In a significant regulatory development, the Government of India has, for the first time, proposed dedicated rules to manage tar balls  under the Tar Balls Management Rules, 2026 . These rules assign responsibility for the generation, collection, storage, transport, treatment, and disposal  of tar balls, including their repurposing as fuel in cement production . Tarballs are dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. What are Tar

Bioluminescence , often described as nature’s living light , is a remarkable biological phenomenon in which living organisms produce and emit light  through internal chemical reactions. While this phenomenon is rare in terrestrial (land) ecosystems , it is widely prevalent in marine environments , particularly in deep-sea ecosystems. From glowing ocean waves to luminous marine organisms, bioluminescence plays a critical role in marine ecology  and has gained relevance in scie