If the latest antivenom study is any indication, the next breakthrough treatment for snakebites in India could come in the form of a pill. It could be more effective, affordable, and easily accessible than existing options.

In a landmark study, researchers at the Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, tested two repurposed small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) — varespladib and marimastat — for their ability to neutralise venom from the Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) across different regions of India. Small-molecule inhibitors are a class of drugs that work by targeting and blocking specific molecules, primarily proteins, involved in various cellular processes. These drugs were originally developed to treat conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, which also means they have already undergone human clinical trials for those uses.

Scientist and professor Kartik Sunagar at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, who led the study, told Mongabay India that unlike antivenoms, which have never undergone formal clinical trials despite being widely used in countries like India, these drugs have already passed safety and toxicity assessments. “So, we only needed to test their efficacy for snakebites,” he says.

The neutralisation experiment on one of India’s big four medically significant snakes, Russell’s viper, proved to be the clincher.

The venom of this snake is dominated by three major toxin families: SVMP, PLA₂, and SVSP, which occur in varying proportions across its geographical range. The scientists assessed the effectiveness of the two SMIs, varespladib and marimastat, in countering the toxic effects of Russell’s viper venom sourced from diverse regions. “We’ve demonstrated that a specific combination of these two drugs provides complete protection against Russell’s viper in almost every corner of India. We’ve tested them across 10 different sites in 10 different states,” Sunagar explains.

The study found that in most D. russelii populations, a single small-molecule inhibitor could neutralise lethal venom effects in preincubation tests, and in some cases, it didn’t matter which toxin family — PLA₂ or SVMP — was blocked. This is surprising, the paper notes, given the complex and variable mix of toxins typically found in snake venoms.

The study offers several advantages of the treatment. A major benefit is that these are oral drugs. “Someone bitten in a rural area can take the pill immediately, buying time or potentially avoiding antivenom altogether,” Sunagar adds. They’re also inexpensive to produce, being lab-synthesised chemicals that don’t require animals, making them a scalable alternative to conventional antivenom.

Banner image: A Russel’s viper. Image by CHANDRANUJ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

If global warming were to stabilise at current levels — 1.2°C above pre industrial levels — the world would still lose 39% of its glaciers compared to 2020, leading to 113 mm sea-level rise, a new study with a novel approach to data finds. “This substantial present-day committed mass loss highlights that today’s glaciers are strongly out of balance with current climatic conditions due to their long response times,” the study says.

Meeting the limits of the Paris Agreement (limiting warming up to 1.5 and 2°C) could mean committing to 47% and 63% of glacier mass loss relative to 2020 levels. The findings — three times larger than most other projections — is the result of an approach using eight glacier models across 80 climate scenarios.

“One of the key strengths of our study is that we were able, for the first time, to project global glacier evolution over multi-centennial timescales, and did so using eight models instead of one or two,” said Harry Zekollari, lead author of the study from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in a statement. “Most glacier studies stop at 2100, which is problematic when simulating the long-term impact of today’s climate policies, given the long-term response of glaciers over time,” he added.

Glaciers likely to see the most loss are located within smaller elevation ranges, at lower latitudes, because there is limited scope to adapt by retreating to higher elevations.
At current levels of warming, the Arctic Canada South is projected to lose the most mass (around 85%), followed by Western Canada and the United States (74%), Scandinavia (66%) and the Russian Arctic (65%). Regions like South Asia West, Central Asia, and New Zealand will see relatively fewer losses – 5%, 12%, and 15% – because they’re present in areas with higher elevation range.

The study also demonstrates the importance of extending warming scenarios to multi-century timelines. It would take glaciers in the Subantarctic and Antarctic Islands — fortressed by rugged terrain and high latitudes — 800 years to lose 80% of their mass under a 1.5°C scenario, it finds.

By contrast, the fastest responding regions are Central Europe, Caucasus and Middle East, Low Latitudes, and New Zealand, which “need less than five decades for 80% changes to occur,” says the study.

