What is Parrondo’s paradox? – The Hindu

by

The paradox has become a useful tool across science to explain how merging two bad options can create a better result. | Photo Credit: Lance Grandahl/Unsplash A: Parrondo’s paradox is a strange idea from game theory (and before that from physics). It shows that when two losing strategies are alternated in a particular sequence, the … Read more

Uncovered: how RNA, amino acids may have linked on early earth

by

If amino acids are imagined as the beads and RNA as the thread, enzymes like the one shown here (leucyl-tRNA synthetase) string them together. | Photo Credit: Public domain Life depends on a partnership between RNA, which stores instructions, and proteins, which do the work of building and running cells. But how this partnership began … Read more

On the move with green hydrogen

by

A facility in Jind will soon produce green hydrogen to be used as fuel for a locomotive. | Photo Credit: Miguel Baixauli/Unsplash The Indian Railways recently announced that a hydrogen-powered train, developed at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, has successfully completed all tests. This is a welcome sign of progress for the National Green … Read more

Why is a blood moon called so?

by

The moon is seen during a full lunar eclipse on May 15, 2022, over Idaho in the US, with the reddish colour caused by it passing into the shadow of the earth. | Photo Credit: AP Sky gazers in India and in other parts of the world will be able to witness a blood moon … Read more

Why do sinkholes form in urban areas?

by

A truck inside a sinkhole on Gurugram’s Southern Peripheral Road after a part of the road caved in following heavy rain. | Photo Credit: ANI A: Sinkholes appear in urban areas when the ground beneath streets, buildings or pipelines suddenly gives way. They can form naturally but in cities they’re often linked to human activity. … Read more

New technology, innovation conclave to ‘replace’ Science Congress to be held in November

by

The Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave may ‘replace’ the Indian Science Congress, the oldest congregation of scientists in India with a rich history predating Independence. Photo: estic.dst.gov.in Signalling a break from the past, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is set to organise the first-ever Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) in November. … Read more

Using science to address India’s dog crisis

by

Dr Nishant Kumar, co-founder and chief scientist of the Thinkpaws Sustainability Research Foundation, a Delhi-based trans-disciplinary think tank, believes that too many decisions around the ongoing stray dog crisis are being shaped by “emotionally-charged knee-jerk reactions.” In his opinion, there is an urgent need to create policy benchmarks informed by dog behaviour and science, not … Read more

Nobel laureates, Fields medallists call for end to hostilities in Gaza

by

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive take shelter in a tent camp as Israeli forces escalated operations around Gaza City, September 2, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters More than 4,400 scientists worldwide have signed a statement urging immediate action to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. The signatories include 14 Nobel laureates, five … Read more

From the ghost of cold fusion, scientists redeem a tabletop reactor

by

For more than three decades, the phrase “cold fusion” has carried a whiff of promise as well as scandal. In 1989, chemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced that simple tabletop experiments with palladium electrodes in heavy water seemed to produce more heat than chemistry could explain. If true, this meant nuclear fusion, an energy … Read more

Rampant development, not climate, pushing Himalaya to the edge

by

Punjab faced its worst floods since 1988 in August this year. Waters overflowing from the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers have destroyed several villages in the State. Around the same time, at least 34 people died after intense rainfall lashed India-controlled Kashmir and several parts of Pakistan. Early in August, the village of Dharali in … Read more

Researchers develop performance metrics to test traffic control algorithms

by

Managing traffic in rapidly growing cities remains one of the biggest challenges for urban planners worldwide. Traffic signal lights and other network control systems are crucial for preventing urban chaos, yet testing the effectiveness of new traffic management algorithms has remained a time-consuming and resource-intensive task. In a step towards smarter urban mobility, researchers at … Read more

A Hardy mentor, in letter and spirit

by

A lifelong teacher and researcher Born in Cranleigh, Surrey, England in 1877, G.H. Hardy came from a teaching family. Hardy’s first names were Godfrey Harold, but he never really used them, preferring the initials “G.H.”  instead.  Hardy’s father was an administrator and art master at Cranleigh School, while his mother was a senior mistress at … Read more

