Did you know that there is a link between climate change and snake venom? Research indicates that weather patterns are connected to changes in Russell's viper venom composition. With potential life-or-death implications, this study sheds light on how ecological shifts can affect human health. Read https://researchmatters.in/news/tracking-changes-russels-viper-venom-changing-climate to learn more!

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝟭𝟳 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁!
𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀!

This week, the world celebrated Earth Day, to protect the only home humanity knows, our Earth. Check out our poster for the International Mother Earth Day 2025.
In this week's stories; a novel lotus leaf-like evaporator for saltwater for desalination, A decade long study of the marine turtles in India, the wierd pulsing of the Pulsar SXP138, how Russel’s Viper venom changes with the climate and more. Check out our regional section for stories in Hindi, Marathi. There are also stories from other media and events happening this week. Don’t forget to check out Scidle - the science wordle, for a new science word every day.

Check: https://researchmatters.substack.com/p/lotus-leaf-like-evaporator-marine?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=770623&post_id=161883612&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=4zfp17&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email subscribe and do spread the word!

A new study illustrates that interface geometry plays a crucial role in rotary friction welding. By tapering the titanium rod, researchers achieved a 105% increase in tensile strength. This approach prevents the formation of brittle intermetallics, leading to stronger and more durable joints. Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/new-research-friction-welding-significantly-improves-weld-just-change-shape to learn more about the findings.

Scientists have uncovered new insights on solar activity!

Using advanced simulations, they found that random fluctuations in the Sun’s plasma play a crucial role in long-term solar cycles. This helps explain the mysterious changes in the Sun's behavior. Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/beyond-11-year-cycle-new-research-uncovers-suns-supradecadal-patterns more to understand the implications for space weather forecasting.

A recent study maps land degradation in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. It identifies areas facing critical environmental challenges and highlights the need for urgent restoration efforts. This crucial information can guide local communities and agencies in prioritizing actions against land degradation.

Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/satellite-eyes-reveal-indias-scarred-lands-indias-dry-regions to learn more!

New research from IISER Bhopal shows that a sustainable membrane made from natural materials can improve #fuel cell performance. It's designed to be a better barrier against #methanol crossover. This could lead to more efficient portable power. Read https://researchmatters.in/news/scientists-create-bio-based-membranes-fuel-cells to deep-dive!

A latest research unveils a novel composite material, WSe₂@PVP, designed to enhance supercapacitor performance. By combining Tungsten Diselenide with a polymer using a simple method, we created an electrode that stores significantly more energy and lasts through thousands of charge cycles. This breakthrough could lead to faster-charging electronics and more efficient energy grids.

Read https://researchmatters.in/news/simple-polymer-could-boost-supercapacitor-performance-shows-new-study to deep-dive!

Weekly Newsletter Issue 19 is out!
Exciting news this week!

A new antivenom from Tim Friede's antibodies, land degradation in Anantapur, detecting magnetic blackholes, Parkinson’s effects on reward processing, biofuels, and improved supercapacitors. Check out regional stories & Scidle!

Read: https://researchmatters.substack.com/p/land-degradation-magnetic-black-holes to dive deeper into this week's issue!

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New research from Centre for Wildlife studies reveals how endangered lion-tailed macaques navigate their environment. They show strategic movement through vertical forest spaces, choosing safety in the canopy.
Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/study-sheds-light-how-indias-lion-tailed-macaques-navigate-changing-world to dive deeper into understanding their habitat use and how it is crucial for conservation efforts!

CERN's ALICE detector has measured the masses and yields of hyperhydrogen-4 and hyperhelium-4. These particles are rare and decay quickly, making their detection challenging. The results will enhance our understanding of strong forces involving strange quarks, offering new perspectives on the genesis of matter in the universe.

Read https://researchmatters.in/news/exotic-antimatter-spotted-heavy-ion-collisions-lhc to deep-dive!

Understanding microplastic formation is vital. A study details the breakdown of materials like PP, PET, and PS, highlighting a specific mechanism that leads to persistent nanoplastics, urging better waste management.

Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/study-sheds-light-how-micro-and-nano-plastics-form to deep-dive!

Researchers have designed a new molecule, compound 7c, that selectively targets HDAC3, an enzyme linked to aggressive breast cancer. Lab tests showed it killed cancer cells and triggered cell suicide.

Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/scientists-design-new-molecule-fight-aggressive-breast-cancer to deep-dive!

A new survey in the Trans-Himalaya region of Ladakh reveals that snow leopards occupy 72% of the sampled area, estimating a population of 477 individuals. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of these elusive cats, paving the way for more effective conservation strategies in their mountainous habitat.

Read:https://researchmatters.in/news/most-extensive-survey-elusive-snow-leopards-undertaken-ladakh to deep-dive!

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬!
Indian Council of Agricultural Research has unveiled two new genome-edited rice varieties—DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1—using CRISPR-Cas9! 🚀 With a 19% yield boost, 20% less greenhouse gas emissions, and 7,500 million cubic meters of water saved, these varieties are set to transform rice cultivation in multiple states!

Read: https://researchmatters.in/sciqs/genome-edited-rice to deep-dive!

Household water access in India is critically tied to climate patterns. Analyzing data, researchers from IIT Madras found that those with higher historical temperature variability are less affected by current heat shocks. This suggests targeted investments in adaptive infrastructure could help vulnerable communities manage water more effectively.

Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/temperature-shocks-are-increasing-water-poverty-among-households-finds-new-study to deep-dive!

Did you know? Jarosite needs water and acidic conditions to form, so finding it on Mars is strong evidence that #water was present there in the past. It can also trap organic molecules like glycine within its structure, making it interesting for the search for past life on Mars!
Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/how-mineral-found-kachchh-could-help-date-events-mars to know how a mineral found in Kutch could help date events on Mars!

𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔!
Weekly newsletter Issue 21 is out!

This week, learn about the first government-approved genome-edited rice varieties—DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1—created using genome-editing technology based on CRISPR-Cas.
In this week's stories, the process of micro and nano plastics formation, a new molecule to fight aggressive triple-negative breast cancer, the most extensive snow leopard survey, the relation between water poverty and temperature shocks, mining minerals on Earth to study Mars and more. In the regional section, we have stories in Hindi and Marathi. There are also STEM stories from other Indian media outlets. Check out the events section for all this week's public science events. Don’t forget to check out Scidle - the science wordle, for a new science word every day.

𝑨𝒍𝒔𝒐, 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕. 𝑾𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕! 𝑨𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎, 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒔, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎, 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.

D𝐨 𝐲o𝐮 𝐡a𝐯e a r𝐞s𝐞a𝐫c𝐡 𝐩u𝐛l𝐢c𝐚t𝐢o𝐧 𝐨r u𝐩c𝐨m𝐢n𝐠 𝐞v𝐞n𝐭s y𝐨u w𝐚n𝐭 𝐮s t𝐨 𝐜o𝐯e𝐫 𝐢n t𝐡e n𝐞w𝐬l𝐞t𝐭e𝐫? P𝐥e𝐚s𝐞 𝐞m𝐚i𝐥 𝐮s a𝐭 𝐞d𝐢t𝐨r𝐬@𝐫e𝐬e𝐚r𝐜h𝐦a𝐭t𝐞r𝐬.𝐢n.

Read: https://researchmatters.substack.com/p/micro-and-nano-plastics-cancer-fighting

Rubcrete: A unique ‘handshake’ between rubber from shredded tyres and cement could be key to durable, sustainable construction. Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/understanding-rubcrete-how-waste-tyres-are-making-concrete-tougher-and-greener to learn more!

Recent genetic research on the Kodavas of Coorg reveals a diverse ancestry comprising three distinct groups. Coorg1 shows ties to ancient South Indian tribes, while Coorg2 connects to Indo-European populations. Coorg3, however, stands out with unique genetic markers, hinting at a complex history. Read: https://researchmatters.in/news/genetic-studies-show-kodavas-coorg-have-complex-unique-past to deep-dive!