Science

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently shared an “intriguing” daylight sight of a bright dot in the middle of a desert on Earth. “A bright dot in the Negev desert…so unusual to see human-made lights in day passes!” European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted while sharing three photos showing a

Fifty-three years after the historic Apollo mission, NASA is all set to send astronauts to the Moon once again with the launch of its Artemis I on August 29. The combined SLS-Orion spacecraft will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral to send an uncrewed capsule around the Moon and back to

A method to mould matter into complex shapes that involves the usage of “twisted” light has been devised by a team of researchers, at the University of Strathclyde. The new technique builds on the temperature-sensitive property of atoms. When atoms are cooled till, or close to, the absolute zero temperatures (-273 degrees Celsius), they stop

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) telescope has discovered more water on the Moon’s surface. The fresh findings of water have been made in the Southern Hemisphere of the Moon. The research was led by Casey Honniball, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The team have discovered water in the Moretus

The James Webb Space Telescope has, for the first time, detected evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. The evidence has been spotted on the exoplanet WASP-39 b, which was discovered in 2011. Located some 700 light-years from Earth, WASP-39 b is a hot gas giant planet that

The rising temperatures of the planet and its adverse effects on life on Earth have triggered actions globally to slow down or reverse climate change. The Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, has set the goal to limit global warming below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. However, a new study suggests

Baidu has unveiled its first quantum computer called Qianshi. It is said to feature a 10-quantum-bit processor. The Chinese company also said that it has developed a 36-quantum-bit SoC as well. Qianshi is ready to be made available to external users as well, a report suggests. Quantum computing is said to be a form of

Astronomers working on US space agency NASA’s Lucy mission may have spotted an undiscovered mini-moon orbiting an asteroid in the solar system. The mission is headed to study the Trojans — two groups of asteroids that orbit the Sun and are located on each side of Jupiter. While on its way to the space rocks,

Two astrophotographers have recently revealed an intricately detailed picture of the Moon after working on the project for two years. The image was created by stitching together more than 2,00,000 photos of the Moon over a two-year period. Most commonly, the Moon is seen as a large grey celestial body in the night sky. The new

NASA is preparing for Artemis I, the launch of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, along with the Orion spacecraft for astronauts, which is set to blast off on August 29. The US space agency is readying to test its flight system that is designed to send astronauts back to the Moon, decades after it completed its Apollo

The arrow of time is a concept that defines the unidirectional flow of time. In simple words, it dictates that time only flows in one direction, from the past to the future. Despite the idea being decades old, scientists are yet to make considerable progress in unravelling the mysteries behind the phenomenon. A new study has

Scientists have, for the first time, identified a novel property in a compound that makes it stand apart from the rest. It has been discovered that a compound named vanadium dioxide (VO2) behaves like a human brain and can remember previous external stimuli. Scientists have recently proposed the idea to use VO2 as an alternative

American space agency NASA has released the sound of a black hole, which can be heard by human ears. This black hole sits 200 light years away in the Perseus galaxy cluster, according to a report in Mashable. Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects with gravity so intense that not even light can escape. The

Researchers have developed a small, touch-based sensor that can detect the level of lithium in a person’s body using their sweat. The device can give out results in less than 30 seconds and does not require a visit to a clinic.  The right level of lithium in the body can help in controlling the symptoms

Two of the largest mass extinction of species on Earth took place at the end of the Permian geologic period. Such was the magnitude that 86% of all the animal species were wiped out in the extinction that took place 252 million years ago. The event also marked the onset of a new era where

Scientists have successfully mapped the surface of the cerebral cortex of the young human brain in impressively high resolution. The mapping, done using high-quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, showed development in the key regions of the brain from two months before an individual’s birth to two months after it. Researchers believe that this achievement

Astronomers, observing a nearby galaxy with a powerful telescope, have detected one of the largest black hole jets ever. The jet with a size of a million light-years from end to end is not just huge, but has been estimated to be 50 times larger than the galaxy. The nearby galaxy, NGC2663, is located in

Examining samples from asteroid Ryugu, scientists have made a startling discovery. They have spotted microscopic grains of ancient materials that are even older than our Solar System. Located in the near-Earth solar orbit, asteroid Ryugu is shaped like a spinning top and orbits the Sun every 16 months. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft of the Japan Aerospace

Troubled by the number of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients showing up at his hospital, the French doctor logged on to Facebook and uploaded a video urging people to get vaccinated. He was soon swarmed by dozens, then hundreds, then more than 1,000 hateful messages from an anti-vaccine extremist group known as V_V. The group, active in France

A provincial capital in southwest China has dimmed outdoor advertisements, subway lighting and building signs to save energy, official announcements said, as the area battles a power crunch triggered by record-high temperatures. The mercury has soared beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Sichuan province this week, fuelling massive demand for air conditioning and drying