r/BiologyIndia

As reported by Onmanorama, the organism discovered in Karakurussi was identified as Sclerotium stipitatum, a little-known subterranean fungal species. Reports suggest that around 20 underground fungal structures were recovered from the site during the digging process.

Unlike ordinary mushrooms that appear above the soil after rainfall, this fungus develops mostly underground. That hidden growth pattern makes it difficult to detect and even harder to study in natural conditions. Researchers say this may explain why the species rarely appears in biodiversity records despite existing in certain regions for generations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sclerotium

https://journaljpri.com/index.php/JPRI/article/view/3672

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi

https://academic.oup.com/botlinnean/article-abstract/9/39/417/2916187

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://stthomas.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Executive-Saummary-Anto-P-V.docx&ved=2ahUKEwj\_pvy6m62UAxU22TgGHUddAaQQFnoECFQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw22SvywR9ExUTRRQkhh0iY7

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273124710\_On\_the\_taxonomic\_identity\_of\_a\_fungal\_morph\_used\_in\_traditional\_medicine\_in\_Kerala\_State\_India

For the first time ever, the world's smallest wild cat, the Rusty-spotted Cat, has been photographed with her kitten in Faridabad, Haryana, confirming breeding in Delhi NCR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty-spotted\_cat

https://www.oneearth.org/species-of-the-week-rusty-spotted-cat/

https://felidaefund.org/learn/cats/rusty-spotted-cat

Thalassemia major is an autosomal recessive disorder, where both or either of the parents could be carrying the faulty gene. When both parents are carriers there is a 25% chance of the child being affected and a 50% chance of the child being a carrier. If only one parent carries the gene, the child will not develop severe beta thalassemia, though there remains a possibility of being a carrier. What makes the condition particularly difficult from a public health standpoint is that carriers themselves are usually healthy and symptom-free. Most have no reason to suspect they carry a genetic risk capable of profoundly altering the life of their future child. By the time many couples discover this reality, it is after a miscarriage, the birth of an affected child, or repeated complications during pregnancy. This is where India's response to thalassemia begins to feel outdated. We continue to approach it primarily as a treatment challenge when it should increasingly be viewed as a prevention challenge.

https://www.ndtv.com/health/why-thalassemia-continues-to-remain-a-challenge-in-india-2956766

https://www.ndtv.com/health/first-oral-pill-for-adults-with-thalassemia-anaemia-gets-approval-experts-hail-it-as-game-changer-10203144

https://www.ndtv.com/health/union-health-minister-jp-nadda-inaugurates-10th-national-summit-on-innovation-and-inclusivity-best-practices-shaping-indias-health-future-11431235

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassemia

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4365/14/4/10

http://thalassemiaindia.org/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11141992/