Category: Science

Science

CE20 cryogenic engine clears human rating test, ready for Gaganyaan missions

February 21, 2024 admin

A file photo of ISRO conducting the hot test of CE20 cryogenic engine for the LVM3, at its test facility in Mahendragiri, Odisha. | Photo Credit: File photo Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has accomplished a major milestone in the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine, that powers the cryogenic stage of the human-rated…

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AstroSat unravels mysteries surrounding Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI J1820+070

February 21, 2024 admin

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) AstroSat’s full multi-wavelength capabilities have enabled an international team of scientists to unravel the mysteries surrounding the X-ray binary system MAXI J1820+070, hosting a black hole. AstroSat is India’s first multi-wavelength space observatory which was launched in September 2015 and now a comprehensive study presents unique insights into the…

Science

Do sheep swim? If so, how do they learn?

February 20, 2024 admin

Representative photo. | Photo Credit: Judith Prins/Unsplash A: Yes, sheep do swim, said Edward Spevak, assistant curator of mammals at the Bronx Zoo. “It’s basically instinctive, a life-saving device,” he said. “They don’t go swimming every day, but in case of flooding or falling into a river, in essence they know how to swim.” Sheep…

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The brightest object in the universe is a black hole that eats a star a day

February 20, 2024 admin

Scientists have no reported evidence of the true conditions in Hell, perhaps because no one has ever returned to tell the tale. Hell has been imagined as a supremely uncomfortable place, hot and hostile to bodily forms of human life. Thanks to a huge astronomical survey of the entire sky, we have now found what…

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New study finds one of the oldest animal mummies is a forged fossil

February 20, 2024 admin

Fake fossils are among us, passing almost undetected under the eye of experts all over the world. This is a serious problem – counterfeited specimens can mislead palaeontologists into studying an ancient past that never existed. In a new study, my colleagues and I reveal a surprising truth about a fossil celebrated for decades as one…

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Scientists find the world’s biggest snake yet, a new species of green anaconda

February 20, 2024 admin

The green anaconda has long been considered one of the Amazon’s most formidable and mysterious animals. Our new research upends scientific understanding of this magnificent creature, revealing it is actually two genetically different species. The surprising finding opens a new chapter in conservation of this top jungle predator. Green anacondas are the world’s heaviest snakes, and among the longest….

Science

Ultradian rhythms: The cycles of life

February 20, 2024 admin

Ultradian rhythms influence patterns of hormone release, such as the pulsatile secretion of growth hormone, cortisol, and insulin. | Photo Credit: The Hindu We are told life is a cycle. These words could not be truer than when they are applied to the biological processes that support and help life survive on the earth. One…

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How a Chinese rocket failure boosted Elon Musk’s SpaceX in Indonesia

February 20, 2024 admin

When a Chinese rocket malfunctioned shortly after launch in April 2020, destroying Indonesia’s $220 million Nusantara-2 satellite, it was a blow to the archipelago’s efforts to strengthen its communication networks. But it presented an opportunity for one man. Elon Musk – the owner of SpaceX, the world’s most successful rocket launcher – seized on the…

Science

Protein structures should be collected as they are precious: Breakthrough Prize laureate

February 19, 2024 admin

We are learning about protein sequences three thousand times faster than we are learning about protein structures. We have this enormous gap in which certain things are very easy to measure like genetics and certain things are very hard to measure three-dimensional (3D) structures and we would love to close this gap, said John Jumper,…

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Hundred years ago, Satyendra Nath Bose changed physics forever

February 19, 2024 admin

Satyendra Nath Bose appeared on the physics scene like a comet. The year was 1924. Physics was in the middle of the biggest upheaval in its history. The old foundations had crumbled in the face of new data. The picture of a new ‘quantum theory’ was emerging. But it was a fractured, disjointed picture with…

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