Current and near-term policies aimed at mitigating global warming “will play a decisive role in shaping the future evolution of glaciers, influencing not only immediate glacier changes but also those that will unfold over multi centennial timescales,” the study concludes.

Banner image: Caves in the Morteratsch-Pers glacier complex. Image by Lander Van Tricht (ETH Zurich/Vrije Universiteit Brussel).

In a step towards strengthening food security amid rising climate pressures, researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), have developed two genome-edited rice varieties: DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1.

Developed using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technique, these rice varieties aim to boost yield and resilience to drought and salinity — critical concerns for Indian agriculture facing the impacts of climate change. Kamala, developed by ICAR-IIRR in Hyderabad, is derived from the popular Samba Mahsuri variety and offers high yield potential and improved stress tolerance. Pusa DST Rice 1, from ICAR-IARI in New Delhi, is based on Cotton Dora Sannalu and is designed for drought and salt tolerance.

Unlike genetic modification, which involves inserting foreign genes, genome editing makes precise changes within the plant’s own DNA. “In genome editing, mutations are induced at specific sites where change is needed. These are internal and guided changes — a modern, targeted way to induce genetic mutations that also occur in nature, but with precision for specific outcomes,” says Viswanathan C., Joint Director (Research) at IARI.

The varieties were developed using Site-Directed Nuclease techniques (SDN-1 and SDN-2), which ICAR scientists say are safe and comparable to natural mutations. These new rice lines are expected to help farmers cope with environmental stressors while contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.

Banner image: A farmer harvests paddy. Representative image by Indranil Gayan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Researchers at Nagaland University have identified two stingless bee species — Tetragonula iridipennis Smith and Lepidotrigona arcifera Cockerell — as efficient pollinators that could significantly boost polyhouse farming in India. Their study found these bees successfully pollinated about 10 crops under greenhouse conditions, including chilli, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin.

Avinash Chauhan, principal investigator (AICRP Honeybees & Pollinators), explains: “Stingless bees have a limited range of 50-100 metres and tolerate heat up to 40°C. In contrast, the rock bee (Apis dorsata), a major pollinator in open fields, has a much wider range and cannot be confined to polyhouses.”

Their stingless nature and floral fidelity make them ideal for enclosed farming. “They return to the same flower until the nectar is fully harvested, making them excellent pollinators,” Chauhan adds. The study showed a 29.46% increase in fruit set in king chilli and significant gains in seed weight when pollinated by stingless bees.

India is already facing a sharp decline in invertebrate pollinators. With over half of all crop yields dependent on insect pollinators, this loss is concerning — especially as agriculture accounts for 18.2% of India’s GDP and supports 42.3% of the population.

As agricultural land shrinks due to urbanisation, polyhouse farming is gaining traction. Stingless bees — once considered tropical — are now found in temperate zones too, with six of India’s 27 species identified in Nagaland.

Besides pollination, these bees offer farmers the added benefit of medicinal honey. Chauhan’s team has designed brood boxes to prevent fermentation and allow separate honey storage. Future research will focus on global crops and refining honey extraction and analysis techniques, including melissopalynology.

Banner image: A Tetragonula iridipennis bee. Image by Ramesh Kunnappully via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Corporations, governments, and political parties are intentionally spreading inaccurate or misleading narratives about climate change, according to a new global assessment of information integrity about climate science. The fallout is a decline in public trust in science, weaker policy coordination, and scientific denialism fuelling political inaction, said the International Panel on Information Integrity’s systematic review of 300 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025.

A decade of research reviewed showed that “strategic scepticism” about climate change is replacing climate denialism and that policymakers are key targets of the misinformation. The review also noted that “misinformation leads people to lose faith in climate science and in a hopeful future for themselves.”

The authors of the report highlighted that there is a severe gap in research on climate information integrity in the Global South, where impacts are likely to be significant but poorly documented. “Out of the papers we reviewed, there was only one out of 300 carefully studied papers, that dealt with the entire content of Africa,” said Klaus Bruhn Jensen, Chair of the International Panel on the Information Environment’s (IPIE) Scientific Panel on Information Integrity about Climate Science, at the online report launch, while giving an example of the lack of research on the issue from the Global South. IPIE is a consortium providing actionable scientific knowledge on threats to the global information environment. Jensen highlighted the study finding that policymakers should secure more comparative evidence, especially from countries in the Global South, about climate information integrity.

