Anusha Krishnan

The Linnaean or binomial system of nomenclature for naming organisms has been in use for over 200 years and is a cornerstone of taxonomy.
The conventions followed in naming species have recently come under scrutiny, especially in cases of eponyms or scientific names based on people’s names.
The Indian scientific community often uses a combination of eponymous names and local names when naming species.
The science of biology would be nothing without names.
One of the first steps in studies inv...

A new study shows that wild populations of Indian star tortoises, one of the most trafficked species in the world, exist as two genetically distinct populations – one in northwestern India and the other in southern India.
This study also shows that the biogeography of wild Indian star tortoises is well-structured and that the two populations have moderate to high genetic diversity; this contradicts previous findings.
Integrating genetic data into the management of Indian star tortoises can le...

Welcome and unwelcome guests, ranging from emerald-coloured beetles to moths and butterflies, are not uncommon in this big city bedroom

Extremely resourceful and intelligent, several rodent species live close to humans, often outsmarting efforts to get rid of them

In our cities, bats may roost anywhere — under window shades, overhangs, tree branches, buildings, temples, bridges, tunnels and even the undersides of tiled roofs

An international team of scientists has developed a new decision-making tool to identify high conservation-value areas (HCVAs).
Using this tool, the researchers have identified HCVAs for 50 rare, endemic, and threatened species in the high altitude Changthang landscape in India.
More than 60% of the total geographical area of the Changthang plateau has been identified as HCVAs for these species, and much of these areas fall outside of the Changthang Wildlife sanctuary.

Mutualisms are positive interactions between two species. However, this term is not the same as cooperation or symbiosis.
Mutualisms are some of the most common ecological interactions. They are also responsible for some of the key events in the evolution of life on earth, such as the formation of eukaryotic cells, which are the modern-day cells that all animals, plants and fungi are made of.

Researchers in Gujarat have developed a model to identify individual mugger crocodiles using artificial intelligence.
The research team used drones to collect images of muggers in three different locations in Gujarat with very different ecosystems – Vadodara, Kachchh and Anand.
The model could be useful in rescue and relocation efforts to minimise human-crocodile conflicts and in analysing mugger biology.

Diabetes is a common disease in India; however, many myths about the disease are still prevalent even amongst educated people in the country. This popular science article aims to provide an in-depth look at the different kinds of diabetes in India to people with no medical background.

Greenwashing is a term commonly used to indicate deceptive marketing and advertising tactics to deceive stakeholders into believing that a particular product is environmentally friendly.
One of the major motives of greenwashing is to create public confusion and manipulate public opinion to sway consumer markets.
Currently, strong backlashes in public opinion against greenwashing have been keeping this practice somewhat under control. Strong social accountability and a tripartite system have b...

Humans being the social creatures that we are, we thrive on interaction. While many of these interactions are pleasant, many are not. ‘Unpleasant’ interactions can be highly variable – from those causing mild discomfort to others involving outright conflicts.
Non-conflict situations
Since most of us are not formally trained to handle ‘unpleasant’ interactions, we either turn to confrontation, or to pre-existing ways of tackling such situations of which we are already a part. Most of these pre...

Kamala Bai’s (name changed) story is one of poignant transformation – where she changed from a desperate woman begging for a solution, into an empowered speaker for her community.
Kamala Bai was one of the 9 million faceless migrants to the big city, where she worked as a domestic help to earn money for her family in rural Chhattisgarh.
Until the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
In the chaos of the sudden and prolonged lockdowns, Kamala Bai was out of work, out of money, and was driven home to her vill...

Imagine a housing colony that lies nestled between a busy marketplace and a posh residential area within the city of Bengaluru.
Built as cheap housing for the economically weaker sections (EWS), the colony faces many issues with basic utilities. But the hours-long power cuts, poor insulation, and leaky walls and roofs, pale in comparison to their major problem. A lack of clean water.
Every day, at some random time, a water truck trundles into the main road of the colony to dispense water. The...

There are three fundamental principles in the Dialogic Method – value creation, non-binary approach, and self-determination.
Value-creation
While most approaches towards solution-finding look at distributing available value or resources, the Dialogic Method focuses on creating additional value before apportioning it.
Non-binary approach
To be able create value instead of merely distributing it; we need to expand the possible range of solutions that may exist or craft new solutions entirely, w...

Initiative fatigue sets in when too many attempts at dialogue meet with consistent failure. Even if each failure exposes a new facet of the situation, which is then addressed in the next attempt at dialogue, such long, perhaps steep learning curves can create fatigue. It is a situation where the most willing or likely person to start a dialogue is burnt out and loses his/her/their drive to find a solution.
For example, the leader of a minority community could very well give up on engaging wit...