Trained only on historical data, Aurora was able to correctly forecast all hurricanes in 2023 more accurately than operational forecasting centres [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS Microsoft has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that beats current forecasting methods in tracking air quality, weather patterns, and climate-addled tropical storms, according to findings published Wednesday. Dubbed … Read more
Tourists and commuters sail through Bosphorus on a ferry in Istanbul, Turkey, April 23, 2025 | Photo Credit: UMIT BEKTAS Following Turkiye and Azerbaijan’s support for Pakistan after India’s military confrontation in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre, many online travel platforms reported a sharp spike in cancellations of tour bookings to these countries. Many … Read more
The clownfish were popularised by the Disney film ‘Finding Nemo’. | Photo Credit: Getty Images In 2023-2024, the world suffered a devastating coral bleaching event during which 84% of the world’s reefs spanning 83 countries and territories were affected. Scientists have since linked the event to ocean warming and marine heatwaves — extended periods of … Read more
Cyclones are among the earth’s most powerful storms. Like forest fires and lightning strikes, they are natural — yet their effects are becoming more destructive thanks to climate change. In a new study published by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the world’s cyclones can be expected to wreak more havoc in new ways if … Read more
The Persian long-tailed desert lizard specimen at the Zoological Survey of India’s museum in Kolkata. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have removed confusion over the Persian long-tailed desert lizard, 153 years after it was first described from Sindh in present-day Pakistan. This desert lizard, called Mesalina watsonana zoologically, … Read more
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pays tribute to the mortal remains of astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Narlikar. Photo: @CMOMaharashtra on X via PTI People from all walks of life attended the last rites of eminent astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Narlikar in Pune as he was cremated with full state honours. The last rites were performed at the … Read more
It was around six years ago that ecologist Ayushi Jain arrived in Kasaragod, Kerala, in search of the Asian giant softshell turtle (a large freshwater turtle). She interacted with the community, took them into confidence and eventually spotted the turtle. She went on to document the critically endangered species, with the support of the people, … Read more
M.R. Srinivasan, former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) passed away on May 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Special: Arrangement M.R. Srinivasan, the former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, passed away in Udhagamandalam on Tuesday (May 20, 2025). He was 95-years-old. Srinivasan joined the Department of Atomic … Read more
Mahesh Sankaran | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Dr. Mahesh Sankaran, explained the evolution, diversity and conservation challenges of the grassland ecosystem during his lecture The Untold Story of Grasses held recently at the Science Gallery Bengaluru. Mahesh’s research includes studying grasslands in Africa … Read more
Game-changer: In February 2012, amid intense protests, the government announced the constitution of an expert committee, which included M.R. Srinivasan, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, to go into the plant’s safety system. The photo shows Srinivasan handing over the report to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives In September 2011, amid intense protests by activists … Read more
On April 23, 2018 the renowned astrophysicist Jayant V. Narlikar gave a lecture on ‘Searches for Life Outside the Earth’ at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre’s Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) in Thiruvananthapuram. He spoke about the possibility of life existing beyond the earth and the challenges in providing experimental evidence for it. On the occasion, … Read more
The Madras High Court received the highest number of women appointees | Photo Credit: PICHUMANI K Of the 17 appointees to the Madras High Court approved by the Supreme Court Collegium during the tenures of former Chief Justices of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjiv Khanna, 15 (88.2%) belonged to the Backward Classes (BC), Other Backward Classes … Read more
The Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), a vulnerable sea turtle species, made headlines earlier this year: a record-breaking seven lakh turtles had nested at Odisha’s Rushikulya beach alone in March. These turtles are renowned for their synchronised mass nesting events called arribada, a Spanish word that means “arrival”. For many people, the Rushikulya arribada signalled … Read more
Game-changer: In February 2012, amid intense protests, the government announced the constitution of an expert committee, which included M.R. Srinivasan, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, to go into the plant’s safety system. The photo shows Srinivasan handing over the report to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES In September 2011, amid intense protests by … Read more
