In a breakthrough that could boost research in next-generation technologies, scientists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, have developed a novel method to detect hidden quantum properties in exotic materials using a concept known as the spectral function.

Topological materials, such as topological insulators and superconductors, are known for their unusual electronic behaviour. These materials are considered crucial for advancing quantum computing, fault-tolerant electronics, and energy-efficient systems. However, identifying their topological properties has remained a challenge.

Topological invariance is a concept from mathematics where certain properties of a structure remain unchanged under continuous deformations. A widely used analogy is that of a donut (wada) and a coffee cup—both having one hole—making them topologically equivalent. In contrast, a donut and an idli are not, as they differ in the number of holes. Such distinctions, when applied at the quantum level, help scientists understand the internal structure of materials.

India has made a significant impact at INDEX Dubai 2025, the Middle East and North Africa’s leading interior design and furniture exhibition, with 55 companies showcasing their products to tap into the region’s expanding $25 billion interior design market, projected to grow to $35 billion by 2031.

The three-day exhibition, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 27 to 29, has long served as a vital platform connecting international brands with buyers from across the Middle East. This year’s Indian presence was coordinated by key export promotion councils, including the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), which brought 10 companies; the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), which facilitated 12 participants under The Hotel Show segment; and Gram Vikas Seva Sansthan, representing 11 companies.

The “पढ़AI" Conclave on AI in Education, organised by the Centre of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG), was inaugurated on Tuesday in Delhi.

According to the official statement, this two-day dialogue explores how AI and emerging technologies engage with diverse aspects of traditional education models to create a new approach to education and workforce development.

Ashish Sood, Minister of Home, Power, Urban Development, Education, Higher Education, and Training & Technical Education, Government of Delhi; Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education and Chairperson, University Grants Commission and, and Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, National Book Trust graced the session, setting the agenda for positive discussions on using AI to enhance learning outcomes in education. Dr. Ramanand, Director, CPRG, also joined the panel.

In a major drive towards self-reliance, India is developing Electric Hansa (E-Hansa), a next-generation two-seater electric trainer aircraft. This indigenously developed E-Hansa aircraft is roughly half the price of imported trainer aircraft.

Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired a high-level review meeting today with all Science Department Secretaries. The Minister said it is a matter of pride that the new aircraft is being indigenously developed by the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru.

The E-Hansa is part of the larger HANSA-3 (NG) trainer aircraft program, which is designed to be a cost-effective and indigenous option for pilot training in India.

Commending ISRO for the successful SPADEX mission, the Minister noted that docking and undocking capability is vital to India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission. He also lauded ISRO’s substantial role in Operation Sindoor, stating that every Indian is proud of ISRO.

Coal imports in the country during the financial year 2024-25 dropped by 7.9 percent as compared to the previous fiscal year. The Ministry of Coal, in a statement said that coal imports in the country totalled more than 243 million tonnes in the financial year 2024-25 as compared to 264.53 million tonnes in the previous fiscal year. The Ministry added that this reduction has resulted in foreign exchange savings of approximately 7.93 billion dollars. The Ministry further stated that although coal-based power generation grew by 3.04 percent from fiscal year 2024-25 compared to the previous fiscal year, imports for blending by thermal power plants sharply decreased by 41.4 percent. It also said that various initiatives, including coal production and reduced import,s have led to an encouraging five percent growth in coal output during fiscal year 2024-25 as compared to its previous fiscal year.

Supreme Court Judge, Justice A.S. Oka, on his last working day, highlighted the role of the Supreme Court as the guardian of constitutional liberties and said that “nobody controls a judge, except the Constitution, the law in question and one’s own conscience”.

Justice Oka said the Supreme Court has to change from being a Chief Justice-centric court.

“We need to change that. Thirty-four judges come here from different parts of India. Why should the court be Chief Justice-centric then? This image must change,” the retiring Judge said.

Nagshankar, in northeastern Assam’s Biswanath district, has been designated a model temple for turtle conservation.

Local MLA Padma Hazarika acknowledged the temple on behalf of the local authorities and communities at an event on its premises to mark World Turtle Day on Friday (May 23, 2025). The event was organised by the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Assam State Zoo, Nagshankar Temple Committee, DBT-NER Biotech Hub Chaiduar College, and conservation groups Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) Foundation India, Aaranyak, and Help Earth.

Turtles have traditionally been conserved in several temple ponds of Assam as they are believed to be a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. The turtles in the Nagshankar temple complex, cared for by the TSA, are among the best conserved in the State.

In December 2024, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs made an important announcement as part of its 2023-2024 annual report. It said the length of India’s coastline had increased from 7,516.6 km to 11,098.8 km, and that the length is also currently under review.

The 7,516.6 km figure was first recorded in the 1970s based on measurement techniques available at the time. The new revised figure wasn’t prompted by any territorial expansion through new land/island annexation or geological upheaval, like tectonic activity stretching the shores. The last coastal State to join the Union of India was Goa in 1961 and the only other State that joined after — Sikkim in 1975 — is landlocked. The enclaves India exchanged with Bangladesh in 2015 also lie deep inland.

Google’s annual I/O developer conference in 2025 was less a showcase of disparate product updates and more a systematic unveiling of an AI-centric future. The unspoken theme was that of a Matryoshka doll: at its core, a refined and potent artificial intelligence, with each successive layer representing a product or platform drawing life from this central intelligence. Google is not merely sprinkling AI across its offerings; it is fundamentally rearchitecting its vast ecosystem around it. The result is an increasingly interconnected and agentic experience, one that extends to users, developers, and enterprises alike, prompting a re-evaluation of the firm’s responsibilities concerning the data that fuels this transformation.

“More intelligence is available, for everyone, everywhere,” declared Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company, Alphabet. “And the world is responding, adopting AI faster than ever before.” This statement signals a push towards a more intelligent, autonomous, and personalised Google. Yet, as each layer of this AI Matryoshka is peeled back, the data upon which this intelligence is built, the copyrighted material ingested by its models, and the implications for user privacy are brought into sharper focus, forming a critical, if less trumpeted, narrative.

An underground cave in Meghalaya, in focus for a conflict over a Shivalinga-like stone formation, has yielded a new-to-science fish that adapts to streams overground.

A team of zoologists, led by Kangkan Sarma of Gauhati University’s Department of Zoology, has recorded Schistura densiclava as a new species of troglophile loach from Krem Mawjymbuin in the State’s East Khasi Hills district.

A troglophile animal is essentially a cave-dwelling animal that can thrive and reproduce in epigean, or aboveground, environments. Krem means cave in the indigenous Khasi language.