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Saturday, January 3, 2026
TopicFossils

Topic: Fossils

Fossilised tunnels of ancient marine worms point to a time when Jaisalmer was part of oceanic environment

Grooves in rock formations of Jaisalmer are believed to be trails of marine worms that once wriggled along ocean floor, says study by scientists at Jodhpur's Jai Narain Vyas University.

A 1972 Soviet-era spacecraft never reached Venus. Stuck in space for 50 yrs, it’s now crashing back down

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to their sources.

Extinct elephant genus lived in Kashmir over 300,000 yrs ago. Humans made tools from their bones

Research led by Florida Museum of Natural History’s Advait Jukar, published as 2 papers, shows evidence of human 'exploitation' of the now-extinct elephants in Pampore, Kashmir Valley.

The secret behind Moon’s thin atmosphere & 24-mn-yr old penguin fossil sheds light on wing evolution

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to their sources.

Natives of Africa, ostriches once made India their home. Oldest nest in Andhra is further proof

Since the 1930s, archaeologists have documented fossilised ostrich eggshell fragments from the Shivalik Hills to Peninsular India. Now there's ample evidence the big bird existed in the Indian subcontinent as early as 41,000 years ago.

Fossil of extinct human species Denisovan identified in Tibetan plateau, their diet pattern revealed

A Nature study shows that researchers identified a bone as being Denisovan & analysed other mammalian bones found at the site to find that the ancient humans fed on & processed these bones.

Milky Way’s last big collision with another galaxy was much more recent than previously thought

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to their sources.

IIT-Roorkee’s historic find: Kutch fossil shows 50 ft Vasuki Indicus may have been largest ever snake

Findings published in Scientific Reports suggest Vasuki Indicus, which attacked its prey anaconda-style, originated in Indian subcontinent & spread to Europe, Africa 50 mn yrs ago.

Move over blue whale, Peru fossils indicate Perucetus colossus from 38-mn yrs ago was largest mammal

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to their sources.

This ancient whale from Peru may be a new contender for most massive animal ever on Earth

The researchers estimated that Perucetus (pronounced per-oo-SEE-tus) was about 66 feet long and weighed up to 340 metric tons. Its scientific name means ‘colossal Peruvian whale.’

On Camera

The Supreme Court is losing its credibility. It should frighten us all—Maneka Gandhi

The dogs will survive whatever orders are passed. But institutions are more fragile than we imagine. Once lost, the trust they embody takes generations to rebuild.

India’s urban co-op banks are turning the page—crisis to cautious revival, one metric at a time

With bad loans shrinking & capital buffers stronger, urban co-op banks’ new umbrella body NUCFDC is now prioritising rollout of digital transformation.

Greece looking at TATA’s WhAP infantry combat vehicle for army procurement

If deal goes through, Greece will be 2nd foreign country to procure vehicle. Morocco was first; TATA Group has set up manufacturing unit there with minimum 30 percent indigenous content.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.