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Parliament on Wednesday took up a discussion on Wayanad landslide under a ‘calling attention’ motion. In his response, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made several claims on early warning systems in India and how they were utilised to alert the Kerala government ahead of the tragedy. The Hindu takes a closer look at these claims….
There has been plenty of rain, sweat and tears shed at the Paris Olympics this week. But the pool at the heart of La Defénce Arena has suffered a drought of world records that has athletes and officials scratching their heads. After five days, Paris 2024 has seen only a single world record fall in…
Read More “Is the shallow pool in Paris really slowing Olympic swimmers down?” »
Southern yellow-billed hornbills struggle to breed at high temperatures. | Photo Credit: Nicholas B. Pattinson, Special arrangement Rapid climate change has the potential to strongly influence the physiology, behaviour and breeding success of animals. Research is showing that increasing temperatures, for instance, are having negative effects on animals. These range from mass die-off events during…
Read More “Hotter Kalahari desert may stop hornbills breeding by 2027” »
Viruses are ubiquitous entities that have long plagued humans, often presenting in pesky, self-limiting infections, like a bout of the common cold. While most viral encounters are transient and merely inconvenient, some can have devastating or chronic consequences, leading to severe disease or even death. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases around…
Read More “Zombies in our genes helped us evolve, and could help battle cancers” »
Director, School Education, EV Narsimha Reddy with the four students nominated for the ‘Sakura Science Program’ to be held in Japan. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement Four students from State-run gurukula colleges will participate in the ‘Sakura Science Program’ or ‘Japan Science High School Programme’ to be held in November. Implemented by the Japan Science…
Read More “Four gurukula students from Telangana nominated for Sakura Science Programme in Japan” »
Increasing tree cover is often seen as a positive outcome of biodiversity conservation, and a much-needed effort to combat climate change. What happens, then, if tree cover increases in areas that historically hosted a different habitat? In a study published on June 5 in the journal Global Change Biology, scientists of the Universities of Witwatersrand,…
Read More “India’s open ecosystems face an unusual threat: trees” »
chemicals that usually cost ₹1,00,000 would now be bought for ₹2,50,000. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images Three digits have thrown scientists across the country into a tizzy. Budget documents, made public earlier this week, show that the Basic Customs Duty on laboratory chemicals, a critical component of research, has been hiked to 150% from…
Read More “150% customs duty on lab chemicals alarms scientists” »
Using innovative strategies that astronomers use to identify the shape of distant, dim galaxies, Adejumoke Owolabi, a master’s student at the University of Hull, and her mentor Kevin Pimbblet, a professor of astrophysics and director of the Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling at the University of Hull, have described a…
Read More “Need to tell AI-made deepfakes from real pics? Call astronomers” »
A man pours water atop his head outside the Emergency Aid Coalition during a heat wave in Houston, Texas, U.S., August 25, 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters The world just experienced the hottest day on record and prolonged heat waves have become more common due to climate change, conditions that can alter medications and their…
Read More “How does extreme heat affect medicines and those taking them?” »
Dr. Gita Chadha from her recent talk at BIC | Photo Credit: Ravi Kumar Boyapati Dr. Gita Chadha says that the portmanteau word STEMinism makes her uneasy. “The term very nobly is used to describe the move to bring more women into science, technology, engineering and maths with the belief that this is essentially empowering…
