological conditions and sheds light on the environment during the final years of the dinosaurs. The eggs were discovered in the Qianshan Basin of Anhui Province, an area known for preserving Late Cretaceous fossils. Measuring about 13 centimetres in diameter, the eggs were remarkably well preserved on the outside. However, when researchers examined their interiors, they found hollow chambers lined with clusters of calcite crystals rather than organic remains. ...

    Delhi-NCR residents woke up on Makar Sankranti, January 14, 2026, expecting a familiar winter scene of lingering cold, routine fog and sluggish traffic. Instead, the capital witnessed an unusual and dramatic weather event that unfolded within minutes and vanished just as quickly. Between 7:45 am and 8 am, a dense curtain of fog suddenly enveloped large parts of Delhi and its surrounding regions, reducing visibility to almost zero. Roads, flyovers and railway tracks disappeared under a thick white haze, leaving commuters stunned. What made the event striking was its brevity. Within a short span, the fog began to thin and dissolve, restoring visibility almost as suddenly as it had vanished. This was not the typical overnight fog that blankets north India during wint...

    As Indian cities grow denser and hotter, urban forests are increasingly being promoted as a solution to rising temperatures. But evidence from cities such as Chennai suggests that trees alone are not a universal fix. Urban forests can help cool cities and improve quality of life, but only when planners understand local climate conditions, ecological systems and how people use urban land. Chennai, a coastal city of 4.5 million people, routinely experiences summer temperatures touching 44 degrees Celsius. Despite its cultural richness, with hundreds of temples and a national park embedded within the city, Chennai has limited shaded public spaces. Trees line some roads, but large green parks are scarce, leaving much of the city exposed to extreme heat. As urbanis...

    As people across India prepare to celebrate Makar Sankranti, the festival will arrive amid persistent cold wave conditions and widespread fog across large parts of northern India, even as meteorologists indicate that winter’s tight grip may begin to loosen gradually after midweek. Traditionally, Makar Sankranti marks the Sun’s northward movement and is associated with the waning of peak winter. This year, however, the seasonal transition is expected to be slow and subtle. Weather experts say that while temperatures may start inching upward after the next couple of nights, cold conditions and reduced visibility due to fog will continue to dominate mornings across the Indo-Gangetic plains. “There will be no major change in overall weather conditions on January 14. F...

    The H5N1 avian influenza virus, long considered a major pandemic threat, is once again under intense scientific scrutiny as evidence mounts of its expanding reach across species and its increasing ability to adapt to mammals. Although sustained human-to-human transmission has not yet been detected, researchers warn that the virus may be edging closer to that threshold. Since its first detection in poultry in southern China in 1997, H5N1 has evolved continuously, spreading far beyond birds to infect a wide range of wild animals, marine mammals and, most recently, cattle. What began as a regional outbreak has now turned into a global panzootic, with scientists describing the virus’s spread among animals as largely uncontrollable. According to the World Health Organi...

    India’s climate trajectory is entering a far more dangerous phase, according to consolidated national climate data for 2025, which places the year among the warmest on record while revealing a sharp rise in deadly extreme weather events across the country. Climate experts warn that the signals are no longer gradual or ambiguous but are accelerating at a pace that challenges existing preparedness and response systems. In 2025, India’s annual mean land surface air temperature stood 0.28 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 average, ranking it as the eighth warmest year since systematic records began in 1901. The data reinforces a troubling long-term trend, with ten of the fifteen warmest years recorded since 2011. The decade spanning 2016 to 2025 has now officially been...

    India took a significant step toward consolidating its position as a global technology leader with the launch of the Department of Science and Technology–National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations Centre of Excellence at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. The initiative aims to accelerate deep-technology entrepreneurship and strengthen the country’s science-to-market ecosystem. The Centre of Excellence has been established with financial support of approximately ₹40 crore from the Department of Science and Technology and was formally dedicated to the nation by the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh. The facility is housed in a newly constructed, purpose-built block on the IIM Ahmedabad camp...