Private tuitions are picking up in India’s rural areas too, especially among girls

by

Children study at a private home tution center in Srinagar | Photo Credit: NISSAR AHMAD The share of Indian schoolchildren enrolled in private coaching has risen sharply over the past seven years, according to government data. This increase is particularly pronounced in rural areas, which are quickly catching up with urban centres. While enrolment in … Read more

Rocks’ carbon storage capacity vastly overestimated: study

by

Satellite image of the Himalaya with the location of the Himalayan foreland basin highlighted in purple. | Photo Credit: Mikenorton (CC BY-SA) Many scientists and policymakers are counting on storing CO2 deep underground as an important way to fight climate change. Such known as geological carbon storage involves capturing CO2 from sources like power plants … Read more

Rift among Indian scientists as International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics bans Israel from future editions

by

The Olympiad, hosted this year in Mumbai from August 11 to 21, is a competition for high school students. Picture: YouTube/@hbcsephysicsandastronomy6788 A sharp divide has emerged within India’s scientific community after the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) decided to ban Israel from the event starting in 2026. The Olympiad, hosted this year in … Read more

AI simulation of Mount Fuji eruption being used to prepare Tokyo

by

The skyscrapers of the Shinjuku area are pictured as Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain at 3,776 metres, looms in the background of Tokyo, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP Mount Fuji hasn’t erupted since 1707. But for Volcanic Disaster Preparedness Day, Japanese officials have released computer- and AI-generated videos showing a simulation of a potential violent … Read more

India-U.S. relationship: trust defines partnership, not tariffs

by

The U.S.’s decision to sharply raise tariffs on Indian exports — doubling duties to 50% on a wide range of products—has caused deep concern and disappointment in India. After decades of building a mature, multifaceted relationship, the imposition of such sweeping trade measures feels like a setback. The economic impact is significant. In 2024, India … Read more

Quiz: That September 1, 1939, paper

by

Quiz: That September 1, 1939, paper Name this physicist for whom the maximum mass limit of a white dwarf is named. START THE QUIZ 1 / 6 | Name this physicist for whom the maximum mass limit of a white dwarf is named. 2 / 6 | On September 1, 1939, J. Robert Oppenheimer and … Read more

How dead birds, old maps are helping scientists track biodiversity loss

by

The Nilgiri mountains in the Western Ghats are a biodiversity hotspot, home to a diverse array of birds, mammals, plants, and other life forms. Called the ‘blue mountains’ because of the blooming of Strobilanthus flowers, the Nilgiris are home to many species that are endemic and of conservation concern, including the Nilgiri pipit, the Nilgiri … Read more

COP-30 to focus on known solutions, says its President

by

Aerial view of the Outeiro port at the Para river in Belem, Para State, Brazil on August 25, 2025. Brazil will host the UN climate conference COP30 in November in the Amazonian city of Belem. | Photo Credit: AFP Instead of big-ticket announcements, the forthcoming edition of the U.N. climate summit is expected to focus … Read more

Why do we not hear sounds while sleeping?

by

Nerve cells in REM sleep are as alive as they are in wakefulness | Photo Credit: Tamara Govedarovic/Unsplash A: Sleep does not mean the brain is inactive and we do hear sounds while sleeping. Sleep is a recurrent and healthy state of inertia and reduced responsiveness found among higher vertebrates. It is controlled by the … Read more

Geographers uncover why some rivers stay single while others split

by

Some rivers split up as they flow while some others don’t. This riverine phenomenon has intrigued researchers for decades. What determines whether a river flows as a single thread or develops into a multi-threaded system? The question may sound simple but it has become a fundamental issue in river geomorphology, straddling concepts across geology, geography, … Read more

ISRO seeks proposals to study Chandrayaan-3 data  

by

A model of Chandrayaan-3 lander displayed at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Muesum in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Hemanth C.S. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday issued an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for scientific analysis and utilisation of data from all experiments of Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover. The Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved historic soft-landing in the … Read more

Bihar voter rolls: Deleted voters by reason and age

by

On the total deletions map, deeper red shows constituencies with more deletions. On the female vs male % map, deeper red indicates a higher share of female deletions, while deeper green indicates a higher share of male deletions. Hover over each seat to see the exact number of deletions. Use the Reason & Age … Read more