Lead Story
Nepal's wild tiger population nearly quadruples to 429 since 2010, one of conservation's great comeback stories
Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment announced results of its National Tiger and Prey Base Survey 2026, conducted between December 2025 and July 2026, showing the country's wild tiger population has climbed to an estimated 429, up from 355 in 2022 and nearly quadruple the 121 recorded in 2010. Chitwan National Park holds the largest population with 145 tigers, followed by Bardiya (112), Parsa (71), Banke (51) and Shuklaphanta (50). The growth marks one of the most dramatic tiger recoveries anywhere in the world, but it now exceeds the roughly 400-tiger capacity of available habitat, intensifying human-tiger conflict in surrounding communities. WWF Nepal and its partners have responded by supporting more than 5,000 households across the Terai region with predator-proof corrals, improved livestock shelters, and community early-warning systems that have delivered over one million wildlife alerts, shifting the focus from simple population growth to sustainable coexistence.
Read more →Lead Story
Nepal's wild tiger population nearly quadruples to 429 since 2010, one of conservation's great comeback stories
Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment announced results of its National Tiger and Prey Base Survey 2026, conducted between December 2025 and July 2026, showing the country's wild tiger population has climbed to an estimated 429, up from 355 in 2022 and nearly quadruple the 121 recorded in 2010. Chitwan National Park holds the largest population with 145 tigers, followed by Bardiya (112), Parsa (71), Banke (51) and Shuklaphanta (50). The growth marks one of the most dramatic tiger recoveries anywhere in the world, but it now exceeds the roughly 400-tiger capacity of available habitat, intensifying human-tiger conflict in surrounding communities. WWF Nepal and its partners have responded by supporting more than 5,000 households across the Terai region with predator-proof corrals, improved livestock shelters, and community early-warning systems that have delivered over one million wildlife alerts, shifting the focus from simple population growth to sustainable coexistence.
India becomes the world's third-largest renewable energy holder, crossing 283 gigawatts of non-fossil power capacity
India's non-fossil fuel electricity capacity reached 283.46 gigawatts as of March 31, 2026, according to government figures reported this week, overtaking Brazil to make India the third-largest renewable energy capacity holder in the world behind China and the United States. The total is made up of 150.26 GW of solar, 56.09 GW of wind, 51.41 GW of large hydro, 11.75 GW of bio-energy, 5.17 GW of small hydro, and 8.78 GW of nuclear power. India added a record 55.3 GW of non-fossil capacity during the 2025-26 financial year, including nearly 45 GW of new solar alone, almost double the previous year's record addition. The country reached 50% non-fossil generation capacity back in June 2025, five years ahead of its Paris Agreement target, and is now working toward a goal of 500 GW of installed non-fossil capacity by 2030.
Read more →India becomes the world's third-largest renewable energy holder, crossing 283 gigawatts of non-fossil power capacity
India's non-fossil fuel electricity capacity reached 283.46 gigawatts as of March 31, 2026, according to government figures reported this week, overtaking Brazil to make India the third-largest renewable energy capacity holder in the world behind China and the United States. The total is made up of 150.26 GW of solar, 56.09 GW of wind, 51.41 GW of large hydro, 11.75 GW of bio-energy, 5.17 GW of small hydro, and 8.78 GW of nuclear power. India added a record 55.3 GW of non-fossil capacity during the 2025-26 financial year, including nearly 45 GW of new solar alone, almost double the previous year's record addition. The country reached 50% non-fossil generation capacity back in June 2025, five years ahead of its Paris Agreement target, and is now working toward a goal of 500 GW of installed non-fossil capacity by 2030.
Scientists uncover a new vulnerability in acute myeloid leukemia that could sharpen an existing drug's precision against the cancer
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions published findings August 7, 2026 in Nature Cell Biology linking FLT3-targeted leukemia drugs to ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by uncontrolled oxidation of cellular lipids. FLT3 mutations are among the most common genetic drivers of acute myeloid leukemia, and the team found that inhibiting FLT3 kills leukemia cells partly through this ferroptosis pathway rather than through apoptosis alone, a previously unrecognized mechanism. The discovery points toward new combination therapies that could make FLT3 inhibitors like gilteritinib more effective while sparing healthy cells. It also yielded an immediately actionable clinical insight: the study found that high dietary vitamin E intake, which suppresses ferroptosis, can markedly reduce the drug's efficacy, giving doctors and patients a concrete, low-cost factor to manage during treatment.
