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This week we bid farewell to one who has shaped human understanding of the human body so much, with research so fundamental that we could not have gone too far ahead without it. James Watson, Nobel prize-winning DNA pioneer, died at 97 on November 8. The Nobel laureate was co-credited with (Francis Crick) the pivotal discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure. Crick died in 2004 at the age of 88. Watson and Crick became among the 20th century’s most storied scientists for their 1953 breakthrough discovery of the double helix. Along with Crick and Maurice Wilkins, he shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for their work — momentous research that gave rise to modern biology and opened the door to new insights including on genetic code and protein synthesis.
That marked a new era of modern life, allowing for revolutionary technologies in medicine, forensics and genetics — ranging from criminal DNA testing to genetically manipulated plants. Watson went on to do groundbreaking work in cancer research and mapping the human genome. From 1988 to 1992, Watson was one of the directors of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health, where he oversaw the mapping of the genes in the human chromosomes.
But we are not ones to gloss over – Watson and Crick are famous for denying Rosalind Francis whose work was reportedly central to the understanding of the molecular structures of the DNA and RNA, the Nobel Prize. Later, Crick was also panned for his sexist and racist remarks, which also resulted in the lab he was working with, severing ties with him.
On the topic of Nobels, do read Athira Elssa Johnson’s piece in the Nobel Prize for Medicine that we have been running for a while now. This one too had a far reaching impact on the world of medicine: Laveran’s discovery of the malaria parasite and its enduring influence on infectious disease research.
Moving on to other research in global health care, the First clinical trial of pig kidney transplants got underway at New York. United Therapeutics, a producer of gene-edited pig kidneys, announced that the study’s initial transplant was performed successfully at NYU Langone Health. It’s the latest step in the quest for animal-to-human transplants. A second U.S. company, eGenesis, is preparing to begin its own pig kidney clinical trial in the coming months. These are the first known clinical trials of what is called xenotransplantation in the world. Transplantees will have to be followed up over the years, and if successful, this is likely to revolutionise organ transplantation across the world.
In other exciting developments, Scientists unveil first draft of atlas of the developing brain. They have reached a milestone in an ambitious initiative to chart how the many types of brain cells emerge and mature from the earliest embryonic and foetal stages until adulthood, knowledge that could point to new ways of tackling certain brain-related conditions like autism and schizophrenia.
Afshan Yasmeen reports that the First Juvenile Huntington’s Disease brain was donated to NIMHANS for research. We’ll stay on that story to figure out what it reveals. Meanwhile, IIT Bombay researchers have uncovered new blood markers that could predict early diabetes and kidney disease, reports Purnima Sah, and follows it up with an explainer, here.
While on the subject, let us record another IIT initiative, this one at IIT Madras where researchers have developed a Minimally-invasive continuous glucose monitoring device. Vasudevan Mukunth reports that a New physics-based model shows healthy guts resist microbial chaos.
There is a frighteningly large amount of AI being deployed into medical research, and at this nascent stage, it is cause for trepidation. Microsoft has launched a ‘superintelligence’ team targeting medical diagnosis to start with. This follows similar efforts by Meta Platforms, Safe Superintelligence Inc and others that have begun targeting technical leaps in health care. We also read that Zuckerbergs put AI at heart of pledge to cure diseases. Given how generative AI has been known to reinforce biases and spur questionnaires on to risky behaviours, one hopes there is adequate human oversight unwilling to surrender entirely to AI on these ventures.
An important issue that grabbed our attention last week originated in the Supreme court. Krishnadas Rajagopal reported that the SC will examine if a bar on surrogacy for a second child is state intrusion in citizens’ private lives. The judge’s oral observations including burgeoning population were cause for concern, as secondary fertility, just like primary fertility is a real medical condition that makes it difficult for couples to conceive or carry the pregnancy to term. We will stay on this story, but meanwhile, do read The Hindu’s edit on the subject, which argues for the benefits of technology being made available to all those who may need it.
Afshan Yasmeen looked at every conceivable side of the debate on granting menstrual leave to women in the government and private sectors, in Karnataka. Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: progressive step or symbolic gesture? she asks.
In other news we had Manjit Singh reemphasise The human cost of policy delays for India’s rare disease community, Dr. R. Swaminathan of the Adyar Cancer Institute spoke of the first population cancer registry and subsequent efforts here: Tracking tumour burdens today, to transform tomorrow.
Sudheer Kumar Shukla makes a connection we often miss, or ignore: Mental health in a warming world. He argues that climate change represents a profound injustice. Those least responsible for emissions—farmers, coastal and indigenous peoples, informal workers, and youth in the Global South—bear the heaviest psychological and material burdens. Recognising mental health as core climate infrastructure is not a luxury but a necessity. Siddharth Kumar Singh reports on a trend that seems to be gaining more ground recently: Water birthing gains ground as experts call for shift away from intervention-heavy childbirth, while emphasising the significance of having medical personnel on call.
Kerala’s Antibiogram 2025 shows Anti Microbial Resistance dipping slightly, we learnt this week. The significance is not lost on a country that is battling high levels of microbial resistance, where people develop resistance to life-saving antibiotics. It is also a show of hope that if a well-crafted, multi-partner approach guides antibiotics stewardship, it is then eminently possible to turn back the clock on rising AMR levels.
In The Hindu’s exclusive health webinar for its subscribers, Experts highlighted stress as a hormonal and systemic factor affecting fertility in young adults. The session examined how chronic and unmanaged stress functions beyond mood or emotional health, influencing hormonal pathways, metabolic functioning, and reproductive processes in both men and women. While stress is not identified as a direct cause of infertility, the World Health Organization has recognised chronic stress as a public health concern.
In our tailpiece for the week, we decided to go with Sunitha Sekar ‘s story on how a pair of lungs flew from Bangalore to Chennai and then rode the metro to meet the transplantees in Apollo Hospitals. The way modern transportation systems have changed things in urban centres has an impact on health care too, in more ways than one.
Our explainers this week will give you a grounding on concepts we hear of everyday, and then some:
In our All You Need to Know About series, we have Zubeda Hamid writing on COPD; and Divya Vinayak Patilkulkarni on vertigo and melanin. Dr. C. Aravinda orients us on Rift Valley Fever currently affecting Africa, while Dr. K. Ganapathy Decodes that real pain in the neck. Divya Gandhi finds out Why maternal deaths are rising in Afghanistan, meanwhile. If you have an interest in skin care be sure to read Smruthi Prabhu’s article: Pro, pre, and postbiotics: the changing landscape of skincare. Here’s a conversation with Hyderabad paediatrician Sivaranjani on her fight for the right ORS, listen in.
If you have a few moments to tarry, you can also read:
Bindu Shajan Perappadan writes on NOTTO directing training of first responders in road accident emergencies to ensure harvesting of organs
Dr. Dinesh Arab Three steps to change: lessons on running and the human body
Why homes and classrooms are emerging as major hubs of infection spread in India
Heatwaves growing more intense in Southeast Asia, says climate expert
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Published – November 11, 2025 03:40 pm IST