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
The ‘Candelabra’ hydrothermal vent on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 3.3 km underwater. In the past, scientists have found evidence of ancient life forms in the precipitates around such vents. | Photo Credit: MARUM (CC BY 4.0) Two-thirds of the earth’s surface consists of the deep ocean — parts of the surface 200 m or more below … Read more
S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu The progress made by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in developing eco-friendly launch vehicle systems reflects a strong commitment to sustainable space exploration practices, S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has said. Dr. Nair was speaking after … Read more
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan. File | Photo Credit: ANI Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman V. Narayanan on Friday (May 16, 2025) offered prayers at the Lord Venkateswara temple, seeking blessings for the successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C61/EOS-09 mission, a remote sensing satellite mission. The launch is scheduled for May 18, … Read more
Balachandra Rao. File | Photo Credit: Special arrangement The world of classical Indian astronomy and mathematics has lost one of its most distinguished voices. Balachandra Rao, a mathematician, astronomer and historian of science, was a scholar who dedicated his life to decoding India’s rich intellectual heritage while fearlessly challenging pseudoscience and advocating a scientific temper. … Read more
New investment projects worth ₹19.8 lakh crore were announced in the March 2025 quarter, the highest in at least the last six years. Though most of the announcements were made by the private sector, pledges from the government sector saw a five-fold increase in the same quarter compared to the December 2024 quarter. While a … Read more
A man inspects his house that was damaged by cross-border shelling, in Kotmaira village along the Line of Control in Akhnoor Sector, J&K | Photo Credit: Channi Anand The military escalation between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam massacre has been accompanied by a barrage of misinformation and disinformation. Data shows that concerned citizens, particularly … Read more
A picture taken at a meeting held by ISRO and JAXA for the Chandrayaan-5 mission, in Bengaluru on May 13 and 14. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all geared up for its 101st launch with the PSLV-C61 / EOS-09 mission, which is scheduled to be launched on May 18 at 5.59 a.m. from … Read more
Image used for representation only | Photo Credit: Arya P. Kumar (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!) Two-thirds of the earth’s surface consists of the deep ocean — parts of the surface 200 m or more … Read more
Union Minister of Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches two genome-edited varieties of rice by ICAR, at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, NASC Complex in New Delhi on MAY 4. | Photo Credit: ANI The story so far: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently announced that India has become the first country in the … Read more
Discussing particle physics over a pint; debating the future of food sustainability over complimentary peanuts. Scientists hobnobbing with the public in a pub is not really what comes to mind when you think about serious science discussions. But that’s what Pint of Science wants to change. The event, started by research scientists Praveen Paul and … Read more
A quantum dot is a type of semiconductor that’s only a few nanometres wide. It has a wide range of applications, including in LED lighting, medical diagnostics, printing, semiconductor fabrication, and solar panels. They’re very small but they’ve had a big impact on our world as we know it. This is why the people who … Read more
Mariangela Hungria. | Photo Credit: World Food Prize via AP A Brazilian scientist who pushed back against the use of chemical fertilisers and studied biological approaches to more robust food production has been honoured with this year’s World Food Prize, the organisation announced on May 13. Microbiologist Mariangela Hungria has been researching biological seed and … Read more
Science quiz: Mars is more than just the red planet Visual: Name this NASA mission that definitively recorded the first quakes on Mars as well as seismic waves in a layer 5.4 km below Mars’s surface. START THE QUIZ 1 / 6 | Name this NASA mission (shown on the picture) that definitively recorded the … Read more
The Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) system that has been deployed in the recent India-Pakistan hostilities has a Tiruchi connection. The project’s director Ramprasad Ramakrishna Panyam was a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology – Tiruchi, of the 1971-76 batch. Panyam passed away due to a massive cardiac arrest in 2012 at … Read more
Pope Leo XIV greets people of the press on May 12, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican. | Photo Credit: Christopher Furlong Upon the passing of Pope Francis, Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected to succeed him as Pope Leo XIV. The conclave to elect the new pontiff began on May 7. The election of … Read more
Climate change is reshaping the world — and perhaps nowhere more so than in the wild. As ecosystems change, species are forced to move to new locations in search of the resources they need to live. Unlike some human-made borders that are visible as fences and walls, the wild at large has numerous borders invisible … Read more
(L-R) Air Marshal AK Bharti, DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Major General SS Sharda during the press conference on Operation Sindoor, in New Delhi on Sunday. | Photo Credit: ANI In a swift and decisive military action against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Indian armed forces … Read more
An image of the ALICE detector, which researchers used to track near-miss collisions between lead nuclei in the LHC. | Photo Credit: CERN In India and other parts of the world, some ancient natural philosophers practised an enterprise called alchemy. It was in some ways an early form of chemistry, but guided by less-than-scientific ideas … Read more
Migratory birds in V Formation, travel over long distances | Photo Credit: mbolina Just like how takeoff and landing are crucial for an airplane, the same applies to birds. Migratory birds often fly in a V-shape, a process known as bird flight. This unique movement is guided by the principles of aerodynamics, specifically lift and … Read more
(1) India launches Operation Sindoor After the Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 people in April 22, India launched a targeted anti-terror exercise – Operation Sindoor – using precision strikes to destroy nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir where operational terrorist infrastructure. was found These nine sites were selected out of 21 identified, and acted as … Read more
This Bedmap3 grid of Antarctica’s bed topography shows the Gamburtsev Mountains slightly to the right of the image’s centre. | Photo Credit: Pritchard et al., Scientific Data (2025), CC BY Have you ever imagined what Antarctica looks like beneath its thick blanket of ice? Hidden below are rugged mountains, valleys, hills and plains. Some peaks, … Read more
Bundles of sugarcane are kept for sale at Machkhowa market on the banks of Brahmaputra River, in Guwahati. | Photo Credit: ANI India is looking to increase the ethanol-blending ratio in petrol to 30% to further cut down on fossil fuel consumption, as it has met its previous target of 20% in 2025, well ahead of schedule. … Read more
A mother seen putting face mask to her son while waiting for transport for Kanpur at the Ghazipur – NH24 Intersection during the 57th Day of the National Lockdown against spreading of Coronavirus in New Delhi. In 2021, an analysis of excess deaths — the increase in the death tally over expected numbers based on … Read more
With the most powerful radio telescope in the southern hemisphere, we have observed a twinkling star and discovered an abundance of mysterious plasma structures in our cosmic neighbourhood. The plasma structures we see are variations in density or turbulence, akin to interstellar cyclones stirred up by energetic events in the galaxy. The study, published in … Read more
Female mammals produce milk to nourish their young. Much of the nourishment comes from lactose, the major sugar in milk. The lactose is broken down in the infant’s small intestine into the more simpler sugars, glucose, and galactose, which are readily absorbed by the small intestine. The break-down, or digestion, of lactose is mediated by … Read more
The primitive man in the cave.; 3d render For Snapshot – picture from istock/getty images | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto A set of ancient wooden spears may be younger than scientists thought and wielded by Neanderthals instead of their ancestors. The complete spears made of spruce and pine are among the oldest known hunting weapons. … Read more