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Space is the vast area beyond the earth’s atmosphere, filled with stars, planets, and galaxies. In this airless environment, one of the most critical differences from life here is the absence of atmospheric pressure. Why is pressure important? The atmosphere is a thick layer of gases held around the earth by its gravity. It protects…
Read More “Why do astronauts wear pressurised suits? | Explained” »
UNESCO issued the first global normative framework on the ethics of neurotechnology on November 5; it is set to enter into force on November 12. This recommended standard is designed to maintain a balance between innovation and human rights to protect the human brain and brain-related data from misuse. Such misuse includes exploiting brain signals…
Read More “What are the new UNESCO recommendations for neurotechnology use?” »
For the Gaganyaan Crew Module, the parachute system comprises a total of 10 parachutes of four types. Photo: X/@isro The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently conducted an important test on main parachutes for the Gaganyaan Crew Module. The test was conducted at the Babina Field Firing Range (BFFR) in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi on November…
Read More “ISRO completes key test on main parachutes for Gaganyaan Crew Module” »
Recycling happens only when there is a steady demand for the recycled pellets. | Photo Credit: StickerIt/Unsplash A: ‘Plastics’ is an umbrella term for various materials with some similar properties. Each type of plastic has a different polymer structure and set of additives. These differences decide how a piece of plastic behaves when it is…
Read More “Why can we recycle only some kinds of plastics?” »
In every living being through history, stress from a perceived threat has automatically and immediately triggered an avalanche of reactions. ‘Fight or flight’ is an example of the choices these life-forms have confronted. Every bodily function that isn’t essential for survival is moved to the sidelines as the being prepares to respond. All available resources…
Read More “Stress primes neural hub to trigger freezing to new, unrelated fear cues” »
Over the past year, a considerable amount of recognition for machine learning (ML) has gone to researchers working in or alongside large technology firms, even as recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been financed and built on corporate infrastructure. In 2024, the Nobel Foundation awarded the physics prize to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton…
Read More “What happens when public knowledge is created on private infrastructure?” »
Over the past year, a considerable amount of recognition for machine learning (ML) has gone to researchers working in or alongside large technology firms, even as recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been financed and built on corporate infrastructure. In 2024, the Nobel Foundation awarded the physics prize to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton…
Read More “What happens when public knowledge is created on private infrastructure?” »
For well over a century, our understanding of the magnetic world had been neatly compartmentalised into two categories: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Ferromagnetism, which is the familiar force that pins a souvenir magnet to a refrigerator door, arises because many small, atom-scale magnetic moments are aligned in parallel, creating a strong, external magnetic field. Antiferromagnetism, its…
Read More “Update textbooks? Altermagnetism emerges as a new class of magnetic order” »
File image for respresentational purpose only. | Photo Credit: K.K. Mustafah Development goals don’t always have to undermine environmental concerns. As the fourth largest economy in the world, and one of the top polluters, India cannot shy away from climate action citing historical reasons and pointing fingers at the industrialised West. Indeed, India seems determined…
V. Rajaraman | Photo Credit: V. Rajaraman Among the few sectors of science and technology in which India has done remarkably well is software programming and services. Computer programming that started in a small way in academic institutions in the 1960s developed into a formidable industry within a few decades. This became possible due to…
Read More “Remembering V. Rajaraman, a tireless evangelist of computer education” »