What makes us remember our dreams?
Some people wake up vividly recalling their dreams from the night, and can tell precise stories experienced during the night, while others struggle to remember even a single detail. A new study has explored the factors that influence ‘dream recall’ — the ability to remember dreams upon awakening — and uncovers which individual traits and sleep … Read more
How glacier ice algae accelerate Greenland ice sheet melting
A new study reveals that dark-pigmented microalgae, which contribute to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, are highly efficient at nutrient uptake and growth, allowing them to rapidly colonise expanding areas of exposed ice. The findings suggest that these algae can persist and spread without the need for additional nutrient inputs, intensifying ice sheet … Read more
Water quality at Maha Kumbh found unfit for dips on many days: Graphics
Prayagraj: An aerial view of devotees taking a holy dip at Sangam amid the ongoing ‘Maha Kumbh Mela’ festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has released data on the assessment of water quality at five different locations in and around the confluence … Read more
Crack, Pop and Snap Exploring science knuckle-cracking joints
More often than not, you may happen to hear a crack or a pop from your joints, especially during your PT or PE period and yoga classes. You might have been chided or even scolded for cracking your knuckles and been told it’ll lead to arthritis. Today, let’s explore the real reason behind our noisy … Read more
Innovators come together in Bengaluru to find ways to ensure access to effective antibiotics
The workshop was organised by the Trinity Challenge, a charity supporting the creation of data-driven solutions to help protect against global health threats, and the One Health Trust to explore community access to effective antibiotics. | Photo Credit: Photo for representation only Healthcare leaders, researchers, tech specialists, and other experts came together at a workshop … Read more
Harnessing AI to generate patterns of antibiotic resistance in real time
Photograph used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto A team of researchers from IIIT- Delhi have come up with AI-powered data integration and predictive analytics tools, to understand the patterns of antibiotic resistance in real time, enabling various agencies to act on them speedily. As part of a collaboration between Indraprastha … Read more
Agricultural protectionism pushes up India’s import tariff: Data
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, in Washington, DC. | Photo Credit: PTI Tariffs levied on imports into India are five times higher than what the United States levies on its imports. The average duty levied by India was 17% in 2023, compared to 3.3% levied by the U.S. … Read more
The perception shift against the AAP in the Delhi election
The 2025 Delhi Assembly election was nothing short of a political turning point, reshaping the electoral landscape of India’s capital in ways few had anticipated. Data from Codemo and PeoplesPulse’s survey reveal major shifts in voter behaviour, gender-based voting patterns, and the underlying factors that influenced the outcome at the polls. The survey was conducted … Read more
Only the second animal to find its way by polarised moonlight found
Many nocturnal animals, including insects like ants and bees, follow the moon’s position to find their way when they go foraging. But the moon waxes and wanes in a cycle and can be obscured by clouds or overhanging tree canopies, so the animals can’t always directly track its position. Now, for the first time, scientists … Read more
Neither ecologically sustainable nor ethical, says study over translocation of African cheetahs to India
A file photo of cheetahs at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district. | Photo Credit: PTI A new study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), which examines the ethical, ecological and welfare challenges associated with the translocation of African cheetahs to India, has expressed concern over the translocation of the animals … Read more
Centre’s allocations for justice-related schemes fluctuate
Only a fraction of the envisaged allocations was actually spent on justice-related schemes The Central government has consistently reduced budget allocations to certain justice-related schemes and projects since 2019, shows the recently released India Justice Report 2025-26. Data also show that not only have allocations reduced, but also, only a fraction of the envisaged allocations … Read more
Most deportees from the U.S. are from Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat
An Indian deported from the U.S. leave the airport upon their arrival in Amritsar | Photo Credit: – Of the 332 undocumented Indian immigrants who have been deported from the U.S. in 2025, people from Punjab accounted for the highest share (38%), followed by people from Haryana (33%), and Gujarat (22%), as shown in Chart 1. The … Read more
Anomaly found in the Pacific Ocean could be global ‘time marker’
The earth must have experienced something exceptional 10 million years ago. Our study of rock samples from the floor of the Pacific Ocean has found a strange increase in the radioactive isotope beryllium-10 during that time. This finding, now published in Nature Communications, opens new pathways for geologists to date past events gleaned from deep … Read more
A planet on the edge: are Saturn’s rings older than they look?
