In a study, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, have shown that grass-fuelled fires and seasonal drought, which are the characteristics of savannas, are also observed in the dry deciduous “forests” in India. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that these systems are, in fact, savannas.

Jayashree Ratnam from the National Conservation for Biological Sciences and fellow authors have noted in a recent study that the trees in this landscape were closer to those in a savanna than in rainforests 100 km away. Trees have dramatically thicker barks, implying that they had evolved to be fire-resistant.

“When fires are relatively frequent, adult tree mortality in these systems is very low. Many saplings sprout shortly after the fire from underground reserves, and the system returns to its original state in a few years,” she told The Hindu.

This year two eminent scientists prof Sandip Trivedi, director, at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Mumbai and prof Satyajit Mayor, director, National institute of biological sciences and inStem were presented the awards

An Ashoka University 

Nishant Srinivasaiah (MSc 2010-12)
The Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award recognizes outstanding contribution to wildlife conservation in India. His work on elephant conservation in the South India landscape have earned him this award. Nishant is presently doing his PhD at NIAS, with Dr Anindya Sinha.

Rao is a professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru. Using equations and concepts of physics, he is trying to figure out what makes life tick. 

Delhi based artist Dhara Mehrotra’s solo art installation 'Through Clusters & Networks... is the product of the Artist-in-Residence outreach program at NCBS-TIFR, and offers a closer look at how fungi and plants communicate with each other via a “Wood Wide Web”

The curators of an art installation at the venue hope the exhibit will "de-science" science.

In a move that will probably make the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) founder Obaid Siddiqi elated, the institute has set up an archive for contemporary biology in India in the space that used to be his old lab.