Tag: Kerala

A team of researchers has discovered a new genus and species of tiger moth from the southern Western Ghats. Published in the internationally renowned, peer-reviewed Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, the new species has been named Antaram idukki. Belonging to the tiger moth subfamily Arctiinae (Erebidae), the species was discovered in Kerala’s Idukki district. Antaram idukki...

A highly contagious bacterial diarrhoeal disease called shigellosis (bacillary dysentery), caused by shigella, is being reported across the State now While all districts are reporting cases sporadically, these are turning into outbreaks in some locations affecting more people because of contaminated food/ water or due to poor hygiene practices. Cases are now being reported from...

V. Narayanan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Saturday described the Artemis II mission of US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as “a great effort” and expressed confidence that it will lead to future human landings on the moon. “I’m 100% sure that this mission will be a grand success, leading...

An intensive faunal survey in the Vazhachal wildlife division in Thrissur, Kerala, has documented 26 species previously unrecorded from the area, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the key corridor in the Western Ghats. The survey was conducted by the Kerala Forest department in association with the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) from February 26 to...

Researchers have discovered a new species of dragonfly from Kerala and named it Lyriothemis keralensis, recognising the State’s exceptional biodiversity. The species was recorded from Varapetty near Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district, where it inhabits vegetated pools and irrigation canals within well shaded pineapple and rubber plantations. The study was conducted by Dattaprasad Sawant of the...

A tiny crustacean discovered from the Kavaratti lagoon in the Lakshadweep islands has now been established as a new genus and a new species. The organism, which belongs to the family Laophontidae within the Copepoda class, is so minuscule that it can be properly studied only with a microscope. The crustacean has been named Indiaphonte...

The organisers of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) have announced the participation of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, one of the world’s most accomplished explorers and a global icon of space science, at its 2026 edition to be held on the Kozhikode beach. The festival will be held from January 22 to 25, bringing together influential...

A 3.5 billion-year-old crater on Mars will henceforth be known after M.S. Krishnan, the pioneering Indian geologist. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved it and several other names for Martian landforms proposed by two Kerala-based researchers. Apart from ‘Krishnan,’ the IAU has also accepted several Kerala-based names for smaller landforms associated with the crater....