Newsbytes

Remains of 2,500-3,000-year-old civilisation found in Jharkhand’s Chouparan

Archaeological evidence of a 2,500-3,000-year-old civilisation has been discovered in Chouparan block of the Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand. Dr Abhishek Singh Amar, head of Asian Studies, Department of History at Hamilton College, New York, had recently visited the site and described it as a major centre of archaeological importance. He believes extensive excavations could reveal more insights into ancient civilisations. Earlier, teams from the Ranchi and Patna zones of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had explored Daihar, Sohra, Mangarh and Hathindar villages in the region. They collected samples of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), a type of black-glazed pottery associated with civilisations dating back to 300 to 100 BC.

Sripalee Mela celebrates India-Sri Lanka civilisational ties

The 2025 ‘Sripalee Mela’, celebrating the people-to-people contact and cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka, concluded in Horana, a town in the Kalutara district of Western Province of Sri Lanka. Sripalee College is a testament of India-Sri Lanka people-to-people connect. It stands as a symbol of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s vision, nurturing creativity and strengthening India and Sri Lanka cultural bonds. The foundation stone of the college was laid by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1934 on the invitation of Wilmot A. Perera, the founder of the college. Tagore visited Sri Lanka three times - in 1922, 1928, and 1934 - and all of his visits left a lasting impact on Lankan culture. The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore left a deep imprint on Sri Lankan culture, art, music, literature and education.

Swimming in lakes with still waters can cause bacterial pneumonia

Swimming in some lakes with still water can lead to infection with Legionella, a bacterium that can cause pneumonia, said a team of researchers calling out on people who engage in open water swimming to be aware of the risk.  Also referred to as Legionnaires’ disease, infection with legionella causes severe lung inflammation that is characterised by fever, chills, malaise, chest pain, cough, fatigue, respiratory symptoms and sometimes diarrhoea. In an article, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the experts explained that legionella bacteria thrive in the warm, stagnant water in plumbing systems, air conditioners, public spas, and even lakes and rivers.

India, Qatar ink MoUs to strengthen economic ties

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said two MoUs have been signed between the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and another between Invest Qatar and Invest India. The minister also announced the elevation of the Joint Working Group on Trade and Commerce to the ministerial level. Speaking at the inaugural session of the India-Qatar Business Forum, Goyal highlighted that the future partnership between the two countries will rest on the pillars of sustainability, technology, entrepreneurship and energy.

Warmth promotes dengue spread

While rising temperatures consistently promote the spread of dengue, rainfall could either increase or decrease the spread, depending on how long a region has experienced a dry season, a study has found. As warmer, humid conditions, driven by climate change, increase dengue outbreaks, including in countries previously unaffected, the study, published in the journal Science, detailed how temperature and rainfall interact, and affect disease spread. Researchers, led by those from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the Institute for Basic Science, stressed on the role of local climate conditions in spreading dengue, thereby warranting tailored strategies in preventing disease.

New insights into Alzheimer's brain inflammation

Brain inflammation, while an important aspect of the immune response, plays a negative effect on Alzheimer's disease. Unlike the acute, short-lived inflammation that fights infection, the inflammation associated with Alzheimer's is chronic and persistent. Scientists have been trying to figure out why this happens.  New research reveals key differences in how the brain's immune system responds to the disease compared to a bacterial infection. The work is presented at the 69th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. The study focuses on how immune cells react to amyloid-beta (Ab) plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's, and how this immune response differs from the reaction to bacterial toxins.

New antibody discovery platform can delve deeper into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

A new antibody discovery platform can delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying the processes behind Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, say researchers.  In diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, specific proteins misfold and clump together, forming toxic aggregates that damage brain cells. The process of proteins spontaneously clumping is called protein aggregation and researchers have now developed novel methods to generate aggregate-specific antibodies as specific probes or modulators of the aggregation process. This new method overcomes significant challenges in characterising these complex and often transient protein structures.

Researchers discover new type of Brain cells that allow you to remember objects

Researchers have discovered a new type of neuron that plays a fundamental role in recognition memory. It means how the brain registers the difference between new and familiar objects and forms long-term memories. These are named Ovoid Cells. They are found in the hippocampus of mice, humans and other mammals. Discovering the neuron provides key insights into how memories form and into the treatment of brain conditions related to object recognition, such as Alzheimer's disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder and epilepsy.