Science

Antarctica, now a vast frozen continent, was not always covered in ice. Around 34 million years ago, during the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, the continent was ice-free. According to Eric Wolff, a paleoclimatologist from the University of Cambridge, Antarctica resembled northern Canada with tundra and coniferous forests before it froze. The shift to ice began due to

A significant discovery of ancient silver coins has been made on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, located between Sicily and Tunisia. Archaeologists from the University of Tübingen, Germany, unearthed 27 Roman silver coins, known as “denarii,” dating back more than 2,000 years. The coins were found hidden in a hole in the wall during excavations

The White Shark Café, located in the Pacific Ocean between Baja California and Hawaii, is a mysterious region where great white sharks gather every winter and spring. This area, once thought to be an ocean desert, has puzzled scientists for years. Great white sharks, typically found off the coast of California, make a long journey

Patients suffering from chronic pain have limited treatment options, often relying on medications like opioids that come with harmful side effects and high addiction risks. A new study in mice, published in Current Biology journal, suggests a new way to use the placebo effect for treating chronic pain. By activating specific neurons in the brain

In 2006, a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome began decimating bat populations across New England. Over the following decade, the loss of these bats, essential for controlling insect populations, led to significant consequences for agriculture and human health, according to a new study. With fewer bats around to consume insects, farmers resorted to increased use

NASA is offering digital content creators the chance to witness the launch of the Europa Clipper spacecraft, a mission aimed at exploring Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. This mission will help scientists determine if the moon has the potential to support life, with research suggesting an ocean beneath its frozen crust. The spacecraft, equipped with nine

On September 4, a small asteroid named 2024 RW1 burned up in the atmosphere above Luzon Island, Philippines. As per the Catalina Sky Survey, the asteroid, roughly 1 metre in diameter, posed no threat as it entered the atmosphere at a speed of 17.6 kilometres per second. NASA confirmed that these events happen every two

In Siberia, a massive crater emerged explosively in the tundra, sending ice and rock hundreds of feet away and creating a large circular scar. This event marked the 17th crater discovered in the Yamal and Gyda peninsulas since 2013, attracting significant scientific interest. The craters are believed to be linked to climate change, with modern

August saw the highest number of sunspots in nearly 23 years, according to recent data. With an average of 215.5 daily sunspots, this marks a significant increase from the forecasted number, which was less than half of the actual count. The latest figures suggest that the sun’s solar maximum, a phase of heightened activity in

Saturn’s rings, one of the most unique features of our solar system, are set to become nearly invisible in March 2025. This rare phenomenon will occur due to Saturn’s unique axial tilt, which will align the rings edge-on with Earth’s line of sight. The result is a brief period where these majestic rings will be

Indian researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) in Mohali, led by Dr. Bhanu Prakash, have developed a new technique to address chromium contamination in wastewater. This technique employs sunlight as a catalyst in combination with microfluidic technology to convert toxic hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] into the less harmful trivalent chromium [Cr(III)]. This

A recent advancement in quantum communication technology has seen scientists develop an exceptionally bright light source capable of generating quantum-entangled photons. This innovation holds significant promise for the future of secure and high-speed quantum communications. Published on 24 July in the journal eLight, the study reveals how combining existing technologies has led to the creation

Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have challenged earlier assumptions about the size of galaxies in the early universe. Previously, scientists were puzzled by the apparent size of these ancient galaxies, which seemed to defy the standard model of cosmology. The JWST, with its advanced infrared capabilities, has now shed light on

Tensions between Brazil and Elon Musk’s business empire ratcheted up further as the country’s telecoms regulator threatened to sanction his satellite broadband company Starlink hours after its top court stood behind a controversial decision to ban social network X from the country. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also backed the top court’s Judge

Glaciers have long served as nature’s deep freezers, preserving the physical characteristics of past climates and the genetic blueprints of ancient life forms, including viruses. As the planet’s climate continues to shift, scientists are increasingly looking to these frozen archives to understand how pathogens have historically responded to environmental changes. By studying viral genomes extracted

NASA has announced that Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which is currently docked at the International Space Station (ISS), will return to Earth without astronauts on board. The undocking is scheduled for September 6, 2024, at 6:04 p.m. EDT, with the capsule expected to land in White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, six hours later. This mission