The review also recognises that climate science knowledge and discourse has been “historically articulated by intellectual elites in the Global North” which can create barriers for communities in the countries that rely on indigenous knowledge in their daily lives. For example, the review refers to a 2015 study that found “state authorities in the Indian Himalayas have wrongfully labelled local environmental narratives as conspiracy theories” and pointed to perspectives including intersectional research to recognise local solutions to the global climate crisis.

The review recommends legislation and regulation, litigation against greenwashing and misinformation, forming coalitions to counter disinformation campaigns, and strengthening scientific and media literacy among citizens and policymakers.

Information integrity refers to the accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness of information, especially in how it is produced, shared, and received. In the run up to COP30, the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, first established in in 2024 by the UN, UNESCO and the Brazil government, is developing a network of partners to research and report on how mis/disinformation, ranging from conspiracy theories to orchestrated campaigns, is affecting climate action, particularly in the Global South.

Banner image: Roads destroyed during the 2021 floods in Maharashtra. Representative image. Misinformation about climate change leads people to lose faith in climate science and in a hopeful future for themselves, finds a new report. Image by Varsha Deshpande via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Continuous heavy rainfall has triggered landslides, flash floods, and widespread disruption across Himachal Pradesh, affecting daily life, transport routes, and public safety. On June 30, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several districts, warning that heavy to very heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the week.

The IMD has also issued a moderate flash flood warning on June 30 for the next 24 hours in Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur districts, noting increased risk across several watersheds and surrounding areas.

The latest weather bulletin from the Meteorological Centre in Shimla shows that rainfall levels have been extreme in some areas over the past 24 hours. Pandoh recorded 123 mm, Mandi 119.4 mm, and Murari Devi 113.2 mm. Gusty winds up to 89 km/h were recorded in Bilaspur, and thunderstorms with lightning occurred in several locations, including Shimla, Palampur, and Sundernagar.

Temperatures also fell sharply. Maximum temperatures in many areas were between 2°C and 9°C below normal. Una was the warmest location at 33.5°C, while Keylong recorded the lowest at 13.5°C.

According to media reports, a red alert has also prompted the closure of all schools in Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, and Solan districts.

In an official press release issued on June 26, 2025, the Himachal Pradesh government placed all districts on high alert. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu instructed officials to monitor rivers and vulnerable slopes, stock emergency relief materials, and activate response teams across the state. “Quick Response Teams must remain fully mobilized, and community awareness campaigns should be launched in vulnerable areas,” the statement said.

Transport infrastructure has taken a major hit. Parts of the Chandigarh–Shimla highway remain blocked due to landslides. The press note added, “Two National Highways — NH-505 and NH-03 — are still blocked at multiple locations due to landslides.”

Rail connectivity has also been affected. The Kalka–Shimla heritage rail line has been suspended, while multiple districts are reporting damaged roads, power outages, and disrupted services, severely complicating rescue operations.

Following a cloudburst at Majhan nullaha in Sainj Valley, hydroelectric projects at Sainj, Parvati, and Larji were temporarily shut down and opened their gates as a precaution. The statement confirmed, “Intensive search and rescue operations are underway with teams from SDRF, Home Guards, and NDRF deployed across the affected areas.”

Chief Minister Sukhu also wrote on X, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and urging caution, “Reports of landslides and damage from several regions are concerning. Relief and rescue operations are underway on a war footing. I am in constant contact with all district officials and monitoring the situation closely,” the post said.

With rain forecast to continue for several more days, officials are asking residents to remain indoors, stay alert, and cooperate with local authorities.

Read more: [Commentary] Up close and personal with the fragility of the Himalayas

Banner image: Rescue operation underway by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force at Khaniyara Manuni Khad in Kangra district. Photos by Himachal Pradesh SDRF via X.