Researchers have sequenced the first whole ancient Egyptian genome from an individual who lived 4,500 to 4,800 years ago — the oldest DNA sample from Egypt to date. The body belongs to an adult male who died more than 4,500 years ago during Egypt’s Old Kingdom. The individual was “genetically male (XY sex chromosomes), consistent … Read more
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
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
A vertical gas flaring furnace is seen in Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria September 16, 2020. An $88 million satellite backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos that detected oil and gas industry emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane has been lost in space. | Photo Credit: Reuters An $88 million satellite backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos … Read more
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
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
A musician rehearses on a guitar at Stax Music Academy, January 30, 2025, in Memphis, U.S. | Photo Credit: AP The purpose of a string in a string instrument is to vibrate and produce sounds. How it vibrates is decided by its mass per unit length, its stiffness, and how well it allows vibrations to … Read more
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
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
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 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
The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently issued an order for holding Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls for Bihar. This exercise will then be carried out in all the States. The order is antithetical to the tradition of this august institution. From the first election held in independent India, the ECI has played a … Read more
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
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
(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
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
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? 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
Women in STEM is a popular term you would have heard, and it is well-celebrated in the modern age. However, what about the women who laid the stepping stones for the term? Women who not only broke gender barriers but also played an important role in laying the foundation in several modern fields. One such … Read more
In wine-making circles, ‘noble rot’ is an exalted name for the botrytis fungus (Botrytis cinerea). It infects grapes, penetrates the skin, causes the berries to lose water by evaporation and shrivel up, and thus concentrates the sugars and flavours in them. Since only a small percentage of grapes in a vineyard are infected, they must … Read more
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
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla commenced his research activities aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on June 29, 2025. | Photo Credit: ANI Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has commenced research activities at the orbiting laboratory According to Axiom Space the crew members are fully immersed in their mission … Read more
Light always travels at 3 lakh km per second in a vacuum. It cannot be trapped and solidified because the particles of light, photons, have no rest mass and don’t interact strongly with each other. Generally, light exists only as a particle or wave. But recently, a team of researchers from Italy’s University of Pavia … Read more
A jatropha demonstration plot developed by Labland Biodiesel, a Mysuru-based biotechnology company, near in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Deepening concerns over the warming of our planet have made “green” and “sustainable” popular words. ‘Going green’ means taking steps to lessen harm to the environment, like adopting eco-friendly practices. Sustainability aims for changes that … Read more
India’s vast linguistic, cultural, and social diversity has long been evident, but only now are scientists beginning to uncover the genetic richness underpinning it. In a new study in Cell, researchers reported sequencing the genomes of 2,762 Indians from 23 States and Union Territories. The data captured variation across caste, tribal groups, language, geography, and … Read more
This picture released by the Schmidt Ocean Institute on September 14, 2023, shows a Grimalditeuthis near Ecuador’s Galapagos archipelago. These squid were only observed alive in the wild for the first time in 2005. | Photo Credit: AFP Squids are some of the smartest and most agile animals in today’s oceans, but their evolutionary history … Read more
From Instagram reels to supermarket shelves, kombucha — the fizzy, fermented tea drink — has found a growing audience among health-conscious consumers in India. Promoted as a probiotic powerhouse, it’s touted for its supposed benefits to digestion, immunity, and metabolism. According to one estimate provided by Indian company Sbooch, the kombucha market in India grew … Read more
This image made from video shows Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H2A rocket in Tobishima, Japan, Sept. 25, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Japan on Sunday (June 29, 2025) successfully launched a climate change monitoring satellite on its mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before it is replaced by a new flagship designed to be … Read more
Former foes cooperate Fuelled by the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the space race saw the two nations compete to achieve superior spaceflight capability. The end of the Cold War, however, saw the Soviet Union collapse and form independent nations, including Russia, which had been at its core. Less than … Read more
An elephant is seen on wayside of the Chandaka Elephant sanctuary just outskirts of Bhubaneswar. File photo | Photo Credit: The Hindu Odisha would lose about 390 sq km of area used by migrating elephants as foraging ground and corridor in one district on account of massive coal mining alone in Angul district, says a … Read more