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A photograph of the outcrop of the Bhitardari carbonaceous chert, with a ballpoint pen to compare for size. | Photo Credit: PNAS vol. 123, no. 34 August 25, 2026 Researchers say they have found “compelling evidence” from multiple sources that microbial life existed in what is now eastern India at least 3.5 billion years ago….
Read More “Indian rock yields oldest directly dated traces of microbial life: study” »
Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pointing out a cartoon with then deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi at an exhibition on the occasion of ‘No Liquor Day’, in Patna, November 26, 2012. | Photo Credit: Ranjeet Kumar Recently, a report titled ‘Macro Perspective of Bihar’s Development Achievements, Unfinished Agenda, and the Way Forward’ presented…
Read More “Bihar’s alcohol ban has been a success for social wellness, data show” »
Whenever concerns are raised about the lack of funding for Indian science, a solution often put forward is to tax “unintellectual” industries such as cinema, tourism, apparel, and perfumes. For example, only recently, an academic from one of India’s leading research institutes suggested taxing the Indian Premier League (IPL), which, he argued, would magically generate…
Read More “Taxing ‘frivolous’ industries will not fund India’s science” »
Recently, India-based defence start-up D-Propulse announced that it had successfully demonstrated a rotating detonation engine at a Defence Research & Development Organisation facility in Hyderabad. A rotating detonation engine, or RDE, is an engine design that promises to use fuel more efficiently than conventional rocket engines. Launching satellites to space on rockets and carrying explosives…
Read More “Rotating detonation engines: the science and the promises” »
This undated photograph taken by the Orangutan Information Centre and released on June 10, 2026 shows a Tapanuli orangutan over a tree in the Batang Toru forest in Indonesia’s North Sumatra. | Photo Credit: AFP The black-and-white image appears to show the unlikeliest of interactions: an orangutan cradling endangered leopard cubs deep in the jungles…
Read More “‘People could get hurt’: Conservationists decry AI wildlife visuals” »
When the James Webb Space Telescope looks deep into the Universe, some of the objects it finds appear as small, red dots. Astronomers call them little red dots (LRDs), and they have become one of the telescope’s more intriguing discoveries. Now, an international team of astronomers has found an unusual object that may help explain…
Read More “Unusual black hole found at universe’s dawn presents dusty mystery to astronomers” »
The story so far: There has been a spate of small earthquakes in Maharashtra over the last fortnight, according to local reports. Of the 29 tremors during this period, 24 were in and around Nashik, four were in Palghar and one was in Nagpur. They weren’t particularly strong — the strongest was in Nagpur on…
Read More “Why is Maharashtra experiencing an earthquake swarm? | Explained” »
Friedreich’s ataxia, or FRDA, is a genetic disorder that progressively damages the nerves and the heart. The affected individuals typically begin to show symptoms between the ages of 5 and 15. They become unsteady and their coordination is impaired. Their speech slows down and slurs. Swallowing becomes difficult. Hearing and vision deteriorates. They feel fatigued, lose sensation,…
Read More “Scientists find why a debilitating genetic disorder affects only Eurasians” »
Once a journal publishes a research paper, other researchers can keep citing that work and build on it to produce more research. Sometimes, this continues even after, say, the journal withdraws the original paper because it contains a mistake or, as is increasingly the case, it was produced by fraudulent means. So simply withdrawing a…
Read More “Why retractions alone do not protect India’s scientific record” »
Most animals in general can recognise individual members of their own species, e.g. using differences in markings or calls. | Photo Credit: JavyGo/Unsplash — Mahua Ray Humans are one of the species whose individual differences are unusually obvious to humans. We can be told apart by skin colour, hair colour, facial proportions, body shape, height,…