Researchers from around the world have completed the world’s largest, most demanding head-to-head comparison of clocks in history to build confidence for the upcoming redefinition of the second. The duration of a single second is currently defined by caesium (Cs) atomic clocks. Lasers ‘count’ the radiation emitted by Cs atoms in these devices to measure … Read more
If obtaining sequences from ancient proteins found in fossils was previously limited to samples no older than four million years, two studies published in the journal Nature on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) have pushed back this timescale to more than 20 million years. The enamel proteins from extinct mammals are a staggering ten-fold older compared with the … Read more
According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate India’s capability to launch a crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters ISRO has successfully conducted two hot tests of the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) at the space agency’s Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri on July 3. The short-duration tests, lasting … Read more
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have become instrumental in shaping India’s generating employment, creating revenue, and in global outreach. In 2024, MSMEs contributed nearly 30% to the GDP. The aim is to raise this to 35% in the current year. This vast sector also provides opportunities for many women-led enterprises. The government has implemented … Read more
Richard Feynman, a famous theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize, said that if he could pass on only one piece of scientific information to future generations, it would be that all things are made of atoms. Understanding how atoms form is a fundamental and important question, since they make up everything with mass. The … Read more
“They’re going to deliver rare earths to us,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview on June 27. “And once they do that, we’ll take down our countermeasures.” Mr. Lutnick’s remarks came just a day after a White House official confirmed that the U.S. and China had reached “an additional understanding” to implement … Read more
“Robotics and AI are integral to our mission. We use robotic arms for many internal and external tasks, making our work safer and more efficient on the Space Station,” Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station, said. File | Photo Credit: DPR PMO via ANI Photo “Many of you can become future … Read more
Wading through water up to his knees, Hassan Kargbo points to the vast ocean before him, which is eroding the land and imperilling residents’ survival on his island off Sierra Leone. “Where we are now, it used to be my house, and we used to have a big football field,” Kargbo said, but “the water … Read more
Scientists at the Delhi-based National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) have used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to increase phosphate uptake and transport in japonica rice varieties. The resulting rice lines had higher seed and panicle numbers, thereby increasing the yield without compromising seed quality. The studies were carried out in a greenhouse. Phosphorus is … Read more
From golden citadels to divine shields, rulers across time have dreamt of impregnable security. But in every age, these ambitions have either collapsed under their own weight or have provoked greater instability. In 2025, this ancient dream went to orbit. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a bold new national defence initiative called the … Read more
As the world braces for another climate summit in November this year, the Subsidiary Bodies meeting in Bonn, Germany, brought together negotiators, scientists, policymakers, and civil society actors to tackle the complex, behind-the-scenes work that shapes the outcome of the Conference of the Parties (COP) summit. Held annually in Bonn, this mid-year gathering sets the … Read more
After the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut died around 1458 BC, many statues of her were destroyed. Archaeologists believed that they were targeted in an act of revenge by Thutmose III, her successor. Yet the condition of the statues recovered in the vicinity of her mortuary temple varies and many survive with their faces virtually intact. Now … Read more
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla poses for a photo with a stunning panoramic view of Earth in the background, in the 7-window Cupola Module of International Space Station (ISS). | Photo Credit: ISRO Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission, had a telephonic conversation … Read more
(1) Nipah virus cases recorded in Kerala Kerala recorded two cases of the Nipah virus in Malappuram district as of Friday last week (July 4, 2025). The State sees a resurgence in the virus on a seasonal basis every year for the past couple years. India has recorded seven outbreaks of the virus since 2001. … Read more
(This article is part of the Gender Agenda newsletter. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Sunday, subscribe here.) In India, we hold a place of reverence for those who study STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths). These drive people upwards, through social and financial hierarchies, sometimes enabling people to break through caste. We all … Read more
The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that scientists could definitively detect the effect of human activities on the earth’s atmosphere. In 1956, United States scientist Charles … Read more
The ocean has always spoken — in waves, in currents, in silent rhythms beneath its vast surface. For centuries, sailors, scientists, and philosophers have tried to understand its patterns, often relying on observation and instinct. Today, a new listener has emerged: the computer. Armed with data from satellites, ocean sensors, and remote platforms, computers are … Read more
In India, we hold a place of reverence for those who study STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths). These drive people upwards, through social and financial hierarchies, sometimes enabling people to break through caste. We all know about the STEM gender gap: “Women [in South Asia] are severely underrepresented in the STEM workforce and only … Read more
Fabric coated with old skin oil becomes its own chemical plant. | Photo Credit: Daeva Miles/Unsplash Our daily habits, like how often we shower or change our clothes, depend on our environs and sometimes also on our energy levels. But obviously how dirty we are also affects our immediate environment. Atoms and molecules in the … Read more
A fearful mother On the morning of July 4, 1885, Joseph Meister, a nine-year-old boy from Alsace, France, was bitten by a dog. Not once or twice, but for a total of 14 times. The boy was bitten in his hands, legs, and thighs, and some of the wounds were so deep that Meister had … Read more
Before true cells existed on the earth, organic molecules floated freely in water. The first cell membrane created a compartment so that useful molecules like RNA and proteins could stay close enough to interact with each other, leading to more complex biological functions. However, an important question remains: how did the first protocells on early … Read more
After a day off, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and others from the Axiom-4 mission on Saturday (July 5, 2025) studied how bones react to microgravity conditions, an experiment that could lead to better treatment of osteoporosis on Earth. FIle | Photo Credit: ANI After a day off, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and others from the Axiom-4 mission … Read more
The research team had analysed over 8,000 genes from 50 whole genomes across primate species to understand how brain size co-evolved with diet and to identify the specific genes that may have helped make it happen. | Photo Credit: Graphics: SUBYENDHU GANGULY Our ancestors’ shift to higher-quality diets, especially with use of fire and consumption … Read more
The posterior parietal cortex, which helps process information received via one’s senses, is located in the parietal lobe at the top rear of the head | Image used for representational purpose only | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto A new study in young adults has found that stimulating the brain with safe electric currents may help … Read more
Plastics have revolutionised modern living with their convenience and affordability, but this same ubiquity is spawning an invisible, long-term health crisis. Beyond choking oceans and clogging landfills, plastics are now infiltrating our bodies through microplastic particles and a cocktail of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The evidence is clear and deeply concerning: these substances are interfering with … Read more
An analogue pressure gauge. | Photo Credit: Langspeed (CC BY-SA) A: A barometer is a device to measure pressure. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, most designs had the same working principle: air pressure pushed down on an open column of fluid, which was allowed to move into a second column with a closed … Read more
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla interacts with students via ham radio at a session organised in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Special Arrangement Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had a brief interaction with students who had gathered at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) here on Friday. He interacted with the student … Read more
Police convicted for recent custodial deaths in India: zero | Data Point Ajith Kumar, a security guard, died last Saturday while in police custody in Sivaganga district | Video Credit: Sambavi Parthasarathy, Thamodharan B Ajith Kumar, a security guard, died last Saturday while in police custody in Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu. Kumar’s death is … Read more
If we tried the same thing, the result would be… well, shocking. So what makes birds different? Let’s understand how electricity works. Electricity flows through metal wires, just like water flows through pipes. It moves from a place with high voltage (electric pressure) to a place with low voltage. For electricity to flow, it needs … Read more
