A number of activities are underway in the global scholarly publishing policy space. Within a span of 18 months, from late 2024 to mid-2026: the United States has placed the economics of academic publishing under Congressional scrutiny, Australia has mandated immediate open access to all publicly funded peer reviewed research, Europe has launched a publicly...
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June 21, 2026June 21, 2026Health, Science & Tech
Hypermetabolism linked to early-life adversity can be harmful in long term: Study
Mitochondria, responsible for producing energy in a cell, may have an increased respiratory capacity in adults who experienced adversities in early childhood but the ‘hypermetabolism’ can be harmful in the long term, according to a study. Findings published in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggest that while mitochondria might be better able to respond to cellular...
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June 21, 2026June 21, 2026Science & Tech
Capturing sunlight in a bottle and using it when needed
Thanks to the initiatives of UNESCO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), most countries across the world have adopted ‘green’ solutions that reduce environmental carbon dioxide. The use of solar panels to capture sunlight and turn it into electricity has been a particularly successful strategy. Many countries across the world have...
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June 21, 2026June 21, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
Say hello to Libex, a bold new coffee hybrid built to beat the heat
While the world’s coffee drinkers favour Arabica or Robusta, a newly identified hybrid called Coffea x libex (the X denotes its hybrid status) — or just Libex — could be their brew of choice in future. The world drinks roughly 17,000 tonnes of Arabica and 10,000 tonnes of Robusta beans (pre-roasting) every day. Together, they...
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June 21, 2026June 21, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
Why France has banned alcohol in places with high heat
In response to a new heatwave alert across Europe, France has partially banned the consumption of alcohol. Why? The restriction is a public health measure as part of reducing heat-related illnesses. Alcohol affects the body in many ways that become more dangerous if the person is also exposed to extreme heat. It causes the body...
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June 21, 2026June 21, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
Biochar offers a way to turn India’s farm smoke into ‘black gold’
India’s agriculture faces a serious paradox: a large amount of biomass that could improve soil health is instead being burned. This threatens soil health and food security. Punjab and Haryana burn more than 20 million tonnes of paddy straw in their open fields every year. This is due to the short post-harvest periods and a...
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June 20, 2026June 20, 2026Science & Tech
Teaching consent
This week, Himanshu Jangra apologised for making derogatory comments towards women during a comedy show. He was there as an audience member. .Another clip on X of another Indian comedian also caused a stir recently. He said that of the 10 rape cases we read about in the news every day, nine involve “just” rape,...
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June 19, 2026June 19, 2026Science & Tech
Science Quiz: Counterintuitive effects
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June 19, 2026June 19, 2026Science & Tech, Society
Interview | Steve Brusatte on why India could be the world’s next dinosaur hotspot
Roughly once a week, a creature dead for tens of millions of years is introduced to science for the first time. Around 50 new dinosaur species are named every year — a pace the species might have struggled to match even at their peak in the Cretaceous period, between 145 and 66 million years ago. Steve...
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June 19, 2026June 19, 2026Science & Tech
ParSEC Whitefield in Bengaluru is a science museum where anyone can innovate anything
A clock made entirely of mathematical equations, a robot dog named Muffin, and even an alien species attempting to understand humanity. These were some of the first things we encountered at ParSEC Whitefield, PARAM Foundation’s science experience centre in Bengaluru. Unlike most science museums, where exhibits are designed to be observed, nearly everything here asks...
