If the idea of lunar hummus seems far-fetched, think again. Scientists working to cultivate the field of extraterrestrial agriculture have grown chickpeas in dirt made mostly of simulated lunar soil, a step toward enabling astronauts on long-term moon missions to produce their own food. Researchers said harvestable chickpeas were grown in soil mixtures composed primarily...
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March 10, 2026March 10, 2026Science & Tech
Asteroid YR4 will miss the moon, too, NASA says
NASA has officially ruled out the possibility of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with the moon in 2032. This update settles concerns that first surfaced after the asteroid’s discovery in late 2024. For several months, orbital models suggested a small but notable 3.8% to 4.3% chance that the rock would strike the lunar surface on December...
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March 10, 2026March 10, 2026Science & Tech
Four astronomy facilities announced in Union Budget to cost ₹3,500 crore, to be completed over a period of three to 13 years
The construction and upgrade of the four major astronomical facilities, which was announced in the Union Budget, is expected to cost about ₹3,500 crore, and a proposal for approval of the project will be placed before the cabinet. A Department of Science and Technology official, while participating in the post-budget webinar on Telescope Infrastructure Facilities,...
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March 9, 2026March 9, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
Groups to prevent human-elephant conflict linked to more elephant deaths
A long-standing intervention by the Assam government to reduce crop depredation by elephants in its forest regions, piloted and designed by environmental non-government organisation World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is actually associated with more accidental elephant deaths, a study in Conservation Biology has reported. Launched in 2003 in Sonitpur district, the anti-depredation squads (ADS) of Assam...
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March 9, 2026March 9, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
UV camera snaps treetops glowing as thunderstorm passed overhead
Thunderstorms create large amounts of electricity that we see as lightning. Under these storms, scientists believed that electricity would flow through trees, giving them a dull ultraviolet glow, and affect the surrounding environment. These discharges are called coronae. However, no one measured these ‘glows’, predicted nearly a century ago, until recently. In a new study...
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March 9, 2026March 9, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
India’s Project Cheetah must stop importing big cats, say scientists
Last week, nine wild African cheetahs were tranquilised in Botswana’s savannah, quarantined for a few weeks in the country, and then taken on a 10-hour flight over the Indian Ocean by the Indian Air Force to Gwalior. From here, the big cats were flown in helicopters to large quarantine enclosures in Kuno National Park in...
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March 9, 2026March 9, 2026Science & Tech
Daily Quiz: On firebombings of World War II
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March 8, 2026March 8, 2026Science & Tech
ISRO and ESA sign agreement for Earth Observation missions
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have jointly signed an agreement on ‘ESA-ISRO Arrangement concerning Joint Calibration and Validation Activities and Scientific Studies for Earth Observation Missions’. The agreement was signed on March 4 by M. Ganesh Pillai, scientific secretary, ISRO, and Simonetta Cheli, director, Earth Observation Programme, ESA,...
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March 8, 2026March 8, 2026Science & Tech
HALEU-Thorium fuel unsuitable for Indian nuclear reactors: study
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) researchers have reported that a new kind of nuclear fuel, touted for being able to allow India to take advantage of its vast thorium reserves, will not fit in the country’s three-stage programme and could entail expensive reactor redesigns. The study was published in Current Science. The composition the team...
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March 8, 2026March 8, 2026Science & Tech
We now know why some people had severe blood clots after COVID shots
In early 2021, as COVID-19 vaccines were being rolled out across the world, reports began to surface of a rare but alarming complication. Some people who received the shots were developing unusual blood clots. The cases were first identified in Europe and later in the U.S. Notably, they were reported mainly among recipients of the...
