A 2018 artist’s concept shows the Parker Solar Probe flying into the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, on a mission to help scientists learn more about the star. | Photo Credit: NASA Among the various places humans have aspired to visit in the solar system, the sun remains the most foreboding. On December 24, … Read more
Just like the government uses an Aadhaar number to uniquely identify an individual for social security purposes, a person’s DNA fingerprint can be used for biological purposes. This is why DNA analysis is such a big deal. Today, it is most often (but not exclusively) used together with technologies like PCR, capillary electrophoresis, and fingerprinting. … Read more
Permafrost melting is emerging as a unique environmental threat in the Kashmir Himalaya. A new study has found that thawing permafrost could affect 193 km of roads, 2,415 households, 903 alpine lakes, and eight hydropower projects in the mountainous region. Permafrost is any type of ground — soil, sediment, rock, etc. — that has been … Read more
Ice is seen on the Pastoruri glacier in the Peruvian Andes, Peru, May 7, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters Glaciers around the globe are disappearing faster than ever, with the last three-year period seeing the largest glacial mass loss on record, according to a UNESCO report released on March 21. The 9,000 gigatonnes of ice … Read more
Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has completed the genomic sequencing of a third, or 10,000 samples, of the target of 32,500 samples of mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacteria behind tuberculosis (TB)— in a bid to improve the understanding of drug-resistant TB and capture unique genomic features of the … Read more
The contributions from advanced economies towards India’s inward remittances have increased | Photo Credit: PTI The latest data indicate a decline in the Gulf countries’ share of India’s inward remittances, while contributions from advanced economies have increased. The data also reveal that States with a declining share of migrants to the Gulf countries are seeing … Read more
Why do some individuals get tattooed while others don’t? Is it because of differences in their genes? Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark in Odense recently addressed these questions. Their findings, reported in February in the journal Behavior Genetics, showed that differences in an individual’s propensity to get tattooed were not due to nature … Read more
A section of lapis lazuli rock with pyrite mined in Afghanistan in January 2008. | Photo Credit: Hannes Grobe (CC BY-SA 2.5) Lapis lazuli is a vividly blue rock, sometimes with streaks of gold, that has been known for millennia for its eye-popping colour and use as a semi-precious gemstone. It gets its colour from … Read more
This image provided by NSF’s NOIRLab shows the trails of stars above Kitt Peak National Observatory, where a telescope is mapping the universe to study a mysterious force called dark energy. Photo: NSF’s NoirLab via AP Scientists are homing in on the nature of a mysterious force called dark energy, and nothing short of the … Read more
Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module and Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024. | Photo Credit: NASA via AP The story so far: Early on March 19 (IST), a SpaceX capsule bearing … Read more
Challenging assumptions about infant memory, a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study shows that babies as young as 12 months old can encode memories, researchers report in a study published in Science. The findings suggest that infantile amnesia — the inability to remember our first few years of life — is more likely caused by memory retrieval failures rather … Read more
A study of Galápagos yellow warblers, a songbird widespread in the Galápagos Islands, are changing their behaviour due to traffic noise, with those frequently exposed to vehicles showing heightened levels of aggression. Researchers played bird songs from a speaker, simulating an intruder, accompanied by recorded traffic noise at 38 locations populated by Galápagos yellow warblers on … Read more
Unripe jackfruit has many culinary uses If the mango is described as the king of fruits, then the jackfruit will be the doctor of all fruits. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a plant known in India and the Middle East for a long time and has been used in Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine as … Read more
“You don’t look at the big problem all together, because I think it’s a little intimidating. You just take it one day at a time, meet the people who are going to meet with you…, and really try to do the best job that you can. That’s all teamwork, and that’s what space travel is … Read more
Influenza cases peak during monsoon season with a secondary peak during winter | Photo Credit: CDC/Douglas Jordan On March 7 and March 8, several newspapers reported a surge in influenza (flu) cases in the Delhi-NCR region, with some mentioning the “spike” as over 54%. The source of this news was a local survey (LocalCircle) of over 13,000 … Read more
Representative image | Photo Credit: The Hindu The parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers, headed by Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad, has urged the Union Fertilizers Ministry to seek additional funds for the sector at the revised estimate stage to ensure that subsidy schemes for farmers are not negatively affected. In a report on … Read more
