Madhya Pradesh: Paleontologists find rare dinosaur nests in Narmada valley
Bhopal, Jan 21: Paleontologists have reported a rare discovery of closely located dinosaur nests and 256 eggs of the herbivorous titanosaurs in the Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh.
Researchers from the Delhi University and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Mohanpur-Kolkata and Bhopal have also reported discovery of ovum-in-ovo or multi-shell eggs in Bagh and Kukshi areas in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
The findings were published in PLoS One research journal this week by Harsha Dhiman, Vishal Verma, and Guntupalli Prasad, among others.
A study of the nests and eggs has revealed intimate details about the lives of the long-necked sauropods that walked the region more than 66 million years ago.
"The eggs were found from the estuary formed at a place where the Tethys Sea merged with the Narmada when Seychelles had broken away from the Indian plate. The separation of Seychelles had led to the incursion of the Tethys Sea 400 kms inside the Narmada Valley," Verma, who works in the Higher Secondary School, Bakaner, Dhar district, told PTI here.
He said the nests found in the Narmada valley were close to each other. Generally the nests are located at some distance from each other.
Verma, considered the driving force behind a series of discoveries of dinosaur fossils in Narmada, said the reason behind multi-shell eggs could be the inability of the mother to find favourable conditions for laying eggs.
"In such conditions, the eggs remain in the oviduct and the shell formation begins again. There could also have been instances of a dinosaur dying before laying eggs," Verma said.
The eggs, which ranged between 15 cm and 17 cm in diameter, likely belonged to a number of titanosaur species.
The number of eggs in each nest ranged from one to 20.
"During the field investigations carried out between 2017 and 2020, we found extensive hatcheries of dinosaurs in Bagh and Kukshi areas in Dhar District, MP, notably from the villages Akhada, Dholiya Raipuriya, Jhaba, Jamniapura, and Padlya," the researchers said.
They said the region falls between the eastern most Lameta exposures at Jabalpur in upper Narmada in valley central India and Balasinor in the west in lower Narmada valley in western central India.
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'The Wire' says its website blocked across India by Government
New Delhi: Access to the independent news website The Wire (thewire.in) has been blocked across much of India following an order reportedly issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move has drawn strong criticism from The Wire, which termed it a violation of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press.
The internet service providers are saying multiple things. We have learnt it is per orders of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. pic.twitter.com/GCz4d6EggP
— The Wire (@thewire_in) May 9, 2025
Internet service providers (ISPs) have cited different reasons for the disruption, but The Wire’s founding editor, Siddharth Varadarajan stated that at least two ISPs have informed customers that the website is being blocked under government orders. Some users in India can still access the website, although the block appears to be in the process of full implementation.
At least two ISPs are telling their customers that The Wire cannot be reached because the government has issued orders to block the site.
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) May 9, 2025
Some readers in India may still be able to access https://t.co/BCdnZhucBj directly until the blocking order gets fully implemented.
The… pic.twitter.com/Qe44BUUbbx
Pratik Sinha, co-founder of Alt News, shared a workaround on X to continue accessing the website. “If you're on a Firefox-based browser, then enable DNS over HTTPS,” he wrote.
To access https://t.co/tcIZ6ths5j in India, please enable secure DNS in your browser settings. https://t.co/9nhSjpVUYy pic.twitter.com/fJWnFwH5BK
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 9, 2025
In a public statement, The Wire called the move “blatant censorship” and questioned its timing. “At a critical time for India, when sane, truthful, fair and rational voices are among the biggest assets the country has, this decision is deeply concerning,” the editorial team said.
Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, noted that while the site is currently inaccessible within much of India, it remains fully reachable through VPNs and abroad. He added that a mirror site will be launched soon.
The Wire confirmed that it is pursuing all legal and procedural measures to challenge the “arbitrary and inexplicable” order. “Our commitment to truthful and accurate journalism remains unwavering. Your support has kept our work going for the past 10 years, and we are counting on our readers to stand with us now,” the outlet said.
