Science

US space agency NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring Mars and digging for signs of life since it landed on the planet in February last year. Besides the rocks and alien atmosphere, the rover witnessed some intense dust winds called dust devils in the Jezero Crater. In a new study, scientists have tried to examine

In the quest to find habitable exoplanets that can host life like Earth, liquid water has played a key role in indicating the possibility of life. While scientists have looked for water bodies similar to that on Earth, a study suggests that liquid water could exist on the surface of exoplanets for billions of years

While dyslexia is characterised by learning difficulties, researchers from the University of Cambridge have concluded that people with the disorder are skilled at exploring the unknown. This strength, according to researchers, has helped humans adapt and survive in changing environments. The findings came as researchers carried out a study on behaviour, cognition and the brain.

The Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has started authorising Indian private firms, marking the beginning of private space sector launches in India. IN-SPACe is an autonomous, single window nodal agency; formed to promote, authorise, monitor, and supervise the space activities of Non-Governmental Private Entities (NGPEs) in India. Dhruva Space, Hyderabad, and Digantara research

In the first of three planned launches from the Arnhem Space Centre, the rocket, carrying technology likened to a “mini Hubble” telescope, lifted off – blasted about 350 kilometres (218 miles) into the night sky. “It is a momentous occasion for us as a company in particular, but it’s historic for Australia,” Equatorial Launch Australia

The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft is set to get a major software upgrade that will boost its capabilities. The Mars Express was ESA’s first mission to Mars, launched on June 2, 2003 and it ran Windows 98. It has been

Scientists have managed to find signs of microbial life in one of the harshest spots on Earth, giving further hope that life may also be found in some of the unknown environments of space. In the depths of the Canadian Arctic, scientists managed to identify signs of life in the low-oxygen, super-salty waters of the

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and has a mass that is 2.5x more than all the other planets put together. Most would remember that Jupiter is mostly made out of helium and hydrogen. But unlike most other gas giants, there is a significant presence of metals in the planet’s composition. Scientists

Astronomers had a rare opportunity to observe a galaxy in the early universe that is providing its surroundings with the building blocks required to create later generations of stars and galaxies, thanks to a fortunate cosmic alignment. The experts have found that the distant galaxy has been spewing elements required for the formation of galaxies

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been traversing over a transitional region between a clay-rich region to a sulphate-rich region. In the process, the rover has been capturing images of rocks that had once been at the bottom of multiple stream beds on the red planet. Harkening to a distant past when water was found on

Researchers have found a way to bypass the need for biological photosynthesis altogether and create food independent of sunlight by using artificial photosynthesis. The study was published in the journal, Nature Food. Researchers used a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity, and water into acetate, the form of the main component of vinegar.

Stargazers may want to glue their eyes to the night sky this week as a stellar formation of celestial bodies is set to take place. In a rare occurrence, five planets will appear aligned in order in the predawn sky along with the moon. The planets namely Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will align

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s GSAT-24 satellite, built NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was successfully launched by French company Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana (South America) on Thursday. GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4180kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. It was the first “demand driven” communication satellite mission

In a groundbreaking finding, researchers have developed a technology that can help effectively treat heart diseases in humans. The technology repairs heart muscles in mice after a heart attack and also successfully regenerates them. Researchers, from the University of Houston, have used a synthetic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) to deliver mutated transcription factors to the

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday approved a proposal to change land use of a plot in Narela for setting up a ‘first-of-its-kind’ park in the city for management of electronic waste, officials said.   The decision was taken during a meeting of the Authority, the highest decision-making body of the DDA, chaired by

Astronomers have made an exciting new discovery, identifying a newborn pulsar that may possibly be only 14 years old. Scientists were finally able to observe the pulsar after the dense debris and bright energy emissions from the supernova explosion that created the pulsar finally thinned enough. This celestial formation is known as a pulsar wind

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur, have indigenously developed a metal 3D printer for aerospace, defence and general engineering applications. According to officials, all the components of the metal 3D printer, except the laser and robot systems, are designed and manufactured in India. The project’s main objective is to reduce the cost

Scientists at MIT have shared detailed images of Asteroid Psyche, a large asteroid that is believed to be the ancient core of an early planet. The maps of the asteroid have been shared months ahead of NASA’s scheduled launch of its Psyche probe to study the asteroid belt in August, an area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where remains

Like a thick velvety headband, the somatosensory cortex arcs across the top of brain from just above one ear to the other. I fell in love with the brain as an undergraduate student and pursued a career in neuroscience, but for years I had largely ignored this structure, since it appeared to be involved “only”

A team of physicists from the University of Amsterdam has recently developed an atom laser that can last forever. Inside a commonly used laser such as in measuring devices and CD players, all the light vibrates in sync. When it comes to an atom laser, it works on the concept of the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). The