The Indian Navy recently inaugurated the shore-based Launch and Recovery System (LARS) Test Plinth at the Submarine Rescue Unit (East) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to test, validate, and maintain critical submarine rescue equipment, including the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), without requiring active sea deployment. Visakhapatnam serves as the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command.

Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), released the “National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).” The report compiles nearly four decades of oceanographic research and three decades of systematic surveys across India’s 2.37 million sq km EEZ. It draws on 400+ oceanographic cruises, including expeditions aboard FORV Sagar Sampada. It assesses mesopelagic (200–1,000 m) resources, demersal resources and distant-water species such as tunas, sharks, billfishes and Antarctic krill.

Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune discovered two new species of microscopic marine organisms: Psammophaga holzmannae and Psammophaga sinhai. They were discovered at Rajapuri Creek in Raigad district, Maharashtra, along the Konkan coast. Both belong to foraminifera, microscopic marine organisms; Psammophaga means “sand eater.” The organisms selectively consume heavy minerals containing titanium and iron, particularly ilmenite and magnetite, despite these minerals being present only in trace amounts in surrounding sediments. The discovery highlights the largely unexplored marine biodiversity of India’s coastline and may improve understanding of interactions between microorganisms, minerals and seafloor sediments.

Researchers from IIIT-Delhi, along with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Guwahati and CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), developed MutAIverse, a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform to investigate possible environmental exposures linked to cancer. It uses mass spectrometry data from tumour biopsies and DNA-adduct analysis to trace damaged DNA to possible genotoxins or carcinogens. Its machine-learning tool AdductLinker links DNA damage with potential chemical exposures. The platform expanded the DNA-adduct reference library from fewer than 400 to over 3 lakh potential entries.

West Bengal’s inaugural ‘Kaushal Mahotsav’ was organized at Balurghat in the Dakshin Dinajpur district. This event functions as a mega recruitment and placement drive designed to connect skilled, certified, and eligible local youth directly with prominent corporate employers. Spearheaded by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the initiative supports the broader objectives of the Skill India Mission. The job fair serves as an active bridge between trained job seekers and various industrial sectors requiring specific occupational competencies.