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Why do ripening bananas produce such a unique aroma? | Photo Credit: Alistair Smailes/Unsplash Test disfavours acrylonitrile cells in Titan lakes Computer models have suggested that acrylonitrile, an organic compound present on Saturn’s moon Titan, can self-assemble into cell-like structures. When scientists mixed it with liquid methane and ethane in cryogenic conditions like those on…
Great Indian Hornbill | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement An intensive faunal survey in the Vazhachal wildlife division in Thrissur, Kerala, has documented 26 species previously unrecorded from the area, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the key corridor in the Western Ghats. The survey was conducted by the Kerala Forest department in association with the Travancore…
If the idea of lunar hummus seems far-fetched, think again. Scientists working to cultivate the field of extraterrestrial agriculture have grown chickpeas in dirt made mostly of simulated lunar soil, a step toward enabling astronauts on long-term moon missions to produce their own food. Researchers said harvestable chickpeas were grown in soil mixtures composed primarily…
Read More “Science News: With lunar missions looming, scientists grow chickpeas in ‘moon dirt’” »
Researchers have found a way to hijack the natural protein-making facilities of bacteria to manufacture specific proteins of interest. They did this by turning a ‘nutrient gate’ on a bacterial cell into a Trojan horse that could ferry artificial amino acids into cells to make these proteins. The study, conducted by teams at ETH Zurich…
Read More “Scientists rewire bacteria to build ‘designer’ proteins on demand” »
In early 2021, as COVID-19 vaccines were being rolled out across the world, reports began to surface of a rare but alarming complication. Some people who received the shots were developing unusual blood clots. The cases were first identified in Europe and later in the U.S. Notably, they were reported mainly among recipients of the…
Read More “We now know why some people had severe blood clots after COVID-19 vaccines” »
An artist’s impression of an asteroid that orbits closer to the sun than the earth’s orbit, showing its dark side. | Photo Credit: NOIRLab/J. da Silva NASA has officially ruled out the possibility of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with the moon in 2032. This update settles concerns that first surfaced after the asteroid’s discovery in…
Read More “Asteroid YR4 will miss the moon, too, NASA says” »
Last week, nine wild African cheetahs were tranquilised in Botswana’s savannah, quarantined for a few weeks in the country, and then taken on a 10-hour flight over the Indian Ocean by the Indian Air Force to Gwalior. From here, the big cats were flown in helicopters to large quarantine enclosures in Kuno National Park in…
Read More “India’s Project Cheetah must stop importing big cats, say scientists” »
An indigenous pressurised heavy water reactor under construction at Kakrapar, Gujarat, 2016. | Photo Credit: Reetesh Chaurasia (CC BY-SA) Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) researchers have reported that a new kind of nuclear fuel, touted for being able to allow India to take advantage of its vast thorium reserves, will not fit in the country’s…
Read More “HALEU-Thorium fuel unsuitable for Indian nuclear reactors: study” »
A file photo of visitors at an exhibition at Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru. All these projects will be overseen by the Bengaluru-based IIA. | Photo Credit: File photo The construction and upgrade of the four major astronomical facilities, which was announced in the Union Budget, is expected to cost about ₹3,500 crore,…
A long-standing intervention by the Assam government to reduce crop depredation by elephants in its forest regions, piloted and designed by environmental non-government organisation World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is actually associated with more accidental elephant deaths, a study in Conservation Biology has reported. Launched in 2003 in Sonitpur district, the anti-depredation squads (ADS) of Assam…
Read More “Groups to prevent human-elephant conflict linked to more elephant deaths” »