What if playing or trading cards had information of the natural world? Educators suggest that it could induce "tree-thinking" - the understanding of evolution using phylogenetic trees. This article discusses the use of playing cards as teaching tools to piece together key events in plant evolution.

What happens when you expose fruit flies to low temperatures? Like many insects, they go into a chill coma - a sleepy state. Analysing the phenomena of coma recovery could help teach the concepts of rapid evolution, and the impact of climate change on it. How? A team of scientists and educators created a wholesome teaching module of fruit fly experiments using the phenomena of "chill coma recovery".

What approach could a teacher take if her students are wary of numbers and statistical analyses? Could an ecologist replicate fieldwork within the confines of a classroom? A recent research paper discusses the use of sweet, colourful candies as a teacher's aid for imparting mathematical reasoning and introducing the strategies of fieldwork.

To teach or to explore? Can good teaching and ingenious research co-exist? How does faculty perceive the two tasks at hand? With the help of existing literature and expert opinions we attempt to delve into the problem.

Kailash Chandra, Director of Zoological Survey of India gives a quantitative glimpse on the status of threatened species endemic to India. He also talks about the research fellowships and publications offered by the institute.