When 23-year-old Arhaan (name changed to protect identity) reached his accommodation after attending the Cockroach Janta Party protest march in New Delhi on July 20, his ears kept ringing with pain when he closed his eyes. He remembers it started when a canister had burst with a loud sound near his head when he was...
Category: Science & Tech
‘Ghost particles’ signature can track where spent nuclear fuel goes
In the high-stakes world of preventing governments from secretly developing atom bombs, the ability of inspectors to check what happens inside a reactor core — without stepping foot inside the highly radioactive structure — is a holy grail. For many decades, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have used cameras and close inspections to ensure operators...
Private colleges account for 54% of 1.36 lakh MBBS seats in India
Private medical colleges continue to account for a majority of the MBBS seats offered in India, with 73,643 private college seats (54%) compared with 63,296 government-run college seats (46%), according to the National Medical Commission’s 2026-27 seat matrix released recently for the academic year 2026-27. Of the 9,911 MBBS seats added for the 2026-27 academic...
Why do we feel a slightly bitter aftertaste after having sugary foods?
— Jesica Sandhu, New Delhi A: Not everyone senses a bitter aftertaste after eating sweet foods but some do. There are a few reasons. First, sweet foods activate your sweet taste receptors but not your bitter taste receptors. But once the sweet food has passed, the sweetness receptors become less responsive for a short amount...
To live better, never stop learning
It is estimated that in India on an average day, about 19,500 people celebrate their 60th birthday. The size of India’s population aged 60 and above is expected to surpass the population aged 0-14 years by 2046. Accompanying this ‘silver tsunami’ is the dizzying pace of new technologies, which go from being useful to becoming...
Hold tight! How two hurricanes forced a lizard to change its grip
Picture a lizard the length of your finger clinging to a tree branch. The cause of its desperation is a 265 km/hr wind tearing through the air, threatening to peel it off like a loose sticker. Just this happened twice in two weeks to a population of small brown anoles in the Turks and Caicos...
As SpaceX rocket stage is about to hit moon, astronomers prepare
Astronomers are closely monitoring a SpaceX rocket stage that is on the way to striking the moon. This Falcon 9 rocket had launched two satellites towards the moon in January 2025. Then SpaceX abandoned the rocket’s spent upper stage in an unstable orbit as it lacked enough fuel to return to the earth or head...
Astronomers prepare as SpaceX rocket stage nears moon strike
Astronomers are closely monitoring a SpaceX rocket stage that is on the way to striking the moon. This Falcon 9 rocket had launched two satellites towards the moon in January 2025. Then SpaceX abandoned the rocket’s spent upper stage in an unstable orbit as it lacked enough fuel to return to the earth or head...
Why you get better care when you stop nodding and start asking why
Priya walks into an orthopedician’s clinic with knee pain that she says she has had for three months. The doctor spends eight minutes with her, orders an MRI, and asks her to come back with the images. MRI shows signs of early osteoarthritis. The doctor lists three options: injections, physiotherapy or wait and watch. Priya...
Why lab-grown diamonds are a sustainable alternative to mined stones
For centuries, diamonds have been regarded as symbols of eternal love, characterised by their rarity, scintillation and lustre. But behind the glamour of these stones lies a cold, hard truth: an industry plagued by forced labour, civil violence, and pollution. Some of the world’s largest diamond mines, such as the Argyle mine in Australia and...
