Scientists use mathematical models to explain why mosquito populations surge after rain, how species disappear without warning or why ecosystems recover when a missing element is restored. At International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH), researchers are using reaction networks and dynamical systems to study these hidden patterns in living systems. Prof. Abhishek Deshpande from the Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics said the reaction networks helped scientists understand chains of cause and effect. He pointed to the Yellowstone example in the United States, where wolves were reintroduced about 30 years ago after their numbers had collapsed. Elk populations had risen sharply in their absence, damaging young trees and riverbanks. Prof. Deshpande explained, “When wolves returned, the balance shifted again. It showed how one species can influence everything around it. Reaction networks help us explain why such changes unfold the way they do.”

AI “washing” alters code, designs, or media just enough to obscure ownership, creating an attribution gap for IP law. New forensic methods; lineage tracing, deep similarity analysis, and training-data provenance are emerging to prove algorithmic theft. When a piece of copyrighted code, a proprietary design, or a unique musical composition is fed into a Generative AI model for washing, the goal is to retain the core value and structure of the original work while subtly altering its metadata and stylistic features, enough to erase the ownership trail. This algorithmic transformation creates a derivative work that is technically new yet functionally identical to the stolen IP. “Until more research on detecting such manipulation and identification is established with scientific rigor, it would always depend on expert testimony and counter expert testimony. But the hope is that it won’t be that distant future that such scientifically rigorous methods will be established for acceptance by judiciary.” said Prof Sandeep K Shukla, Director, IIIT Hyderabad.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting data anymore, it’s about defending the digital backbone of modern India. Every connection represents an opportunity for increased risk, be it through UPI payments or the power grid. Prior to it being a popular and widely discussed trend in the world, Prof. Sandeep K Shukla, has been ahead of the curve on all things relating to this concept. He speaks about the next steps in securing India’s critical infrastructure, and utilising AI for protection against cyber threats. In 2002–03, it was viewed as a system administrator’s problem. Attacks like Code Red were routine, and research focused on cryptography, which was ineffective once malware exploited software flaws. A global vulnerability market soon emerged, where zero-day, zero-click bugs in major platforms became million-dollar assets traded legally and on the dark web, sustaining a government, criminal exploit ecosystem. Stuxnet in 2010 transformed the field. Using unknown vulnerabilities, it damaged Iran’s Natanz facility and proved cyberattacks could disrupt physical systems worldwide.