Mars: mounting evidence for subglacial lakes, but could they really host life?
Although the new findings make Mars even more interesting than before, they haven’t advanced its ranking in the list of solar system bodies …
Study zeroes in on target plant hormone to improve potassium deficiency in rice
Plants deficient in Potassium more susceptible to salt, drought, chilling and other stresses
Researchers use metamaterials to enhance detection of defects in large structures
Metamaterials are artificially crafted materials with unique internal microstructures that give them properties not found in nature
Water vapour discovered on potentially ‘habitable’ planet
Using Hubble Space Telescope, scientists also detected the presence of hydrogen and helium in K2-18b's atmosphere
50th anniversary of Apollo 11: Look at these panoramas from the Moon missions
It’s the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 mission, when humans stepped on the surface of the moon for the first time. The National Aeronautics …
How clouds don’t matter when it comes to radar technologies
Recent remarks make one wonder about the efficacy with which important information is ferried to the prime minister, and if he is aware about how …
Space Race 2.0: Who does it belong to?
Governments have been exploring space for a while, but the influx of private players has altered the rules of the game. What are the laws …
ISRO has realised Sarabhai’s vision of using space technology to help the common man
Wing Commander (retired) Rakesh Sharma recently completed 35 years of being the first Indian to have ever set foot in space. He talked to Down To …
‘Telecom industry did no research on health impacts of 5G’
India plans to begin 5G trials by 2020, but experts and industry stand at odds over its impact on human health and environment. The fifth …
‘Humans are closer to setting up base on Moon’
Pushkar Ganesh Vaidya, an astrobiologist, talks about the future of China’s experiment that resulted in a seed sprouting on the lunar surface
The mystery behind radio signals from deep space
Many theories revolve around the origin and nature of fast radio bursts coming to us from far points in the universe. Down To Earth breaks down …
At Indian Science Congress, a time capsule on India’s scientific prowess
The capsule was put together by students of Lovely Professional University, who plan to bury it underground till January 3, 2119
Here is what Indian scientists achieved in 2018
Here is a collection of 15 such stories that gives a glimpse of important developments reported by Indian scientists during the year.
The world gets a note of caution on gene drives introduction
The Convention on Biological Diversity meeting wants countries to seek “free, prior and informed consent” before introducing new …
Psychographics: the behavioural analysis that helped Cambridge Analytica know voters' minds
How the Cambridge academic Michal Kosinski’s model is able to predict someone’s personality profile just on the basis of 300 likes
Children’s Science Congress promotes scientific way of thinking
The objective is to let children exhibit their creativity and innovation to solve problems they experience locally using the method of science
India gets robotic telescope to keep an eye on dynamic cosmos
A new telescope will be commissionined at the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle in Ladakh as part of an international network designed to …
Did scientists just discover the world’s oldest fungi?
It is an indication that life-forms evolved to survive deep under the sea, without access to either light or oxygen
Why certain parts of India churn out the best sportspersons
Haryana, with just two per cent of India's population, accounts for 20 per cent of its Olympic contingent
Study establishes link between monsoon and dust particles
The Indian agricultural scenario is linked to monsoon as most farmers depend on the rains for cultivation in the absence of irrigation
Space agencies of 60 countries come together to monitor greenhouse gas emissions
Data from satellites will help keep tabs on countries’ efforts to reduce emissions in line with their climate action commitments
Plate tectonics began three billion years ago, claims study
This finding may have huge implications on geological studies and provide basis for research on Earth’s history
Nobel Prize for physics honours scientists for work on neutrino metamorphosis
Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo in Japan and Arthur B McDonald of Queen’s University in Canada received the honours
Artificial ‘plants’ could fuel cars in future
The newly-created fuel can be stored for months or years and distributed through existing energy infrastructure
Fungi crucial to diversity
Pathogenic fungi kill seedlings of the same species growing near each other in forests and promote biodiversity