Tag: Science

The Large Hadron Collider has discovered a new particle, the 80th identified so far by the world’s most powerful particle smasher, Europe’s CERN physics laboratory announced on March 17. The new particle has been named “Xi-cc-plus”. Scientists have expressed hope that the particle — which is similar to a proton but 4x heavier — will...

GUWAHATI Researchers from Tezpur University in North-central Assam have found that the subtle vibrations on the sun’s surface could be transporting enormous amounts of energy into its outer atmosphere. The research, conducted by physicists Souvik Das and Pralay Kumar Karmakar from the university’s Department of Physics, examines the dynamics of solar surface waves known as p-mode...

The BRICS grouping, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is a globally significant collective defined by its substantial contributions to global GDP, scientific and technological capacity, natural resources, and total population. Since its formation, the group has evolved into a prominent international voice, representing countries that seek to challenge and provide an alternative...

Oceans more than gases helped earth cool When researchers recently analysed Antarctic ice cores to reconstruct the earth’s climate over the last three million years, they found that the world’s oceans cooled by 2.5 C, most of it around 2.7 million years ago. While methane levels were unchanged, those of carbon dioxide did so barely...

For years, scientists noticed that modern humans carry very little Neanderthal DNA on their X chromosomes. To understand why, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania reversed the perspective and looked for early modern human DNA within ancient Neanderthal genomes. In a study published in Science on February 26, they reported that interbreeding between Neanderthals and...

In 1823, English geologist William Buckland discovered a skeleton in a limestone cave in Paviland, southern Wales, which he identified as a prostitute from the Roman era, as the bones were coated in red ochre. Nearly a hundred years later, further studies, including that of grave goods, also painted in red, proved that the skeleton,...

Melanoma is one of the most dangerous common skin cancers. It starts in melanocytes, the skin cells that make melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour. Cancer doesn’t appear overnight. A normal cell becomes cancerous in steps, as its DNA and its gene-control systems pick up changes over time. These changes push the cell...

Pi Day is observed every year on March 14, marking the significance of the mathematical constant π (pi). The day is commemorated by mathematics enthusiasts around the world in recognition of the subject’s enduring legacy. March 14 is chosen because the first three digits of π — 3.14159 — match the date 3/14. What is...

A January report in the journal Current Science authored by scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has turned radioactive with one of India’s leading nuclear scientists characterising the conclusions of the report as “misleading.” The study compared the relative merits of different mixes of nuclear-power-grade uranium and concluded that a mix of concentrated...