EvolutionIndia

The Botanical Survey of India proudly shares exciting news—a new species of #wild_kiwi from India has been discovered! 🥝 After extensive field exploration in the rugged terrains of #ArunachalPradesh and detailed taxonomic investigation, scientists have identified Actinidia indica (Actinidiaceae) from the Eastern Himalaya—one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots. 🥝The genus Actinidia comprises now ~56 species globally, but only a handful are reported from India, making this discovery particularly significant. 🥝Actinidia indica is a perennial climbing shrub (2–4 m tall) with densely ferruginous tomentose young branches and large ovate leaves. It bears large white to creamy flowers (4–6 cm across)—notably bigger than its closest relatives. 🥝The species produces globose, olive-green fruits (2.5–4 cm) with a unique reticulate pattern of lenticels, a key distinguishing feature for this species. Found at around 1725 m elevation in Lower Subansiri district, it grows along forest edges in association with diverse sub-tropical flora. 🥝This discovery not only enriches India’s flora but also highlights the immense, still unexplored biodiversity of the #EasternHimalaya. 🥝 This plant was discovered by Dr. S.S. Dash, Scientist-F and in-charge, Technical Section, Headquarters, Kolkata, Dr. Umeshkumar L. Tiwari, Scientist-D, and Mr. Rohan Maity, Senior Preservation Assistant, Central National Herbarium, Howrah. 🥝 The findings have been published in the reputed journal Feddes Repertorium doi.org/10.1002/fedr.7… 👏We congratulate the team for their dedication and scientific excellence. Their work reinforces the importance of taxonomy in uncovering and conserving our rich natural heritage. #NewDiscovery #ScientificDiscovery #Research #ScienceNews #BreakingScience #NewSpecies #SpeciesDiscovery #BiodiversityDiscovery #ScienceCommunity #EasternHimalaya #ArunachalPradesh #NortheastIndia #himalayanbiodiversity

#newspeciesalert Chhapgarus ngankeeae, India’s latest Crustacean find A new species of marine crab has emerged from the mangroves of India’s west coast. Chhapgarus ngankeeae was identified after researcher Sameer Kumar Pati, from Zoological Survey of India, realised that museum specimens were incorrectly labeled. Measuring just 1.6cm, this brown, hairy crab is distinguished by its unique reproductive anatomy and a tailpiece as broad as it is long. To read more: researchmatters.in/news/mistaken-… @zsiwrcpune @ZoologicalI #newspecies #biodiversity #crab #scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #IndianScience #ScienceinIndia

Today, wildlife ecologist & conservationist, Prof. Y. V. Jhala, INSA Senior Scientist @NCBS_Bangalore delivered an enlightening talk on India’s large carnivores and the reintroduction of the cheetah and how science has translated into conservation policy. Absolutely delightful!

Our lab is looking to recruit one PhD student in August 2026. If you are interested in Macroecology and Macroevolution, please do reach out. More details: sites.google.com/view/jahnavijo…

New paper from The Dog Lab, @iiserkol , led by @SrijayaNandi, now in Animal Cognition(@SpringerNature ). Do Indian free-ranging dogs prefer food or petting? 🐕 Food motivates more short-term, but both rewards build positive dog–human bonds. surl.li/hngsqc

@rapiduplift @india_evolution This is so well written! An aside, by any chance have you seen the 'mass extinction debates' documentary which explored how this discussion has been communicated to the public over the decades? Would love to know your thoughts on it. youtu.be/6DHgkMYgp7w

If you are looking for a PhD programme that focuses on interdisciplinary research, this one is for you! ATREE invites applications to the 2026 Doctoral Research Programme in Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies. The programme covers a wide range of themes related to biodiversity conservation, the environment and development, combining tools and methods from ecology, economics, sociology and climate science. For more information and to apply, follow the link in our bio.

An asteroid strike ended the era of dinosaurs and many other life forms 66.05 million years ago. But what role did Deccan Volcanism play in the end Cretaceous mass extinction? I survey the fossil record and other environmental parameters. rapiduplift.substack.com/p/deccan-volca…

Human populations evolved in similar ways after we began farming. An analysis of ancient and modern DNA suggests the extent of convergent evolution in different peoples around the world is even greater than we thought newscientist.com/article/251818…

We will recruit 1-2 PhD students in August 2026 to work on the omics of host-pathogen interactions, evolution of immunological processes, and the genomics of pathogen adaptation & AMR. Write to me for details @india_evolution @IndiaBioscience @AIRSAIndia ashoka.edu.in/programme/phd-…

Check our new publication about the geophagy and seasonal changes in diet in Portuguese Gomphotherium ! bg.copernicus.org/articles/23/18…

By definition, microbes are supposed to be so small that they can only be seen with a microscope. But a bacterium living in Caribbean mangroves never got that memo. Its threadlike single cell is visible to the naked eye, growing up to 2 centimeters—as long as a peanut—and 5000 times bigger than many other microbes. What’s more, this giant has a huge genome that’s not free floating inside the cell as in other bacteria, but is instead encased in a membrane, an innovation characteristic of much more complex cells, like those in the human body. Learn more: scim.ag/41k366S #ScienceMagArchives

Imagine meandering through a dark forest for hours, then traveling all the way home—in a straight line. Bull ants do this every night to feed on tree sap, and scientists have long wondered how. It turns out they use a previously unknown type of Moon compass—never before seen in the animal kingdom, researchers report. Learn more: scim.ag/46QmTOG

Reproduction of multicellular organisms emerges as an exaptation of their ecology: "...our results show that developmental regulation evolves through co-option of ecological interactions during the transition to multicellularity." CC: @niles_eldredge biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

The MicrobeAtlas database: Global trends and insights into Earth’s microbial ecosystems sciencedirect.com/science/articl… #microbiome

Shifting from consuming knowledge as a student to constructing new knowledge as a researcher requires skills and attitudes not instilled by the educational system in India. If you are a fresh PhD scholar, here is a workshop that will help you. bit.ly/4s02HCp

Across ant evolution, colonies have repeatedly split into two distinct social worlds: those ruled by a single queen and those shared among many. This difference is now linked to a supergene that locks in one social fate or the other. nature.com/articles/d4415…

While high-sugar diets can trigger significant health issues for humans, some birds have independently evolved to flourish on sugar-rich nectar and fruit without ill effect. In a new Science study, researchers find that these bird species share convergent evolutionary changes in key physiological traits and metabolic genes that enable their high-sugar diets. scim.ag/3N5oGIS

Nilgai are the largest antelope species in Asia and are native to India, with smaller populations in Nepal and Pakistan. Their name means “blue cow,” or blue bull in Hindi and Urdu, but they are antelope, not cattle

Demographic history of African cattle genetic diversity using ABC. Two waves of entrance of indicine cattle in Africa. Integration of genomic data with archaeological and historical records.