A debate about the age of Saturn’s resplendent rings has been raging for a few decades now, with no end in sight. A new study by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo and the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics has fresh spin to offer now that could recast the conversation. Saturn’s rings are an … Read more
Webb telescope observes violence around Milky Way’s central black hole
An artist’s concept shows the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*, surrounded by a swirling accretion disk of hot gas, in this undated illustration obtained by Reuters on February 18, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is providing the best look yet at the chaotic … Read more
Where is ISRO heading – The Hindu
Only three decades ago, the Indian space programme was a diminutive affair, dominated by the newfound successes of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and a then-fledgling clump of communications satellites. Today, the programme is a large tree with a flourishing canopy. There is a slew of ongoing projects accompanied by projects being ideated, developed, … Read more
Zeiss India sets up research lab for AI in eyecare at IISc
Attentive ophthalmologist examines a patient’s eyes using specialized equipment during a comprehensive eye examination | Photo Credit: Getty Images Optics and optoelectronics technology company Zeiss India has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to start a research lab for AI in eye care at the IISc campus. The initiative aims to leverage AI … Read more
Euclid space telescope discovers new ‘Einstein ring’ in nearby galaxy
In the middle of this image, the fuzzy-looking bulb of light in a warm shade of yellow extends around a small bright spot, nestled within a thin light circle that appears to be drawn closely around it. The circle is an Einstein ring. | Photo Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA More than a century ago, Albert Einstein … Read more
Scientists make plans to keep spacefarers from contaminating other worlds
In his inauguration speech in January, United States President Donald Trump declared the US would “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 2017, in Trump’s previous term of office, he promised to “establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars”. And his billionaire adviser Elon … Read more
What is an earthquake swarm?
A bell tower of an Orthodox church in the town of Oia on the earthquake-truck island of Santorini, Greece, is visible as the main town of Fira is lit by the sun in the background, February 4, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP An earthquake swarm occurs when multiple seismic events of comparable intensity strike a … Read more
China contributes substantially to U.S.’ biggest imports
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, | Photo Credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced additional tariffs on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico amidst what the White House referred to as a national emergency caused by “illegal aliens and drugs”. … Read more
A 11-year high of 55% urban residents report stagnant income in 2025
Over 80% of urban consumers said spending on essential items has increased. | Photo Credit: STAFF Urban consumers in India began the new year with both hope and concern. On the one hand, India’s retail inflation eased to a five-month low of 4.31% in January, providing some relief to consumers by reducing the pressure on … Read more
China’s EAST reactor keeps the fire of magnetic fusion burning
On January 20, Chinese scientists reported that they were able to maintain a plasma at a temperature of 100 million degrees C for about 1,066 seconds in a nuclear fusion reactor called the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). In 1938, physicists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann found that energy is produced when the nucleus of … Read more
Research discovers ancient Egyptian remains smell nice
In this undated photo provided by Abdelrazek Elnaggar, Emma Paolin, PhD student at University of Ljubljana, sets up active air sampling with sorbent tubes and pumps. | Photo Credit: Abdelrazek Elnaggar/AP At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: sniff the essence of an ancient corpse. But researchers who indulged their curiosity in the name of science … Read more
Tracking Trump’s executive orders, OpenAI rejects Musk’s $97.4 billion offer, and more: The week in 5 charts
(1) President Trump’s Executive Orders U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20, 2025 and as of February 11, he has signed 63 executive orders, which is more than those signed by any recent President in their first one hundred days in office, even surpassing the number of executive orders he signed during his first term … Read more
Watch: Was the 40 lakh elector increase in Maharashtra in 2024 unusual?
Data Point: Was the 40 lakh elector increase in Maharashtra in 2024 unusual? | Video Credit: The Hindu The surge in electors in Maharashtra became a subject of controversy after the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, raised the issue at a recent press conference. He pointed out that between the … Read more
Odisha tribal healer’s remedies for chronic diseases to undergo scientific validation under Ministry of Ayush initiative
Hari Pangi, the tribal healer, in Odisha‘s Koraput district. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement In the quiet foothills of Tentuliguda, a remote village in Odisha’s Koraput district, where age-old wisdom thrives around leaves, epidermal plant tissues, and roots, a humble four-room building serves as a laboratory for a tribal healer. Recently, this unassuming space hosted 17 … Read more
Earthquake in Delhi-NCR, Bihar: What is a shallow earthquake that struck Delhi?
National Center for Seismology said the earthquake struck at a focal depth of five kilometres in Delhi-NCR on February 17, 2025 | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Strong tremors were felt in the national capital and adjoining regions as an earthquake of 4.0 magnitude struck the region early on Monday (February 17, 2025). The National Center … Read more
AI-fit cameras in Similipal Tiger Reserve send poaching plummeting
“Last year, we lost two of our men to poachers,” Samrat Gowda, deputy director of the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, said. “Every time we come across them, the poachers are armed with a loaded gun.” But such encounters have become much less common of late. As part of an early alert system called TrailGuard … Read more