The story so far: As Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite fast entered its 19th day on Thursday (July 16, 2026), concerns have emerged about his health. As the 59-year-old Mr. Wangchuk protests the continuation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his position, in solidarity with the protests organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and the central government is yet to engage with them, experts have flagged...
Category: Science & Tech
Home
Science & Tech
Post
July 16, 2026July 16, 2026Health, Science & Tech
When does the brain first respond to music?
The intriguing evolution of musicality in humans, that primal form of artistic expression across cultures – that elevates in celebration, is an empath in grief, a rally cry in protests, a companion in solitude – remains enigmatic to scientists. This phenomenon has now become the subject of study of a group of psychologists, who have...
Post
July 16, 2026July 16, 2026Science & Tech
New damselfly species discovered in Kerala’s Western Ghats
A team of odonatologists has discovered a new species of spreadwing damselfly, Lestes paloti, from the Western Ghats in Kerala. The discovery has been published in the International Journal of Odonatology, an internationally reputed peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research on dragonflies and damselflies. The discovery marks a significant addition to odonate taxonomy. Lestes paloti is the first new species...
Post
July 16, 2026July 16, 2026Science & Tech
ISRO issues memo to curb exodus of scientists and engineers from Gaganyaan and other key missions
With about 100 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) personnel quitting the space agency in various centres across the country, the Department of Space (DoS) has issued a memorandum to curb the exodus of scientists and engineers who are working in critical missions of national importance, like the Gaganyaan. In a memorandum issued on July 14,...
Post
July 15, 2026July 15, 2026Science & Tech
Power grids face unexpected slow-burn threat from solar storms
As countries electrify more of their economies and increasingly interconnect their power grids, understanding space weather has become crucial. One particularly adverse form of space weather is a geomagnetic storm: temporary disturbances in earth’s magnetic field caused by charged particles from the sun. These storms produce beautiful aurorae but also induce strong yet short-lived currents...
Post
July 15, 2026July 15, 2026Science & Tech
How water shaped Earth’s evolution three billion years ago
A recycling process between the Earth’s deep, scorching mantle and its surface water occurred some three billion years ago, generating magma-forming volcanoes that built continents, a new research paper has revealed. The phenomenon occurred much earlier than previously assumed, said geologists in a research paper published inNature Communications. An international team of researchers studied the...
Post
July 15, 2026July 15, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
China’s ’Great Green Wall’ tames desert growth, but scientists say fight is not over
For half a century, millions of workers have repeated a task across the deserts in northern China: inserting forearm-length sticks into shifting sand, first in a row, then in an intersecting line, gradually forming a grid. Then saplings are planted at the centre of each small square. The technique, known as “straw checkerboards”, is a...
Post
July 15, 2026July 15, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
A new era of Indian ecology looks to its horizons, and to the ground
Wildlife ecology in India looks different today than it did a decade ago. Climate change, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and rapid development are all reshaping ecosystems faster than scholars can document them. Thus, ecologists are interested in how biodiversity has changed as well as how it is likely to change next. Just these questions shaped...
Post
July 15, 2026July 15, 2026Science & Tech
NASA astronaut Anil Menon, two others reach International Space Station
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts reached the International Space Station with hugs and handshakes in the early hours of Wednesday (July 15, 2026) onboard Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft after a little over three-hour journey. The Roscosmos spacecraft carrying Mr. Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off from Baikonur at...
Post
July 15, 2026July 15, 2026Science & Tech
Who is Anil Menon, the Indian-origin NASA astronaut of Malayali descent now in Earth orbit?
Anil Menon, a NASA astronaut of Indian heritage, has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in the early hours of Wednesday (July 15, 2026) onboard Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, kickstarting his first eight-month mission. The Roscosmos spacecraft carrying Dr. Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off from Baikonur at 8:17 pm...
