Viruses are far more than agents of disease. Tracing their discovery, extraordinary diversity, and mysterious evolutionary origins, this article explores how viruses challenge our understanding of life itself. From ancient giant viruses to the debate over a possible fourth domain of life, it reveals why these microscopic entities remain one of biology's greatest enigmas.
A recent study from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai has uncovered that the timing of treatment with the antidepressant Prozac during childhood and adolescence can fundamentally alter the architecture of nerve cells and the emotional behaviour of male, but not female, rats in adulthood, long after the drug treatment has stopped. Male rats administered Prozac shortly after birth showed greater anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour in adulthood. In sharp contrast, male rats administered the very same dose of Prozac during adolescence had long-lasting decreases in anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour. The starkly opposite outcomes highlight that when it comes to the behavioural effects of a drug like Prozac, timing really matters!
What if the future of gut health has been quietly fermenting in Indian kitchens for generations? From a century-old idli batter starter to the hidden "dark microbiome," scientists are uncovering how traditional fermented foods may hold the key to restoring microbial diversity and developing gut health solutions uniquely suited to Indian populations.
IndiaBioscience Outreach Grants awardees Pratibha Gaur and Rishikesh Shukla reflect on their Science for All outreach project in Moradabad, sharing how accessible, hands-on activities helped engage specially-abled children, challenge myths and superstitions, and reveal why inclusive science communication begins with listening, adapting, and ensuring every child can ask, "Why?"
Tanya Sarawagi & Suryesh Kumar Namdeo on
Karishma Kaushik on
Siuli Mitra on
Apoorva Masade, Sampath Kumar & Kamal Kumar Malukani on
Nandini Rajamani, Shivani Jadeja & Jahnavi Joshi on
IndiaBioscience hosted a live conversation with ANRF’s Aparna Gupta on what research impact means and how ANRF’s emerging framework could shape the evaluation of research, development and innovation in India.
2 September 2026 | 4:30 ‑ 5:30 PM IST
A practical webinar to help senior PhD students and early postdocs navigate the fellowship application process, from choosing the right programme and host lab to writing a strong application.
10 August 2026 | 2:30 ‑3:30 PM IST
The Virtual Town Hall on the i3c BRIC-RCB PhD Programme featured Arvind K. Sahu, Executive Director, Regional Centre for Biotechnology.
This session covered the programme structure, research opportunities, and the application process, followed by a live Q&A.
May 25, 2026 | 11:00 AM IST
This episode features Madhuri Dutta, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Commission Research at the George Institute for Global Health, India and leads research, management and capacity building initiatives. An Indian Research Management Initiative Fellow supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Wellcome Trust India Alliance, Madhuri is also a part of the Global CORE Unit and works with colleagues from other regional offices of the institute. She has contributed to several courses, workshops and training programmes in research skills for early career researchers. Madhuri is interested in creating institutional processes that facilitate quality research and an enabling research environment.
This podcast episode features Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief of Nature's magazine and research editorial teams.
Speaking with Sreshtha Mondal from IndiaBioscience, Magdalena provides the editorial and publisher's perspective on Nature's policy change from mid-June 2025. Hear her share details about how the decision came through after a period of trial, advice on how to make the best of this decision by reviewers, authors and communicators and a lot more.
This podcast episode features Deepti Jain, Professor and structural biologist at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India.
Speaking with Sreshtha Mondal from IndiaBioscience, Deepti provides an academic’s perspective on Nature's policy change. Hear her share details about the peer review process and its significance for scientific research, how structural biology, as a field, has been practising open research, and more.
JOYI: Journey of a Young Investigator
(2025 edition)
This collection celebrates the stories of young investigators in attendance at the Young Investigators Meeting (YIM) 2025 held in North India at Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
Applications are invited on a plain paper for purely temporary positions for one Project Research Scientist-I (Non-Medical) in a project entitled "Targeted ultra-small mesoporous silica nanoparticles for receptor-mediated delivery of novel luminescent metallodrugs towards theranostics for targeting solid hypoxic tumour.” …
Online applications (through email) are invited from eligible candidates for the post of Project Associate I, purely on contractual basis in the extramural research project titled “Role of long non-coding RNAs in predicting the chemosensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer”, sanctioned …
The International Human Frontier Science Program strives to strengthen open scientific inquiry by initiating international collaborative, interdisciplinary and cutting-edge basic research in the life sciences. The program funds projects in basic research studying fundamental problems on all levels of life …
Department of Biotechnology invites applications under the Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-orientation (BioCARe) Programme for Women Researchers for the Year 2026-27.The fellowship is open to Indian Women Nationals upto the age of 55 years residing in India who are unemployed …
Academia-Industry Transitions, Volume - II is a collection of stories and perspectives on the switchover from academia to industry. With articles on a wide range of topics from professional transition stories to collaboration initiatives, this compendium is a comprehensive career resource book for industry aspirants in different phases of their career.
You can read or download this e-book here. You can find the flip-book here.
The e-book, "Getting past the Ph(D)inish line: Challenges with, and interventions to better support, PhD experiences in life sciences in India," aims to address challenges that PhD researchers in the life sciences in India face, and it does so by offering a clear look at the difficulties they encounter during their academic journeys. At the same time, it shares real experiences and practical advice to help researchers overcome obstacles and make the PhD experience more rewarding.
You can read or download this booklet from here. You can read the flip-book version here.
YI 101 is a peer guide for early-career faculty in the life sciences in India. Built to resemble a mountaineer embarking on a climb, the e-compendium discusses common challenges for life scientists in the country, and does so via inputs from peers who have traversed the YI journey recently.
Download this e-compendium from here.
You can read the flip-book version here.
