Data key for driving action so critical in our world: Sunita Narain on launch of State of Environment in Figures 2024

Report points to these priorities for planning: water scarcity, water pollution, air pollution in cities and declining public transport

Male Y chromosomes evolving faster, reveals DNA analysis of humans and apes

Study uncovers rapid changes in Y chromosomes compared to the stable X chromosomes in humans and apes

CSE urges rich countries to pay their dues ahead of crucial UN climate talks in Bonn

Means of implementation from developed to developing countries must be prioritised, think tank underlines

What it would be like to live permanently in Antarctica

It's not only the physical challenges but also the mental side of living in Antarctica that would make a permanent human settlement there …

Why did primates evolve such big brains? First study of its kind says it wasn’t for finding food

Perhaps it has to do with memory

Earth-sized exoplanet with potential for life discovered 40 light-years away

More analysis needed to see if exoplanet Gliese 12 b has an atmosphere & maintains temperatures that allows liquid water

Sun’s magnetic field flips the script: New study places origin closer to the surface

Discovery could help accurately forecast intensity of solar flares

Is eVTOL a boon or bane? It depends on how we put it to use

The electric aircraft has low maintenance and operating costs and can be extremely beneficial for emergency situations

Climate change hardly a burning issue for Indian voters

Indian democracy is yet to breed a new category of ‘climate voters’ as its electoral landscape has very little space for green …

AI has learned how to deceive and manipulate humans. Here’s why it’s time to be concerned

MIT research finds AI systems can strategically withhold information, lie to trick humans into certain actions and even bypass safety tests

Digitally immortalising departed loved ones comes with ethical concerns: Study calls for cautious design of AI ‘deadbots’

Can be used as a puppet for advertising, cause psychological distress; paper calls for adoption of safety standards

A mirror called Down To Earth

In this time of half-truths and no truths, we are determined to offer journalism that is fact-based and rigorous

Simply Put: Rise of the machines

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Hindu-Arabic numerals are important to the history of computing because they use the number zero and a base-ten decimal system

Simply Put: Maus

Lifting the technology veil: Analysing technology requirements for decarbonising steel & cement sectors in India

Developing countries' achievement of Net Zero goals depends on technology transfer & access

DNA analysis reveals how ancient nomads who disappeared from Europe 1,000 years ago lived

Avar societies meticulously preserved an ancestral memory

Aflatoon and the Avars: How modern science helped solve two historical mysteries

While modern imaging techniques helped point out Greek philosopher Plato’s exact resting place, genomics have revealed the social …

CSE-DTE at Ottawa: INC-4 kicks off in Canadian capital

The initial day of negotiations was uneventful, with member states participating in contact group discussions and working to organise tasks for …

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 …

Machine language

The past few years have seen a spurt in AI tools that can write. Will future books be composed by computers? How does this development threaten …

‘Indians have largest variety of Neanderthal, Denisovan genes’

Priya Moorjani, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, talks about new findings …

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