Fair price: UP now uses a calculator to scientifically fix fee for transporting faecal sludge to treatment plants
The calculator’s flexibility allows for its use across India and even in countries that use trucks to handle faecal waste
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 …
Climate tech: Zimbabwean scientist turns carbon dioxide into methanol to minimise emissions
Making energy materials like formic acid, methanol from carbon dioxide released from factories can be important for emerging economies, says …
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 …
The Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again – another sign of a global trend eroding women’s rights
Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults
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
Rainwater harvesting and wastewater treatment best options for Bengaluru: T V Ramachandra
The IISc professor who famously ‘saw the future of Bengaluru’ a decade ago, speaks to Down To Earth about where the city went wrong …
Simply Put: Priorities
Of Saint Patrick and the serpents
As the Irish celebrate the feast day of their patron saint globally, some insights into why the Emerald Isle is ‘snake-less’ and how …
