NASA on Thursday (February 19, 2026) released a sweeping report on Boeing’s botched Starliner mission that left two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station for nearly a year, detailing communication breakdowns and “unprofessional behavior” as the agency and its longtime contractor struggled to agree on how to safely return the crew to Earth. NASA...
Category: Science & Tech
Observations by Aditya-L1 help decode unusual dawn-time geomagnetic disturbances during strong solar storms
Observations and measurements made by India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1, have helped to decode the unusual dawn-time geomagnetic disturbances during strong solar storms. Geomagnetic storms are large disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field caused by changes in the solar wind- a continuous flow of charged particles released from the Sun. “When sudden increases or decreases in...
238 bird species spotted in Thiruvananthapuram district during Great Backyard Bird Count and Campus Bird Count
A total of 238 bird species were documented across Thiruvananthapuram district during the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), an annual four-day global citizen science initiative held from February 13 to 16. Endemic species such as Grey-fronted Green-Pigeon, Malabar Imperial-Pigeon, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Flameback, Malabar Parakeet, Malabar Woodshrike, Malabar Starling, Nilgiri Flowerpecker were listed from...
FDA will drop two-study requirement for new drug approvals, aiming to speed access
The Food and Drug Administration plans to drop its longtime standard of requiring two rigorous studies to win approval for new drugs, the latest change from Trump administration officials vowing to speed up the availability of certain medical products. Going forward, the FDA’s “default position” will be to require one study for new drugs and...
NASA conducts successful rehearsal of Artemis 2 lunar launch
NASA on Thursday (February 19, 2026) said it successfully rehearsed the launch of its massive SLS rocket, which will send astronauts around the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. Technical problems in early February cut short an earlier so-called wet dress rehearsal of the launch of the Artemis 2 mission. But on...
The biology of belief, optimism, and good health
Helen Keller, the American author and activist who was deaf and blind, became an international symbol of human potential. She wrote, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Optimism can be defined as maintaining positive expectations for the future. It is a human trait that has...
Trump says he doesn’t know if aliens are real but directs government to release files on UFOs, more
President Donald Trump said on Thursday (February 19, 2026) that he’s directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of “tremendous interest.” Mr. Trump made the announcement in a social media post hours after he accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing “classified information” when...
White-throated sparrows show sex in nature is not a simple binary
There continues to be intense debate worldwide about the definition of biological sex, boosted by some recent executive orders. The official theme of LGBTQ+ History Month (February) this year is ‘Science & Innovation’ and the natural universe is replete with examples of how the simple binary of sexes and genders to which some people would...
What sleep deprivation does to your brain and body
Fatigue, brain fog, irritability, headaches, and palpitations are not isolated symptoms. Doctors report seeing these especially among young professionals who stay up past midnight juggling project deadlines and household responsibilities, working long shifts, where restorative sleep feels impossible. Over time, this continuous lack of rest gradually alters the brain and body, affecting cognition, mood, metabolism,...
AI’s workhorse: What is a GPU? How does it work? | Explained
The story so far: In 1999, California-based Nvidia Corp. marketed a chip called GeForce 256 as “the world’s first GPU”. Its purpose was to make videogames run better and look better. In the 2.5 decades since, GPUs have moved from the discretionary world of games and visual effects to becoming part of the core infrastructure...
