Category: Science

Science

A beetle named Hitler: The case to change offensive animal, plant names

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A beetle named Hitler: The case to change offensive animal, plant names

Taxonomy is the science of describing, classifying and naming organisms. It organises the vast diversity of life on Earth. Species are grouped based on shared characteristics, providing a system that allows scientists to understand and communicate about the natural world. Naming species is no simple task: a scientist doesn’t just assign a name and call…

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Science for all | Footprints of two ancient hominin species found at the same spot in Kenya

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Science for all | Footprints of two ancient hominin species found at the same spot in Kenya

(This article forms a part of the Science for All newsletter that takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Subscribe now!) More than a million years ago, on the shores of what would become Lake Turkana one day in modern-day Kenya, two distinct hominin species shared a landscape teeming with life….

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Proba-3 mission launch delayed to December 5 due to anomaly: ISRO

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Proba-3 mission launch delayed to December 5 due to anomaly: ISRO

The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission, the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using PSLV-XL configuration, set to carry ESA’s PROBA-3 satellites (~550kg) into a highly elliptical orbit. File. | Photo Credit: PTI Due to an anomaly detected in Proba-3 spacecraft, the PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 launch has been rescheduled to Thursday (December 5, 2024), the Indian Space Research Organisation…

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China scientists rush to climate-proof potatoes

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China scientists rush to climate-proof potatoes

A worker wearing a protective suit harvests potato tubers at a greenhouse under Yakeshi Senfeng Potato Industry Company, where seed potatoes are farmed through the aeroponics method, in Yakeshi, Inner Mongolia, China, June 16, 2024. The company has invested in aeroponic systems where plants are grown in the air under controlled conditions, and farmers are…

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Study flags threat to frogs from agroforestry

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Study flags threat to frogs from agroforestry

The Nilphamari narrow-mouthed frog, a frog found on the lateritic plateaus of the northern Western Ghats. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Agroforestry practices may be harmful to some species of endemic frogs while a few are less affected by modified habitats, a new study by researchers from the Mysuru-based Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF-India) and the…

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ecDNA challenges law of genetics, groundbreaking new studies find

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ecDNA challenges law of genetics, groundbreaking new studies find

Once brushed aside as a curiosity, extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is now taking centrestage in the complex field of cancer biology. Scientists first discovered it as a small fragment of genetic material in cancer cells 50 years ago. Because it was present in only 1.4% of tumours, they didn’t consider it to be important. But more…

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Cyclone Fengal was unusually hard to predict and track | Analysis

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Cyclone Fengal was unusually hard to predict and track | Analysis

As of December 2, Cyclone Fengal was still alive and kicking, and was predicted  to soak parts of north Kerala and south Karnataka (including Bengaluru) in the following days. It appeared to have retained its identity in the forecasts as it crossed peninsular India en route to the Arabian Sea. It may not reorganise into…

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Did Venus ever have oceans? Scientists have an answer

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Did Venus ever have oceans? Scientists have an answer

A computer-generated 3D model of Venus’s surface provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the volcano Sif Mons exhibiting signs of ongoing activity, in this undated handout image. | Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Reuters Earth is an ocean world, with water covering about 71% of its surface. Venus, our closest planetary neighbor, is sometimes called Earth’s twin…

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India’s ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ plan | Explained

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India’s ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ plan | Explained

The story so far: The Union Cabinet approved the Indian government’s ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) scheme on November 25. The ONOS promises to provide equitable access to scholarly journals in all public institutions. What does the ONOS entail? First mooted around 2018-2019, the scheme’s ambitious rollout comes with a substantial financial outlay of ₹6,000…

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When a DNA analysis reveals a closely guarded family secret…

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When a DNA analysis reveals a closely guarded family secret…

The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) is a government laboratory in Hyderabad. It provides DNA-based investigative services to the police, the judiciary, and to hospitals that offer organ transplant procedures. Recently, the CDFD handled the case of a family in which the father offered to donate an organ to his ailing son. CDFD…

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