“A nation with a strong base in science and technology is a nation with a strong backbone” — these words of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ring truer than before as India celebrated its second National Space Day on August 23. Following Chandrayaan-3’s soft-landing near the lunar south pole to the upcoming Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan missions, the … Read more
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a remarkable electronic component used to capture images by converting light into electrical signals. Its invention marked a significant milestone in technology, influencing fields such as photography, astronomy, medicine, and many others. What is a CCD? At the time it was invented in 1969, the CCD was a pioneering technology … Read more
In 2018, when POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched, the government had set a target to reduce stunting among children in India by at least 2% points each year. A stunted child is too short for his or her age as a result of chronic or recurrent malnutrition. In 2016, 38.4% of children under five were stunted … Read more
The French biochemist Jacques Monod (1910-1976), who won a Nobel Prize in 1965 for discovering how cells regulate the expression of genes, famously said, “What is true for Escherichia coli is true for the elephant.” He meant the same fundamental mechanisms of molecular biology, such as protein synthesis, DNA replication, and cellular metabolism, are shared … Read more
A file image of Agni-5 missile | Photo Credit: ANI India on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) successfully test-fired its intermediate-range ballistic missile Agni-5 from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the launch validated all operational and technical parameters and was conducted under the aegis of the … Read more
The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: KSL The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) opened in Mumbai this week, bringing together high-school science students from 64 countries. At the Olympiad’s international board meeting on August 18, representatives of the 64 participating countries voted by a significant majority to … Read more
According to a report published in June by a U.K.-based charity, nearly 6 million donkeys are killed every year globally to produce a traditional Chinese medicine called Ejiao. This problem of animal cruelty, according to data and reports, is fuelled by a gap between demand and supply in China. It has also led to many … Read more
One of the deepest puzzles in modern science is how quantum mechanics and general relativity — the two great pillars of 20th century physics — fit together. Quantum mechanics governs the microscopic world of atoms and subatomic particles. General relativity describes gravity and the structure of spacetime. Both theories are stunningly successful in their domains, … Read more
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) said the space agency has been working on a rocket as high as a 40-storey building to place a 75,000 kg payload in low earth orbit. Delivering the convocation address of Osmania University in Hyderabad, Mr. Narayanan said this year, the space agency has lined … Read more
Long Hanging Fruits, an installation by Indonesian artist Elia Nurvista about the palm oil industry | Photo Credit: Special arrangement In the 1820s, French scientist Nicolas Clément introduced the term calorie. In the two centuries since, human beings’ and society’s relationship with food has changed drastically. Today the study of food is a complex subject that … Read more
A comprehensive three-day faunal survey at Thettekad Bird Sanctuary, near Kothamangalam in Ernakulam, Kerala, has added nine species records to its official biodiversity checklist. The findings at Kerala’s first bird sanctuary has reaffirmed its position as one of the richest ecological zones in the Western Ghats. Organised jointly by the Kerala Forest department and Thiruvananthapuram-based … Read more
In this image via PMO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, at his residence in New Delhi, on August 18, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that there is a lot of interest about India’s Gaganyaan mission around the world and scientists were … Read more
There is nothing like a refreshing bath after a sweaty workout or a hard day outside. The feeling of freshness and the pleasant odour after the bath is the contribution of the ubiquitous soap. In ancient India, soap nuts were crushed and used to clean, as were the bark of certain trees and specific flowers … Read more
When we think of snakes, we often picture their iconic slithering, graceful, wave-like motion — a biological marvel that seems to defy friction and has fascinated zoologists for decades. That’s not the only move these elongated, limbless creatures have mastered. They are also known to climb trees, glide through the air, and navigate uneven terrain … Read more
Aerosols emitted in north India not only increase the pollution levels in that region, but due to anticyclonic wind circulation the emitted aerosols get transported towards the southeast coast of India and Bay of Bengal. The regional transport of aerosols from north India to southeast coastal India occurs for two to four days at a … Read more
