The discovery of Earth-sized planets outside our own solar system has completely changed our way of viewing the universe, but none has done so to the degree that TRAPPIST-1 has managed to do. This planetary system is located some 40 light-years from us and comprises seven rocky planets, which share many of the characteristics of…
In April 2026, the early morning sky is expected to show a rare grouping of planets that may attract attention from skywatchers around the world. Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Neptune appear relatively close together in the eastern sky before sunrise between 16 and 23 April, with the strongest visibility around 18 to 20 April. The…
It is worth noting that for many years, the rotation speed of Saturn was seen as unusual by scientists, since it was changing from time to time. Days on the planet were not uniform, contradicting scientific laws and physical principles. Nevertheless, with the help of recent studies of NASA’s mission to Saturn and the James…
South Korea is leading an innovative effort with renewable energy that addresses how to resolve the major conflict between using land and protecting it. Historical solar farms generally require extensive deforestation; studies in Scientific Reports have indicated that conventional solar farms can eliminate 98 per cent of existing tree biomass. However, the new design for…
Rumours that Earth’s gravity suddenly disappeared for a few seconds have circulated widely on the Internet lately. This rumor is associated with 12 August 2026 and is based on an alleged link between Project Anchor and the temporary disappearance of Earth’s gravity. Although this might sound impressive, scientists have stated that this information is absolutely…
Quote of the day by J. Robert Oppenheimer (Image source: Wikipedia) Some quotes don’t make things easier. Instead, they ask questions that stick with you long after you read them. J. Robert Oppenheimer said, “It is perfectly obvious that the whole world is going to hell.” The only way it might not happen is if…
Adhara Perez Sanchez, autistic girl finished primary school at 5, earned a master’s at 11. A young girl from Mexico is drawing global attention for an extraordinary academic journey that began almost as soon as it started. Adhara Perez Sanchez, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of three, rapidly progressed through the education…
A major development in sustainable architecture has enabled researchers to convert ordinary timber into an advanced thermal reservoir. In this case, lignin is removed from wood through chemical modification and phase change materials are added, giving rise to a new product that has been termed ‘solar battery,’ which stores solar energy collected by a building…
Experiencing a Giant Sequoia is more than just an experience with nature; it’s an experience of sheer impossibility. Within the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, a veritable forest full of these ancient giants defies our understanding of biology and the scale of living organisms. Consider how truly large an organism must be to exceed the…
Thorns in different plant species have always been an interesting subject for botanists. Be it rose plants or cactus, they use thorns to protect themselves from herbivorous animals. It was long unknown to researchers about the genetic development of thorns in plants. This has been clarified recently through the discovery of how genetic mutations can…
Forests seem sturdy and solid from the outside, but there might be something happening silently underneath. Some fungi can cause trees to decay internally and leave them weakened without showing any sign of it. Researchers are cautioning us that these seemingly insignificant beings could be pointing towards a more serious environmental problem, which is global…
Our oceans encompass over 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface area; however, the depths of the oceans represent one of mankind’s most mysterious frontiers. Under thousands of meters of water and tremendous pressure are many geological anomalies, biological marvels, and historically mysterious things that defy our existing scientific knowledge. Examples of this are the…
In terms of plant nutrition, the root system is traditionally viewed as the main access point to nutrients. Ground-breaking research, however, has demonstrated an additional survival strategy with elegant sophistication. Plants in some of the world’s highly nutrient-poor environments have developed a strategy for ‘eating’ minerals found in aerial dust and, subsequently, avoiding exhausted soil…
Quote of the day by Rosalind Franklin (Image source: Britannica) Some scientists stand out not only for their discoveries, but also for how clearly they saw responsibility and progress. One such person was Rosalind Franklin. She was famous for her groundbreaking work on DNA structure, and she also believed strongly that scientific work should have…
BENGALURU: In the race to find safer and cheaper alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, scientists in Bengaluru may have found a promising step forward, by fixing a problem that has long held aluminium batteries back.A research team led by Kavita Pandey of the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), a Department of Science and…
BENGALURU: When the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) wrapped up its high-altitude human behaviour simulation near Leh on April 9, much of the focus was on what it could reveal about crew psychology. Less visible was the role played by a Bengaluru-based firm that enabled the exercise on…
Not only is the Universe expanding, but its expansion is actually happening at a speed higher than was thought possible until recently. For many years now, physicists have been trying to establish the speed of galaxy movement through the Hubble constant. But the different measurement results have posed a dilemma for modern physics, and it…
Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, has taken a notable step towards enabling sustained human presence beyond Earth by extracting oxygen from Moon-like soil in laboratory conditions. The development builds on years of scientific research into unlocking oxygen trapped within lunar minerals, which make up a large portion of the Moon’s surface. By producing oxygen…
Image: Left/Canva/Right/AI Generated Plastic waste on a global level amounts to hundreds of millions of tonnes annually, although very little of that is recycled. On the other hand, corrosive waste such as spent battery acid from used cars is rendered neutral and disposed of. However, scientists now have devised an ingenious process that addresses both…
Although many people consider the cosmos to be a peaceful, stunning environment, the truth behind its appearance offers an incomprehensible universe with extreme events. For instance, there are the undead stars (or zombie stars) that consume energy from their star neighbours, and there are enormous galaxies that may contain thousands of Milky Ways. Therefore, the…
