Cutting-edge tech at low cost behind India’s first private rocket
Down To Earth catches up with Pawan Kr Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, whose Vikram-S became the first privately made rocket to …
World Cities Day: How humans and robots can co-exist in cities
Robots are taking on more tasks in the world’s cities but create more challenges for policymakers
How much life has ever existed on Earth?
A new study has looked at big questions like how much life will ever exist on Earth
2023 in a blink: DTE’s reportage on global scientific research this year
Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2023
Outer space: Rwanda & Nigeria sign an accord for more responsible exploration — why this matters
It also enables the countries to participate in events where decisions on outer space are made
Billions have been sunk into virtual reality. To make it worth it, the industry needs to grow beyond its walled gardens
VR needs to increase its interoperability — the ability for programs and applications to be able to integrate and for software to run …
Detecting tropical cyclones in north Indian Ocean earlier than satellites: IIT-Kharagpur researchers find a way
The technique could help in early detection of development of tropical cyclones in atmospheric column over ocean surface in the North Indian …
Are black holes time machines? Yes, but there’s a catch
Black hole is an extremely massive object that is typically formed when a dying star collapses in on itself
What’s the mysterious light up above? A supermassive black hole ripping a star apart
Halfway across the universe, this is brightest and farthest tidal disruption event ever detected
Simply Put: Woman on the moon
How to outsmart your COVID-19 fears and boost your mood in 2021
Brain science has led to some drug-free techniques that you can put to use right now
Simply put: The parasite
Investigating the 'Encultured' spaces of scientific labs in India
Pankaj Sekhsaria’s lucid narrative style explanation breaks down the complexity of science and facilitates a wide audience to engage with …
Genetically modified mosquitoes; WHO issues new guidance for research
The WHO standards are mainly about ethics, safety, affordability and effectiveness of genetically-modified mosquitoes
In a whitewashed country
We begin the new year with this piece on the ‘modern’ and 'traditional' from the Anil Agarwal reader (Vol.2)
Bankruptcy of ideas and innovation: What India’s recent science & tech indicators show
Indians have shown little innovation over the decades. They are content to copy successful ideas from elsewhere or …
Review: ‘The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth’ inspires critical conversations about safety, accountability in science
BBC documentary offers viewers an inside look into NASA space shuttle crash in 2003, also known as Columbia disaster
Economic survey 2022: India saw 47 new space start-ups
At present, India accounts for only about 2% of global space economy
Brightest object in night sky not a star: BlueWalker 3 satellite for cellular broadband interferes with astronomical studies
The trend towards the launch of increasingly larger and brighter satellites continues to grow
Thousands of ocean fishing boats could be using forced labour. We used AI, satellite data to find them
Up to 100,000 individuals may have been victims of forced labour between 2012 and 2018 on fishing ships
Mars: mounting evidence for subglacial lakes, but could they really host life?
Although the new findings make Mars even more interesting than before, they haven’t advanced its ranking in the list of solar system bodies …
Six space missions to look forward to in 2021
From Artemis 1 to Chandrayaan 3, here are some missions to keep an eye out for
SERB calls for applications under ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ scheme
Accelerate Vigyan strives to provide a big push to high-end scientific research, prepare scientific workforce
CSE, Centre join hands to develop electric vehicle batteries suited for India
Plan a white paper on designing safe, durable and well performing batteries within climate constraints
NASA rover ‘Perseverance’ captures eclipse involving Mars’ satellite ‘Phobos’
These observations can help scientists better understand Phobos’ orbit and how its gravity pulls on the Martian surface, ultimately shaping …
