How would it be if the next cosmic mystery was found by volunteers peering into radio maps?

And what if plants carry a 500-million-year-old switch to survive heat waves?

Those are the two stories we will talk about today. Welcome to This Week in India’s Science. I’m Subhra Priyadarshini — let’s explore a community-driven cosmic discovery and a molecular secret plants use to beat the heat.

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River Ganga’s story of drought stretched a thousand years — right now is this river’s worst chapter yet?

What if the next revolution in green transport began not with batteries, but with a single converter?

What if the sea’s gentlest mammals were quietly absorbing our pollution?

And what if elephants made decisions the way we do — by thinking, feeling, and remembering?

This is This Week in India’s Science on the Nature India podcast.

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A device to transform dairy health — plus, snowflake fractals, molecular antibodies, and ageing skin in a dish.

What if snowflakes could cage electrons? What if your skin could tell its age before wrinkles appear? What if fighting disease started when antibodies acted like architects, not just guards? Can a handheld gadget spot mastitis in milk before farmers even see the signs?

All this in This Week in India’s Science.

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Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Sound editing: Prince George

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Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Sound editing: Prince George

This Week in India’s Science, we’ve got four fascinating stories — from plants rooted in tradition to microscopic satellites and tiny pests — that together tell a larger story about resilience, discovery, and adaptation.

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This Week in India’s Science: we’re venturing out into forests with Indian ecologists, uncovering why migrants are missing from climate plans, introducing an AI app that spots early cervical cancer, and exploring a rare airborne route in Nipah outbreaks.

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This Week in India’s Science, we'll explore how AI is peeking inside plastics, how tiny raindrops teach us about storms, why India is moving away from animal testing, and how a rare form of silicon might just light up future technology.

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Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the Nature India Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Acast or your favourite podcast app. Head here for the Nature India Podcast RSS feed.

In today's episode: Weight gain is increasingly a shared journey in Indian homes; carbon farming could turn Indian croplands into climate allies; a nasal COVID booster may strengthen our frontline immunity and uranium’s flow into groundwater can now be predicted.

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Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Sound editing: Prince George

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Welcome to This Week in India’s Science.

Four big stories this episode — why rising paper retractions are forcing national reform, a potential region-specific solution for snakebite treatment, India’s sprint into biofoundries, and why a strange sequence of solar eruptions lit up Ladakh in red auroras last year.

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Welcome to This Week in India’s Science on the Nature India podcast

This week, we bring you three stories that speak to our changing world — and how we choose to understand it.

We’ll start with a look inward, at the state of science journalism itself. Why is it so often reactive, underfunded, and seen as optional — a side dish in newsrooms — when the stakes have never been higher? Then we head to space — where ISRO and NASA have just launched their first Earth-mapping satellite together. It's a big step for science diplomacy and for the way we track climate change, disaster zones, and land use. And finally, back on the ground — to Kolkata, where researchers have created glowing nanoparticles that hunt down cancer cells with striking precision.

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Episode 61: How scientists caught the heaviest black hole merger ever seen

Teamwork behind GW231123 — plus, beetles reveal coinfection risks, how COVID evades antibodies, and what ageing muscles really need.

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Ultrathin material for 6G technology, endangered dolphins caught in India–Pakistan tensions, flexible snake-inspired robots and colour-changing virus sensors.

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Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Sound editing: Prince George

Lunar cooling during lockdowns, El Niño floods in Maharashtra talavs, a cancer-triggering protein and the race to save India’s ancient horseshoe crabs.

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This Week in India's Science: Vanishing Antarctic ice, a toxic toad's invasive journey, next-gen non-silicon processors and an AI enzyme-hunter.

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This Week in India’s Science: Why India’s carbon offset schemes are failing communities, a Martian basin teeming with salt and ancient water, and a flexible new battery that breathes air.

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Against this rich international backdrop, we spotlight a group of science communicators from India who are navigating their own complex terrain — of multilingual publics, institutional inertia, environmental urgency, and the ambition of making science relevant in everyday life.

We hear candid reflections on the blurred lines between science journalism, outreach, and advocacy; the challenges of working in under-resourced media ecosystems, the power (and pitfalls) of storytelling across languages and platforms and the urgent need for collective climate response in the Global South.

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Cosmologist Jayant Narlikar’s legacy and the Global South’s push for culturally rooted AI

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Self-swimming synthetic cells, surprise erosion hotspots, immune cells behind severe dengue and how ancestral diets shaped immunity.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Sound editing: Prince George

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Remembering K. Kasturirangan, climate risks to mothers, India's pandemic preparedness, mosquito threats from rising seas, and a tulsi boost for goat health

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India's gravitational wave research milestone, the wisdom of Indigenous communities in conservation and an archaeological twist to South Asia's farming origin.

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On this week's show: Bacteria that patch up Moon bricks, magnetic gels that grow muscle in mice, cool leather from waste and a vanishing forest tree’s comeback.