An Indian astronaut will herald Viksit Bharat by landing on the moon in 2040, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday (August 18, 2025) as the Lok Sabha took up the discussion on astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s space sojourn. Initiating a discussion on ‘India’s first astronaut aboard the International Space Station — Critical role of the … Read more
(1) Plea for SC/ST ‘creamy layer’ in Supreme Court The Supreme Court sent a notice to the Centre after it received a plea calling for the establishment of a creamy layer system in SC/ST reservations, similar to that seen within the OBC. Currently, a creamy layer is recognised for SCs and STs only in promotions … Read more
Science Quiz: Domesticating and breeding dogs The Soviet scientist Dmitry Belyaev led a decades-long experiment to breed Silver foxes (shown) for tameness. His work proved that selecting for friendliness towards humans could rapidly produce both behavioural and physical changes. START THE QUIZ 1 / 5 | Archaeological evidence has shown that this prehistoric culture in … Read more
The recent auction of a Martian meteorite — for a record-grabbing $5.3 million at Sotheby’s New York — has sparked questions over its provenance and renewed debate over who gets to claim rocks fallen from the heavens. The hefty 25-kilogram stone is the largest Martian meteorite ever discovered on the earth, according to its Sotheby’s … Read more
The first space race was about flags and footprints. Now, decades later, landing on the Moon is old news. The new race is to build there, and doing so hinges on power. In April 2025, China reportedly unveiled plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2035. This plant would support its … Read more
In 2021, the Government of India had said it will move to 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025 with the two-pronged goal of cutting carbon emissions and reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil. While vehicles modified to be compatible with the new composition started rolling out in April 2025, the government’s push for … Read more
For almost two centuries, biologists have divided the earth into large biogeographical regions. Each region hosts a unique mix of species shaped by its own history, climate, and barriers, such as oceans and mountains. Because those histories differ, many scientists assumed the inner layout of species inside every region would be idiosyncratic — that South … Read more
Many anaesthetics enhance the production of GABA, the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter. | Photo Credit: Mufid Majnun/Unsplash General anaesthesia is a medically induced state that allows doctors to perform surgeries without the patient having pain, awareness or memory. It achieves this by inducing a loss of consciousness, relaxing muscles, and producing amnesia. Anaesthesiologists typically begin … Read more
Israeli soldiers exit a tunnel underneath the European Hospital at Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on June 5, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters In an article published in the journal BMJ Global Health on August 5, researchers from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon coined a new word: healthocide. The authors wrote that … Read more
Rice is the staple food for over half of the world’s population. Before a rice grain can be made edible, the outermost layer of husk covering it has to be removed. Often the next layer, called the bran, is also removed to whiten the rice. Traditionally, these layers have been removed by pounding the paddy … Read more
A scanning electron micrograph of Escherichia coli bacteria. | Photo Credit: US CDC In a step towards building cheap and programmable bioelectronic devices, Imperial College London and Zhejiang University researchers have shown in a new study that genetically engineered bacteria can be turned into self-powered chemical sensors that interface directly with electronics. According to the … Read more
The anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries respectively supply the yellow, red, and blue parts of the brain. | Photo Credit: Frank Gaillard, Patrick J. Lynch The brain is a guzzler, burning through about a fifth of our resting energy and keeping almost nothing in reserve. When a few thousand neurons suddenly burst into activity … Read more
The new palm species Phoenix roxburghii | Photo Credit: Special arrangement A palm originally described in the monumental 17th-century botanical treatise Hortus Malabaricus continues to fascinate botanists more than three centuries later, leading to the discovery of a new species and the reclassification of existing ones. Recent studies on the palm, named Katou-Indel in the … Read more
representational image only | Photo Credit: AP In a remarkable addition to Kerala’s biodiversity records, researchers from the Shadpada Entomology Research Lab at Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, have identified nine species of solitary bees from the subfamily Nomiinae (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) – all documented for the first time in Kerala. Unlike the social honeybees that … Read more