Mid -monsoon update
After a sluggish start, the monsoon seems to be moving ahead full steam. Here is all you need to know about this year's monsoon
`Aditya-1 will take images every second'
Dipankar Banerjee of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, which is one of the institutions working on Mission Aditya-1, speaks …
Cultural calling
Henrich attempts a thrilling adventure in the fierce interplay between genes and culture in human evolution
Gravitational Waves: Explained
Hundred years after Albert Einstein’s prediction of the presence of gravitational waves in his Theory of Relativity, a team of scientists …
Three scientists share Nobel for Chemistry for research on DNA repair
Tomas Lindahl of UK’s Francis Crick Institute, Paul Modrich of USA’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Aziz Sancar of the …
Pluto flyby: The mystery deepens after New Horizons’ encounter
The NASA mission is the first-ever foray into the “third region” of the solar system, also called the Kuiper Belt, containing …
Roots, barks and leaves
CHANDRA PRAKASH KALA spent three months with the Baiga tribe in the forests of Chhattisgarh. He learnt how they use plants to their advantage
Adam’s luck
Men, after all, may not become extinct. Y chromosome has lost only one gene in 25 million years
Feat of filigree
Even modern technology cannot equal the uniformity discovered in fine gold and silver threads found in a 17th century Mughal tent
Big is out, small is in
A financially squeezed NASA has been forced to look for cheaper ways to explore the solar system
Fingering the keyboard
Indian scientists are developing computers that can understand and respond to the spoken wordIndian scientists are developing computers that can …
Sweet rediscovery
A staple for many Asian and African nations, sweet potato is only now beginning to catch the attention of scientists
Smaller and faster
A new technique could result in particle accelerators small enough to be accommodated in any university laboratory
Eating oil
Fertilisers accelerate growth not only in plants but also in certain microbes that feast on oil
New form of carbon opens up exciting possibilities
The discovery of a simple procedure for synthesis of a new crystalline form of carbon has opened up immense possibilities in the field of …
A long step forward in nerve communications
Agrin, a protein released by nerve cells, helps in triggering off the formation of a machinery through which neurons communicate.
Geysers can help predict quakes
Erratic eruptions of gushing hot springs have been recorded before the occurrence of tremors. Though scientists are not sure why this happens, …
Dead brain cells may be replaceable
Certain mouse brain cells have been found to be capable of producing neurons. Scientists say if similar cells are found to exist in the human …
New theory explains the evolution of sexes
An Oxford biologist says sexes exist to prevent chaos within cells during reproduction. And why only two sexes? Because life would get too …
And now, "calculating" babies
Babies less than six months old have the surprising abilities to distinguish shapes, sizes and colours. Now, a study indicates infants can even …
Scientists seek clues to properties of water
A molecular theory is being put forward to explain why water behaves the way it does, but proof still eludes the researchers.
Caught between athletes and technology
Technology is taking sports to new highs, triggering a debate on whether competitions should be between people or between machines.
Learning Sanskrit on computers
A software programme project that will be a boon to those who want to learn Sanskrit is threatened by a lack of funds.
The magic eye
Sounds almost like a sci-fi movie, but there is light in the dark for those who have lost their eyesight. A high-tech curing device is on the anvil
The central truth
Latest studies lend credence to the theory that the Milky Way has a large black hole at its center