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Ever heard of the movie ‘The Martian’, starring Matt Damon? The astronaut, Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and must use his skills of improvisation to survive. This example provides a sneak peek into terraforming. Space agencies and research groups have been working to turn the same planet into a habitable land where every human…
Magnus effect diagram | Photo Credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Have you ever wondered the secret to Messi’s curved free kick? Or any of our spin bowlers with their masterly bowling? It may look like magic, but it’s actually something physics calls the Magnus effect. From cricket pitches to football stadiums, this phenomenon plays an important role…
PHOTO: Getty Images/iStockphoto The chariot that started it all… Why are all athletes made to run in an anti-clockwise direction when they race? Every natural occurrence in the universe has a reason behind it. To understand that, we need to take a jump into the past in Rome. The truth behind the story that follows…
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PHOTO: adventtr/Getty Images What is it? What exactly is a Milankovitch Cycle? Let’s answer this question with another one. What causes climate change? Many known causes are man-made, like the excess burning of fossil fuels, which has led to the high generation of greenhouse gases, emissions made by vehicles and factories, deforestation, etc. Now, these…
The planet’s skies and seas have seen much more than any of us combined, more than the average weather forecast can predict. These rare, questionable phenomena leave not just us baffled, but also meteorologists questioning what is real and what is magic. Let us explore just what more nature is capable of showing us. …
Read More “Not our everyday forecast: Odd weather you won’t believe is real” »
The planet’s skies and seas have seen much more than any of us combined, more than the average weather forecast can predict. These rare, questionable phenomena leave not just us baffled, but also meteorologists questioning what is real and what is magic. Let us explore just what more nature is capable of showing us. …
Read More “Not your everyday forecast: Odd weather you won’t believe is real” »
John Clarke (UK), Michel H. Devoret (France) and John M. Martinis (US) win Nobel physics prize | Photo Credit: ©Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Nobel Prize in Physics is being awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation…
Shanchol is the only oral cholera vaccine made in India with WHO prequalification, according to the manufacturers | Photo Credit: By Arrangement Made in Hyderabad oral cholera vaccine Shanchol, originally developed by Shantha Biotechnics and whose production resumed recently under a new management, has received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification. For global procurement agencies…
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An antibiotic discovered on Easter Island in 1964 sparked a billion-dollar pharmaceutical success story. Yet the history told about this “miracle drug” has completely left out the people and politics that made its discovery possible. Named after the island’s Indigenous name, Rapa Nui, the drug rapamycin was initially developed as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ…
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A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found that viridans streptococci, a group of common oral bacteria, can form sticky bacterial layers called biofilms deep inside atherosclerotic plaques, remaining hidden from the immune system until the moment of rupture. The findings suggest that oral bacteria could persist in coronary…
Read More “Could hidden dental bacteria help explain sudden and deadly heart attacks?” »