Crop fires across northern India are being done later in the day, complicating efforts to monitor them and their impact on air pollution, NASA said. Overall pattern of stubble-burning season was as per predictions but daily timing of fires shifted, it said. Air quality deteriorated in Delhi and nearby cities for about a month after crop fires intensified in October.

Scientists warn the Alps could reach peak glacier loss by 2033, with thousands of glaciers disappearing due to climate change. This rapid melting threatens ski seasons, tourism, and iconic landscapes, highlighting the urgent need to limit global warming and protect fragile mountain ecosystems.

Scientists have reclassified Madagascar’s ‘Pinocchio chameleon’ as a separate species after being misidentified for over 150 years by global taxonomists. Researchers identified another hidden species, Calumma hofreiteri, which had been mistaken due to similar elongated nasal features. The findings highlight Madagascar as a hotspot of rapidly diversifying reptile life.

Scientists have detected antibodies to H5N1, a strain of influenza virus that causes the highly infectious respiratory disease known as avian influenza or bird flu, in vampire bats in coastal regions of Peru. Researchers reportedly believe bats could've likely acquired the infection through contact with virus-infected marine animals while feeding on prey such as seabirds and other marine mammals.

Italian scientists are developing 3D-printed snacks using lab-grown plant cells and fruit residues. Prototypes include snack bars and glossy 'honey pearls' designed to preserve flavour and nutritional value. Silvia Massa, head of ENEA's Agriculture 4.0 lab, said, "In a world where arable land is shrinking, the goal is to keep making what we are used to eating."

A recent study showed that not all plant-based diets benefit heart health. While minimally processed plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes can lower heart disease risk, highly processed or low-nutrient plant foods may increase it. The research highlighted the importance of focusing on nutritional quality and avoiding ultra-processed plant-based foods for better cardiovascular health.

Harpreet Singh, Assistant Professor, department of physics, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, along with his research collaborators at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new type of quantum sensor using a soft organic crystal instead of the diamond. The team employed pentacene-doped organic crystals (p-terphenyl) for quantum sensing.

IIT Roorkee and University of Tennessee researchers reviewed data linking environmental changes to rising eye diseases. Increased air pollution (PM2.5) is connected to glaucoma, while UV radiation causes cataracts. Extreme heat drives dry eye disease, and warmer weather spreads infectious river blindness. The eye is uniquely vulnerable to climate stressors.

Researchers have, for the first time, seen killer whales hunting alongside dolphins and sharing salmon off Canada's British Columbia coast. Drone and underwater footage show orcas following dolphins during foraging dives and later sharing scraps, hinting at rare interspecies cooperation and underscoring the animals' intelligence and social lives.

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a rare 3rd-century fresco depicting a youthful, clean-shaven Jesus dressed in a toga and carrying a goat across his shoulders. The artefact, found in an underground tomb situated near Iznik, a town in northwestern Turkey, offers rare insight into early Christian symbolism during a period of persecution and is considered unique in Anatolia.