The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday (January 10, 2026) said its Aditya-L1 solar mission has provided new insights into how a powerful solar storm can impact Earth’s magnetic shield. “The most severe effects occurred during the impact of the turbulent region of the solar storm,” the space agency said in a statement. In...
Category: Science & Tech
What is cheaper to cook with, LPG or induction?
As hotels, hostels, and community kitchens grapple with the unexpected shortage of LPG, those with electric cooking equipment feel they are in a safer position. Achal Sridharan, founder of CovaiCare retirement communities in Coimbatore, says if the situation turns worse, there will be no option but to go for electrical cooking. “It is a question...
Why can’t anything travel faster than light and what would happen if it did?
– Sai Karthikeya Duggirala Albert Einstein’s equation E = mc2 says energy and mass are linked. If you push an object to go faster, you add energy to it. At everyday speeds, this just increases the object’s velocity. But as you approach the speed of light, the extra energy starts adding up to the object’s...
Science Snapshots: March 15, 2026
Test disfavours acrylonitrile cells in Titan lakes Computer models have suggested that acrylonitrile, an organic compound present on Saturn’s moon Titan, can self-assemble into cell-like structures. When scientists mixed it with liquid methane and ethane in cryogenic conditions like those on Titan, and observed no signs of membrane formation. Instead, acrylonitrile interacted with ethane to...
Faunal survey in Kerala’s Vazhachal adds 26 species to checklist of wildlife division in Western Ghats
An intensive faunal survey in the Vazhachal wildlife division in Thrissur, Kerala, has documented 26 species previously unrecorded from the area, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the key corridor in the Western Ghats. The survey was conducted by the Kerala Forest department in association with the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) from February 26 to...
Scientists rewire bacteria to build ‘designer’ proteins on demand
Researchers have found a way to hijack the natural protein-making facilities of bacteria to manufacture specific proteins of interest. They did this by turning a ‘nutrient gate’ on a bacterial cell into a Trojan horse that could ferry artificial amino acids into cells to make these proteins. The study, conducted by teams at ETH Zurich...
With lunar missions looming, scientists grow chickpeas in ‘moon dirt’
If the idea of lunar hummus seems far-fetched, think again. Scientists working to cultivate the field of extraterrestrial agriculture have grown chickpeas in dirt made mostly of simulated lunar soil, a step toward enabling astronauts on long-term moon missions to produce their own food. Researchers said harvestable chickpeas were grown in soil mixtures composed primarily...
Asteroid YR4 will miss the moon, too, NASA says
NASA has officially ruled out the possibility of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with the moon in 2032. This update settles concerns that first surfaced after the asteroid’s discovery in late 2024. For several months, orbital models suggested a small but notable 3.8% to 4.3% chance that the rock would strike the lunar surface on December...
Four astronomy facilities announced in Union Budget to cost ₹3,500 crore, to be completed over a period of three to 13 years
The construction and upgrade of the four major astronomical facilities, which was announced in the Union Budget, is expected to cost about ₹3,500 crore, and a proposal for approval of the project will be placed before the cabinet. A Department of Science and Technology official, while participating in the post-budget webinar on Telescope Infrastructure Facilities,...
Groups to prevent human-elephant conflict linked to more elephant deaths
A long-standing intervention by the Assam government to reduce crop depredation by elephants in its forest regions, piloted and designed by environmental non-government organisation World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is actually associated with more accidental elephant deaths, a study in Conservation Biology has reported. Launched in 2003 in Sonitpur district, the anti-depredation squads (ADS) of Assam...
