TIFR study proposes potential therapeutic to mitigate metabolic effects of sugary beverages

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

Bug drugs: bacteria-based cancer therapies are finally overcoming barriers

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

Should India focus on its global image or domestic concerns? Data

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

INCOIS scientists unravel genesis behind devastating Cyclone Tauktae

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

NIMHANS signs MoU with Armed Forces Medical Services for collaborative research and training

National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru | Photo Credit: File photo The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) to enhance collaboration in mental health and neurosciences research and training. The agreement was formalised on … Read more

Daily Quiz on vaccines – The Hindu

On March 27, 2014, the WHO certified India as polio-free. Three years of no reported cases of wild poliovirus transmission were required to get the certification | Photo Credit: The Hindu Q: Which scientist is credited with developing the first successful vaccine? A: Edward Jenner Q: Which is the only human disease to have been eradicated … Read more

‘Creating jobs in agriculture is crucial as AI is going to disrupt service sector’

Prof. Chandrashekhar M. Biradar is an earth system scientist, green growth activist, and biodiversity and agroecosystem research scholar with over three decades of experience spanning India, America, Africa, West and Central, Asia, and Eurasia. In a conversation with Kumar Buradikatti, he discussed the agrarian crisis and ways to address it. Excerpts from the interview: You … Read more

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore return to Earth: Which astronauts have spent the longest time in space?

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore have safely returned to Earth after an unexpected nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their journey concluded with a splashdown off the Florida coast, facilitated by a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Originally scheduled for a brief mission of about a week starting on June 5, complications with … Read more

What are audible enclaves? – The Hindu

When sound waves are emitted from a source, like a speaker, they diverge as they pass through the air in a phenomenon called diffraction. | Photo Credit: Desmond Lian/Unsplash Audible enclaves are small pockets of sound that are not disturbed by surrounding noise. They are produced by new technologies designed to deliver sounds that only … Read more

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams’ nine months in space: A timeline

Suni Williams and other astronauts greeting each other after the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station on March 16, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI NASA’s two stranded astronauts began their journey back to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule on Tuesday (March 18, 2025), marking the end of an unexpectedly prolonged mission. SpaceX crew Dragon splashdown … Read more

New finding forces search for ultra-rare decay process to continue

Last month, Microsoft announced a new quantum computing chip called Majorana 1 that it expected would “realise quantum computers capable of solving meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades”. Independent scientists soon raised doubts about this claim — grandiose as it is — but also acknowledged Microsoft had taken on a great challenge to build … Read more

IIT-M sets up facility for fluid and thermal science research

The S. Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence in Fluid and Thermal Science Research is housed at IIT-M’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu A state-of-the-art research facility for fluid and thermal science was commissioned at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) here on Monday.  The S. Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence in Fluid and Thermal … Read more

From mines to minds: how lithium shapes energy and psychiatry

Lithium, a silvery-white alkali metal, was discovered in 1817 when Swedish chemist Johan August identified it within the mineral petalite. Photograph used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: Dnn87, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons In a significant stride towards bolstering strategic resources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United States … Read more

SpaceX crew Dragon splashdown LIVE: Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore to return to Earth at 5.57 p.m. EST

NASA will provide a live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 17. You can check the schedule on https://www.nasa.gov/live NASA and SpaceX launched a crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to … Read more

How could you forget? The mysterious, mischievous memory-machine

Whether we are trying to pull off a pickle recipe for our family or trying to impress a gathering with a well-timed joke, a large chunk of our daily cognitive, social, and communicative activities are invested towards making memories, and retrieving old ones. I use the word chunk not because it sounds cool (it undoubtedly … Read more

Tamil Nadu budget 2025, Pakistan train hijack, Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) Key takeaways Tamil Nadu budget 2025 In its final full budget before the 2026 Assembly elections, the M.K. Stalin-led government sought to strike a balance by catering to its core voter base—women and government employees—while addressing key sectors of the economy. The budget has a total disbursement outlay of ₹4,39,293 crores, excluding public debt, … Read more

Pi Day was on March 14. Why is it celebrated?

A pi symbol hands on a wall in Nafplio, Greece, July 2021. | Photo Credit: Taso Katsionis/Unsplash Mathematics enthusiasts around the world, from college students to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day, which is on March 14 every year. The date was chosen because it can be written 3/14 — the first three digits of an … Read more

Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore to return to Earth on March 18: NASA

NASA video shows Suni Williams and other astronauts greeting each other after the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station, on March 16, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI A pair of U.S. astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station (ISS) will be returned to Earth on Tuesday (March 18, … Read more