Editor’s note:  This is an opinion piece by the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the NICE Lab, NCBS, or TIFR. Cover photo by Shankar Chakravarty (https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/iit-delhi-researchers-develop-cheapest-respiratory-filter/article9707067.ece) by Shannon – The past two days I have been in discussion with several friends and colleagues about India’s human and environmental ecosystems. I have the honor and responsibility to play a…

by Srinivas Rao – The earth is now facing many problems such as climate change and droughts, and all of them result from human activities. Although 71% of the Earth is covered by water and the land that we live on only makes up the remaining 29%, water scarcity is one of the biggest challenges and an urgent problem for our…

by Anshika Singh Aquaculture is the most important aspects of marine biology. It is not only important for commercialization of important marine species but also required to understand their biology by conducting more controlled experiments in the laboratory While a lot of attention has been given for the aquaculture of commercially important seafood, there have been only few reports on…

cover photo from Shoot for Science by Deepak Kakara , Dinesh Yadav Sukanya Olkar, and Parijat Si By Sebastian Sturm – Here in the NICE lab, we work on Rhagoletis pomonella – the apple maggot. The apple maggot is the larva of a fly which is specialized to a particular food source. Surprise: It’s the hawthorn berry. To us, hawthorn berries…

By Gauri Gharpure On a recent family vacation, I happened to visit a quaint little coastal village called Diveagar in the Kokan region of western Maharashtra, popular among tourists for its beaches and homestays. I was looking forward to going to the beach and walking on the sandy shore with sea spray on my face and the wind in my hair.…

by Aditi Mishra  –  Are you competitive? I know I am. People like us don’t live in absolutes – we were born to compare and compete. When we feel petty we compare ourselves to our peers. When we are in an enlightened mood we compete with our previous self. Being satisfied is not for us. Life is a journey from…

by Santosh Rajus – Coffee agroforests are home to diverse animals and working along with them is a mystery. You see their trails, marking and scat, but rarely the animals themselves. Following animal tracks is always fun as it always tells a story. Once while following an elephant trail, I could see how the baby elephant had playfully run all over…

This week Shannon was featured by Sci-Illustrate’s “In the Spotlight” Series by Dr. Radhika Patnala. They note: An inspired scientist, a mother and a wonderful human being, it is our privilege to host Shannon Olsson and her Naturalist Inspired Chemical Ecology (NICE) lab Odor Objects at @National Centre for Biological Sciences – NCBS, India. As our first profile on our new series Sci-Illustrate Spotlight, hear…

by Geetha GT- Potter wasps use mites as watch dogs ಕುಂಬಾರ ಕಣಜ ಹಾಗು ಅದರ ಮುದ್ದಿನ ನುಸಿ ಹುಳ Protecting your young ones in the wild is never easy, especially when you have many predators. Potter wasps (Allodynerus delphinalis) have several natural enemies (parasitoid Melittobia acasta), including other wasps. The potter wasp builds a nest and lays eggs in cavities containing food,…

by Anshika Singh – Climate change and environmental pollution (especially due to plastic) are the worst outcomes of rapid development and spread of humans on this planet. There have been reports of finding plastic pollution in regions  largely free of humans or with limited accessibility (such as polar waters and the Mariana Trench). Another striking instance of marine pollution is…