Day: 19 December 2025

Indian Railways continues to focus on enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring timely services for passengers. From 8-14 December, the overall punctuality of trains across the country stood at 80%, reflecting the sustained efforts of railway divisions to maintain schedules. Out of all divisions, 37 divisions achieved punctuality above 80%, while 22 divisions recorded punctuality above 90%, and 10 divisions surpassed the 95% mark.   Among the top-performing divisions, Ratlam (Western Railway) recorded a remarkable 98.5% punctuality, followed by Tiruchchirappalli (Southern Railway) at 97.5% and Madurai (Southern Railway) at 96.7%.  …

Freshwater sponges which host diverse microbial communities vital for ecosystem health, have been found to have the potential to act both as bioindicators and absorbents of toxic metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium and can be a promising solution for bioremediation. As pollution continues to threaten aquatic ecosystems worldwide, nature’s own water purifiers are emerging as powerful allies in the fight for cleaner environments. Freshwater sponges, among the earliest multicellular eukaryotes, filter large volumes of water and are vital for ecosystem health.   In a recent study published in Microbiology…

Researchers have uncovered a surprising player in autophagy or the “self-eating” process that removes damaged parts, fights infections, and keeps long-lived cells like neurons in good working order. Identification of key players in the early steps of autophagosome biogenesis, a key stage in the autophagy pathway, can lay the foundations for modulating the pathway for finding interventions that can restore the pathway in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancer. Just as our homes need regular cleaning, our cells also clear out damaged and unwanted materials through a process called…