Sitting for long hours at the desk? Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Pushkar Chawla shares how to protect the back and spine Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:58:18 IST By Debapriya Bhattacharya Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Poor posture at work can lead to problems with the back and the spine
A patient once told me that her blood sugar reading in the morning was higher than the one she had taken after dinner the night before. She hadn’t eaten a single thing. “How is this even possible?" she asked. “I haven’t had breakfast yet." That question comes up in my clinic almost every
Step inside the regal Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, where a one-night stay will cost you ₹4 lakh: Watch Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 14:06:37 IST By Krishna Pallavi Priya Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link A look inside the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad
Every year at about this point in the rains, the same sequence plays out. Outpatient departments fill with feverish patients, a city announces a jump in confirmed cases, television rediscovers the phrase “swine flu," and within a fortnight the anxiety has moved on to something else
Onam gifting is often about more than simply handing over a box of sweets. The festival brings families and friends together, and a well-chosen hamper can combine traditional flavours with attractive packaging to make the occasion more special
‘Walking is one of the most underrated things’: Geriatric doctor says you don't need to join a gym to start exercising Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 10:52:55 IST By Eshana Saha Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Read more to find out why walking is an underrated form of exercise! (Unsplash)
There are few things as satisfying as biting into a buttery, flaky almond croissant, especially when you get that rich almond flavour, creamy frangipane filling and slightly crisp, toasted edges in every bite. But when a croissant craving hits and you don’t have a bakery run planned—or all the
Erling Haaland debuts new buzz haircut after chopping his iconic blonde locks: ‘+999 missed calls from shampoo company’ Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 08:58:32 IST By Krishna Pallavi Priya Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Erling Haaland debuts a fresh, new buzz cut
The Curious Zoo...: A comic uses science to cast bugs and spiders as superstars
Ant-Man may be fictional, but the insect world is full of superheroes, of a kind.
There's a spider with a lethal high-speed trap. Worms that can knot and unknot themselves. An acrobatic six-legged bug.
These super-creatures are starring in their own comic books too.
For five years, Saad Bhamla, 38, has been editor of The Curious Zoo of Extraordinary Organisms. Each edition holds illustrated tales told through a series of panels, usually across two pages. The accounts feature key highlights from research at the Bhamla Lab of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Bhamla, after all, isn't an artist or a storyteller; he is an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, working with other biophysicists and bioengineers to answer the questions: What can we learn from organisms that are already capable of what, in our world, seems like a kind of magic? What devices could we aim to create; what barriers might fall? (The helicopter was inspired, after all, by the hovering-in-place hummingbird, as well as certain insects).
The team at Bhamla Lab has been working on these themes for eight years, conducting research that sits at the intersection of biology, physics, mathematics and robotics. As part of their mission, they study worms, spiders, bugs and birds. Or, as Bhamla likes to remind readers, “nature's super-engineers”.
The comics represent some of their findings. Free to download, they are aimed at the next generation of researchers.
“No young person is going to read scientific papers. Adults and even scientists rarely do. But there's so much to discover about these magnificent creatures and the science behind how they do what they do. With comics grounded in scientific research, everyone can feel like science is their treasure,” Bhamla says.
Each story is translated into at least one more language, so some have versions in Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Telugu, Bangla, Hindi, Spanish or Thai.
STING OPERATIONS
It all started for Bhamla in the Amazon Rainforest, seven years ago.
It was there, in Peru, that he came upon a slingshot spider at work. These arachnids trap their prey by making catapults of a sort, from their webs, slowly stretching the silky strands into a cone-like structure, then quickly snapping it around a nearby insect.
Talking to local communities later on that trip, he found, as he always did, that the children in particular were curious. The researchers, after all, were looking at their world with fresh eyes, much as they were. The youngsters seemed to enjoy slideshows and videos.
“Parents were always so grateful for the sessions. And yet, they would all leave empty-handed. It struck me: Why should all our science be, in a sense, limited to the digital world, and to English,” Bhamla says.
So, in 2020, the comics were born. The first edition focused on the slingshot spider. There have been 15 editions in all, so far.
