New Delhi, July 15 -- From ancient philosopher Acharya Kanad's concept of "Parmanu" (atoms) to mathematician Bhaskara II's water bowl astronomy techniques, the new National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) science textbook for Class 8 has sections dedicated to Indian scientific knowledge and discoveries. It also mentions the medicinal use of alloys such as "Kamsya" (an alloy of copper and tin), the use of natural solvents such as water and oils in Ayurvedic drug formulations, and the traditional method of variolation used to combat smallpox before modern vaccines. The book has sections titled "Ever heard of?" and "Our scientific heritage" linking modern scientific concepts to early Indian discoveries. The former is aimed at sustaining students' interests through fascinating facts and observations from ancient Indian texts, while the latter offers information about institutions and persons that have contributed to the progress of scientific temper. The new 228-page textbook, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, has 13 chapters. In the chapter titled "Health: The Ultimate Treasure", the "Our scientific heritage" segment mentions that "Long before modern vaccines, India had a traditional method called variolation to protect against smallpox." P9...