NEWS extant Shorea sp. Interestingly and pro- head’ of the dragonfly are the seed part 4. Grimaldi, D. and Engel, S. M., Evolution bably overlooked by the authors5, a clear of Shorea sp. The ‘leg’ may be a frag- of the Insects, Cambridge University Press, leaf impression is visible in the published ment of the calyx. Since there is the pos- New York, USA, 2005, p. 755. fossil image which is superimposed over sibility of an alternative interpretation for 5. Hazra, M. et al., Curr. Sci., 2020, 119(7), 1204–1207. the ‘dragonfly abdomen’. The ‘abdomen’ the fossil, it may be further studied with 6. Khan, M. A. et al., Rev. Palaeobot. is actually the third calyx of the seed high-resolution imaging to unequivocally Palynol., 2016, 233, 236–254.

(Figure 1) and the elliptic shape of the establish the correct identity. leaf is also surprisingly similar to that of K. A. SUBRAMANIAN* 6 Shorea sp. of the Neogene . We therefore R. BABU 1. Rust, J. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, propose that the fossil belongs to that of 2010, 107, 18360–18365. a compressed seed of Dipterocarpaceae. 2. Zheng, D. and Jarzembowski, E. A., Int. J. Southern Regional Centre, The asymmetrical wings and abdomen of Odonatol., 2020, 23, 13–21. Zoological Survey of India, ‘fossil dragonfly’ are naturally asymme- 3. Kohli, M. K., Ware, J. L. and Bechly, G., Chennai 600 028, India trical calyx lobe, and the ‘thorax and Palaeontol. Electron., 2016, 19, 1–14. *e-mail: [email protected]

NEWS

France Honours Rohini Godbole with ‘Ordre National du Mérite’

Prof. Rohini Godbole, a theoretical par- a better understanding of the physical tion Colliders. She was also involved in ticle physicist, currently an Honorary sciences in India. the draft formulation of Science, Tech- Professor at the Centre for High Energy A fellow of all the three Science nology and Innovation Policy (STIP) Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Academies of India and also a fellow of 2020, as a chair of the Committee on Bengaluru, has been awarded the Natio- The World Academy of Sciences Equity and Inclusion that has suggested nal Order of Merit, one of the highest (TWAS), and a founder-chair of the Panel several important measures for tackling French civilian distinctions. Making for Women in Science of the Indian the current inequitable participation in a reference to her internationally ac- Academy of Sciences, her recent honours STEM with respect to gender, social, claimed contributions to particle physics include Padma Shri from the Govern- regional and economic diversity. spanning more than four decades that led ment of India and the R. D. Birla Award Other recent recipients of the ‘Ordre her to successfully set up strong and of the Indian Physics Association for National du Mérite’ in the Indian scien- highly successful scientific collabora- outstanding contributions to Physics. tific community include Satyajit Mayor, tions between France and India, the Rohini Godbole’s current research inter- Director of the National Centre for Bio- award also highlights the major role ests focus on Higgs Phenomenology, logical Sciences, Bengaluru and A. S. Rohini Godbole has played in promoting , Dark Matter Searches Kiran Kumar, former chairman of the the cause of women in science and her and related aspects of the Physics beyond Indian Space Research Organisation. communication skills that have helped in the , and Next Genera-

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