Research

November 11, 2025 Srija Ghosh Kingshuk Roy

Teaching Sodium To Behave: How A Simple Pattern Makes Anode-less Batteries Last

In an anode-less sodium battery, sodium deposits unevenly and grows into spiky shapes called dendrites, which can lead to huge problems. Creating a patterned current collector — tiny islands of carbon on copper — solves the problem as the collector guides sodium to the carbon islands, creates sharp boundaries that attract charged ions more predictably, and encourages sodium to spread sideways instead of shooting upward

Paper mills Predatory journals Publishing Research Integrity Retractions

August 7, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

How the Chennai-based ARDA guarantees quick publication without peer-reviewing, sells authorship

“Your full paper, we can publish by August 15. If you complete the payment [of Rs.23,000] today [August 6, 2025], formatting will be completed tomorrow and sent for publication,” the Chennai-based Academic Research and Development Association (ARDA) person messaged on WhatsApp. Phew!

Publishing Research Research Integrity Retractions

August 5, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

Collusion between journals, editors, authors leads to alarming growth of research fraud

The number of retracted articles and papers commented for misconduct on PubPeer has been doubling every 3.3 years and 3.6 years, respectively, while papers produced by paper mills have been doubling every 1.5 years

Astrobiology Research ethics Research Integrity Retractions

July 25, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

At long last, Science retracts controversial, hyped up paper on ‘arsenic life’

Science did not retract the paper in 2012 because there was no deliberate fraud or misconduct on the part of the authors. But Science’s standards for retracting papers have since expanded. If a paper’s reported experiments do not support its key conclusions, even if no fraud or manipulation occurred, a retraction is considered appropriate

Ageism CSIR Research Research jobs

July 21, 2025 Vijayakumar Samiyappan

Five months on, CSIR yet to keep its promise on increasing recruitment age limit

On February 3, 2025, CSIR famously tweeted: “The expert Committee constituted to review the RRs has recommended to increase the upper age limit to 35 years. The agenda has been prepared and is going to be placed before the GB CSIR for approval in the next meeting of GB, CSIR.” But till date, CSIR has done nothing to increase the age limit

Institutional ranking Research Research Integrity Retractions

July 19, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

NIRF to award mild penalty this year to institutions for retractions, harsh penalty next year

To begin with, the penalty this year to institutions for retractions will be mild, which will become harsh next year

Agriculture CRISPR-Cas9 Gene editing Research

July 7, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

NIPGR’s gene-edited japonica rice shows increased phosphate uptake, 20% more yield

The gene-edited lines were channelising the extra phosphate absorbed by the roots to produce more seeds by increasing the number of panicles — the fruiting body which bears seeds — leading to an increase in yield by 20%. The researchers analysed the seed size, seed dimension, seed length, starch and phosphate content, and found the seed dimension or seed quality to be normal

ChatGPT Computer Science Education Research

June 23, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

Brain’s performance during, after exclusive ChatGPT usage drops, results in weaker neural connectivity

While exclusively relying on ChatGPT showed concerning outcomes, participants who wrote essays without any assistance and then began using ChatGPT showed higher memory recall, efficient tool use, strong re-engagement and enhanced neural connectivity. But participants who first used ChatGPT to write essays and then moved to unaided writing underperformed cognitively

Research Research funding Science Science policy Urban management

June 19, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

Funding, infrastructure, general environment woes unattractive for senior international scientists to work in India: Venki Ramakrishnan

To attract senior scientists from other countries, India needs a strong, stable commitment to science, which means not only much more funding but also more stable funding, much better infrastructure and, just as importantly, insulating science from politics and excessive bureaucratic rules and regulations

Research Science Science policy

June 18, 2025 Santosh Chauhan

With the shackles off, Indian science to gain momentum now

The long-awaited reforms to the procurement processes — General Financial Rules, Government e-Marketplace, and Global Tender Enquiry — address the bureaucratic bottlenecks that for years hampered the scientific community’s ability to conduct world-class research

Animal trials Ecology Environment Research Snakebite

June 18, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

Two existing drugs offer hope to cure Russell’s viper bites

Russell’s viper venom show variations based on biogeography. So, antivenom efficacy is low for Russell’s viper in North India. Studies carried out in mice have demonstrated that two approved drugs were effective in countering systemic and lethal effects of the venom either individually or in combination from across India.

Publishing Research Research Integrity Retractions University ranking

June 12, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

A research integrity index shining a light on how Indian universities have gamed the publishing metrics

If seven Indian universities were among the 17 that belonged to the red flag category initially, as per current data based on 1,500 most-publishing universities, the number of Indian universities in the red flag category has swelled to 32

Physics Research Science

June 5, 2025 Prasad Ravindranath

IIT Roorkee plays a vital role in the detection of the heaviest proton emitter astatine-188

The role of the IIT Roorkee team led by Prof. Arumugam was in ascertaining the proton emission through theoretical calculations

Science Chronicle

Science Chronicle

Teaching Sodium To Behave: How A Simple Pattern Makes Anode-less Batteries Last

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How the Chennai-based ARDA guarantees quick publication without peer-reviewing, sells authorship

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Collusion between journals, editors, authors leads to alarming growth of research fraud

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At long last, Science retracts controversial, hyped up paper on ‘arsenic life’

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Five months on, CSIR yet to keep its promise on increasing recruitment age limit

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NIRF to award mild penalty this year to institutions for retractions, harsh penalty next year

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NIPGR’s gene-edited japonica rice shows increased phosphate uptake, 20% more yield

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Brain’s performance during, after exclusive ChatGPT usage drops, results in weaker neural connectivity

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Funding, infrastructure, general environment woes unattractive for senior international scientists to work in India: Venki Ramakrishnan

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With the shackles off, Indian science to gain momentum now

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Two existing drugs offer hope to cure Russell’s viper bites

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A research integrity index shining a light on how Indian universities have gamed the publishing metrics

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IIT Roorkee plays a vital role in the detection of the heaviest proton emitter astatine-188

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