Rising seas are a major consequence of global warming, with many implications for low-lying coastal areas. Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to their environment, are also particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in sea level. When the sea level rises, sunlight may no longer penetrate the water to reach a coral reef that it could reach … Read more
A labelled diagram of the human pelvis. | Photo Credit: Public domain Walking on two legs is the single most distinctive trait that separates humans from other primates. Unlike apes, our pelvis is short, broad, and bowl-shaped, and thus stable for walking upright while supporting internal organs and holding space to deliver large-headed infants. For … Read more
The Jinshajiang River ravine in Yunnan province in China, November 2018. | Photo Credit: Rod Waddington (CC BY-SA) A range of natural and human-induced factors have caused declines in the flows of at least 70% of hydrological stations in China, the most comprehensive analysis of this kind attempted in the country has found. Changes in … Read more
Plastic is cheap, versatile, and used almost everywhere, from packaging and textiles to medical supplies. But unlike natural materials, plastic doesn’t simply decay; instead, it breaks down into smaller fragments called microplastics (<5 mm) and nanoplastics (<1 µm). These particles persist for decades or longer, accumulate in water bodies, and attract other pollutants like heavy … Read more
Picture shows Gaumukh, snout of the Gangotri glacier, surrounded by the Bhagirathi peaks of Garhwal Himalayas, at an altitude of over 4255 metres. | Photo Credit: Vidya Venkat The story so far: A recent study has reconstructed the long-term discharge flow of the Gangotri Glacier System (GGS), the source of the upper Ganga basin which … Read more
Life as a Dream Born on March 14, 1854 at Strehlen, Germany (now Strzelin, Poland), Paul Ehrlich was the son of Ismar Ehrlich and his wife Rosa Weigert. Educated at the gymnasium at Breslau, he went on to study at the Universities of Breslau, Strassburg, Freiburg-im-Breisgau and Leipzig. With a dissertation on the theory and … Read more
The Starship megarocket lifts off on its 10th test flight from the SpaceX Starbase in Texas, August 26, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP On a humid Texas evening on August 26, after many weather delays and ground system hiccups, the world’s largest rocket finally rose from its pad as part of Flight 10. The 379-feet-tall … Read more
People walk at Marine Drive as dark clouds hover in the sky, Mumbai, August 20, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI A: A cloud is not a big pool of liquid water but consists of minuscule droplets (~10 microns each) and sometimes ice crystals. These particles are so small and light that they are easily suspended … Read more
Odonatologists have reconfirmed the presence of the elusive dragonfly species, Crocothemis erythraea, in the high-elevation regions of the southern Western Ghats. The species had previously been misidentified or overlooked in this region due to its close resemblance to the more widespread lowland species, Crocothemis servilia. The genus Crocothemis in India includes two known species—C. servilia … Read more
The DBT, which is under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), has been running the Biocare programme since 2011. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Almost five months after being selected for the DBT Biocare programme, an initiative by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to encourage women scientists, none of the 75 chosen candidates has received … Read more