Everyone knows scientists are in the business of “discovering” things. But what exactly do they do? When I was growing up in a small village in Kerala, there were no scientists around to ask this question. Even now, my friends ask me this question, half joking, half curious. I often laugh it off and change...
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February 27, 2026February 27, 2026Children, Science & Tech
National Science Day | The A to Z Science Quiz!
*Note: The answers are from A to Z (that is, the first question’s answer would start with A, the second one’s with B, so on and so forth. Please note that in case the answer is a person’s name, it would be the last name that would start with the designated letter. Reference image for...
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February 27, 2026February 27, 2026Children, Science & Tech
Helping children aim for the stars | National Science Day
More often than not, in the larger Indian context, students learning science at school follow a formulaic manner of engaging with the subject. There is a strict syllabus, way of learning, way of grading that learning, and even an inquisition that’s tied to viewing science as merely an academic subject. Those of you sitting in...
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February 27, 2026February 27, 2026Health, Science & Tech
Can white matter changes in the brain determine our ageing trajectory?
Ageing is a major risk factor for most neurological and psychiatric disorders. As populations worldwide continue to grow older, the burden of brain- and cognition-related disorders is expected to rise substantially. There is, therefore, an urgent need to understand the normal trajectory of brain ageing and to develop scientific methods that can determine and predict...
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February 26, 2026February 26, 2026Science & Tech
A brittle shell: On ISRO and transparency
A venerable institution, facing accusations of opacity, decided to stun its detractors with some transparency. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made public the report of a technical committee, constituted to analyse why the NVS-02 satellite, which was launched aboard a GSLV rocket on January 29, 2025, could not be placed in its intended orbit....
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February 25, 2026February 25, 2026Science & Tech
Decolonising and de-Nobelising science
Every February 28, India celebrates National Science Day to commemorate C.V. Raman’s announcement of the Raman effect in 1928, a discovery that won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. Such national rituals are said to be just acts of remembrance, but they are not; they also legitimise what the state says counts as...
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February 25, 2026February 25, 2026Science & Tech
‘Loose connection’ prevented NVS-02 satellite from landing in intended orbit, says panel
After nearly a year’s delay, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made public the report of a committee constituted to analyse why the NVS-02 satellite, which was launched aboard a GSLV rocket on January 29 last year, couldn’t be placed in its intended orbit. The apex committee, as it is called, concluded that the main reason...
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February 25, 2026February 25, 2026Science & Tech
What are carbon capture and utilisation technologies? | Explained
The story so far: Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) refers to a set of technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources or directly from the air and convert them into useful products. This process removes carbon from the atmosphere and puts it into the economy as inputs for fuels, chemicals, building materials, or...
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February 25, 2026February 25, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
Craig the elephant, and the promise and problem of wildlife icons
Early this year, when Craig, one of Africa’s “super tusker” elephants, died in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, tributes poured in from across the world. Photographs of his very large ivory tusks, nearly brushing the ground as he walked with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, resurfaced online. Tourists shared memories of sightings and safari guides recalled...
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February 25, 2026February 25, 2026Science & Tech
Why do so many flowers have five petals?
— Ajith Kizhakkethil Many flowers are indeed pentamerous — but across flowering plants as a whole, the petal number varies widely. Monocots often have flower parts in threes. Eudicots have four or five. Many species also have fused petals, others have several petals, and yet others lack them altogether. In the flower bud, new organs...
