Since scientists discovered jumping genes in maize in 1950, they have known that bits of DNA can move around the genome, mostly within the cell nucleus. Scientists have also found evidence of genes having jumped across species. Now, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Germany have reported a remarkable observation: they...
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July 14, 2026July 14, 2026Science & Tech
Who is Anil Menon, the Indian-origin NASA astronaut of Malayali descent set to travel to space?
Anil Menon, a NASA astronaut of Indian heritage, is scheduled to begin an eight-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), launching from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan alongside two Russian cosmonauts. The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft is scheduled for lift-off from the Baikonur spaceport at 8:17 p.m. (IST) on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) and...
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July 14, 2026July 14, 2026Science & Tech
How people’s genes are revealing why some languages are so unique
Hindi and Tamil differ in far more than just vocabulary. Languages differ in how they are organised, and these differences are not spread evenly around the world. In some regions, neighbouring languages like Basque and Spanish differ dramatically from one another. In others, they share many of the same features, like Tamil and Kannada. A...
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July 13, 2026July 13, 2026Science & Tech
How genetic history reveals why some languages are so unique
Hindi and Tamil differ in far more than just vocabulary. Languages differ in how they are organised, and these differences are not spread evenly around the world. In some regions, neighbouring languages like Basque and Spanish differ dramatically from one another. In others, they share many of the same features, like Tamil and Kannada. A...
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July 13, 2026July 13, 2026Science & Tech
Over 2,700 may have died due to heatwaves in England: researchers
At least 2,700 people could have died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a study released on Monday (July 13, 2026). Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used weather data, climate models and...
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July 13, 2026July 13, 2026Science & Tech
Lack of trees causing heat waves, other climate-induced events in Karnataka rain monsoon
Environmentalist and president of Bidar Parisara Vani, Shailendra Kavadi, has called for large-scale tree plantation in Kalaburagi district in Karnataka to mitigate rising temperatures and safeguard biodiversity, warning that climate change is already leaving a visible imprint on the region. Addressing an environmental awareness and Van Mahotsava (forest festival) valedictory programme at the Karnataka Public...
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July 13, 2026July 13, 2026Science & Tech
Interview | Shubhanshu Shukla on his new book, ‘The Second Orbit’
From the moment he was announced as one of the four astronaut-candidates for India’s maiden human spaceflight programme Gaganyaan, Air Force test pilot Shubhanshu Shukla has been a prolific science communicator. His social media feed is full of amusing yet enlightening quips, videos, and posts about what going to space has been like for him. In his...
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July 13, 2026July 13, 2026Science & Tech
Material filters tritium from nuclear wastewater at record speed
In 2023, Japan began a decades-long and controversial process — it began releasing treated wastewater from the ruined Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The water had been filtered to remove most heavy radioactive elements, yet one particular contaminant remained: tritium. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. When it bonds with oxygen,...
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July 13, 2026July 13, 2026Science & Tech
Why engineering evolution is a high-stakes race between cure and chaos
A single mosquito carrying malaria parasites can infect dozens of people. A single gene in that mosquito can spread slowly through its population. Gene drives aim to bend this inheritance in our favour by ensuring that a particular genetic change passes to far more than half of the offspring, helping reduce the disease burden. Whether...
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July 12, 2026July 12, 2026Science & Tech
ISRO successfully carries out tests of Gaganyaan crew module systems
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday (July 12, 2026) said it had successfully carried out three major tests of the Gaganyaan crew module systems. The first test pertained to ensuring an upright position for the crew module after splashdown in the sea, considered one of the most important crew safety requirements. To do...