Renowned astrophysicist Jayant Vishnu Narlikar | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat Dr. Jayant Narlikar, one of India’s most distinguished astrophysicists who combined profound theoretical insight into cosmology with a lifelong commitment to science communication, passed away at his residence in Pune on Tuesday (May 20. 2025). He was 86. Describing what made Dr. Narlikar one of … Read more
M.R. Srinivasan, former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) passed away on May 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Special: Arrangement M.R. Srinivasan, the former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, passed away in Udhagamandalam on Tuesday (May 20, 2025). He was 95-years-old. Srinivasan joined the Department of Atomic … Read more
Jarosite crystals from Sierra Peña Blanca in Mexico. | Photo Credit: Robert M. Lavinsky (CC BY-SA) Jarosite is a yellow-brown mineral that contains potassium, iron, and sulphate — and researchers have found it could serve as a natural geological clock on Mars. Recently, a team of researchers from around India sampled six jarosite veins from … Read more
Astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Eminent astrophysicist, science communicator, and Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away in Pune on Tuesday (May 20, 2025), family sources said. He was 87. A towering figure in Indian science, Dr Narlikar was widely known for his pioneering contributions to cosmology, his efforts to … Read more
All of us have had this experience at some point: you wake up, find out you’re late for a class or meeting, clean up, put on some nice clothes, and run. When you finally get to where you need to be, you’re sweating. You pull out a small deodorant bottle from your bag, give yourself … Read more
Biologists have the fruit fly. Botanists have the thale cress. Neurologists have the roundworm. These are model organisms: plants and animals that scientists in each of these fields study to make sense of almost all other plants and animals in the world. For example, in the 1990s, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered a new … Read more
Watch: What war hysteria hides The real cost of war goes beyond borders, battles, and breaking news. Following the Pahalgam massacre, military tensions had reignited — but so did a wave of online misinformation. This video unpacks the data behind the war hysteria: from rising Google searches of war-related terms and viral fake news to … Read more
(From right) U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Indian cricket player Virat Kohli, Satellite image of Pakistan’s Sukkur air base by Maxar Technologies, Justice B.R. Gavai, and an accused in Pollachi sexual assault case. (1) Operation Sindoor and India’s response to Pakistan In a swift military operation on May 7, 2025, the Indian Armed … Read more
A view of the World Health Organisation headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 28, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters Hundreds of officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) will join donors and diplomats in Geneva from May 19 with one question dominating their thoughts: how to cope with crises from mpox to cholera without their main … Read more
The noted geneticist and evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975) published an essay in 1973 in the journal American Biology Teacher, titled ‘Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution’. The title became wildly popular in scientific circles. It was even engraved in the Jordan Hall of Science of the University of Notre … Read more
PSLV-C61 rocket carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-09) lifts off from the first launch pad, in Sriharikota, Sunday, May 18, 2025. After a precise liftoff, Chairman V. Narayanan said that the mission could not be accomplished as planned. | Photo Credit: PTI The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could not accomplish its 101st launch, the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 … Read more
PSLV-C61 mission was not accomplished after it encountered an anomaly in the third stage. It lifted off successfully initially. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could not accomplish its 101st launch, the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission on Sunday (May 18, 2025). Minutes after PSLV-C61 with the EOS-09 Earth observation satellite lifted … Read more
A batch of Li-ion coin cells being tested. | Photo Credit: UCL Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Scientists have reported in Science that the key to fixing solid-state battery (SSB) failures may lie in well-documented mechanical laws, paving the way for longer operational lifetimes. A battery consists of an electrolyte sandwiched between the positive … Read more
A view of solar panels and wind turbines installed at the Adani Green Renewable Energy Plant in Khavda, Gujarat, October 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP As the sweltering heat of summer reaches its peak, our thoughts turn towards the approaching rainy season. Data collected by weather stations and rain gauges for over a century tell … Read more
Scientists have known for some time that biological matter can pack in more information for the same volume. Representative illustration. | Photo Credit: Galina Nelyubova/Unsplash In the last couple decades, the amount of physical space required to store digital data has plummeted. A 100 GB harddrive used to be a bulky contraption; today a USB … Read more
