The last two hundred years have seen seven cholera pandemics and multiple regional outbreaks. Now, a new study from researchers at Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, explores how Vibrio cholerae, the comma-shaped bacterium which causes cholera, uses flagella and quorum sensing mechanisms to survive and form biofilms, which increase disease spread and enhance the potential for epidemics.

The quality of sleep a mother gets during pregnancy may be linked intimately with the health and development of the child, even after birth. In a new study using rats as model systems, researchers show that disturbances in sleep during the final trimester of pregnancy results in altered sleep profiles and delayed brain maturation in the offspring.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), an aquatic fungus, has been implicated in the decline or extinction of nearly 200 frog species worldwide. Now for the first time, researchers have mapped and assessed the spread of this deadly pathogen in Indian frog populations, performing extensive field studies in locations ranging from the Himalayas to the Western Ghats to the Anadaman and Nicobar islands.

It has long been known that diet can dynamically regulate lifespan in animals. In a new study using the nematode worm C. elegans as a model system, researchers from the National Institute of Immunology (NII) describe a new gene-diet pair which helps these worms maintain and preserve their lifespans while on diverse diets.

Nephrotic syndrome is one of the most common kidney disorders in children, and a large proportion of patients prove resistant to the classical mode of treatment - steroids. In a new collaborative study spanning across continents, researchers have identified six novel genes involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

After over a century of being known worldwide by the wrong scientific name, a group of scientists has finally established the taxonomic identity of the hump-backed mahseer, an iconic fish native to south India and known to reach massive sizes. The discovery is expected to aid conservation efforts for this endangered species, allowing it to be red-listed.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, usually detected in the late stages and almost always fatal in consequence. Now, a new study suggests that fingolimod, a drug commonly used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, can also be used to target pancreatic cancer cells and make them more sensitive to chemotherapy.