A team of international researchers recently discovered a galaxy with nine rings. They called it a “serendipitous discovery” because previous ringed galaxies have only displayed two or three rings at best. Using the Hubble space telescope, the team confirmed the presence of eight rings, while data from the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii confirmed the … Read more
Undocking of the two satellites on March 13, 2025. The first docking took place on January 16, 2025. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully executed the second docking of the two satellites, which are part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission. On April 21, Union Minister of … Read more
Using solar energy may be better for the environment than burning through fossil fuels, but the process still isn’t exactly perfect. Making silicon-based solar panels is energetically expensive and we still don’t know what to do with the silicon once the panels are done being used. There is a cheaper way to make solar panels, … Read more
Theoretical physicist and teacher A.P. Balachandran, known for his work in understanding the physics of fundamental particles, passed away on April 18 in Coimbatore. He was the Joel Dorman Steele emeritus professor at Syracuse University and an internationally recognised theoretical physicist. After completing his bachelor’s degree at the Madras Christian College, he received his Ph.D … Read more
There’s a harmless addiction that many people share: knuckle-cracking. That ‘pop’, better than the one from squeezing bubble wrap, results from the synovial fluid between your joints releasing a small bubble of nitrogen when you twist or compress your fingers or toes. It’s also a reminder of the centrality of nitrogen to life. The fifth-most … Read more
According tothe World Organisation for Animal Health, as of February 20, 2025, H5N1 has been found in 99 cats and has killed 18 cats. File (Image used for representation purpose only) | Photo Credit: Reuters A two-year-old girl from Narasaraopeta in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, who was infected with H5N1 died on March 16, 2025; … Read more
Image used for representatin purpose only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock Photo Two independent clinical trials demonstrate the safety of stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The papers, published in Nature, investigate the use of cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem cells, respectively. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the progressive loss of neurons that … Read more
An artist’s concept shows what exoplanet K2-18 b could look like based on science data. | Photo Credit: REUTERS The story so far: On April 16, an international research team uploaded a paper in which it reported that the distant exoplanet K2-18b may be habitable. The claim was met with cautious excitement by astronomers. While … Read more
Two independent clinical trials demonstrate the safety of stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The papers, published in Nature, investigate the use of cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem cells, respectively. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the progressive loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Cell therapy, specifically replenishing dopamine-producing neurons (dopaminergic) in the … Read more
CoQ9 is rich in wheat, rice, oats, barley, corn, rye, and millet. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA Enzymes are proteins that catalyse reactions in a cell, making metabolism efficient. For efficient functioning, many enzymes require some molecules as cofactors. These helper molecules are called coenzymes. Coenzymes are naturally occurring organic molecules that bind to and … Read more
For the first time in Finland, researchers have isolated a giant virus — 200 nanometres in diameter, about twice the size of influenza or coronavirus — which was named Jyvaskylavirus. The discovery shows that giant viruses are more common in northern regions than researchers have thought. It also illustrates that there are still many structures whose origins and functions … Read more
All three cats that tested positive for H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1a died one-three days after sampling | Photo Credit: REUTERS A two-year-old girl from Narasaraopeta in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, who was infected with H5N1 died on March 16, 2025; she was admitted to AIIMS-Mangalagiri on March 4. ICMR’s Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) identified … Read more
What is Aryabhata? Named after an ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer (5th Century), Aryabhata was India’s first satellite. Launched from Kapustin Yar with the help of the Soviets on April 19, 1975, the launch of this indigenously-built satellite marked the beginning of India’s space age. The successful launch meant that India became just the 11th … Read more
Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to travel to the International Space Station next month as part of an Axiom-4 mission, four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic spaceflight onboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday (April 18, 2025). Mr. Singh … Read more
