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Fossil records show that dinosaurs evolved during the middle part of the Triassic period. | Photo Credit: File photo An international collaboration has been able to identify undigested food remains, plants and prey in the fossilised faeces of dinosaurs, which helped reconstruct the rise of the dinosaurs to become the dominant players in Earth’s ancient…
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Illustration of a squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) dispersing its seeds. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) is named for the ballistic method the species uses to disperse its seeds. When ripe, the ovoid-shaped fruits detach from the stem and eject the seeds explosively in a high-pressure jet of mucilage. This projectile…
A loud firecracker, measured from 10 feet away, has an intensity of 140 dB. | Photo Credit: FIle photo The festival of Deepavali is behind us now. All our festivals bring us joy, and the festival of light is also accompanied by a great deal of sound. There are pleas for the use of green…
H5N1 has been a significant concern in global public health due to its potential to cause severe disease in humans and its ability to infect a wide range of hosts, including poultry. | Photo Credit: REUTERS Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a viral infection primarily affecting birds. A global outbreak of H5N1, a…
Read More “Emerging H5N1 mutations raise risk of human infections” »
There’s something about balloons that fascinates almost all of humankind. It is probably a fascination that we are born with, as children seem most drawn to it, even though that charm never fades off completely for many people. There was even a period of public interest in hot air balloons called balloonomania that spanned for…
High tidal waves lash the shore at R.K. Beach under the influence of Cyclone Fengal in Visakhapatnam on November 30, 2024. | Photo Credit: Deepak K.R./The Hindu Cyclone Fengal (pronounced ‘Fein-jaal’) is a tropical cyclone. Cyclones are large storms that form when water evaporates from the surface of a sea into the air. As it…
Backup-Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair seen during ISS Emergency Scenario Training. The Gaganyatris assigned for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) have completed initial orientations for mission-related ground facility tours, initial overview of mission launch phases, SpaceX suit fit checks, and selected space food options. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday…
The rough sea at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu on November 28 as the India Meteorological Department issues a warning ahead of Cyclone Fengal. | Photo Credit: ANI The Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday, November 28, said its EOS-06(Oceansat-3) and INSAT-3DR satellites are closely tracking Cyclone Fengal that has been approaching Tamil Nadu since November…
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The ocean, the earth’s vast blue lung, has long played a critical but underappreciated role in moderating the planet’s climate. It has absorbed 25% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and more than 90% of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gases, buying humankind precious time against the worsening effects of climate change. However, this seemingly…
Read More “In our fight against climate change, could rivers and seas turn the tide?” »
Scientists are constantly engineering new materials that exhibit exotic properties. Moiré materials are a deceptively simple. Take a material made of a single type of atom, like a block of graphite. Slice off a thin layer from the top so that you have a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms bonded together (graphene). Place one sheet…
Read More “New moiré superconductor opens the door to new quantum materials” »