Milky Way’s largest stellar black hole also second-closest to Earth, scientists discover

Gaia BH3 is 2,000 light years away from Earth

‘Reality is not as fixed as people like to think’

Neuroscientist Nadine Dijkstra talks to Down To Earth about reality and perception

A gene variant could lower chances of developing Alzheimer’s by 70%, could help in design of new treatments: Study

It works by preventing build-up of fibronectin, a component of the blood-brain barrier that controls the movement of substances in and out of the …

Deepfakes: can the AI be harnessed for something good?

While audiences and users need to be educated on the negative implications of deepfakes, the technology can also have positive impacts  

The last over 4-minute-long ‘total solar eclipse’ in the US was used by Tecumseh to unite indigenous Americans

Tecumseh’s brother, Tenskwatawa, an influential shaman, predicted an eclipse on June 16, 1806; it happened, and indigenous people united …

‘We are seeing a sign that dark energy is not a cosmological constant’

Shadab Alam, faculty at the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, on deviations observed with …

Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan discusses ageing and death in new book

A restricted diet and proper sleep may play a key role in a long and healthy life

Undersea cables are the unseen backbone of global internet

Also called  submarine communications cables, these fibre-optic cables are laid on the ocean floor and used to transmit data between …

Plant roots mysteriously pulsate and we don’t know why – but finding out could change the way we grow things

To really understand how plants grow, you need to look at processes which happen inside cells.

Do we need ‘music in our genes’ to be exceptional? Not always, shows Beethoven’s DNA analysis

A person's genetic predisposition to musicality (or the lack of it) is no indicator of their ability

Earth’s early evolution: Fresh insights from rocks formed 3.5 billion years ago

Singhbhum Craton’s unique geological features, including its greenstone belts, provide invaluable information about Earth’s surface …

James Webb Telescope spots oldest ‘dead galaxy’ that stopped forming stars 13 billion years ago: Study

The researchers, however, do not rule out the possibility of the dead galaxy roaring back to life

Japan is about to land its first lunar probe. As more nations race to the Moon, how will we keep the peace?

Despite urgent recommendations from across the political spectrum to practice caution and avoid escalation, the world continues on a path towards …

Review: ‘The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth’ inspires critical conversations about safety, accountability in science

BBC documentary offers viewers an inside look into NASA space shuttle crash in 2003, also known as Columbia disaster  

The April 8 eclipse provides a rare opportunity to witness the sun’s superhot corona

Corona means crown; During the eclipse, it becomes visible and streaming plasma leaving sun appears in amazing patterns  

Modern humans may be losing microbial diversity, show teeth samples from Bronze Age

Higher diversity of bacteria involved in gum disease found in 4,000-year-old teeth from a limestone cave

How long before quantum computers can benefit society? That’s Google’s $5 million question

Reducing computational time for optimisation could save energy, reducing carbon footprint of many computers

Baltimore bridge collapse: A bridge engineer explains what happened, and what needs to change

One lesson is that we need to consider how the vessels near our bridges are changing

Can Europa support life? Scientists estimate thickness of Jupiter moon’s ice shell to help figure it out

Europa’s icy crust found to be at least 20 kilometres thick

Simply Put: Priorities

Pacific Islanders have long drawn wisdom from the Earth, the sky and the waves. Research shows the science is behind them

Much of traditional knowledge in the Pacific for coping with climate change is scientifically plausible

Earth is warming in a cycle that runs millions of years — and it’s linked to Mars

Researchers find geologic evidence in deep sea linking a 2.4-million-year cycle called astronomical grand cycles

Stainless glass

How soot can help surfaces repel both oil and water

Truth behind white deposits

Water, clay and living cells

May soon revolutionize the field of tissue engineering