Humans have climbed to the top of the food chain by skillfully hunting, trapping, and fishing for other animals at scales that far exceed other predators, altering how the animals behave and earning the tag of a “super-predator”. But a new study led by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), suggests...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
Queensland positions itself as a strategic partner in India-Australia biotech collaboration at BioAsia 2026
Collaboration between Australia and India in life sciences and biotechnology is beginning to yield early results following the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, with Queensland positioning itself as a key partner for Indian companies and institutions across clinical research, translational science and healthcare innovation. This momentum was highlighted during an exclusive media roundtable held...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
U.S. drops a core radiation safety rule as global reforms near
The linear no-threshold (LNT) model and the ALARA principle have served as the conceptual and operational foundations of the global radiation protection framework for many decades. The LNT model is a risk estimation framework that says any amount of ionising radiation, no matter how small, carries some risk of causing harm, especially cancer. In other...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
Why do shrubs like hibiscus flower/fruit profusely only on the sunlit side?
– Gayatri Chandrashekar Shrubs and trees often flower and fruit more on the sunlit side because the planet’s energy budget on that side is different. Sunlit leaves capture more usable light so they photosynthesise more and make more sugars and starch. Buds and young fruits need that carbon supply to form and grow. On the...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
The curious case of the star that may have swallowed itself
When a sufficiently massive star runs out of fuel, its core collapses and triggers a supernova, a dramatic explosion that scatters the star’s outer layers into space. But scientists have long suspected that sometimes, the explosion fails and instead of a supernova, the star just… disappears. In a recent paper in Science, astronomers have reported...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
India’s capacity to scale next-generation biologics draws focus at BioAsia 2026
India’s evolving role as a global manufacturing backbone for next-generation biologics came into focus during a panel discussion on advanced therapies at BioAsia 2026 here on Tuesday where industry leaders pointed to the country’s capacity to scale complex technologies ranging from vaccines and RNA platforms to cell and gene therapies. The panel, moderated by Gil...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
What is ‘snowball earth’?
A: In the Cryogenian Period (720-635 million years ago), some scientists believe the earth went through through episodes when ice covered even the tropical latitudes, and the world was called ‘snowball earth’. If the oceans were mostly frozen, it was also believed that the usual interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, sunlight, and climate patterns would...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
SpaceX to compete in Pentagon contest for autonomous drone tech: Report
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its wholly-owned subsidiary xAI are competing in a secret new Pentagon contest to produce voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. SpaceX, xAI and the Pentagon’s defense innovation unit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
Who wins the science prize when AI makes the discovery?
In 1974, Antony Hewish won the physics Nobel Prize for discovering pulsars. His graduate student, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, had actually spotted the first one in the data; she’d also built parts of the telescope herself, analysed the charts, noticed the anomaly, and helped confirm that it was real. But she didn’t win the prize. At...
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February 17, 2026February 17, 2026Science & Tech
Lean into the abyss: the counterintuitive beauty of skiing
Every instinct tells you to lean back. You’re standing at the top of a slope that drops away beneath you like the edge of the world, and every fibre of your being screams to press your weight into the mountain behind you. To hold on. To stay safe. And that’s exactly how you fall. Something...
