Mainstreaming It AllSome Andaman and Nicobar Islands Are Now Named After Military Heroes. This Undermines Both Local Culture and Military Lives The bid to "unify" the country comes at the cost of erasing local, indigenous cultures -- and glorifying the narrative of sacrifice. By Devrupa Rakshit
Decolonize This TakeWords Mean Things: ‘Decolonization’ Decolonization had a powerful connotation. Now, it's being used to defend mythology as science. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
EggceptionAn Egg ‘Inside’ Another Dinosaur Egg Was Found in Madhya Pradesh “[T]his could provide important insights into whether dinosaurs had reproductive biology similar to that of turtles and lizards, or crocodiles and birds.” By Devrupa Rakshit
National Multi-hyphenateThe Buzz Cut: Self‑Appointed National Hero Requests Next Film Be Compulsory School Viewing This week in The Buzz Cut: poverty is high fashion, diapers capture mass attention, and a patriotic man asks the government for a favor. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Nature and NurturePrehistoric Humans May Have Used Firelight to ‘Animate’ Art "The interaction of engraved stone and roving fire light made engraved forms appear dynamic and alive." By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Discovery by the OceanHow Grains of Sand Can Unlock Earth’s Ancient History, According to New Research “The world’s beaches faithfully record a detailed history… with billions of years of Earth’s history imprinted in the geology of each grain of sand.” By Saumya Kalia
Super-Dinosaur‘Supersaurus’ Is the Longest Dinosaur Known to Ever Exist, Scientists Find The dinosaur is more than 128 feet from nose to tail -- “with a head the size of a horse... hip muscles as big as a car... [and its length] longer than three school buses.” By Devrupa Rakshit
Early To RiseEarth’s First Land to Rise Above the Ocean is in India Scientists believe Jharkhand's Singhbhum region was exposed to air over 3.2 billion years ago when the Earth was believed to be covered in water. By Devrupa Rakshit
Stone Age HighNew Research Shows Humans Have Been Using Tobacco Since the Stone Age What the researchers don’t know yet is whether our ancestors chewed the tobacco or smoked it. By Devrupa Rakshit
Pet Exotica‘World’s Most Dangerous’ Bird Was Raised By Humans 18,000 Years Ago, Study Shows “This behavior that we are seeing is coming thousands of years before [the] domestication of the chicken... [of] a huge, ornery, flightless bird that can eviscerate you.” By Devrupa Rakshit
Pre-Historic Young TalentWorld’s Oldest Cave Art Was Made by Children, Study Shows "Whatever these humble traces represent, they clearly evoke images of children at high elevations, enjoying a spot of creative play." By Devrupa Rakshit
A Shaky PedestalWhat Explains Societal Obsession With Erecting Statues in a Post‑Truth World? When our reality, values, and knowledge keep changing, it makes little sense to have a symbol of permanence installed on a physical pedestal. By Saumya Kalia
Patient ZeroThe First Known ‘Plague Victim’ Was a 5,000‑Year‑Old Hunter‑Gatherer, Scientists Find The new contender for "patient zero" provides insights into the spread of the bacteria, Yersinia pestis, which caused the bubonic plague in Europe. By Devrupa Rakshit
Newer and BiggerOld, Mysterious Design Discovered in India’s Thar Desert Is the “Largest Drawing Ever Made” The 10,000 square feet spiral artwork overtakes the famed Nazca lines in South America. By Devrupa Rakshit
Future ImmunityBubonic Plague Increased Immunity in Future Generations, Research Suggests Scientists extracted 36 plague victims' DNA to see the difference in immunity markers -- to shed light on "our own evolution." By Devrupa Rakshit
RevisionismUGC Drafts New History Syllabus To Include “Idea of Bharat,” Chapters on Religious Texts This is the first time the higher education body, which generally issues guidelines, has recommended a full syllabus. By Aditi Murti
Censoring HistoryKarnataka Govt Scraps Textbook Chapter After Brahmin Board Says it ‘Hurts Religious Sentiments’ The sections described how Jainism and Buddhism flourished in the Vedic period because of the inaccessibility of Brahmin rituals. By Satviki Sanjay
From Past To ProgressScientists Discover Oldest Animal DNA Ever, Recovered From Mammoths This DNA could help evolutionary researchers convey statements about "how mammoths came to be mammoths, why they look the way they do and how diverse they were." By Aditi Murti