Category: Science

Cartilaginous fish like sharks, among many vertebrate animals, have an orifice called the cloaca from which they excrete urine and faeces. | Photo Credit: Gerald Schömbs/Unsplash The transition from fins to limbs is one of the most important events in vertebrate evolution. It explains how animals that once lived in water eventually walked on land….

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A laboratory technician collects river water samples to test for faecal coliform bacteria from the Ganges river in Varanasi on March 5. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The story so far: Pathogens (usually bacteria and viruses) that cause diseases in humans and animals, can be tracked in samples taken from the environment, for example, by…

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An infographic featuring the outer regions of the heliosphere based on data from the Voyager spacecraft. | Photo Credit: NASA/JPL Space isn’t empty. The sun issues a continuous stream of charged particles called the solar wind, which create a vast region around our solar system called the heliosphere. This region acts like a protective bubble…

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Geoengineering is a hotly contested topic both among scientists and policymakers. While some call it an innovative solution that could buy a warming world some time, others believe it’s a reckless cop out that could further environmental exploitation. A new study, led by University of Exeter geoscience professor Martin Siegert, has now tipped the balance…

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The Greek philosopher Pythagoras explained the universe using the ‘Music of the Spheres’, orbs on which celestial objects moved in consonance with mathematical harmonies to create a cosmic symphony of sorts. Today, astronomers are treated to this ethereal ‘music’ every time they eavesdrop on the universe using radio telescopes to unravel its mysteries. The bass…

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Daily Quiz: On earthquakes This was the most powerful earthquake of the 21st century.. START THE QUIZ 1 / 5 | What is a foreshock? Answer : A smaller quake that precedes a larger mainshock. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO SHOW ANSWER 2 / 5 | What is an aftershock? Answer : A…

Read More “The Hindu daily Quiz: On earthquakes on September 29, 2025” »

Logs tagged for export are lined up along the Suriname River near Asidonhopo, Suriname, July 14, 1995. | Photo Credit: AP Suriname’s government has pledged to permanently protect 90% of its tropical forests, a move conservationists say is among the most ambitious commitments to climate and biodiversity ever made by an Amazonian nation. The announcement…

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Maize (Zea mays) has long stood at the intersection of human culture and the natural world. Originating from teosinte, a wild grass domesticated in Mesoamerica over 9,000 years ago, it was gradually transformed through centuries of selective breeding by Indigenous farmers. From a small-eared plant with a handful of hard kernels, maize thus evolved into…

Read More “Clustering maize plants together can improve their insect resistance” »

The Astrosat spacecraft is seen before launch | Photo Credit: ISRO Multi-messenger astronomy is a relatively new way to study the universe by using more than one kind of “messenger” from space. For a long time, astronomy was almost entirely based on light, i.e. what we see through telescopes, across the spectrum from radio waves…

Read More “What is multi-messenger astronomy? – The Hindu” »