New Delhi: A team of scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has discovered fossilised bone fragments of sauropod dinosaurs dating back to about 100 million years from the West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya.
The findings were made during a field-trip by the GSI’s Palaeontology division in the state. It is considered to be the first evidence of sauropods from the region. Sauropods were one of the most giant species of dinosaurs and had very long necks and long tails, small heads relative to the rest of their body, and four thick, pillar-like legs.
Other states in which remains of sauropods have been found earlier are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
“Dinosaur bones from Meghalaya were reported by GSI in 2001 but they were too fragmentary and ill-preserved to understand its taxonomic identification. The present find of bones is during fieldwork in 2019-2020 and 2020-21. The last visit of the team was in February 2021. The fossils are presumably of Late Cretaceous, about 100 million years ago,” Arindam Roy, senior geologist, Palaeontology Division, GSI, has been quoted as saying.
Also read: Tiger unit of Assam’s Manas National Park wins International Ranger Award
Assam women make biodegradable, compostable yoga mats from water hyacinth
Six young women from Assam have developed biodegradable and compostable yoga mats from water hyacinth. The women belong to a fishing community and live near the Deepor Beel, a lake recognised as a Ramsar Site and a bird sanctuary.
A source of livelihood for many, the lake sees excessive growth and accumulation of water hyacinths. Removal of these plants for making yoga mats could ensure improvement of the aquatic ecosystem and also ensure employment opportunities.
Called the ‘Moorhen Yoga Mat’, these have been made via fibre processing and other technological interventions. The water hyacinths were woven using traditional Assamese looms to develop a high quality, comfortable and thoroughly biodegradable yoga mat. It also comes in a cotton canvas bag with no zip or metal closures.
This Sikkim businessman is the ‘go-to helpline’ for people in state
Kushan Zulca, a young entrepreneur from Sikkim, has become the go-to person for hundreds of residents looking for information or resources related to Covid-19.
Zulca’s initiative first started when he began sharing information related to Covid-19 on his social media accounts. Soon, people started contacting him for help. This led to him starting a separate Instagram and Facebook page on Covid-19 resources.
“We started a page on Instagram as well as on Facebook called ‘Sikkim COVID-19 Resources’ [@sikkimcovid19] to spread awareness about Covid-19 and share available resources,” he told EastMojo.
Zulca also said the state government should start a dedicated 24×7 Covid response helpline for people. “If the government wants, we have many young entrepreneurs ready to volunteer and who would like to contribute with tech solutions. We can also set up a call-centre and manage it,” he added.
Mizo nursing student halts studies to volunteer for Covid work
Jemima H. Lallawmzuali, a nursing student from Aizawl’s Ramhlun South area, has earned praise for deciding to halt her studies in order to volunteer as a full-time staffer at the Zoram Medical College (ZMC), which is treating Covid-19 patients.
Lallawmzuali was to leave Mizoram for higher studies when she came across a notice put out by the ZMC looking for volunteers to tide over shortage of medical staff at the facility.
She began work at the medical college Thursday. According to reports, she was dropped off at the facility by her parents and had started attending to patients right away. Many in the state have thanked Lallawmzuali for her selfless service in the face of a devastating pandemic.
Mizoram is the second-worst Covid-19 affected state in the Northeast, after Assam.
Also read: Manipur flags wrong location of Keibul Lamjao park on KitKat wrapper, Nestle apologises