Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of
Hindu-Arabic numerals are important to the history of computing because they use the number zero and a base-ten decimal system
Digitally immortalising departed loved ones comes with ethical concerns: Study calls for cautious design of AI ‘deadbots’
Can be used as a puppet for advertising, cause psychological distress; paper calls for adoption of safety standards
Simply Put: Maus
Lifting the technology veil: Analysing technology requirements for decarbonising steel & cement sectors in India
Developing countries' achievement of Net Zero goals depends on technology transfer & access
DNA analysis reveals how ancient nomads who disappeared from Europe 1,000 years ago lived
Avar societies meticulously preserved an ancestral memory
Aflatoon and the Avars: How modern science helped solve two historical mysteries
While modern imaging techniques helped point out Greek philosopher Plato’s exact resting place, genomics have revealed the social …
Machine language
The past few years have seen a spurt in AI tools that can write. Will future books be composed by computers? How does this development threaten …
‘Indians have largest variety of Neanderthal, Denisovan genes’
Priya Moorjani, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, talks about new findings …
Milky Way’s largest stellar black hole also second-closest to Earth, scientists discover
Gaia BH3 is 2,000 light years away from Earth
‘Reality is not as fixed as people like to think’
Neuroscientist Nadine Dijkstra talks to Down To Earth about reality and perception
A gene variant could lower chances of developing Alzheimer’s by 70%, could help in design of new treatments: Study
It works by preventing build-up of fibronectin, a component of the blood-brain barrier that controls the movement of substances in and out of the …
Deepfakes: can the AI be harnessed for something good?
While audiences and users need to be educated on the negative implications of deepfakes, the technology can also have positive impacts
The last over 4-minute-long ‘total solar eclipse’ in the US was used by Tecumseh to unite indigenous Americans
Tecumseh’s brother, Tenskwatawa, an influential shaman, predicted an eclipse on June 16, 1806; it happened, and indigenous people united …
‘We are seeing a sign that dark energy is not a cosmological constant’
Shadab Alam, faculty at the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, on deviations observed with …
Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan discusses ageing and death in new book
A restricted diet and proper sleep may play a key role in a long and healthy life
Undersea cables are the unseen backbone of global internet
Also called submarine communications cables, these fibre-optic cables are laid on the ocean floor and used to transmit data between …
Plant roots mysteriously pulsate and we don’t know why – but finding out could change the way we grow things
To really understand how plants grow, you need to look at processes which happen inside cells.
Do we need ‘music in our genes’ to be exceptional? Not always, shows Beethoven’s DNA analysis
A person's genetic predisposition to musicality (or the lack of it) is no indicator of their ability
Earth’s early evolution: Fresh insights from rocks formed 3.5 billion years ago
Singhbhum Craton’s unique geological features, including its greenstone belts, provide invaluable information about Earth’s surface …
James Webb Telescope spots oldest ‘dead galaxy’ that stopped forming stars 13 billion years ago: Study
The researchers, however, do not rule out the possibility of the dead galaxy roaring back to life
Japan is about to land its first lunar probe. As more nations race to the Moon, how will we keep the peace?
Despite urgent recommendations from across the political spectrum to practice caution and avoid escalation, the world continues on a path towards …
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
The April 8 eclipse provides a rare opportunity to witness the sun’s superhot corona
Corona means crown; During the eclipse, it becomes visible and streaming plasma leaving sun appears in amazing patterns
Modern humans may be losing microbial diversity, show teeth samples from Bronze Age
Higher diversity of bacteria involved in gum disease found in 4,000-year-old teeth from a limestone cave
How long before quantum computers can benefit society? That’s Google’s $5 million question
Reducing computational time for optimisation could save energy, reducing carbon footprint of many computers
