High-quality diet may have led to bigger human brain: CSIR-CCMB-led international study reveals genetic link between diet and brain size

The research team had analysed over 8,000 genes from 50 whole genomes across primate species to understand how brain size co-evolved with diet and to identify the specific genes that may have helped make it happen. | Photo Credit: Graphics: SUBYENDHU GANGULY Our ancestors’ shift to higher-quality diets, especially with use of fire and consumption … Read more

Endocrine disruptors in plastic waste: a new public health threat

Plastics have revolutionised modern living with their convenience and affordability, but this same ubiquity is spawning an invisible, long-term health crisis. Beyond choking oceans and clogging landfills, plastics are now infiltrating our bodies through microplastic particles and a cocktail of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The evidence is clear and deeply concerning: these substances are interfering with … Read more

How does a digital barometer work?

An analogue pressure gauge. | Photo Credit: Langspeed (CC BY-SA) A: A barometer is a device to measure pressure. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, most designs had the same working principle: air pressure pushed down on an open column of fluid, which was allowed to move into a second column with a closed … Read more

Gp Capt. Shukla shares experience of life aboard ISS with students

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla interacts with students via ham radio at a session organised in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Special Arrangement Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had a brief interaction with students who had gathered at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) here on Friday. He interacted with the student … Read more

Why don’t birds get electrocuted on wires?

If we tried the same thing, the result would be… well, shocking. So what makes birds different? Let’s understand how electricity works. Electricity flows through metal wires, just like water flows through pipes. It moves from a place with high voltage (electric pressure) to a place with low voltage. For electricity to flow, it needs … Read more

World’s largest digital camera starts observing the cosmos

Ever imagined seeing a golf ball on the surface of the moon in an image taken from the earth? This is now possible with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (VRO), the world’s latest astronomy facility, located on one of the peaks of mountain Cerro Pachòn in northern Chile. Jointly funded by the U.S. National Science … Read more

Axiom-4 trip to the ISS will provide valuable inputs for Gaganyaan mission: ISRO

India’s Shubhanshu Shukla with three other astronauts and the International Space Station crew after the Axiom-4 mission’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the ISS, as part of the mission. Photo: X/@SpaceX via PTI The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that the Axiom-4 (Ax-04) mission which Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of will … Read more

PM Modi’s five-nation tour kicks off on July 2 | Infographics

Representational photo | PM Modi’s participation in the BRICS summit is one of the key events to look for during the tour. | Photo Credit: ANI Starting Wednesday, July 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-nation tour across two continents, covering Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia. With a wide … Read more

How does a telephone intercom function in an office setting?

In most business environments, telephone calls are typically handled by a receptionist or directed to specific extensions using an internal intercom system. The technology enabling this seamless communication, both within and outside the organisation, is called EPABX. This system allows users to answer, transfer or forward calls as needed. It facilitates internal communication between different … Read more

New evidence of a matrilineal society in neolithic China

Human remains found in the northern grave (top) and in the southern grave (bottom) at the Neolithic site in Fujia, China. | Photo Credit: Ning, et al. (2025) Evidence from two Neolithic cemeteries on China’s eastern coast, reported recently by researchers at Peking University in Beijing in Nature, showed that some communities were organised in … Read more

Groundwater crisis deepens in Karnataka’s hard rock terrain

Stretching across much of peninsular India, the Deccan Plateau hides a silent, subterranean struggle. Beneath its sunbaked soil lie ancient, fractured layers of basalt and granite — hard rock aquifers that dominate the region’s groundwater story. In Karnataka, this rocky reality is nearly absolute: about 99% of the State relies on these stubbornly unyielding formations … Read more

Sinhalese migrated from South India, mixed heavily with Adivasi post-migration, genome study finds

Analyses of whole-genome sequence data of urban Sinhalese and two indigenous Adivasi clans in Sri Lanka, which live in geographically separated regions in the country, shed light on the migratory history of these populations and their genetic relationship to each other and to many Indian populations. The study published recently in the journal Current Biology … Read more

Boeing faces headwinds from crashes and competition

A fire officer stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, in Ahmedabad, India, June 13, 2025. | Photo Credit: Adnan Abidi Earlier this month, a London-bound Air India plane crashed soon after take off in Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people aboard. This was one of the deadliest … Read more

Axiom-4 mission: Group Captain Shukla to interact with students via ham radio on July 4

Axiom-4 pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu enjoy views of Earth from the International Space Station’s cupola. Photo: axiomspace.com Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is expected to talk to the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru via ham radio on July 4. “Contact upcoming with … Read more

India to fast-track 52 military satellites for better surveillance at borders

Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto After defence forces realised the need for more precision surveillance during Operation Sindoor, the Union government has ordered the fast-tracking of the launch of 52 dedicated surveillance satellites, enhancing round-the-clock monitoring of coastline and land borders. In October last year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee approved … Read more

India to fast-track 52 military satellites for better surveillance at borders

Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto After defence forces realised the need for more precision surveillance during Operation Sindoor, the Union government has ordered the fast-tracking of the launch of 52 dedicated surveillance satellites, enhancing round-the-clock monitoring of coastline and land borders. In October last year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee approved … Read more

Iran-Israel ceasefire, 50 years of Emergency, Axiom-4 mission, and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) Shaky ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to hold U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was “in effect”, after the truce, which he announced early morning, seemed unravelling following accusations of violations from both sides, prompting Mr. Trump to curse them and issue a rare public demand to … Read more

These Canadian rocks may be the oldest on the earth

An outcrop of metagabbroic rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, that are 4.16 billion years old, in this photograph released on June 26, 2025. A knife is pictured for scale. | Photo Credit: Reuters Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on the earth from a rock formation in … Read more

Cities built to drain or drown?

The rain begins, and for many cities, so does the chaos. Choked roads, submerged streets, endless traffic — a familiar monsoon story. If you’re indoors, you may enjoy the patter on your window. But step outside, and it’s a different world: stalled vehicles, knee-deep water, and helplessness. Year after year, the same scenes play out. … Read more

Are all space travellers astronauts?

Are all space travellers astronauts? Astronaut, cosmonaut, or vyomanaut? Here’s why space travelers have different names around the world. | Video Credit: The Hindu On June 26, 2025, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian ever to enter space, joining the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. However, … Read more