Allergies, whether spring sneezes due to pollen or trouble breathing triggered by a certain food, are caused by a combination of someone’s genes and the environment they live in. The more things two people share, the higher their chances of being allergic to the same things. Twins are more likely to share allergies because of … Read more
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense shield, six people familiar with the matter said. Musk’s rocket and satellite company is partnering with software maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril on a bid to build key parts of Golden … Read more
Genetically modified ‘dire wolf’ pups Romulus and Remus. | Photo Credit: REUTERS The story so far: On April 7, a biotechnology company in Texas, U.S., named Colossal Biosciences announced that it had “resurrected” a dire wolf, a large predator that went extinct more than 12,000 years ago. The company’s claim that it had facilitated the … Read more
Smoke rises from a coal-powered steel plant at Hehal village near Ranchi. File | Photo Credit: AP The Union Environment Ministry should roll back its 2015 policy mandating all of India’s 537 coal-fired plants to install a class of equipment called Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) in order to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. Instead, it … Read more
The Union Environment Ministry should roll back its 2015 policy mandating all of India’s 537 coal-fired plants to install a class of equipment called Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) in order to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. Instead, it should only apply to those plants using imported coal or high (>0.5%) sulphur coal, a study commissioned … Read more
A frame grab provided by the Schmidt Ocean Institute shows a colossal squid, or Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat, during an Ocean Census flagship expedition in the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean | Photo Credit: AP A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep … Read more
Imagine you are eating takeout, and suddenly you feel like you are getting breathless and it’s getting difficult for you to swallow the food. You also feel itchiness in several parts of your body. These might be symptoms of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis. When you are allergic to a certain food item or object, … Read more
In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet’s atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes. The two gases – dimethyl sulfide, or … Read more
A woman at work in a semi-mechanised match manufacturing unit at Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district. | Photo Credit: RAJESH N One of the drivers of Viksit Bharat will be manufacturing. One of the pillars of Viksit Bharat is ‘nari (women)’. However, women are missing from the factory floors. The share of women in India’s formal … Read more
In a significant breakthrough to tackle the freshwater scarcity in various parts of the world, scientists from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have developed a new material that can facilitate water desalination. Researchers Professor Swatantra Pratap Singh and Aiswarya C. L. have developed Dual-Sided Superhydrophobic Laser-Induced Graphene (DSLIG) evaporator that addresses multiple shortcomings of … Read more
When people on the internet searched Google for “cheese not sticking to pizza” in May 2024, the newly launched “AI Overviews” feature of the popular search engine replied “you can … add about ⅛ cup of non-toxic glue to the sauce to give it more tackiness.” In a series of strange answers, the artificial intelligence … Read more
CCMB Director Vinay Kumar Nandicoori and IICT Director D. Srinivas Reddy at a press conference held in Hyderabad on Wednesday (April 16, 2025) | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) are working on ‘Anti-Viral Mission’ to come up with drugs and diagnostics to … Read more
Science Quiz | The world’s oldest lifeforms Name this micro-animal. It’s renowned for being able to survive harsh conditions, including outer space, and evolved around 500 million years ago. Credit: Kiosya Y., Vončina K., Gąsiorek P. (2021) START THE QUIZ 1 / 6 | Scientists widely believe X are the first lifeforms on the earth … Read more
Bike riders passed through the parched forest area near Kulapully in Kerala’s Shoranur where trees are drying due to a lack of water and extreme weather conditions. File photo | Photo Credit: The Hindu In the early spring of 2022, South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan experienced back-to-back extreme heat waves in the … Read more
Coupled with stagnant incomes, more urban consumers feel pessimistic about the overall economic situation of the country | Photo Credit: MANSI THAPLIYAL This March, while a significant share of urban consumers remained optimistic about job opportunities, many continued to be pessimistic about income levels. This suggests that although jobs are available in urban areas, income … Read more
People take part in a rally against the Israeli government in Tel Aviv, Israel. | Photo Credit: Reuters When Israel pushed through its contentious Budget last month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “This is a war budget and, God willing, it will also be the victory budget.” However, widely cited surveys suggest that most Israelis … Read more