The Science Quiz | The Indus civilisation

Questions: 1. Name the type site of the Indus civilisation. A type site in archaeology is a particular place or settlement that defines the culture and/or other characteristics identified with the civilisation. 2. __________ is considered to have been one of the major cities of the Indus civilisation. Located in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan’s … Read more

The Science Quiz | Features of the Pacific Ocean

Questions: 1. The North Pacific has a plastic trash problem that popularly goes by the name X. But contrary to what it suggests, the problem is spread out over a large area and isn’t easily visible to the named eye. What is X? 2. The west of North America experiences a strange kind of tide … Read more

Looking for a powerful particle accelerator? There’s one near earth

Understanding how particles such as electrons travel vast distances in space or how they acquire ultra-high energy has been a long-standing puzzle in astrophysics. In fact, physicists’ picture of the manner of energy propagation in the universe is still not fully clear. On January 13, researchers with the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University … Read more

U.S. aid to Ukraine, Karnataka Budget, and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) Karnataka budget tabled in legislature Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented his 16th budget in the State legislature on Friday (March 7, 2025) with a record outlay of ₹4.09 crore rupees. Of this, around ₹71,000 crores was marked for capital expenditure. The fiscal deficit target for 2025-26 was set at 2.95%. When it comes to allocations … Read more

Private lunar lander declared dead after landing sideways

An undated image of Intuitive Machines’s lunar lander. | Photo Credit: AP A private lunar lander is no longer working after landing sideways in a crater near the moon’s south pole and its mission is over, officials have confirmed. The news came after the botched landing attempt by Texas-based Intuitive Machines. Launched last week, the … Read more

Indian team makes doubly secure ink to thwart counterfeiting

Governments and financial institutions take painstaking efforts to consolidate banknotes, cheques, and passports with a variety of security features to protect them from counterfeiting. Yet every so often a counterfeiter emerges who can recreate these features and pass off fake documents as real ones. In response, institutions constantly develop newer and better components that are … Read more

How climate change affects India’s wheat production

India recorded its warmest February in 124 years this year. The India Meteorological Department has already raised an alarm for March, saying that the month will experience above normal temperatures and more than the usual number of days with heat waves. The period coincides with the beginning of India’s wheat harvest season, and extreme heat … Read more

When U.S. presidents dabbled in science…

Who is Thomas Jefferson? A man of many talents, Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the U.S. He was the author of the Declaration of American Independence and a founding father of the country. He was the nation’s first secretary of state (1790-93) and the second vice president (1797-1801) – a position he held … Read more

How do dogs adjust to daylight savings time?

Working dogs take a day to adjust to the change in routine caused by Daylight Savings Time (DST), whereas pet dogs and their owners seem to be unaffected. To investigate how DST impacts domestic dogs, researchers used motion-sensitive watches to monitor the activity patterns of 25 working sled dogs, 29 pet dogs, and their human … Read more

When birds lose the ability to fly, their bodies change first

In a new study in the journal Evolution, researchers compared the feathers and bodies of different species of flightless birds and their closest relatives who can still fly. They were able to determine which features change first when birds evolve to be flightless, versus which traits take more time for evolution to alter. All of the … Read more

Counting our vulnerable dolphins – The Hindu

The Environment Ministry study could locate only three Indus river dolphins. FIle Earlier this week, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change released the findings of a population study of dolphins found in Indian rivers, putting their numbers at 6,327. These playful creatures with their torpedo-like bodies generate excitement whenever they are spotted. People … Read more

100-day TB elimination campaign falls far short of its main objective

The 100-day intensified TB elimination campaign was launched on December 7, 2024 across 455 intervention districts in 33 States and Union Territories to screen and test for TB among people belonging to the vulnerable or high-risk group — diabetics, smokers, alcoholics, people living with HIV, those with TB in the past, geriatric population, house-hold contacts of TB patients. Besides screening people … Read more

L&T bets on space exploration as India expands private rocket and satellite industry

 Larsen & Toubro said it is betting on aerospace. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) said it is betting on aerospace as a potential growth engine, including launch vehicle and satellite manufacturing, as the country cuts reliance on imports and boosts private participation. L&T, considered a bellwether for India’s infrastructure … Read more

SpaceX Starship explodes in space, again raining debris over Caribbean

Watch: SpaceX Starship explodes in space, again raining debris over Caribbean SpaceX’s massive Starship spacecraft exploded in space on Thursday minutes after lifting off from Texas, causing the FAA to halt air traffic in parts of Florida, in the second straight failure this year for Elon Musk’s Mars rocket programme. Several videos on social media … Read more

Let’s dial back in time: Celebrating Alexander Graham Bell day

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the first telephone in 1876. Can’t imagine a day without your phone? You have Alexander Graham Bell to thank for that. He invented the first telephone on March 7, 1876 nearly 150 years ago. To honour his contributions to science and technology, March 7 is celebrated as Alexander Graham … Read more

How Bengaluru became India’s scientific powerhouse

It is common knowledge that the first known use of ballistics in warfare globally was by Tipu Sultan. However, what many might not know is that the Yelahanka Air Force station, where recently the prestigious air show was conducted with much pomp and glory attracting crowds in lakhs, is located not very far from one … Read more

SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ends with another explosion

Starship reached nearly 90 miles (150 kilometers) in altitude before trouble struck and before four mock satellites could be deployed [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the … Read more

Government talks big on gender budget, delivers little

Though there is much conversation about women being the pillars of economic growth in India, the Union and State governments are not backing really this promise.  | Photo Credit: ANI The Union and State governments regularly talk about their commitment to women’s empowerment. One of the four pillars of a Viksit Bharat 2047 is mahila … Read more

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