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There are about 20,000 species of bees in the world, each with unique flight patterns and flower preferences. Many have co-evolved with specific plants so perfectly that their size, shape, and behaviour match the flowers they pollinate. A world without bees Imagine waking up to find every flower shut tight, no honey on your toast,…
Passwords are no longer enough to keep your accounts safe. If someone steals or guesses your password, they can log into your account without your knowledge. To reduce this risk, many services use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). It adds a second requirement when you log in, usually a code that changes every 30 seconds. One of…
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You were probably taught in high school that new neurons, or brain cells, are not born during adulthood. That it stops during your childhood. The actual picture has been more complicated: scientists have been debating among themselves for a long time as to when neurogenesis stops, although most of them believed it was possible in…
Read More “Are new neurons born in the adult human brain? Study revives debate” »
On September 22, India will simplify its GST rates into two main slabs, 5% and 18%, with a special 40% bracket for “sinful” and ultra-luxury goods. Many everyday foods get cheaper. For example, pizza bread will drop from 5% to zero and a long list of sugar-based products, including sugar-boiled confectionery, chocolates, jams, and fruit…
A French doctor accused of intentionally poisoning 30 child and adult patients, 12 of whom died, went on trial on September 8, saying before the hearing he was not responsible for the “distress” of his alleged victims and their families. Frederic Pechier, 53, worked as an anaesthetist at two clinics in the eastern city of…
Read More “Trial of doctor accused of poisoning 30 patients begins in France” »
If you’re lost somewhere on the earth, you can use GPS or public landmarks to find your way back. Navigation in the vastness of space isn’t so easy, however — especially if you’re on a spacecraft racing billions of kilometres away from the earth. There is no GPS in space and where a landmark is…
Read More “Lost in space? You might need just two stars to find your way” »
What makes lunar eclipses interesting and worth observing? “There’s the whole spectacle itself,” says Obuli Chandran, founder of Mango Education. “The moon that falls in the earth’s shadow acquires a blood red or copper red colour, which is quite a sight to watch, and the causes for the shift in colour have kept scientists guessing.” …
Read More “Witness the lunar eclipse 2025 through telescopes at a guided session in Coimbatore” »
The paradox has become a useful tool across science to explain how merging two bad options can create a better result. | Photo Credit: Lance Grandahl/Unsplash A: Parrondo’s paradox is a strange idea from game theory (and before that from physics). It shows that when two losing strategies are alternated in a particular sequence, the…
If amino acids are imagined as the beads and RNA as the thread, enzymes like the one shown here (leucyl-tRNA synthetase) string them together. | Photo Credit: Public domain Life depends on a partnership between RNA, which stores instructions, and proteins, which do the work of building and running cells. But how this partnership began…
Read More “Uncovered: how RNA, amino acids may have linked on early earth” »
A facility in Jind will soon produce green hydrogen to be used as fuel for a locomotive. | Photo Credit: Miguel Baixauli/Unsplash The Indian Railways recently announced that a hydrogen-powered train, developed at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, has successfully completed all tests. This is a welcome sign of progress for the National Green…