Category: Science

Did the 2026-27 Union Budget live up to India’s science ambitions and scientists’ expectations? The views vary depending on what specific sectors have received and the initiatives announced, and they’re not all rosy. Here are comments from seven leading scientists from around India, including heads of key departments, institutes, and a leading State university, compiled…

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An Asiatic lioness with her two seven-month-old cubs at Sakkarbaugh Safari breeding centre in Junagadh, May 6, 2025. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/The Hindu — N. Ramalakshmi A: The answer is a combination of how many eggs are released or ovulated and the species’ survival strategy. Many large mammals like elephants, cows, and humans usually…

Read More “Why don’t all animals give birth to the same number of babies at a time?” »

The Union Budget 2026-27 presented science as an instrument of growth, with large numbers on biopharma, semiconductors, carbon capture, and research-linked industrial finance on paper. However, expert reactions to this budget point to a more fragile reality. As the state attempts to move from adopting technologies to creating them, by building mission-linked platforms in biopharma,…

Read More “Budget gives science missions big numbers but core funding gaps persist” »

ISRO Chairperson V. Narayanan addressing the US-India Space Business Forum, in Bengaluru on February 10, 2026. V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India, emphasised that collaboration is crucial for progress while speaking at the inaugural session of the US-India Space Business Forum in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Stressing the importance of collaboration, Mr. Narayanan pointed…

Read More “Space is for everyone, collaboration crucial for progress, says ISRO Chairperson V. Narayanan” »

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, are seen at Launch Pad 39B on January 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. | Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky A week ago, NASA found a hydrogen leak during a wet dress rehearsal of its Artemis II mission. A…

Read More “What is a wet dress rehearsal?” »

The colours of the natural world are not what they once were. More than half of the oceans have become greener over the last 20 years, and forests are turning brown prematurely. Various species of flora and fauna have also been changing their colours to adapt to rising temperatures, loss of habitats, and pollution. This…

Read More “Global warming, pollution are stripping vibrant colours from nature” »

In India, the story of women and girls in science is organised around a mismatch between a widening pipeline and stubborn barriers. Put differently, the country is getting better at bringing girls and young women into STEM education but it has been much less consistent at converting those aspirations into long careers in scientific work….

Read More “Why India needs political change to retain women in STEM” »