Molecular games
First there was the buckminster fullerene molecule, shaped like a football. Now, scientists have produced a tennis ball look-alike
The fruits of confusion
An Australian shrub has leaves that mimic its fruit to fool the voracious white-tailed black cockatoo
Jaldi dhan will transform drought-hit regions
New varieties of rice that mature in just about two months, can prove to be a boon for marginal farmers in drought-prone areas of India.
Monthly madness
A group of American psychiatrists have proclaimed that some women suffer from a mental illness that usually begins a week before their menstrual …
Preserving for posterity
A group of scientists is attempting to collect and store genetic material from various tribes on the verge of extinction in an effort to preserve …
Sudden jump in infant cancer cases
Doctors are finding it difficult to cope with the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer among children -- innocent victims of radioactivity.
Tilted in North's favour
A geological explanation as to why the South pays with a hole over the Antarctic for the North's misdemeanours
Self-purification
The world's biggest fresh water system, the Great Lakes, straddling Canada and the United States, are cleansing themselves of pollutants
A second too long
The world has been adding an extra second at regular intervals to keep pace with the slowing Earth. Will the practice be stopped as the US says …
An empire withers away
Recent findings suggest the Akkadian empire, which once flourished on the banks of the Euphrates, collapsed because of a sudden dearth of water.
Robots develop new semiconductor materials in tests that are 10 times faster & greener
With the technology, scientists have been able to develop alloys with perovskites materials that can improve solar cells
Opinion: Earthquakes are a boon for Earth
Earthquakes are natural but huge losses of life and property during the incidence of an earthquake are anthropogenic
James Webb Telescope captures clearest view of Neptune’s rings after 3 decades
Webb images vividly display Neptune’s fainter dust bands in addition to many brilliant, narrow rings
Helping cells become better protein factories could improve gene therapies and other treatments — a new technique shows how
Gene therapy involves replacing a defective gene with a functioning one that can direct cells to produce missing or dysfunctional proteins
My PhD supervisor just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for designing a safer, cheaper and faster way to build molecules and make medicine
How do chemists make the correct version of a molecule so that drugs work as intended
India an overperformer in frontier tech among developing countries: UN report
Several developing countries showed stronger capabilities to use and adapt frontier technologies above their GDPs, but were lagging behind
Animals can feel an upcoming earthquake, says study
Animals might sense ionisation of the air caused by large rock pressures in earthquake zones with their fur. They can also smell gases released …
Innovation may not be the answer to India’s development challenges
India ranks second among middle income countries on ‘quality of innovation’
IIIT-Hyderabad creates the first Indian brain atlas
The researchers in IIIT have also revealed that the Indian brain is smaller compared to others
Nasa unveils the stellar cosmos
Here are some of the images the American space agency selected to feature “our fascinating universe”
How are planets named?
Let's find out how a minor planet was named after Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj
Mangalyaan: Still in orbit after half a decade
One of the most cost-effective missions of its kind, Mangalyaan will keep orbiting Mars for some more time
‘We expect to find more interstellar comets in the future’
Nasa scientist Davide Farnocchia, who was one of the first to make observations about the new interstellar comet, speaks to Down To Earth
Risks associated with Artificial Intelligence worrying
And yet the concerns have not cast their shadow over India since AI research is still in its infancy in the country
MIT researchers synthesise the blackest material on planet
The new substance is made from carbon nanotubes and the MIT researchers said it can absorb 99.996% of light