The discovery machine
Ultra-smart software is outdoing humans, making scientific discoveries and helping drivers cope with bad driving
The roachmobile
Researchers are teaching insects how to drive. This can lead to a wheelchair that can be controlled by twitching a muscle or two
Suit yourself for safety
A new safety suit can sound alarm bells the moment it is damaged and make working in hazardous environments safer
Never mined
A simple, inexpensive device now gives hope to thousands living in fear of stepping on a live landmine
Luna's law
The discovery of water will make it possible to set up a colony on the Moon. But will there be a repeat of the East India Company?
We are all the same
At first sight, two humans may seem to differ enormously. But looks can be misleading. Among animals, humans make up an unusual group. All humans …
In denial
Book>> Denialism, How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet and Threatens Our Lives by Michael Specter Penguin …
Why we exist
Book>> The grand design • by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow • Random House • Rs 800
Total recall
The little chickadee sheds light on how certain humans have bigger, more retentive brains
Bogus science
Book>> Counterknowledge • by Damian Thompson • Norton and Norton, Rs 850
An unsung genius
Book>> The Strangest Man, the Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, the Mystic of the Atom • by Graham Farmelo • Faber and Faber, Rs 450
Ants’ point of view
Novel>> Anthill • by Edward O Wilson • Norton and Company • Indian price Rs 800
Saturn gets crown back for most moons in solar system
Jupiter has once again ceded the title of “most known moons” to Saturn, after 62 new Saturnians moons were discovered, taking the grand total …
2022 too short, too far: DTE’s reportage on global scientific research
Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2022
Modi flags off 107th Indian Science Congress
The theme of the Bengaluru congregation is 'Science and Technology: Rural Development'
Humans will leave Earth not to explore, but to exploit
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 …
International space experts don’t agree with PM Modi’s explanation on ASAT
Concerns: Space debris, danger to other satellites, trigger to similar moves from other countries
Government approves LIGO-India project
The decision comes days after LIGO scientists announced the discovery of gravitational waves
Third World energy in terms of US policy
Fueling Development: Energy Technologies for Developing Countries Publisher: US Congress, Office of Technological Assessment, 1992 Price: Not …
Dung magic
An investment of Rs 300 can bring electricity to every household in rural India. Humble cow dung can do this and more
Gas gobbling algae
Carbon dioxide emissions from power plants can be reduced by a process involving algae, sunlight, and a little common sense
Sustaining terra firma
Scientists in New Zealand have developed a low-cost technology that can clean contaminated soil
Has forest cover really increased?
The provisional figures for India's forest cover are now ready, and Down To Earth has managed to acquire a copy. The figures, when compared to …
Forced destruction
Unless affordable technology is provided to the fisherfolk, the survival of Lake Victoria in Kenya will remain under threat
Diet and cancer: New study shows how high-fat diet promotes tumour growth in mice
MHC cells activate the immune system to destroy bad cells; a high-fat diet suppressed their levels in intestinal cells in mice, the study …