Last week, the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) announced 15 new moons had been found, four around Jupiter and 11 around Saturn. The Jovian moons were found by the U.S.-based Scott Sheppard and David Tholen and the Saturnian ones by a team led by Edward Ashton in Taiwan. The MPC is the world’s primary repository for...
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March 22, 2026March 22, 2026Science & Tech
How humans came to inhabit every corner of the world
From African deserts to the Arctic circle: humans spread across the planet faster and farther than any other wild vertebrate, making us outliers in the animal kingdom. While we occupy 132 million sq. km of land, a typical wild mammal occupies 165 sq. km. How did humans achieve this feat? The answer lies in...
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March 22, 2026March 22, 2026Environment, Science & Tech
How agriPV can turn India’s farms into dual-purpose powerhouses
In the 2026-27 budget, the outlay for the PM-KUSUM scheme nearly doubled to Rs 5,000 crore, signalling the government’s renewed emphasis on increasing solar power production centred on India’s farmers. Specifically, the scheme aims to provide energy and water security to farmers, enhance incomes, and decarbonise the farm sector through decentralised solar pumps and power...
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March 21, 2026March 21, 2026Science & Tech
Some moons may have conditions suitable for the emergence of life
The Hindu’s weekly Science for All newsletter explains all things Science, without the jargon. In an astonishing discovery in 2009, a mission to the moon chanced upon traces of water on the craggy celestial body 3,80,000 km from Earth. Now, scientists have said that distant moons, far away from planets and even the sun, may...
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March 21, 2026March 21, 2026Science & Tech
Cost concerns delay safer building codes despite Himalayan threats
Are the risks to structures in the Himalayas and north-eastern states from earthquakes overestimated? Scientists, structural engineers, representatives from several government ministries are expected to deliberate and report back to the Cabinet Secretariat in the coming weeks. This follows a ‘withdrawal’ earlier this month by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) of a set of...
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March 20, 2026March 20, 2026Science & Tech
Animals that show intentional communication is not just human
All living beings communicate. In honeybees, communicative signals in the form of a wiggle dance transmit information on the location of flowers. Recipient bees decode this information and use it to guide their behaviour. Human language goes beyond broadcasting: it can be used to intentionally reshape what another person thinks or does by adjusting the...
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March 19, 2026March 19, 2026Science & Tech
Losing the way: On ISRO and issues with its NavIC constellation
ISRO’s NavIC constellation, for which it has launched 11 satellites since 2013, is in operational distress. Only three satellites remain capable of providing position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, leaving the constellation unable to fulfil its purpose of replacing the U.S.’s GPS system over the Indian subcontinent. A PNT constellation requires at least four PNT-capable...
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March 19, 2026March 19, 2026Health, Science & Tech
Life-saving numbers: what the 2026 U.S. cholesterol guidelines mean for everyone
The call woke me from a dead sleep. The ER physician uttered the words STEMI, short for ST elevation myocardial infarction. She didn’t need to say more: I was out of bed as she narrated the rest. A STEMI occurs when a ruptured cholesterol plaque triggers a cascade of clot formations, sealing the artery shut....
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March 19, 2026March 19, 2026Science & Tech
Indore tragedy: why do EV batteries catch fire? | Explained
The story so far: A fire tore through a house in Indore on March 18, killing eight people including two children. An electric vehicle (EV) charging point outside the house appeared to have sparked the blaze. An investigation is underway. Are EV batteries safe? Nearly every EV on the road today runs on lithium-ion batteries,...
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March 19, 2026March 19, 2026Science & Tech
