When you visit a website, a small pop-up appears before you explore it fully, asking you to “Accept all” or “Deny.” These are internet cookies often explained in tiny bits of texts we don’t bother to read. In today’s digital world, where so much of our information exists online, it’s important to understand what happens...
Category: Science & Tech
13 new amphibians recorded from northeast
In a major taxonomic revision of bush frogs, the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has recorded 13 new-to-science species of amphibians from the northeastern part of the country. These new species have been described in a study published in the latest issue of Vertebrate Zoology, an international journal. The authors of the study are Bitupan...
The rational ape: study says chimpanzees reason through their beliefs
When, in 1960, the British primatologist Jane Goodall first observed chimpanzees at Gombe National Park in Tanzania using twigs to fish termites out of anthills, she was making scientific history. Researchers had until then believed only humans could use tools. Goodall’s discovery erased that line as well as raised important questions about what it means...
How gels and shampoos move: Raman Research Institute builds a device to see it in action
Researchers at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) have built a new device that reveals how thick everyday fluids like gels, shampoos, and industrial solutions behave deep inside, a breakthrough that can help improve extraction and production processes across industries. By showing how these fluids respond to even a single moving object, the method gives companies a...
What is a ‘random forest’?
A: A random forest is a machine-learning method that makes predictions by combining the decisions of many simpler models called decision trees. A decision tree works like a tree from bottom-up. At each node, it asks a question about the data, e.g. “is a person’s age greater than 30?”. Then, depending on the answer, it...
Eka-aluminium is gallium
Before we begin This is a story about gallium’s discovery and how it played a part in the acceptance of the then newly invented periodic table. Gallium was discovered by French chemist Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran and you probably associate the periodic table with Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. Why then are you staring at the...
How do airbags work?
Testing. Testing. The auto mechanics are hard at work making sure the air-filled balloon-looking pillow-like bags work and deploy properly in this sleek and brand new car. Look at the dashboard and see how firmly the system is incorporated. But wait a minute, how does it know when to pop out and how can we...
42 glacial lakes in Nepal at high risk of bursting: experts
Forty-two glacial lakes in Nepal have been identified as being at critical risk of bursting, according to experts. A potential glacial lake outburst flood could result in massive loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) expert Sharad Prasad Joshi warned on Friday (November 21, 2025) during a...
Space startup Agnikul Cosmos raises ₹150 crore in fresh funding round at $500 million valuation
Chennai-based space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos has raised ₹150 crore ($17 million) in a fresh funding round at a $500 million valuation. The round saw participation from family offices and marquee institutional investors such as Advenza Global Limited, Atharva Green Ecotech LLP, HDFC Bank, Artha Select Fund, Prathithi Ventures, and 100X.VC. The company, which is...
Washington State man believed to be first to die from rare strain of H5N5 bird flu in U.S.
A Washington State man is believed to be the first person to die from a rare strain of bird flu, but State health officials have said the risk to the public is low. The man, an older adult with underlying health conditions, was being treated for a bird flu called H5N5 after becoming seemingly the...
