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Rubber plantations in Kerala have been under threat since a beetle-fungus alliance has been attacking trees, causing severe leaf fall and rapid drying. Researchers at the Kerala Forest Research Institute in Thrissur recently identified the parasite to be the ambrosia beetle (Euplatypus parallelus). In their new study, published in Current Science, the beetle has been … Read more
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Axiom-4 crew assisted out of the Dragon Spacecraft onto the recovery vehicle, after their return to earth from the International Space Station 18 days later, on Tuesday. Photo: Axiom Space/ YouTube Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is undergoing a week-long rehabilitation programme to mitigate any adverse effect of … Read more
After a few months of a hectic summer, the rains are here. The IIT Kanpur campus is green and nature’s colours abound once more. With monsoon, however, comes alive the age-old tradition as well: Sunday evenings of guilt-free laziness, together with the music of the rain’s patter, a Bollywood classic on the TV, and some … Read more
Earthquakes are usually natural — but not always. Sometimes some natural factors can combine with human activities to lead to earthquakes as well. Quakes induced by human activities are called human-induced earthquakes. According to one estimate researchers discussed in Seismological Research Letters in 2017, more than 700 human-induced earthquakes have been recorded around the world … Read more
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), the first joint satellite of the Indian and U.S. space agencies, will be launched by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) on July 30 at 5.40 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. | Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR The … Read more
Daily Quiz | On the first moon landing ‘Armalcolite’, a portmanteau word made from the names of Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, is a moon rock brought back by the Apollo XI crew. Photo: Wikimedia Commons START THE QUIZ 1 / 7 | Easy one to begin with. What was the mission called, and what … Read more
After two weeks of negotiations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is still far from finalising rules for extracting coveted metals on the high seas despite heightened pressure triggered by US efforts to fast-track the controversial practice. Following a meeting in March and the current session in Jamaica, the 36 members of the ISA’s executive council … Read more
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan taking part in the convocation of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing in Kurnool on Sunday. | Photo Credit: U SUBRAMANYAM Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan has announced that India will establish its own space station by 2035 and will send an astronaut to the moon … Read more
After a long day at work, it’s easier to flop on the couch than hit the gym. Scrolling over social media wins over reading a book. Our exhausted brains favour easier tasks, even if — according to a new study in the Journal of Neuroscience — those tasks offer fewer benefits. Even sedentary work can … Read more
In a significant breakthrough in the study of limbless locomotion, an international team of scientists has documented and modelled a previously unrecorded escape movement used by newborn yellow anacondas. Dubbed the ‘S-start’, the motion represents a novel, non-planar locomotion that the snakes employ briefly to flee from perceived threats. The discovery opens new avenues in … Read more