Stretching across much of peninsular India, the Deccan Plateau hides a silent, subterranean struggle. Beneath its sunbaked soil lie ancient, fractured layers of basalt and granite — hard rock aquifers that dominate the region’s groundwater story. In Karnataka, this rocky reality is nearly absolute: about 99% of the State relies on these stubbornly unyielding formations … Read more
Analyses of whole-genome sequence data of urban Sinhalese and two indigenous Adivasi clans in Sri Lanka, which live in geographically separated regions in the country, shed light on the migratory history of these populations and their genetic relationship to each other and to many Indian populations. The study published recently in the journal Current Biology … Read more
Axiom-4 pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu enjoy views of Earth from the International Space Station’s cupola. Photo: axiomspace.com Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is expected to talk to the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru via ham radio on July 4. “Contact upcoming with … Read more
Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto After defence forces realised the need for more precision surveillance during Operation Sindoor, the Union government has ordered the fast-tracking of the launch of 52 dedicated surveillance satellites, enhancing round-the-clock monitoring of coastline and land borders. In October last year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee approved … Read more
Representative image | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto After defence forces realised the need for more precision surveillance during Operation Sindoor, the Union government has ordered the fast-tracking of the launch of 52 dedicated surveillance satellites, enhancing round-the-clock monitoring of coastline and land borders. In October last year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee approved … Read more
An outcrop of metagabbroic rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, that are 4.16 billion years old, in this photograph released on June 26, 2025. A knife is pictured for scale. | Photo Credit: Reuters Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on the earth from a rock formation in … Read more
The rain begins, and for many cities, so does the chaos. Choked roads, submerged streets, endless traffic — a familiar monsoon story. If you’re indoors, you may enjoy the patter on your window. But step outside, and it’s a different world: stalled vehicles, knee-deep water, and helplessness. Year after year, the same scenes play out. … Read more
Are all space travellers astronauts? Astronaut, cosmonaut, or vyomanaut? Here’s why space travelers have different names around the world. | Video Credit: The Hindu On June 26, 2025, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian ever to enter space, joining the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. However, … Read more
Women in STEM is a popular term you would have heard, and it is well-celebrated in the modern age. However, what about the women who laid the stepping stones for the term? Women who not only broke gender barriers but also played an important role in laying the foundation in several modern fields. One such … Read more
In wine-making circles, ‘noble rot’ is an exalted name for the botrytis fungus (Botrytis cinerea). It infects grapes, penetrates the skin, causes the berries to lose water by evaporation and shrivel up, and thus concentrates the sugars and flavours in them. Since only a small percentage of grapes in a vineyard are infected, they must … Read more