Representative image. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K./The Hindu Conflicts lurk inside every flower with multiple seeds. The embryos jostle for food, the maternal and paternal genomes bargain over control, and pollen grains compete to be fertilised. Scientists have therefore wondered whether natural selection encourages one-parent broods that keep such quarrels to a minimum and, … Read more
Teak defoliator larva (Hyblaea puera) killed using HpNPV | Photo Credit: special arrangement A revolutionary technology developed by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) can transform the way teak plantations are protected from their most notorious pest – the teak defoliator moth (Hyblaea puera). The institute has successfully identified, mass-produced and patented a naturally occurring … Read more
Some events are etched so deeply in history that each time we recall them, we pause with a sigh. It’s as though we’re watching a silent film, one that aches, teaches, and lingers. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one such moment. As time passes, the memory of what happened on those two days … Read more
A meticulous new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 4 has warned that systematic scientific fraud is no longer a fringe concern but a pervasive, organised, and rapidly growing threat that jeopardises the foundations of research worldwide. The study has revealed a fine-grained break-up of the actors, methods, … Read more
In September 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that American and British intelligence agencies had successfully cracked much of the online encryption internet users used to keep their personal data private. Snowden’s solution appeared ironic to many: to adopt end-to-end encryption en masse, rendering mass surveillance prohibitively expensive and cumbersome. In end-to-end encryption, an algorithm converts … Read more
A parachute lets you float in the sky, gazing at the vast lands below, before gently landing back on your feet. For adventure lovers, it’s an adrenaline rush and a moment to cherish forever. The purpose: Slow and steady A parachute’s main purpose is simple but life-saving: it slows you down in mid-air. When someone … Read more
A SpaceX Falcon Nine rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A carrying NASA’s Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., August 1, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters Seeds of seabuckthorn and buckwheat grown in the cold desert of Ladakh are part of the experiments on board the International Space Station … Read more
Researchers have found a ‘cold rain zone’ in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans where rain was associated with more heat loss. | Photo Credit: Hassan Rafhan/Unsplash When it rains over the ocean, does it make the surface water more buoyant? Scientists have long assumed so because rainwater is fresh and freshwater is lighter than … Read more
In the first half of 2025, India added around 3.5 GW to the wind sector – an 82% year-on-year growth – taking the total installed capacity to 51.3 GW. Even so, India’s wind power remains largely untapped. According to the National Institute of Wind Energy, India’s gross wind power potential is 1163.9 GW at 150 … Read more
A supervisor inspects pre-filled syringes of a biosimilar of Adalimumab at a Zydus Group facility in Changodar, Gujarat, 2014. The biosimilar is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. | Photo Credit: AFP Most of the drugs that we consume are called ‘small molecule drugs’. Their chemical structure is reasonably simple. Disprin, for instance, has a molecular … Read more