Category: Science

Science

ISRO successfully carries out tests of Gaganyaan crew module systems

July 12, 2026 admin

The crew module uprighting system. Photo: isro.gov.in The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday (July 12, 2026) said it had successfully carried out three major tests of the Gaganyaan crew module systems. The first test pertained to ensuring an upright position for the crew module after splashdown in the sea, considered one of the…

Science

ISRO successfully carries out tests of Gaganyaan crew module systems

July 12, 2026 admin

The crew module uprighting system. | Photo Credit: ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday (July 12, 2026) said it had successfully carried out three major tests of the Gaganyaan crew module systems. The first test pertained to ensuring an upright position for the crew module after splashdown in the sea, considered one…

Science

Science Snapshots: July 12, 2026

July 12, 2026 admin

A view of the Stanley reservoir at Mettur dam. Scientists are still discovering the effects of dams on river health. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Dams make rivers warmer downstream: satellite data Satellite data from 2013 to 2024 revealed that 71% of 287 large dams across the U.S. significantly altered water temperature downstream. In most…

Science

U.S. regulator green-lights mission to launch giant mirror to orbit

July 12, 2026 admin

Eärendil-1 won’t be the first mirror in orbit. Shown here is Znamya-2, which Russia deployed as part of a series of orbital space mirror experiments in the 1990s. | Photo Credit: RSC Energia On July 9, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorised a company named Reflect Orbital to launch and operate a test satellite…

Science

Fading research hubs are stalling Kerala’s leap into the bio-economy

July 12, 2026 admin

Kerala has long taken pride in its literacy, scientific temper, and environmental consciousness. Home to the biodiverse Western Ghats and centuries of traditional knowledge, it should have emerged as India’s leading hub for biological research and the bioeconomy. But instead, many of its premier biological research institutions are today on the decline. The reasons are…

Science

What is there in deep space ?

July 11, 2026 admin

Akilesh Chandrasekaran, who has been selected for the prestigious Cubes in Space™ 2026 programme, with the various accolades he has won. | Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY What is there in deep space? Wondered Akilesh Chandrasekaran when he was in his fifth standard? Now, a Class XII student, Akilesh Chandrasekaran of Sivakasi Nadar Matriculation Higher Secondary…

Science

China’s temporary export ban on helium| Explained

July 10, 2026 admin

The story so far: On July 10, the Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs, China, has temporarily but immediately banned helium exports from the country. As of 4.30 pm IST on July 10, Beijing had not published any other information as to why it took this step now or its scope. Is China a…

Science

Science should reach society with integrity and transparency: Soumya Swaminathan

July 10, 2026 admin

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said that while India celebrates scientific excellence, it alone is not enough and that our science must also become increasingly relevant. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu The challenge before scientists and researchers is to ensure that science reaches society with “integrity, transparency and compassion”, said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the…

Science

What a dolphin’s death in Kerala reveals about India’s marine plastic pollution

July 10, 2026 admin

Around noon on July 4, 2026, local residents found an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) and an Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) dead at separate locations on the Kozhikode beach in Kerala. Alerted by the public, officials recovered the carcasses for a post-mortem examination. The necropsy of the roughly 200-kg dolphin, an endangered species…

Science