There’s at least one space race already underway to get to the moon. There’s also another one: to claim radio frequencies and orbital slots in the limited space around the earth. The main participants of this race are companies launching large fleets of satellites working together, called megaconstellations. These megaconstellations are already revolutionising Internet access...
Tag: Science
Why do microwave ovens sometimes overheat water?
A: Water has a property called surface tension: its surface behaves like a stretched skin that tries to shrink. When a vapour bubble forms inside hot water, surface tension tends to squeeze it. For a bubble to grow instead of collapsing, the water must be hot enough for the vapour inside to resist this squeezing....
Science quiz: Fighting back against diseases
Science quiz: Fighting back against diseases This 2019 illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria. START THE QUIZ 1 / 5 | This ailment is also called Hansen’s disease. One of the main symptoms of a long-term infection of its causative pathogen is the body’s sensory nervous...
Aditya-L1 in a global effort reveals why the 2024 solar storm behaved unusually
India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1, along with six U.S. satellites, in a major breakthrough, has revealed why the May 2024 solar storm also known as Gannon’s storm behaved so unusually. In May 2024, the Earth faced the strongest solar storm in more than two decades, which disturbed Earth’s environment severely. The solar storm is composed...
New research traces how Africa’s wildcats became today’s house cats
“You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in/His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed; His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed. He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake; And when you think he’s half asleep,...
Why can’t we see well right after entering a darker room?
You’re standing on your balcony in the noon sun. It’s bright. After a moment, you step back into your darker room, and for a few moments you’re unable to see clearly. This is because your eyes need time to adjust. The eyes are made of three layers: sclera and cornea, the pupil, and the retina....
Shocking science: What causes static electricity?
To put it simply, static electricity is the small buildup of electrical charge on the surface of an object. It occurs when materials rub against each other and the friction often comes with a transfer of electrons, leading to an imbalance of charges. But let’s read a little more into it. How it happens We...
On zoos and magnets: the physics behind sounds
The Allen Forest Zoo in Kanpur is one of India’s largest zoological parks. Located in the middle of the city, it’s a vast expanse of fresh air, tall trees, and animals and birds of all shapes and sizes, and these early winter months are the best time to soak in the filtered sun when you...
How can India benefit from neurotechnology? | Explained
The story so far: The brain remains humanity’s final frontier. In the decades ahead, neurotechnology will stretch the boundaries of what it means to understand, and even shape, the functioning of the human brain. What is neurotechnology? Neurotechnology is the use of mechanical tools to talk directly to the brain. It includes systems that can...
Fossils, genomes clash as scientists debate the mosquito’s origins
Mosquitoes have followed humanity to every corner of the world, acquiring a reputation for being one of our least welcome companions. They are carriers of some of the deadliest diseases on the planet, including malaria, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile virus, which together claim over a million lives each year. For their ubiquity,...