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Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Sound editing: Prince George

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This week we talk about how India’s Guillain-Barré syndrome outbreak highlights water contamination risks, discuss the absence of a national natural history museum in India,explores the birth of massive stars, the launch of India's first elephant mobile clinic and a recent study which reveals that wild cormorants near Kolkata are carriers of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strains. We also shed light on the persistent underrepresentation of women in clinical trials, a practice that compromises the efficacy and safety of medical treatments for female patients and talk about a method to convert carbon nanoparticles found in vehicle exhaust soot into electrocatalysts for hydrogen fuel production.

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This episode of Biolore explores the science and history of plant tissue culture and its transformative impact on agriculture and forestry in India. It highlights key breakthroughs such as haploid culture, pioneered by Panchanan Maheshwari’s team at Delhi University, and micropropagation, which helped scale up plant breeding. The episode also delves into forestry applications, notably the revival of century-old teak trees at the National Chemical Laboratory Pune. Researchers discuss the commercial success of tissue-cultured bananas, the challenges of virus outbreaks, and the need for crop diversification. They talk about how plant tissue culture is reshaping farming, making crops more resilient and improving yields worldwide.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Co-production: Sahana Ghosh; Sound editing and Biolore title music: Prince George; Biolore vocal: Sarah Hyder Iqbal

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The Biolore podcast series presents lesser-known stories from the history of biological sciences in India. This richly researched audio retrospect draws on expert insights, science archives, oral histories, literature reviews and field reportage. Biolore delves into foundational science, analyzing its lasting impact on humankind.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Co-production: Sahana Ghosh; Sound editing and Biolore title music: Prince George; Biolore vocal: Sarah Hyder Iqbal

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The Biolore podcast series presents lesser-known stories from the history of biological sciences in India. This richly researched audio retrospect draws on expert insights, science archives, oral histories, literature reviews and field reportage. Biolore delves into foundational science, analyzing its lasting impact on humankind.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini ; Co-production: Sahana Ghosh ; Sound editing and Biolore title music: Prince George ; Biolore vocal: Sarah Hyder Iqbal

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In the second episode of Biolore, we discuss the science, culture and controversy surrounding the world's most favourite rice — basmati.

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In the first episode, discover how the zebrafish, a tropical fish from the Ganga river, journeyed to a US lab to become a beloved model organism in biomedical research.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini; Co-production: Sahana Ghosh; Sound editing and Biolore title music: Prince George; Biolore vocal: Sarah Hyder Iqbal

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Nature India brings to you an exclusive conversation around the pressing questions scientists in India are contemplating — their wish list for the newly elected government, their favourite science moments and their take on the public understanding of science.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini, production and script: Sahana Ghosh, Subhra Priyadarshini, sound editing: Prince George.

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नेचर इंडिया की 'मोबाइल की दुनिया' (Our mobile world) पॉडकास्ट श्रृंखला उन कई तरीकों पर नज़र डालती है जिनसे स्मार्टफोन ने भारत में विज्ञान और समाज के बीच की गतिशीलता और शोधकर्ताओं के काम करने के तरीके को बदल दिया है। हम भारत में विज्ञान और अनुसंधान के प्रवर्तक के रूप में स्मार्टफोन से लेकर डिजिटल स्वास्थ्य, डिजिटल निरक्षरता, मोबाइल ई-कचरे पर अनुसंधान, डिजिटल विभाजन और चिकित्सा, कृषि और शासन में नवाचार जैसे विषयों पर विचार कर रहे हैं। हमने मुख्य रूप से भारत से कहानियाँ चुनी हैं, लेकिन हमारे पास वैश्विक दक्षिण के अन्य देशों से भी उदाहरण हैं।

होस्ट: सुभ्रा प्रियदर्शिनी, प्रोडक्शन: अरोमा वारसी, साउंड एडिटिंग: प्रिंस जॉर्ज

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आज के एपिसोड में, हम सुनेंगे कि कैसे मोबाईल फोन विज्ञान की शिक्षा के लिए और जनता के साथ जुड़ने के लिए एक बहुत मददगार साधन हैं। हम बात करेंगे शालिनी शर्मा से, जो Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune में Humanities और Social Science में एसोसिएट प्रोफेसर हैं, और साथ ही साइंस मीडिया सेंटर की faculty coordinator भी हैं। हम विज्ञान संचारक रश्मि श्योराण से भी बात करेंगे, जो आई आई टी गांधीनगर में प्रोजेक्ट एसोसिएट हैं और सोशल मीडिया पर भी बहुत सक्रिय हैं।

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Nature India's 'Our mobile world' podcast series looks at the many ways in which the smartphone has changed India’s science-society dynamics and the way researchers work. We will look at themes ranging from smartphones as enablers of science and research in India, to digital health, digital illiteracy, research around mobile phone e-waste, the gender digital divide and innovations in healthcare, medicine, agriculture and governance. We've chosen stories predominantly from India but also have examples from other counties in the global south.

