Tag: Science

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...

In the industrial town of Morbi in Gujarat, the air usually hums with the roar of gas-fired kilns producing millions of square metres of ceramic tiles. Today, however, nearly a quarter of the town’s ceramic units have gone silent. Nearly a thousand kilometres away in Ludhiana, Punjab, one of India’s largest hosiery and knitwear clusters...

NASA said on Thursday that the long-delayed launch of Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, could come as soon as April 1. “We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date,” Lori Glaze, a senior NASA...

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for cooperation in space medicine and research. According to ISRO, the MoU aims to promote joint research aligned with ISRO’s priority areas, with a shared objective of advancing human health, performance and safety...