Daily quiz: On Nuclear science In 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, a Soviet facility became the world’s first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for a power grid (about 5 MW). START THE QUIZ 1 / 5 | The ___ and the _________ methods are both used to generate supercriticality in a process known … Read more
Tête de Moine cheese. | Photo Credit: Tête de Moine AOP, Fromage de Bellelay (This article forms a part of the Science for All newsletter that takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Subscribe now!) The Tête de Moine cheese from the Bellelay region of Switzerland is iconic because of the … Read more
In 2020, 58-year-old Viswanathan, recovering from a stroke, sought physiotherapy from an Ayurvedic practitioner, hoping to regain mobility. However, this treatment caused wounds on his leg. As a diabetic with an already weakened immune system this marked the beginning of his battle with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). After a year of battling infections, he was given … Read more
M.R. Srinivasan being laid to rest at the Wellington crematorium in Coonoor on Tuesday with full state honours. | Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M The mortal remains of eminent nuclear scientist and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission M.R. Srinivasan were laid to rest with full state honours at the Wellington crematorium in Coonoor on … Read more
CART-T cell therapy, these cells are engineered to recognise and target the specific cancer cell, thus using the immune system to fight the disease. Photograph used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: File Photo An ICMR-funded trial led by CMC Vellore demonstrated that CAR-T therapy, which uses a patient’s own T cells to fight … Read more
Trained only on historical data, Aurora was able to correctly forecast all hurricanes in 2023 more accurately than operational forecasting centres [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS Microsoft has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that beats current forecasting methods in tracking air quality, weather patterns, and climate-addled tropical storms, according to findings published Wednesday. Dubbed … Read more
Cyclones are among the earth’s most powerful storms. Like forest fires and lightning strikes, they are natural — yet their effects are becoming more destructive thanks to climate change. In a new study published by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the world’s cyclones can be expected to wreak more havoc in new ways if … Read more
The clownfish were popularised by the Disney film ‘Finding Nemo’. | Photo Credit: Getty Images In 2023-2024, the world suffered a devastating coral bleaching event during which 84% of the world’s reefs spanning 83 countries and territories were affected. Scientists have since linked the event to ocean warming and marine heatwaves — extended periods of … Read more
The Persian long-tailed desert lizard specimen at the Zoological Survey of India’s museum in Kolkata. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have removed confusion over the Persian long-tailed desert lizard, 153 years after it was first described from Sindh in present-day Pakistan. This desert lizard, called Mesalina watsonana zoologically, … Read more
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pays tribute to the mortal remains of astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Narlikar. Photo: @CMOMaharashtra on X via PTI People from all walks of life attended the last rites of eminent astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Narlikar in Pune as he was cremated with full state honours. The last rites were performed at the … Read more