In The Fan-cy Footwork of Rapid Ripple Bugs, readers are invited to row alongside the tiny aquatic insect and observe the fan-like appendages on its legs that help it glide through water without tiring.
In Unbelievable Untangling Worms, tiny California blackworms retain humidity in arid landscapes and survive high temperatures, by tangling themselves into a giant messy knot; one that can be untangled in an instant, if threatened, for instance, in something like a magician's trick (because each worm had instinctively coiled itself in just the right way). Could these slippery creatures one day inspire just the right kind of robotic swarm, the comic asks.
CREATURE FEATURE
Each story is crafted by a team of science communicators and illustrators, who work with Bhamla and his team to condense pages of research into engaging, playful narratives.
Physical copies of the comics are distributed free to community centres, libraries, schools and colleges, and during field visits. The stories have thus travelled across the US, and to Peru, Afghanistan, India and Syria, among other countries.
“A student from Afghanistan wrote to us to say they chanced upon the series in Arabic, and dreams of someday being part of such research too,” Bhamla says. Illustrator Jordan Collver, who works on the comics, adds that he is himself discovering the “amazing elegance of the natural world”.
Two years ago, the comics won Bhamla the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication, handed out by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Perhaps his greatest validation, though, comes from his elder son, Bhamla says.
“At some point, my boys (one aged six; the other 15 months old) will want to know what their dad really does, and I hope they read my papers, but they are so technical,” he adds. “So my biggest joy is when we print a new story and I get to come home to my wife and sons, get into bed and read these comics to them.”
Source: HindustanTimes
Related Posts: HTWknd,Insect,The Curious Zoo of Extraordinary Organisms,Saad Bhamla,Bhamla Lab,Biomolecular engineering
Parents should check medicine labels carefully before giving cough or cold remedies to young children. The Union Health Ministry has restricted all fixed-dose combination medicines containing chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride from being used in children below four years of
12 hours ago
Tandoori chicken should be smoky and seared on the outside, yet juicy and tender on the inside. But it can often turn out dry, rubbery and lacking flavour, even when you’ve used all the right spices. The problem may not be the recipe itself, but a few small mistakes during preparation and cooking
1 days ago
Want to know how healthy your heart is? Cardiologist Dr Sanjay Bhojraj lists 9 blood tests for ‘cardiovascular risk’ Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 14:34:50 IST By Akanksha Agnihotri Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Dr. Bhojraj highlights nine blood tests to assess cardiovascular health
1 days ago
We tend to think of constipation as a plumbing problem: eat more fibre, drink more water, take isabgol and wait for things to move. For occasional constipation, that approach can be perfectly reasonable. But when constipation keeps returning despite these measures
1 days ago
Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women, but its biggest known cause is persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), which is closely linked to sexual transmission. While HPV itself is not caused by men
1 days ago
Chakra Horoscope Today, August 23, 2026: An obstacle does not necessarily mean you are on the wrong path Updated on: Aug 23, 2026, 14:49:03 IST By Kishori Sud Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Chakra Horoscope Today, August 23, 2026 (Pinterest) Daily Chakra Horoscope, August 23
1 days ago
Dahi vade may not be the first dish that comes to mind when planning a Sawan Somwar vrat menu, but Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s fasting-friendly version gives the classic snack a clever twist. Instead of lentils, these vade are made with cooked barnyard millet, also known as sama or samak
1 days ago
59-year-old grandmother and Roadies 20 contestant Ashu Jain shares 5 hacks that helped her 'build gym habits that stick’ Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 10:12:34 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Ashu Jain is not just a grandmother — she's a 'hybrid athlete'
1 days ago
Could artificial intelligence compress decades of medical progress into just a few years? Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei believes advanced AI systems may soon transform how we fight cancer, Alzheimer’s and other major diseases. Amodei has predicted that AI-enabled biology could compress 50 to 100
1 days ago
Look out of an aircraft window as it descends into Chennai and the coastline is the first thing that catches your eye. A long blue-grey edge against the city, with the sea on one side and the sprawling city on the other. From up there, it looks permanent
