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In many animals, sex is decided by obvious physical differences in the chromosomes. But in ants, bees, and wasps, sex is often decided in a more unusual way: by whether an embryo carries two different versions of a specific DNA region or two matching ones. Two studies, one in Science Advances in 2024 and the…
Read More “Unusual ancient gene governs sex of ant, bee, wasp newborns” »
Chicks, like humans, often match “bouba” with round shapes and “kiki” with spiky ones. | Photo Credit: Michael Anfang/Unsplash Scientists find bouba-kiki effect in three-day chicks Humans often match “bouba” with round shapes and “kiki” with spiky ones. Researchers raised baby chicks, then played the sounds while showing them the two shapes. Three-day-old chicks chose…
In a 1953 experiment, two scientists named Stanley Miller and Harold Urey attempted to recreate the conditions of the early earth long before life existed. They showed that organic molecules such as amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, could form spontaneously in the conditions that prevailed on a primitive earth, 3.5-4 billion years ago….
Read More “A small piece of RNA copies itself, hinting at how life first began” »
A group of quantum researchers has issued a manifesto urging colleagues to resist what it calls the “militarisation” of quantum science. The authors, who describe themselves as “Quantum Scientists for Disarmament”, say they oppose military uses of quantum research, reject military funding for academic work, and want universities to disclose which quantum projects take defence…
Read More “In manifesto, scientists oppose ‘militarisation’ of quantum research” »
For decades, fluorescent proteins have been among the most powerful tools in biology. They glow when illuminated, allowing scientists to see where molecules are inside cells and how they move. From tracking cancer cells to mapping neural circuits, these luminous markers transformed the life sciences, work recognised with a Nobel Prize in 2008. Now, two…
Read More “How proteins are being tweaked to be quantum sensors inside the body” »
Wildfire smoke in the northeast Pacific Ocean, September 2020. | Photo Credit: NASA A: Sometimes wildfire smoke in the stratosphere collects into a compact bubble of smoke that spins in a coherent vortex, clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Two new studies, published in Weather and Climate Dynamics and presented…
Read More “Question Corner | Why does wildfire smoke swirl only one way in the air?” »
There aren’t many everyday routines that are both overtly essential, while at the same time almost a form of art. Cooking, however, is one such routine that blends creativity, skill, and science to transform individual ingredients into dishes that are not just essential for our consumption and living, but also double up as unique, flavourful…
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (L) holds a press conference with (L-R) Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman, as NASA’s Artemis II (behind them) is rolled from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on January 17, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. | Photo Credit:…
Read More “NASA chief rules out March launch of Moon mission over technical issues” »
The project is an integrated infrastructure development plan proposed by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO). | Photo Credit: Getty Images/istockphoto The story so far: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently concluded a high-stakes legal battle over the ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island’, and ruled that all environment safeguards are…
Read More “Why has NGT cleared the Nicobar project? | Explained” »
India is among just four countries that contribute almost 70% to the world’s total applied toxicity (TAT) in the form of pesticide, which is directed at agricultural pests, but in affect unleashes huge collateral damage among “non-target” species (that is, species that pesticides claimed as collateral). In 2022, at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, countries…
Read More “India among four nations driving most global pesticide toxicity: study” »