Even though phones now provide an inexhaustible source of entertainment, going to a nearby movie theatre to watch a film still has its own charm. The shared loud laughter, the annoying phone calls of neighbours, and even the endless paan-masala ads featuring fitness-enthusiastic Bollywood actors remind us of simpler times when only humans were sometimes...
Category: Science & Tech
Where India is going wrong in its goal to find new drugs
Fundamental research is the ‘silent engine’ of modern medicine. Before a scientist can design a pill or a new therapeutic technology, they must first understand the biology of the disease, including what is defective in the diseased state. This is particularly true for rare genetic disorders, where the roadmap to a cure is often missing....
Cherry blossoms fade in Japan with climate change
Every spring, Japan is bathed in the pastel pink of cherry blossoms, attracting tourists and local people who celebrate the bloom and gather to take selfies under the trees. But now the spectacular flowers are fading, with climate change. A new study published in in the International Journal of Biometeorology said that cherry trees, which are...
Breakthrough Prizes award $18.75 million to 2026 research leaders
The Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced its 2026 laureates on April 18, awarding six prizes of $3 million each across life sciences, fundamental physics and mathematics. The size of the total purse this year is $18.75 million. Stuart Orkin and Swee Lay Thein shared one of the three life sciences prizes for their contributions to development...
What environmental conditions caused kangaroos to evolve hopping?
— Gayatri Chandrashekar, Bengaluru A: Even if an animal is less intelligent than humans at particular tasks, it can still make complex decisions. An interesting one concerns how it searches for food.
New study unravels why chronic pain, depression go hand in hand
Imagine living with constant pain every day. You have to plan your day around your pain: which shoes you can wear, how long you can sit, whether you can commute. While the physical aspect of pain is palpable, nearly 85% of chronic pain patients deal with an added emotional cost: depression.
Long UPSC prep cycles take heavy toll on aspirants’ mental health
For lakhs of young Indians, the national civil services examination is not just a test: it becomes part of who they are. More than 10 lakh aspirants take the examination every year. Many spend several years preparing, often relocating to coaching hubs such as Delhi and Hyderabad. With only around a thousand positions on offer,...
Blue Origin achieves first landing of reused New Glenn rocket booster
Blue Origin on Sunday (April 19, 2026) said its New Glenn rocket booster touched down after its launch, marking its first landing of a reused booster. New Glenn carries AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite to low-Earth orbit in a flight that marks a pivotal step for the Jeff Bezos-led company.
How is global warming affecting sea breeze?
During the day, land heats faster than the sea, pulling cool air onshore. At night, the land cools faster, so the air flows offshore. This is called the sea-land breeze. A new study in Nature Climate Change has reported that as the oceans become warmer, the sea-land breezes around coastal megacities are becoming weaker. In...
Gene drives and malaria: how altered mosquitoes could reshape disease control
For decades, malaria control has worked by reducing the number of mosquitoes and treating infected people. As a result bed nets, indoor insecticide spraying, and effective medicines have saved millions of lives. Yet malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, killing more than half a million people each year, most of them children...