Groundwater is a crucial but often overlooked resource that sustains India’s agriculture, industries, and drinking water supply. Stored in underground aquifers—porous rock formations that hold water like a sponge—it serves as the lifeblood of the nation. The monsoon plays a key role in replenishing these aquifers, but the delicate balance between extraction and recharge is … Read more
Photograph used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Lately in the news after United States President Donald Trump famously misstated that “USD 8 million had been spent for making mice transgender.” This was followed by House laughter and sneers from Republicans on cue, and then Trump brought up tail by claiming: “This … Read more
Water scarcity is not a new issue haunting the world; nevertheless, it is still seen as a challenge that affects billions every year. The increasing water demand, coupled with climate change and mismanagement, has made water a scarce commodity, especially in developing countries like India. Scarcity essentially occurs when there is limited availability of a … Read more
India boasts a vast and diverse surface water network. This water is an interconnected network of natural water bodies like rivers, lakes and ponds. The major rivers in India being Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Godavari along with countless lakes, ponds and traditional water tanks. These water bodies support agriculture, drinking water supply, and groundwater recharge while … Read more
Do you know how much water you use in a day? According to the Central Ground Water Authority in India, it is estimated that an average individual needs close to 135 litres of water every day to go through all daily activities from consumption to sanitation. This number can go up to 200 depending on … Read more
Representational file image. | Photo Credit: Reuters The biggest glacier in the Alps could yet be partially saved if global warming is capped below two degrees Celsius, Swiss scientists said on Friday (March 21, 2025), although significant ice loss is now inevitable. Glaciers around the globe are disappearing faster than ever, with the last three-year … Read more
Petitioners have moved the Supreme Court against the Environment Ministry’s approval for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified mustard. | Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY Ahead of a fresh series of hearings in the Supreme Court next month over genetically modified (GM) food crops, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said there was “progress” on this front. … Read more
(This article forms a part of the Data Point newsletter curated by The Hindu’s Data team. To get the newsletter in your inbox, subscribe here.) While print journalism has evolved significantly in recent years to include a variety of new offerings beyond traditional news and opinion, such as data journalism and explanatory journalism, an overarching concern … Read more
CDFD Director Ullas Kolthur-Seetharam is also involved in the TIFR study on how sweet beverages consumption leads to obesity and diabetes. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement Researchers at the Advanced Research Unit on Metabolism, Development & Aging (ARUMDA), at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)-Mumbai and TIFR-Hyderabad, have unveiled a comprehensive understanding of the … Read more
Imagine a world where bacteria, typically feared for causing disease, are turned into powerful weapons against cancer. That’s exactly what some scientists are working on. And they are beginning to unravel the mechanisms for doing so, using genetically engineered bacteria to target and destroy cancer cells. History of bacteria-based cancer therapies Using bacteria to fight … Read more
Delegates arrive at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 25, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters In recent years, India has emerged as a significant player in global diplomacy, particularly through its presidency of the G20 Summit. This role has elevated the country’s international stature. … Read more
Students of the Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, take a pledge as part of an anti-drug campaign | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT Over the past three years, there has been a sudden surge in drug abuse in Kerala, sparking widespread concern. In March, the Kerala High Court warned of the “poisonous fangs of the drug mafia”, … Read more
A signboard blown away by Cyclone Tauktae near Gateway of India in Mumbai on May 18, 2021. | Photo Credit: PTI Scientists from the Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) have unravelled the reasons behind the rapid intensification and genesis of the devastating ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ Tauktae though it was 140 … Read more
At present, blood glucose is usually measured using invasive methods involving pricking a small needle in the skin. | Photo Credit: Photo for representation only A new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) has offered an alternative to pricking a needle into the skin to detect blood glucose level in people … Read more