Community-led Conservation, Biofuel Blending, Coal Mapping, World's Oldest Rocks, Cobras and more...

In this edition of the Research Matters newsletter, we have research-based articles and new species discoveries. In the Research Beat section, we compile the top science, research and technology news from major Indian media outlets. Don’t forget to participate in the India STEAM Quiz, our fortnightly science quiz based on the latest news articles. And check out Scidle - our science-wordle game featuring a new science word every day.

Researchers have discovered that while public support for the mahseer fish is high across India, a lack of local authority and poor communication between groups are preventing vital conservation work from taking place.

A new study finds that while India’s 20% ethanol goal helps cut emissions and energy dependence, it risks creating massive sugar surpluses and hiking food costs unless the right crop sources are prioritised.

Researchers have developed a region-specific mathematical model for the Jharia coalfield that predicts gas flow based on the width of microscopic fractures, bypassing the need for difficult length measurements and improving the efficiency of both fuel extraction and carbon dioxide storage.

A new study on a rare rock formation in central India that serves as a high-resolution time capsule of our planet’s infancy. The research has confirmed that the Pichhore orbicular granite is approximately 2.56 billion years old.

Researchers have discovered that while Sri Lankan cobras constitute a genetically unique lineage, the spectacled cobras across mainland India form a single, highly connected population despite their diverse physical appearances.

• New firefly species discovered in Mawsynram, the wettest place on earth

• New species of ‘porcelain crab’ with a striking red shell discovered in Lakshadweep’s coral reefs

Have you been keeping up with all the top STEAM news from India? Find out with the India STEAM Quiz, a weekly science, technology, engineering, arts and math quiz by Research Matters featuring questions from STEAM-related news from the past week.

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1. Approval granted for establishing Quantum teaching facilities/laboratories in 23 academic institutions across India - PIB

2. India’s private space industry shoots for the stars - Economic Times

3. India achieves milestone with launch of first private-sector orbital rocket - Al Jazeera

4. Diamonds and ‘cab to orbit’: Rocket aiming to transform India’s space ambitions takes off - BBC

5. India now has the funds, the talent and the opening for a research leap - The Indian Express

6. Science students face uncertainty as flagship ₹80,000-a-year scholarship remains in limbo - Hindustan Times

7. Enhancing national research intensity needs perseverance, not one-off measures - Moneycontrol

8. India opened space to private players. ISRO brain drain is one result - The Print

9. Higher pay, better opportunities, more recognition: Why scientists are leaving Isro - India Today

10. My IIT, My Story: Deer, deep research and midnight chai shape life at IIT Madras - India Today

11. Bengaluru and Chennai losing hours of sleep every year, and climate change is to blame, study finds - Mint

12. One of the world’s oldest orbicular granites is in India: The 2.56-billion-year-old Pichhore rock is baffling scientists with its mysterious spherical structures - Times of India

13. IITR develops method to detect 45 PFAS compounds in 10 mins - Times of India

14. Plastic may harm kids’ ability to learn - Times of India

15. CSIR-CSMCRI powers JAL-YAAN, India’s first compact, solar-integrated, self-powered multi-source water purification van with Rite Water - The Tribune

16. Ladakh Begins Work on India’s Highest Commercial Lilium Cultivation Field - Deccan Chronicle

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