Science

NASA is set to launch a probe to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 10 that will monitor climate change on Earth. Named Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), this probe will study the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and how the desert dust carried through the atmosphere affects the

In a step that may help achieve better network connectivity in the near future, scientists have developed a beam-steering antenna that enhances data transmission beyond 5G standards. This will give access to a range of frequencies for mobile communications that were earlier out of reach. With the size of an iPhone, the beam-steering antenna has

A team of international researchers from the US and the UK have received a grant of $750,000 to develop portable, rapid biosensors capable of detecting noroviruses and mycotoxins in foods and agricultural products. The researchers say noroviruses are the leading cause of foodborne illness globally and are highly contagious. They cause a pandemic every few

Making use of artificial intelligence, a team of scientists from the Boston College have shed light on the differences in the behaviour of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its link with neuroanatomy. Autism or ASD is a complicated condition that is characterised by difficulties with communication and behaviour including problems with social interaction,

Sony on Thursday said it formed a new company that will build and supply devices that allow small satellites in orbit to communicate with one another via laser beams, dipping into the fast-growing space sector. Sony Space Communications, registered on Wednesday, is meant to take advantage of laser technology to avoid a bottleneck of radio

Online travel firm MakeMyTrip on Thursday said it has partnered with Climes, a climate-tech startup backed by Sequoia, to introduce carbon neutralisation options when booking a flight through its platform. Flyers who booked tickets through MakeMyTrip will find an option to neutralise carbon emissions via a link on their e-ticket from June 5 — World Environment

Top NASA officials on Wednesday said the payload integration of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission has been completed in the US and it is expected to be shipped to India after testing for integration with the satellite and eventually with the launch vehicle. NISAR is a joint earth-observation mission between ISRO and the

In a first, researchers have been able to preserve and repair a human liver, which was considered too damaged for transplant, in a machine over three days and then implanted the recovered organ into a cancer patient. Their success is set to have far-reaching consequences in the field of medicine as human livers for transplant

The Milky Way has millions of potentially liveable planets, with about four of them harbouring evil alien civilisations that would conquer Earth if they could, states a new study. The study, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet, asks an intriguing question — what are the chances that humans may one day come into touch with a

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which is scurrying Mars for signs of ancient life, completed record-breaking 25 flights in the tenuous atmosphere. When the tiny helicopter was sent to the one-way trip, along with its partner Perseverance rover, engineers had only planned for five flights. While space agencies usually set their goals conservatively to maximise their output,

Climate scientists at the United Nations believe it’s “now or never” to prevent catastrophic temperature rises and the disintegration of the climate systems that support life. Reports of bomb-like blizzards and scorching droughts provide a dreadful image of climate change’s potential reality. Huge climatic swings are nothing new, they have historically been extremely destructive. Moreover,

Most of us don’t like to wait at traffic signals till the light turns green to move past them. Sometimes, we try to bypass the signals and end up getting caught in the process, followed by paying a hefty fine. At times, this can also result in accidents. It’s true that waiting at the signal

Evolution is a continuous process by which species adapt to their changing environment. English naturalist Charles Darwin expanded this simplistic understanding to say that species evolve by way of natural selection, which leads to genetic changes in individuals that favour the survival and reproduction of the same traits. It also meant that various species originated

In a recent discovery, astronomers have spotted an exoplanet or a super-Earth that is four times the size of our planet. The exoplanet named Ross 508 b revolves around a red dwarf star called Ross 508. Although the star is located just 36.5 light-years away, it is too dim to be seen with naked eyes.

Ever wondered why watching someone yawn instantly triggers a similar urge in you to open your mouth? While scientists have understood the physiological purpose behind yawning, the reason why it is so contagious among social animals has kept them puzzled. According to Andrew Gallup, an evolutionary biologist from the State University of New York Polytechnic

Ever since NASA confirmed the presence of water on the moon, a number of researches have been conducted to understand the source of water on the surface. And, now, a new research has suggested a very unlikely source for this water. It stated that the presence of water on the Earth’s closest neighbour could be

Global warming is posing an existential threat to the Siberian tundra, the frozen lands near the Arctic Circle, researchers have said in a new study. The researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany, prepared a computer simulation of how global warming could affect the tundra — a special ecosystem consisting

As we age, the retention power of our memory often degrades. This makes performing everyday tasks difficult. It gets very difficult to remember things. For instance, elderly people could forget by afternoon what they ate for breakfast. They may even find it difficult to recall a conversation they had with someone. One key brain region

Waves are one of the most incredible events on the high seas that pump enough adrenaline into our system to make us feel excited and anxious at the same time. Just seeing them from a distance could be enough. However, surfers like to feel and ride them. There is some amazing science behind how waves

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the USA’s space agency, has conducted several probes and expeditions over the years to find answers to several hidden answers. In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to fly across the solar system and give humanity unprecedented access to the world far away from us. On each