Pyroprocessing is a way to change a solid material physically or chemically using high temperature. It is a dry process and very energy-intensive. The three sectors that use it most are cement-making, metallurgy, and nuclear power. Of these, cement-making uses pyroprocessing the most. First, finely ground limestone, clay and iron — the raw materials —...
Category: Science & Tech
Homo erectus fossil yields secrets long thought to be beyond genetics
For much of modern history, human evolution was thought to progress in linear fashion, with one species replacing another, one by one. The famous ‘ape turning to human’ cartoon illustrating a stooped primate gradually straightening into a modern man essentially captures this idea. That picture began to change in the second half of the 19th...
SpaceX IPO is really Elon Musk’s gamble to save his empire
The SpaceX initial public offering (IPO), set for June 12, on Nasdaq (SPCX) is expected to be the largest single listing in history. The company is targeting a $75 billion raise at a valuation of $1.75-2 trillion. SpaceX is seeking a large liquidity influx to fund its Orbital Data Centre (ODC) initiative and terrestrial expansion...
NASA orders astronauts to take shelter after new leak aboard the International Space Station
NASA on Friday (June 5, 2026) ordered astronauts to take shelter after a fresh leak was detected aboard the International Space Station. The five astronauts moved into the SpaceX capsule that is docked at the station while cosmonauts worked to fix the leak, which is on the Russian side of the orbiting laboratory. The decision was...
ISS astronauts in evacuation mode as Russia attempts to fix widening air leak
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered by NASA to shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for potential evacuation on Friday (June 5, 2026) as a Russian crew attempts to fix a worsening leak of air on its portion of the orbital laboratory, NASA said. The four astronauts of NASA’s Crew-12 mission on the...
Science Snapshots: June 7, 2026
Industrial salt pans threaten Sambhar Lake’s survival Sambhar Lake is India’s largest inland saltwater wetland. When they analysed satellite data from 1984 to 2023, scientists found the lake depends heavily on seasonal rain, with water levels peaking in late summer and shrinking significantly in the dry season. Between 2022 and 2023, the lake’s surface also...
Caught between concrete and panic, India should not maladapt to climate change
With more than 7,500 km of coastline and millions of people living in low-lying coastal areas, India faces a dilemma that it has often been told is really a trap: use engineering solutions to hold the line, so to speak, or to beat a retreat inland. While many adaptation experts and institutions in high-income countries...
Science Quiz: On unusual properties of light
Is climate research being held back by local instrumentation? | Explained
The story so far: A Mega Science Vision-2035 report on Climate Research is a roadmap prepared by the Indian climate research community with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, as the nodal institution, and submitted to the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, was made public this week....
