Tracking Trump’s executive orders, OpenAI rejects Musk’s $97.4 billion offer, and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) President Trump’s Executive Orders U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20, 2025 and as of February 11, he has signed 63 executive orders, which is more than those signed by any recent President in their first one hundred days in office, even surpassing the number of executive orders he signed during his first term … Read more

Odisha tribal healer’s remedies for chronic diseases to undergo scientific validation under Ministry of Ayush initiative

Hari Pangi, the tribal healer, in Odisha‘s Koraput district. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement  In the quiet foothills of Tentuliguda, a remote village in Odisha’s Koraput district, where age-old wisdom thrives around leaves, epidermal plant tissues, and roots, a humble four-room building serves as a laboratory for a tribal healer. Recently, this unassuming space hosted 17 … Read more

Loggerhead turtles use geomagnetic field to navigate large distances

The loggerhead turtle can learn and remember the magnetic signature of an area and does a ‘turtle dance’ when in a location that they associate with food, a study in Nature reports. The research presents mechanisms of how migratory species navigate using the magnetic field of the Earth. Sea turtles are renowned for their long-distance migrations and … Read more

China to develop gene-editing tools, new crop varieties in biotech initiative

Wheat crop ready for harvest in a farmer’s field near Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada September 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters China issued guidelines on Friday to promote biotech cultivation, focusing on gene-editing tools and developing new wheat, corn, and soybean varieties, as part of efforts to ensure food security and boost agriculture technology. The 2024-2028 … Read more

What is carbon capture? – The Hindu

Representative image of a refinery. | Photo Credit: Bro Takes Photos Global warming is the result of certain greenhouse gases — but especially carbon dioxide (CO2) — building up in the air and preventing the planet from cooling as quickly as it would without them. Although some natural processes emit these gases, their build-up to … Read more

Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana contributes only 14% of PM2.5 in Delhi-NCR: study

Based on field measurements, airmass trajectories, and particle dispersion and chemical transport model simulations, a study published in January 2025 has found that there is no linear correlation between stubble-burning events in Punjab and Haryana and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in Delhi-NCR. The study also underscores that crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana contributes … Read more

Sex work drives clade Ib mpox outbreak in DR Congo

83% of mpox clade Ib cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are linked to sex work | Photo Credit: REUTERS Genomic and epidemiologic data suggest that the rapid spread of mpox clade Ib in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was majorly (83.4%) linked to sex work within densely populated areas. Overall, … Read more

Loggerhead turtles use geomagnetic field to navigate large distances

The loggerhead turtle can learn and remember the magnetic signature of an area and does a ‘turtle dance’ when in a location that they associate with food, a study in Nature reports. The research presents mechanisms of how migratory species navigate using the magnetic field of the Earth. Sea turtles are renowned for their long-distance migrations and … Read more

ICMR seeks partners for development and commercialisation of typhoid and paratyphoid vaccine

Representational image. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Indian Council of Medical Research ((ICMR) is looking at undertaking joint development and commercialisation of typhoid and paratyphoid vaccine and has now invited expression of interest from the eligible organisations, companies and manufacturers. Giving details about the process the Council noted that under the EoI, the manufacturers/companies who … Read more

Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On Colossal Squid

Q: Where does the colossal squid live? The colossal squid is a massive squid that lives in the deep sea surrounding Antarctica Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean Deep sea surrounding Antarctica Pacific Ocean A: 3 Q: What is the colossal squid’s claim to fame as an invertebrate? The colossal squid is the largest invertebrate on Earth. … Read more

Fetus in fetu – The Hindu

The presence of a twin inside the body of the other twin may go undetected for years. Photograph used for representational purposes only At the moment of conception, twins begin a lifelong relationship that scientists think might answer some of life’s profound questions. While twinning is generally considered to be a natural and scientific marvel, … Read more

Fetus in fetu – The Hindu

The presence of a twin inside the body of the other twin may go undetected for years. Rare foetus in foetus  In January 2025, doctors at the Buldhana District Women’s Hospital in Maharashtra detected a rare case of “fetus in fetu” in a pregnant woman. This condition occurs when a malformed foetus develops inside another foetus. The … Read more

High-energy cosmic neutrino detected under Mediterranean Sea

Researchers conduct final inspections on a neutrino detection unit on a launcher vehicle aboard a research vessel to the seafloor in the Mediterranean Sea. Image released on February 12, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters Using an observatory under construction deep beneath the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily, scientists have detected a ghostly subatomic particle called a … Read more

IIT Madras and ISRO develop indigenous aerospace chip for space applications

Photo Credits: IIT Madras Official Website Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and ISRO have developed an indigenous microprocessor for space applications which can be used in command and control systems and other critical functions in outer space. The SHAKTI microprocessor project is led by IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti at Prathap Subrahmanyam Centre for … Read more

NASA set to return Starliner astronauts days sooner

  NASA’s astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module. NASA on Tuesday swapped out the astronaut capsule it plans to use for an upcoming routine flight to the International Space Station, a scheduling move that will allow a slightly earlier return for two Starliner astronauts who have been on … Read more

NIMHANS releases Pre-CURB, a digital learning resource on prevention of cannabis use

  National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru | Photo Credit: File photo A team of researchers from Bengaluru-based NIMHANS have developed Pre-CURB, a digital learning resource for youth on prevention of cannabis use and responsible behaviour. This digital resource, released at a workshop conducted for college students by the Departments of … Read more

AI can make drug-testing more precise, relevant to human biology

On January 6, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed draft guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the safety and effectiveness of drugs. The influential body has said that in the last decade, the number of submissions from drugmakers that include an AI or machine-learning component has seen an exponential … Read more

Tracking U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the White House on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. | Photo Credit: AP U.S. President Trump assumed office on January 20, 2025 and as of February 10, he has signed 61 executive orders, which is more than those signed by any recent … Read more

Elector surge in Maharashtra and Delhi Assembly polls not unusual

Voters wait in queues to cast their vote for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, in Akola. | Photo Credit: ANI The surge in the number of electors during the recent Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Delhi is not unusually high, an analysis of Election Commission data shows. The spurt in electors in Maharashtra became a subject … Read more

What scientists make of R&D allocations in the 2025 Union Budget

Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST): The Budget provides an overall and possibly unprecedented thrust on research and innovation by setting aside Rs 20,000 crore for DST towards research in the private sector, including corporates and startups. There is a focused attempt to bring together academia, private sector and startups  to work … Read more

science for all Missing some info? Check with the bonobos

(This article forms a part of the Science for All newsletter that takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Subscribe now!) The idiom “monkey see, monkey do” refers to someone copying an action without putting much thought into it. It literally lays the blame at a monkey’s feet, but a new … Read more