Mepco bill

The story so far: Quantum mechanics says that particles can sometimes cross barriers they don’t have the energy to climb, like boring through a mountain instead of scaling it first. This process, called tunnelling, is common in nuclear and atomic physics. The 2025 physics Nobel Prize laureates John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis showed … Read more

PHOTO: Getty Images/iStockphoto Why do they peck? First things first, why do they constantly knock their heads against wood? Knocking one’s knuckles against wood is understandable, since it’s considered a source of good luck. But woodpeckers don’t have knuckles, so do they use their bills as a substitute? Not really. The birds hold the ability … Read more

Bubble wrap. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT There’s no resisting the sound when our hands get on to attack some bubble wrap. It’s addictive and satisfying for anyone and everyone who wants an excuse to fidget with some bubble wrap. You get your hands on it and before you even think about it – Pop! … Read more

PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR / The Hindu What is it? What exactly are nightshades? Simply put, they are plants, herbs, and vegetables that belong to the Solanaceae plant family. This is a plant family where nearly all members of its flora contain naturally occurring organic compounds known as alkaloids, which makes them toxic in nature. … Read more

A double rainbow | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement. Double rainbows are two arcs of colour decorating the sky – literally two for the price of one. The main rainbow is usually brighter and of the usual pattern (red on top, violet at the bottom), and the second rainbow — which is called the secondary arc … Read more

Magnus effect diagram | Photo Credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Have you ever wondered the secret to Messi’s curved free kick? Or any of our spin bowlers with their masterly bowling? It may look like magic, but it’s actually something physics calls the Magnus effect. From cricket pitches to football stadiums, this phenomenon plays an important role … Read more

What is Terraforming? 

PHOTO: Getty Images/iStockphoto The chariot that started it all… Why are all athletes made to run in an anti-clockwise direction when they race? Every natural occurrence in the universe has a reason behind it. To understand that, we need to take a jump into the past in Rome. The truth behind the story that follows … Read more

PHOTO: adventtr/Getty Images What is it? What exactly is a Milankovitch Cycle? Let’s answer this question with another one. What causes climate change? Many known causes are man-made, like the excess burning of fossil fuels, which has led to the high generation of greenhouse gases, emissions made by vehicles and factories, deforestation, etc. Now, these … Read more

The planet’s skies and seas have seen much more than any of us combined, more than the average weather forecast can predict. These rare, questionable phenomena leave not just us baffled, but also meteorologists questioning what is real and what is magic. Let us explore just what more nature is capable of showing us. … Read more

Many of us are familiar with the name Srinivasa Ramanujan and his black and white photograph. He was one of India’s brightest mathematicians. In this episode we dive into his life – from struggling to pass college in Tamil Nadu to reaching the hallowed halls of Cambridge. Ramanujan’s notebooks scribbled with theorems that he discovered … Read more

The Nobel Prize in Physics is being awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced in Stockhom on Tuesday (October 7, 2025). “It is wonderful to be able to celebrate … Read more

Shanchol is the only oral cholera vaccine made in India with WHO prequalification, according to the manufacturers   | Photo Credit: By Arrangement Made in Hyderabad oral cholera vaccine Shanchol, originally developed by Shantha Biotechnics and whose production resumed recently under a new management, has received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification. For global procurement agencies … Read more

An antibiotic discovered on Easter Island in 1964 sparked a billion-dollar pharmaceutical success story. Yet the history told about this “miracle drug” has completely left out the people and politics that made its discovery possible. Named after the island’s Indigenous name, Rapa Nui, the drug rapamycin was initially developed as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ … Read more

What is a supermoon?

Mary E Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi are awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 6, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their work on … Read more

Bureaucratic red tape, limited funding, and expensive equipment often conspire to make scientific research in the Global South an uphill task. Yet researchers continue to find creative ways to keep going. At a plenary lecture during the Student Conference on Conservation Science in Bengaluru in September, Sammy Wambua, a conservation genomics scientist from Pwani University … Read more

n this image received on Oct. 6, 2025, Minister of State for Science and Technology (Independent Charge) Jitendra Singh interacts with media at the curtain raiser press conference on Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC-2025) at National Media Centre, in New Delhi. Photo: PIB via PTI Photo The government’s first ever Emerging Science, Technology … Read more

(1) Madras High Court forms an SIT to probe Karur stampede The Madras High Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the stampede in Karur that resulted in 41 deaths during Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Mr. Vijay’s rally last month. The SIT’s constitution, to be headed by Inspector General of Police Asra Garg, … Read more