The story so far: On July 10, the Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs, China, has temporarily but immediately banned helium exports from the country. As of 4.30 pm IST on July 10, Beijing had not published any other information as to why it took this step now or its scope. Is China a...
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July 10, 2026July 10, 2026Science & Tech
Science should reach society with integrity and transparency: Soumya Swaminathan
The challenge before scientists and researchers is to ensure that science reaches society with “integrity, transparency and compassion”, said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). She was virtually delivering the convocation address at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, on Friday (July 10, 2026). “The challenge before us is...
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July 10, 2026July 10, 2026Science & Tech
China successfully tests sea-based rocket booster recovery system, says state media
China on Friday (July 10, 2026) successfully tested an experimental rocket retrieval system using a net attached to a sea platform, state media reported, in the hopes of breaking U.S. dominance in reusable rockets. The Long March 10B rocket lifted off from the Hainan commercial space launch site in southern China and, about six minutes...
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July 10, 2026July 10, 2026Science & Tech
What a dolphin’s death in Kerala reveals about India’s marine plastic pollution
Around noon on July 4, 2026, local residents found an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) and an Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) dead at separate locations on the Kozhikode beach in Kerala. Alerted by the public, officials recovered the carcasses for a post-mortem examination. The necropsy of the roughly 200-kg dolphin, an endangered species...
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July 9, 2026July 9, 2026Science & Tech
Science quiz: The more things change, the more they stay the same
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July 9, 2026July 9, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
Deadly bird virus PaBV-4 identified for first time in India
A team of scientists has, for the first time in India, identified and genetically characterised a virus that often causes rapid death in captive psittacine birds, raising concerns about the health of exotic pets and conservation of threatened parrot species. Psittacine, which means relating to or resembling a parrot, describes the bird family Psittacidae and...
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July 9, 2026July 9, 2026Science & Tech
IIT Guwahati team finds blue-green algae can remove lead from water
GUWAHATI A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) have developed a biological material that can remove lead from contaminated water. The team led by Professor Debasish Das of the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering found that cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, can be used to absorb lead from contaminated water. Such...
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July 9, 2026July 9, 2026Science & Tech
Military technology’s environmental impact: A bird’s nest made of fibre-optic cable
cienceA bird’s nest found near Ukraine’s front line has caught the attention of researchers, not because of the bird that built it but because of what it was made from. Mixed in with the usual twigs, grass and small branches were strands of fibre-optic cable, the same kind now used by military drones flying over...
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July 8, 2026July 8, 2026Science & Tech
Indian lab designs quantum algorithm to beat classical computers
Ask Indrakshi Raychowdhury what a quantum computer is bad at, and she points to arithmetic. “If you try to add two numbers, a classical calculator does it easily, whereas doing it on a quantum computer is incredibly difficult,” she said in a conversation with The Hindu. “But simulating a highly complex, interacting quantum system (where...
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July 8, 2026July 8, 2026Science & Tech
How can a quantum computer prove that it is superior?
Quantum computing is becoming more popular – both as a field of study and in the public imagination. The technology promises more speed and more efficient problem-solving abilities, challenging the boundaries set by classical, conventional computing. The hype has led to inflated expectations. But whether or not it can meet them, the raison d’être of...