1 days ago
Soha Ali Khan, along with her husband Kunal Khemu, is known for setting couple goals through their fitness content. The couple have consistently shared videos showing their workouts in the gym, how they parent their kids together, the healthy food they eat without compromising on taste
1 days ago
As Onam 2026 approaches, here is our curated guide from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Bengaluru covering everything from elaborate restaurant thalis to convenient takeaway sadya boxes. We consult chefs on how they are reimagining the traditional sadya; we ask celebrities how
1 days ago
Raksha Bandhan is all about celebrating the special bond between siblings. This year, show your siblings how much you mean to them and make the occasion sweeter by making everyone’s favourite kalakand at home. If you are looking for a festive dessert that is indulgent yet skips refined sugar
1 days ago
Thirty-nine-year-old Shivendra came in with what looked like an ordinary monsoon fever. Fifteen days later, he was still in hospital, only being discharged now after being diagnosed with H1N1-related pneumonia. His wife, Poonam, said the family did not take the fever seriously at first. “Actually
1 days ago
Postpartum pain is NOT just ‘normal’: Physiotherapist Muskan Rastogi reveals all about pelvic floor recovery Postpartum recovery involves more than just pain management; it includes pelvic floor rehabilitation to restore strength and reduce discomfort for new mothers. Published on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug has been arrested in the US state of Texas on charges of driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana and illegal possession of a firearm. Allen County Police confirmed to BBC Newsbeat the 28-year-old, whose real name is Xavier Landum, was stopped on Friday
1 days ago
44-year-old fitness coach shares simple exercises that help her look ‘15 years younger’ Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 13:24:38 IST By Akanksha Agnihotri Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Fitness coach shares 4 simple exercises to improve posture and look more youthful. (Instagram/@sascha
2 days ago
The Madhya Pradesh Health Department has ordered a high-level medical and legal investigation after a 6 woman from Ujjain died following treatment at a private hospital in Indore. She had tested positive for H1N1 influenza, commonly called swine flu
2 days ago
No food after 6 pm to boxing: Inside Dua Lipa’s fitness routine and fasting rules for toned body on her 31st birthday Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 14:11:05 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Dua Lipa turned 31 on August 22, 2026
2 days ago
The DJ dropped the beat and 70 women started throwing punches. By the time the first kickboxing combination was called out, Moon Bar, a Visakhapatnam club had shed its weekend persona to turn into a makeshift fitness floor, with women punching, kicking
2 days ago
A couple of years ago, when Osman Abdul Razak was being fitted for a suit by Yuki Igarashi, founder of Japan-based menswear brand Lecteur, he recalls being struck by how neatly Yuki’s pins were arranged on his pin cushion. “As an onlooker there, I couldn’t help but analyse this precision
2 days ago
Baro Market is coming to Chennai with a pop-up bringing together fashion, craft, art, accessories and lifestyle products, with a focus on conscious living and handcrafted design. Curated by Srila Chatterjee, the showcase marks her third pop-up in the city
2 days ago
Step inside ₹200 crore royal residence in Hyderabad: Shaped like a scorpion and home to 'world's longest dining table' Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 10:22:41 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link The palace in the shape of a scorpion: Here's a virtual tour of the magnificent
2 days ago
On Fourth Trust Link Street at Santhome in Mylapore, a piece of vacant land cheek by jowl with a Greater Chennai Corporation-run middle school was being armtwisted every day into functioning as a garbage dumping spot by residents and passersby
2 days ago
The rise in H1N1 cases across Delhi-NCR is prompting fresh concern among doctors as some patients develop severe breathing difficulties and falling oxygen levels. While swine flu often causes flu-like symptoms, it can sometimes progress to serious respiratory complications
2 days ago
Happy Birthday Chiranjeevi: Telugu cinema icon Chiranjeevi has spent more than four decades building one of Indian cinema’s most enduring careers. From his breakthrough years to becoming the industry’s celebrated Megastar, the actor has continued taking on demanding roles that require energy
2 days ago
Have high cholesterol? Nutritionist lists 9 heart-friendly cooking oil options Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 11:00:04 IST By Aayushi Gupta Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Cooking oils that may help manage cholesterol and support heart health
2 days ago