Read more →Scientists uncover a new vulnerability in acute myeloid leukemia that could sharpen an existing drug's precision against the cancer
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions published findings August 7, 2026 in Nature Cell Biology linking FLT3-targeted leukemia drugs to ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by uncontrolled oxidation of cellular lipids. FLT3 mutations are among the most common genetic drivers of acute myeloid leukemia, and the team found that inhibiting FLT3 kills leukemia cells partly through this ferroptosis pathway rather than through apoptosis alone, a previously unrecognized mechanism. The discovery points toward new combination therapies that could make FLT3 inhibitors like gilteritinib more effective while sparing healthy cells. It also yielded an immediately actionable clinical insight: the study found that high dietary vitamin E intake, which suppresses ferroptosis, can markedly reduce the drug's efficacy, giving doctors and patients a concrete, low-cost factor to manage during treatment.
UCLA engineers observe heat traveling in focused, wave-like rays at room temperature for the first time, opening a path to cooler computer chips
A team led by Yongjie Hu at UCLA Samueli reported in Nature Physics that they observed 'phonon focusing,' in which heat-carrying atomic vibrations travel in guided, ray-like paths through a crystal rather than spreading randomly in all directions, occurring at room temperature for the first time. Using boron arsenide, a crystalline semiconductor already known for exceptionally high thermal conductivity, the researchers showed that phonons can be channeled along pathways defined by the material's crystal structure, much as optical fibers guide light. Previously, this wave-like heat behavior had only been seen at extremely low, cryogenic temperatures, limiting it to physics labs rather than real devices. Because the effect works at everyday temperatures, engineers could eventually design chip layouts that actively steer waste heat away from sensitive components along predetermined routes, a potentially significant advance for cooling next-generation processors and quantum devices.
Read more →UCLA engineers observe heat traveling in focused, wave-like rays at room temperature for the first time, opening a path to cooler computer chips
A team led by Yongjie Hu at UCLA Samueli reported in Nature Physics that they observed 'phonon focusing,' in which heat-carrying atomic vibrations travel in guided, ray-like paths through a crystal rather than spreading randomly in all directions, occurring at room temperature for the first time. Using boron arsenide, a crystalline semiconductor already known for exceptionally high thermal conductivity, the researchers showed that phonons can be channeled along pathways defined by the material's crystal structure, much as optical fibers guide light. Previously, this wave-like heat behavior had only been seen at extremely low, cryogenic temperatures, limiting it to physics labs rather than real devices. Because the effect works at everyday temperatures, engineers could eventually design chip layouts that actively steer waste heat away from sensitive components along predetermined routes, a potentially significant advance for cooling next-generation processors and quantum devices.
New autism therapy restores brain signaling and improves social behavior in mice, and still works when given in adulthood
A team led by Director Eunjoon Kim at the Institute for Basic Science's Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions found that blocking a glycine transporter called SLC6A20 restores normal function of NMDA receptors, which require both glutamate and glycine to activate properly and are often dysregulated in autism spectrum disorder. Because SLC6A20 is concentrated mainly in brain regions tied to cognition, such as the cortex and hippocampus, targeting it improved NMDA receptor activity while limiting side effects elsewhere in the brain. In autism-model mice, the treatment improved social interaction, social communication, and repetitive behaviors, and notably these benefits appeared even when treatment began in adulthood, suggesting the underlying circuit dysfunction may remain correctable well past early developmental windows. The approach also produced lasting effects in human brain organoids, an encouraging early sign for eventual translation toward human therapies.
Read more →New autism therapy restores brain signaling and improves social behavior in mice, and still works when given in adulthood
A team led by Director Eunjoon Kim at the Institute for Basic Science's Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions found that blocking a glycine transporter called SLC6A20 restores normal function of NMDA receptors, which require both glutamate and glycine to activate properly and are often dysregulated in autism spectrum disorder. Because SLC6A20 is concentrated mainly in brain regions tied to cognition, such as the cortex and hippocampus, targeting it improved NMDA receptor activity while limiting side effects elsewhere in the brain. In autism-model mice, the treatment improved social interaction, social communication, and repetitive behaviors, and notably these benefits appeared even when treatment began in adulthood, suggesting the underlying circuit dysfunction may remain correctable well past early developmental windows. The approach also produced lasting effects in human brain organoids, an encouraging early sign for eventual translation toward human therapies.