Bittersweet feeling as Cassini mission embarks on its ‘grand finale’ ahead of death plunge
One of the most successful space exploration missions of all time still has a lot left to uncover
Water, water, everywhere in our Solar system but what does that mean for life?
It should be no surprise that water played a key role in the formation and evolution of our planetary system
The brew of `post-truth'
Popular opinion can now be engineered using fake news grapevines spawned by new technologies. Here's how
From the world to worlds
Orbits of TRAPPIST-1’s seven plant system are compact, yet they are not roasted wastelands like Mercury
Clean technology: overcoming the growth v environment debate
Sustainable development is a multi-dimensional concept with three interacting aspects—ecology, economics and ethics
Yoshinori Ohsumi wins Nobel Prize for experiments on cell recycling system
Ohsumi’s experiments helped us understand that mutations in autophagy genes can cause diseases like cancer
No consensus on consciousness
Despite fanciful theories by psychologists, physicists, neuroscientists and computer scientists, consciousness remains an abiding mystery
The `feeling' in nature
Andrea Wulf resurrects the forgotten intellectual explorer, Alexander von Humboldt, whose work has left a lasting imprint on our understanding of …
The fine science of copying
Scientists and academics in India plagiarise liberally and come up with ingenious excuses for unethical practices
What's the best way to go to the toilet – squatting or sitting?
Pauline Hanson’s concern about the ATO installing squat toilets to cater for its increasingly diverse workforce has prompted debate about …
Monsoon to arrive on time in A&N islands; weakening El Niño may increase rainfall
As neutral conditions are restored after a strong El Niño event, hopes for a better monsoon increase
Call the bluff
The JNU episode must force us to decipher the modus operandi of the modern `truth-telling' information machinery
Tropical depression forms in the Arabian Sea
An interesting fact about the present depression is that it is the first-ever to form in the Arabian Sea in October after seven years
DNA and grey cells
Book>> GENES, CELLS AND BRAINS, THE PROMETHEAN PROMISES OF THE NEW BIOLOGY • by Hillary Rose and Steven Rose • Verso • Rs 1,550
Power shoe
Apart from fitness there is another good reason one should walk: charging mobile phone. Mandar Tulankar, an engineering student in Nagpur, has …
Perils of herd mentality
Book>> You are not a gadget • by Jaron Lanier • Alfred Knopf, US $16
Rock stars
Book>> Written in Stone, the Hidden Secrets of Fossils and the Story of Life on Earth • by Brian Switek • Icon Books • Rs 5,499
Debates on atom
Book>> The Age Of Entanglement, When Quantum Physics Was Reborn • by Louisa Gilder • Alfred A Knopf • Rs 650
Chimera of free speech
Book>> The offensive Internet, speech, privacy and reputation • edited by Saul Levmore and Martha Nussbaum • Harvard University …
Is information knowledge?
Book>> The Information, A History, A Theory, A Flood • by James Gleick • Fourth Estate • Rs 599
Stress pass
Ayurvedic formulations have been found effective in countering the stresses of living in high altitudes
Manipulating life
Biological molecules hold the key to understanding diverse life processes and to correct aberrations
Heat comes in from the cold
The unlit part of the crescent moon can help calculate Earth's temperature and measure greenhouse warming
Miniature mammoths
Smaller version of mammoths may have inhabited Egypt long after they were thought to have become extinct
Interest in metals rekindled
Scientists have found a metallic mix that allows superconductivity at higher temperatures than before