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Sexism and patriarchy directly trigger inequities in science and research. These iniquities, based on gender, caste, age, or ability are increasingly being called out, questioned, and sometimes corrected in heartening and exemplary ways.

In this episode of the Nature India podcast, we are talking about a group of women physicists in India who call such gender-based iniquities into question and push for change in a discipline of science traditionally considered a male bastion. We also get insights into the eighth International Conference on Women in Physics, happening for the first time in India, in July 2023.

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“वैज्ञानिक और उनके अनोखे कर्मक्षेत्र” में हमारे साथ हैं, इंजीनियर एवं एस्ट्रोफोटोग्राफर दोरजे अंगचुक ।अंगचुक १९९८ से, इंडियन इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ एस्ट्रोफिजिक्स, हानले का हिस्सा रहे है। फिर उन्होंने एक दशक बाद अपना कैमरा अंतरिक्ष की ओर कर दिया और खगोल विज्ञान को कुछ प्रसिद्ध और लोकप्रिय चित्र दिए। और इसी कला ने अब उन्हें अंतर्राष्ट्रीय खगोलीय संघ में मानक सदस्य के रूप में स्थान दिया है।

आइये सुनते हैं दोरजे अंगचुक की तारों भरी दुनिया की अनोखी कहानियां।

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In this episode of the Nature India podcast, we look at NTDs, especially in the context of India, and what it will take for countries to eliminate them from the face of earth. Hosting and production: Aroma Warsi, sound editing: Prince George.

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When we speak of scientists, what comes to mind? Test tubes, petri dishes, boring white lab coats in a boring old lab? How about mountain tops or the depths of the ocean, astrophysics observatories or remote wildlife sanctuaries? In this series called “I am a scientist and this is where I work”, we introduce you to the lives of scientists who work in diverse and unique settings – far removed from the popular stereotypes. Over the next few episodes, we will shadow such scientists in their unconventional workplaces.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini, production and script: Aroma Warsi, sound editing: Prince George.

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ये क्राफ्ट् सैन्य अभियानों से लेकर पैकेज वितरण तक के कार्यों में काफ़ी प्रभावशाली हैं। साथ ही, पिछले एक साल में राष्ट्रीय उपलक्षों पर ड्रोन्स ने देश का गौरव और सुंदरता का प्रतीक बन , आसमान को जगमगाने का काम भी बखूबी किया है। गणतंत्र दिवस में राष्ट्रपति भवन, और स्वतंत्रता दिवस परआईआईटी (IIT) दिल्ली परिसर में , जिसने भी ड्रोन शो देखा, उसके मुंह से बरबस ही निकल गया....शानदार, अद्भुत! हाल में इंडिया गेट पर तीन दिन तक चले लाइट शो में आसमान में ड्रोन्स के द्वारा नेताजी सुभाष चंद्र बोस की संघर्ष गाथा को लोग टकटकी लगाए देखते रह गए । उन्नत तकनीक, रंगों और संगीत के बेमिसाल तालमेल से लैस, यह ड्रोन लाइट शो दर्शकों में देशभक्ति का संचार और टेक्नोलॉजी पर हैरानी उजागर करते है।

थ्रीडी कोरियोग्राफी के लिए रिकन्फिगरेबल स्वार्मिंग सिस्टम डिजाइन किया जाता है। इसकी मदद से ही ड्रोन अलग अलग आकृतियां बना पाते हैं। ऐसे ऐतिहासिक क्षणों के पीछे आइआइटी दिल्ली के स्टार्टअप बॉटलब डायनामिक्स के सदस्यों की कई दिनों की कड़ी मेहनत होती है .

आज “वैज्ञानिक और उनके अनोखे कर्मक्षेत्र" (I am a scientist and this where I work) श्रृंखला में आइये बात करते हैं बॉटलब डायनामिक्स की संस्थापक सरिता अहलावत से, और उनसे विज्ञान की इस तकनीक का विवरण लेते हैं।

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This episode, we feature inorganic chemist Sujit Ghosh, who is telling us about how he is tapping uranium, a conventional nuclear fuel, from a rather unconventional source ― seawater.

Host: Subhra Priyadarshini, production and script: Aroma Warsi, sound editing: Prince George.

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For this episode, we have behavioural ecologist Manjari Jain walking us through her unique workplaces — the open skies, under the soil and in muddy puddles, and inside dense forests — where she studies acoustic communication in animals. Host: Subhra Priyadarshini, production and script: Aroma Warsi, sound editing: Prince George.

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In this episode, we hear from Sarita Ahwalat from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, who talks about drone swarm technology and making drones to suit India's extreme weather conditions. Host: Subhra Priyadarshini, production and script: Aroma Warsi, sound editing: Prince George

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In this episode, we hear from cave geomicrobiologists Ramanathan Baskar and Sushmitha Baskar, the couple exploring subterranean caves to look for signatures that might help better define earth's past and future. Host: Subhra Priyadarshini, production: Jinoy Jose P, script: Amrita Gupta Nambiar, sound editing: Prince George.

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