Space Race 2.0: Littered backyard
There have been about 70 anti-satellite missile missions by four countries, but only a few have been catalogued for creating debris
Notre-Dame de Paris: From searing emotion to the future rebirth of a World Heritage Site
Of all the historic monuments on earth, Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the “superstars”: its unique history, exceptional architecture …
A pirate loved by academics
Alexandra Elbakyan's Sci-Hub is putting up a spirited fight against publishers who shackle science behind high cost paywalls
How did gold and silver come into existence?
As we celebrate Dhanteras, auspicious for purchasing gold and silver, here's some perspective on where these metals originated
Ice Man of Ladakh: Chewang Norphel who builds artificial glaciers
Mr. Norphel is a retired civil engineer from Ladakh. He is popularly known as 'Ice Man of Ladakh' as his innovative method of water conservation …
Seeking a fair price for drugs
The WHO is working on finding a fair pricing model for medicines but will Big Pharma accept it?
Watch: an atlas for the visually impaired
National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) released an atlas for the visually impaired earlier this month. Down To Earth enquires …
Sister Solar System and Earth's cousins
After discovering Earth-like planets in 2014 and 2015, the NASA took a step towards finding life outside our own solar system by discovering a …
Wannabe Noahs
Scientists are trying to bring back extinct animals from the dead, throwing open the Pandora's box
Bet your brain
The market is flooded with brain boosters, even though there is little evidence to show for it
An ode to the cloudy skies
We asked our readers to send photographs of clouds. In response, we received a stunning collection of evocative clicks with clouds as the …
India's first CNG kit for scooters and motorcycles
Sriram M Bhat, Director of iTuk—the company that manufactures CNG kits for two wheelers—talks to Down to Earth on the advantages of …
Unbuttoning the gender straitjacket
Attempts at subverting the delusions of gender should begin with a progressive fashioning of young minds
Nitrogen overload
Human-induced nitrogen emissions have surpassed natural emissions, damaging health and the environment
What is fake meat?
Artificial or lab-made meat will hit our dining tables in the near future. But there are certain issues that will have to be resolved before this …
25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope has completed its 25 years in the lower Earth orbit. In all these years, the telescope has sent some stunning pictures …
Cutting-edge superconductors
Experiments aim at developing materials that are superconductive at close to room temperature
Methane's metal link
Fresh evidence suggests that the presence of certain metals is essential for the natural production of methane
Curtain falls over aurora borealis
The aurora borealis is caused not by solar flares but by gigantic portions of the corona flowing out of the Sun
On Stygian shores
Technology is opening up new vistas for the world's underworld, as crooks learn to manipulate it to outwit their pursuers and captors
A will where there is a hill
Ants have found ways by which to make up for the loss of the queen. The perpetuation of the species and the continued use of the elaborate nests …
An ink to baffle cheats
Secret documents are now safe from the threat of being duplicated as a new ink has been developed which disappears when exposed to the bright …
Friendly home-spy
A radar which can check oil in your car engine and can be used in many of your daily chores has been developed by the Lawrence Livermore …
Flexible software
A new software which is less expensive, swift and easily adaptable will soon be used in computer-assisted clinical trials
Slick click
Five famous brands of the photographic industry are throwing their combined weight behind a new innovation. The camera they have developed will …