ISRO assesses Dharali damage post flash flood

ISRO/NRSC used Cartosat-2S data to assess the devastating Aug 5 flash flood in Dharali & Harsil, Uttarakhand. Source: X/isro The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) National Remote Sensing Centre has done a “rapid assessment” of the damage caused by the flash floods in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand using very high-resolution images from the Cartosat-2S satellite. … Read more

Science Quiz: On the immune system

How does your body protect itself? How does the immune system fight threats? And how much do you know about this process? Take this quiz and find out. Science Quiz: On the immune system 1 / 6 | A number of organs and cells make up your body’s immune system. What are the small, bean-shaped … Read more

India lost 18 times more forest than it gained between 2015–2019, study finds  

India suffered a substantial net loss in forest cover between 2015 and 2019, revealed a new study conducted by researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and SASTRA Deemed University.   The study said that for every 1 square kilometre of forest gained during the four-year period, the country lost nearly 18 square kilometres—an alarming … Read more

Major climate change-GDP study under review after facing challenge

A blockbuster study published in top science journal Nature last year warned that unchecked climate change could slash global GDP by a staggering 62 percent by century’s end, setting off alarm bells among financial institutions worldwide. But a re-analysis by Stanford University researchers in California, released Wednesday (August 6, 2025), challenges that conclusion — finding … Read more

Germany moves to fast-track geothermal energy projects

A general view of a cogeneration plant in Schwerin, Germany. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Germany’s Cabinet approved a draft law on Wednesday (August 6, 2025) aimed at fast-tracking the rollout of geothermal energy projects, as part of its goal to eliminate fossil fuel-based heating by 2045. Interest in geothermal energy has surged since Russia’s … Read more

Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health

U.S. President Donald Trump. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers. U.S. President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no money … Read more

Leaders hail work of visionary scientist M.S. Swaminathan

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and others during book launch of “The Man Who Fed India” by Priyambada Jayakumar, a book that offers a detailed work of M.S. Swaminathan, on the occasion of his birth centenary, at India International Centre in New … Read more

Fishing gear a major source of ‘microplastic’ contamination along Indian coasts

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), through the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), conducted field surveys along India’s coastline between 2022 and 2025 to assess microplastic and marine debris levels. Image for representation. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The major sources of ‘microplastic’ pollution along India’s coasts are “riverine inputs” and abandoned, lost, and … Read more