DNA from mass grave reveals pathogens that beset Napoleon’s army in 1812

October 27, 2025 7:54 PM

DNA from mass grave reveals pathogens that beset Napoleon’s army in 1812

The retreat from Russia by Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Grande Armée in 1812 was a cataclysmic event that marked the beginning of the end for his empire and personal dominance in Europe, with about 300,000 soldiers perishing in a force that originally numbered roughly a half million. A new study involving DNA extracted from the teeth of 13 French soldiers who were buried in a mass grave in Lithuania's capital Vilnius along the route of the retreat is offering a deeper understanding of the...

Pollution and pathogens: Double trouble for Delhi’s residents, says study

September 2, 2025 5:10 PM

Pollution and pathogens: Double trouble for Delhi’s residents, says study

Invisible microbes may be lurking in Delhi’s polluted air, silently increasing health risks for millions of residents. A new study by scientists from the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has revealed that airborne pathogenic bacteria - responsible for respiratory, gastrointestinal, oral, and skin infections—are twice as abundant in densely populated parts of Delhi compared to less crowded regions. The research, published in the in...