US firm targets second moon landing with drill, rovers, drone

A drill to search for ice. A 4G network test. Three rovers and a first-of-its-kind hopping drone. After becoming the first private firm to land on the Moon last year, Intuitive Machines is aiming for its second lunar touchdown on Thursday, carrying cutting-edge payloads to support future human missions. The Houston-based company is targeting no … Read more

Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On National Parks

Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On National Parks 1 / 5 | How many national parks does India have? There are 106 existing national parks in India covering an area of 44,402 square kilometers. Next 2 / 5 | __________ is not allowed in Indian national parks. Jungle safari Cattle grazing Hiking Birding Cattle … Read more

Everyday science: What are the invisible geniuses around you?

Science is everywhere, even in the simplest things we do! Without realising it, we interact with brilliant scientific principles daily, often missing the invisible geniuses working behind the scenes. Let’s uncover the science hidden in plain sight! You wake up, check your phone, brush your teeth, and grab a cold drink from the fridge—just another … Read more

Science for all newsletter – The Hindu

(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!) Scientists may have unlocked a new milestone in cancer treatment. An individual who received CAR T-cell therapy has been in remission for 18 years without requiring any other treatments, researchers reported … Read more

BSNL has turned a profit, but has not become profitable

BSNL’s once-flourishing landline business has bottomed out | Photo Credit: SOMASHEKARA GRN The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) reported a quarterly net profit in FY25Q3, its first in over 17 years. While this is a significant moment for the beleaguered State-owned telecom company, there is still a long road to recovery. BSNL has achieved a … Read more

When did humans’ ancestors start to eat meat regularly?

For decades, scientists have been learning more about the diets of early hominins, particularly their reliance on plants. Yet we still don’t know when these ancestors of humans started eating meat. | Photo Credit: AFP For decades, scientists have been learning more about the diets of early hominins, particularly their reliance on plants. Yet we … Read more

Out-of-balance bacteria is linked to multiple sclerosis, can predict severity: new research

Scientists have long suspected that gut bacteria may influence a person’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis.  | Photo Credit: Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images Multiple sclerosis is a disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects nearly one million people in the U.S. and over 2.8 … Read more

The Science Quiz | Critical minerals

Questions: 1. This element is included in the US’s list of critical minerals. It is prized for use in the control rods of nuclear reactors and for use in compounds that change their shape when magnetised (i.e. magnetostrictives), especially Terfenol-D. Name it. 2. _________ __________ come in two types and are useful to convert the … Read more

Kashmir awaits a warm summer in 2025. How should its crops prepare?

From seed distribution to crop calendars, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) has an action plan to tackle the dry conditions it expects in Kashmir this summer. Kashmir has had a dry winter this year with the months of January and February recording a rainfall deficit of around 80%. Even though the … Read more

Over 90% in Hindi-belt states speak only one language, rest of India is more bilingual: Data

The latest exchanges between Tamil Nadu and the Centre over Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds have reignited the long-standing language debate. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has reaffirmed the State’s opposition to Hindi imposition and reiterated its commitment to the two-language policy. Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has dismissed allegations of Hindi imposition, … Read more

SpaceX scrubs Starship test flight over unspecified ship issue

SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster is seen on the launch pad, as Starship is prepared to be placed on top, at the company’s Boca Chica complex, ahead of Starship’s eighth test flight which is targeted from Starbase, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. | Photo Credit: Reuters SpaceX on Monday (March 3, 2025) called off its eighth Starship … Read more

Research team takes big step towards making a Bose metal

  A metal is a material defined by specific properties, including conducting electricity well. Every metal has a finite conductivity — a measure of how well it conducts — in particular conditions. It changes when the metal is heated or cooled. For example, at a pleasant 20º C, the electrical conductivity of zinc is roughly … Read more

ISRO releases second set of scientific data from Aditya-L1 mission

  Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun. | Photo Credit: ANI The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released the second set of scientific data from the Aditya-L1 solar mission. “The datasets comprise valuable scientific information about the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere and its outer atmosphere (corona) along with the in-situ particles … Read more

Telangana tunnel collapse, Time Use Survey, Andhra Pradesh budget, and more: The week in 5 charts

  (1) Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue operations continues on day 10 In a breakthrough, the South Central Railway’s (SCR) mechanical engineering team has managed to cut the platform of the damaged Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) deep inside the collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel late on Sunday (March 2, 2025) night facilitating faster removal … Read more

What is a planetary parade?

  Planetary parades are not particularly significant to scientists but they can create a visual spectacle. | Photo Credit: Getty Images In a small window of time around February 28, people on the earth were in for a visual treat as seven planets, plus the moon, lined up in the night sky. These events are … Read more

Private U.S. spaceship hours from Moon landing attempt

  Nicknamed ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky,’ the mission comes just over a year after the first-ever commercial lunar landing and is part of a NASA partnership with industry to cut costs and support Artemis, the program aiming to return astronauts to the Moon. | Photo Credit: AFP After a long journey through space, a … Read more

Study identifies sources, health effects of PM2.5 in northern India 

  Traffic can contribute up to 40% of total organic aerosols at urban roadside A study published in the journal Nature Communications has investigated the sources and health impacts of PM2.5 in Northern India, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The study has examined PM2.5 composition and oxidative potential, a key indicator of its health risks, using samples … Read more

Does anemonefish actively feed its hosts in the wild?

  Living symbiotically with sea anemones that shelter them from predators, anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) drive away organisms that nibble at their hosts. Anemonefish have also shown they will provide their hosts with the food given to them by humans. A new study shows such feeding behaviour does happen in the wild by investigating food provisioning … Read more

Gene therapy for maple syrup urine disease shows promise

Scientists have created a new gene therapy for a debilitating genetic disorder called maple syrup urine disease (MSUD). The treatment can prevent recurrence of deadly symptoms in a cow calf born with the disease. Their protocol could one day be translated into a much-needed therapy for patients with two types of classic MSUD, who currently … Read more