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,500-year-old astronomy observatory in Buto, Egypt, believed to be the largest of its kind from the sixth century BCE. The discovery was made during an excavation of a temple complex dedicated to Wadjet, the protector goddess of Lower Egypt. The observatory, which spans a quarter of an acre (850 square metres),

On September 8, the European Space Agency (ESA) will witness a rare event as the first of four Cluster satellites, named “Salsa”, re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. This satellite, launched as part of ESA’s Cluster mission, will burn up in an uncontrolled yet targeted reentry over a remote part of the South Pacific Ocean. The event presents

The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during a recent Starlink mission remains open, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday. SpaceX made the return to flight request for the workhorse vehicle on Thursday and the FAA gave approval on Friday. The agency said

Extreme heat waves are not only a growing threat to humans but also to vital pollinators like bumble bees. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that heat waves can significantly impair bumble bees’ ability to detect the scents of flowers they depend on for food. This discovery raises

For the first time, scientists have successfully detected and measured an invisible electric field enveloping Earth. This field, known as the ambipolar field, was first theorised over 60 years ago and its discovery marks a significant advancement in our understanding of Earth’s atmospheric dynamics. Glyn Collinson, an astronomer at NASA‘s Goddard Space Flight Center, and

NASA has announced that astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be launching on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Tuesday, September 24, 2024. This update comes after changes to the mission’s crew composition. Originally, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were also part of

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves beyond the realm of digital assistants and deepfake technology. Astronomers are now harnessing AI to achieve unprecedented precision in understanding the universe’s fundamental parameters. Researchers at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in New York City have leveraged AI to calculate the five cosmological parameters that characterise

In recent years, advancements in genetic science have brought us startlingly close to the possibility of reviving extinct species such as the woolly mammoth. While this notion sparks the imagination, it also raises significant ethical, ecological, and technological concerns. In 2003, scientists achieved a fleeting success in “de-extinction” by cloning a Pyrenean ibex, a species

NASA will soon provide advanced training to Indian astronauts to send a joint mission to the International Space Station this year or shortly thereafter, US envoy to India Eric Garcetti has said. Garcetti made these remarks while speaking at the “US-India Commercial Space Conference: Unlocking Opportunities for US & Indian Space Startups,” hosted by the

Profluent, a California-based artificial intelligence (AI)-first protein design company, announced its AI model that can generate CRISPR-like proteins that do not occur in nature on Tuesday. CRISPR or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats is a complex containing important proteins that scientists can use for precise gene editing in organisms. The company claims the usage

Boston Dynamics unveiled the next generation of its humanoid Atlas robot on Wednesday. The announcement came just a day after the company retired the hydraulic Atlas robot. The new Atlas is fully electric and comes with several upgrades over the predecessor, including a superhuman range of motion. In a video, the slender and more athletic

The first solar eclipse of 2024 is all set to darken the skies on April 8. This particular event will be a total solar eclipse, a rare occurrence on Earth. After this event, the next total solar eclipse in the same region will not be seen for two more decades. A total solar eclipse of

Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup Neuralink livestreamed on Wednesday its first patient implanted with a chip using his mind to play online chess. Noland Arbaugh, the 29-year-old patient who was paralyzed below the shoulder after a diving accident, played chess on his laptop and moved the cursor using the Neuralink device. The implant seeks to enable

India will allow 100% foreign direct investment in the manufacture of satellite systems without official approval and eased the rules for launch vehicles, a government statement said, aiming for a greater share of the global space market. India’s space ambitions got a boost when it became the first country to land a spacecraft near the

Elon Musk‘s brain-chip implant company, Neuralink, changed its location of incorporation from Delaware to Nevada, according to the business portals of both states. The development comes about a week after Musk said Tesla would hold a shareholder vote to transfer its state of incorporation to Texas from Delaware after a judge invalidated his $56 billion

Neuralink, the California-based neurotechnology company, has implanted a wireless brain chip in a human for the first time, revealed co-founder Elon Musk. The big development was revealed by Musk on January 29 via a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter). Neuralink has been working on creating implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Last year

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, has reached its destination within the anticipated four-month timeframe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. Launched on September 2 last year, the spacecraft positioned itself at Lagrange Point 1, from where it will undertake a comprehensive study of the Sun, focusing on the solar corona