The roots of addiction medicine began in the ancient civilisations of Africa and Europe. Special methods to care for persons addicted to alcohol were developed in ancient Egypt. There are references to individuals considering chronic intoxication as a sickness that enslaved the body and soul dating back to the fifth century BC. Native American healers … Read more
Lucknow Super Giants’ Rishabh Pant plays a shot during the IPL 2025 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants, Lucknow, May 27, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI Quickly shaking the hand may briefly feel better. But depending on how hard the ball has struck the hand, instinctively shaking it may or may … Read more
In this undated photo, hieroglyphs are revealed in the three new graves of senior statesmen found in the Dra’ Abu al-Naga necropolis area in Luxor, Egypt. | Photo Credit: AP Egypt unveiled three new tombs of prominent statesman in the Dra Abu al-Naga necropolis in Luxor, officials said Monday. Egyptian archaeologists have discovered tombs dating … Read more
Representational image. File | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam The story so far: On April 17, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai, approved the Space Industrial Policy, thereby following Karnataka and Gujarat in formulating a State-specific document to stimulate development and woo investments in the space … Read more
The story so far: Last week, the India Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on May 24, a week ahead of its normal onset. Since 1975, the earliest monsoon onset over Kerala occurred on May 19, 1990, 13 days ahead of schedule. Is there a secret sauce to the monsoon’s early … Read more
SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP SpaceX’s prototype Starship exploded over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), capping another bumpy test flight for the rocket central to billionaire Elon Musk’s dream of colonising Mars. The biggest and most powerful launch … Read more
A dugong sand sculpture at Danushkodi beach to mark World Environment Day in June 2022. Waving meadows of emerald grasses part as a portly shape drifts through the shallow waters. Like a blimp led astray, the creature uses its front flippers to paddle gently as it nibbles on the seagrass that makes its home. Silt … Read more
Feng, C., Chen, B., Hofer, J. et al, ‘Genomic and genetic insights into Mendel’s pea genes’, Nature (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08891-6 In 1856, an Austrian monk named Gregor Johann Mendel began experimenting on pea plants to understand how traits are passed on from parent to offspring. He worked diligently for eight years, experimenting on more than 10,000 … Read more
Image used for representation only. | Photo Credit: AP GUWAHATI A new study has shown that stingless bees, which produce a high-value honey with a distinct flavour, can increase the yield and quality of crops. Researchers from Nagaland University’s Department of Entomology identified Tetragonula iridipennis and Lepidotrigona arcifera, two species of stingless bees, as the most efficient among … Read more
In a January advisory, the US Surgeon General urged cancer warnings for alcoholic drinks and called for guidelines on alcohol consumption limits to be reassessed. The General’s warnings are also important in light of the addictive effects of consuming alcohol, and how contemporary society perceives that addiction and how contemporary science treats it. Most of … Read more