Science

Our updates on social media gives world an insight into our personality in general and our needs and perspectives on those issues in particular. But what if there’s also a way to judge how we were feeling exactly at the time we shared an image, a video or any other post. To be able to

Scientists for the first time have grown seeds in soil from the moon – samples retrieved during NASA missions in 1969 and 1972 – in an achievement that heralds the promise of using earthly plants to support human outposts on other worlds. Researchers said on Thursday they planted seeds of a diminutive flowering weed called

Scientists on Thursday provided the first look at the monster lurking at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, unveiling an image of a supermassive black hole that devours any matter wandering within its gargantuan gravitational pull. The black hole — called Sagittarius A, or SgrA — is only the second one ever to be

Biofuel researchers have been constantly working to develop a self-sustaining technique for converting renewable carbon sources into fuels while excluding carbon out of our environment and water. Despite significant advances, finishing the cycle using clean energy has proven to be difficult. Now, a group of researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has

The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionised astronomy since its deployment in 1990. The telescope, which has a crystal-clear perspective of the universe and is far above rain clouds, light pollution, and atmospheric distortions, has taken some stunning photos of the most distant stars as well as planets in our solar system. A new image from the

A quake of magnitude 5 shook the surface of Mars on May 4, as per a seismometer placed by NASA’s InSight lander on the planet. The seismic event has been dubbed a “monster” quake by the space agency given that it is the strongest temblor ever detected not just on Mars but also on any

Boeing is feuding with Aerojet Rocketdyne, a key supplier for its Starliner spacecraft, as the US aerospace giant races to test launch the uncrewed astronaut capsule and mend its reputation in the space sector, people familiar with the matter said. The CST-100 Starliner is scheduled for a May 19 Florida launch atop an Atlas 5

A team of experts led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has developed a gadget that electronically changes one metal to behave like another, allowing it to be used as a catalyst to accelerate chemical reactions. Known as a ‘catalytic condenser’, the gadget is the first to show electronic modification of alternative materials to provide new

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope’s Infrared Array Camera achieved great feats for the American Space agency. The retired observatory has captured several spectacular images of the deep space until recently. It was the first of its kind to provide high-resolution images of the near- and mid-infrared universe. And, now, we are glad that it has received

The first ever photograph of a black hole — a fiery ring of light that surrounded a black pit of emptiness — stunned the world three years ago. The Event Horizon Telescope, a global network of synchronised radio dishes serving as one large telescope, brought that image of the black hole at the centre of

A Chinese cargo vessel docked with the country’s under-construction space station Tuesday ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month. The Tianzhou-4 spacecraft was slung into space atop a Long March-7 Y5 rocket at 1:56am (11:26pm) from the Wenchang Launch Base in the southern island province of Hainan. State media said it docked

The inability to test cutting-edge theories in a laboratory setting is a key roadblock for fundamental research in physics. However, a recent breakthrough finding is allowing scientists to observe phenomena that were previously only comprehended in theory or represented in science fiction. The Unruh effect is one such theory. It’s a warm glow that appears on

The intrigue around black holes is something that fascinates every space enthusiast. The physics behind it has troubled scientists for decades. These mysterious space elements are known as powerful cosmic engines because they provide the energy for quasars and active galactic nuclei. We may be discussing the magnetic field of black holes, but black holes

Over the years, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured some breathtaking images of the cosmos, giving us a peek into a world many of us will not have even imagined. From capturing stunning galaxies hundreds of light-years away to noticing the quiet, undramatic passage of planets by Earth, Hubble has been our eyes in space.

The third long-duration astronaut team launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) safely returned to Earth early on Friday, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida to end months of orbital research ranging from space-grown chilies to robots. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying three US NASA astronauts and a European

The most comprehensive genetic assessment to date of the vaquita, the world’s rarest marine mammal, is offering a glimmer of hope that this small tropical porpoise native to Mexico’s Gulf of California may avoid extinction despite its population dwindling to about 10. Researchers said on Thursday genome data from 20 vaquitas showed that while the

Researchers at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) here in collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed an optogenetic tool which can help understand brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, depression and schizophrenia. In a statement, the JMI said that the tool can study molecular trafficking in neurons and has been developed by

With the rapid advancement of technology, the manipulation of electromagnetic waves and information has become key to the modern lifestyle. This has called for the development of intelligent metasurfaces – those that do not require manual intervention to control wave-information-matter interaction. To this end, a group of researchers tried to study the development of intelligent

While scientists all over the world are exploring the Moon to find ways to maintain a sustainable human presence, researchers from China have claimed that the lunar soil has the potential to generate oxygen and fuel. They say the soil on the Moon contains active compounds that can convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and fuels.

NASA shared a special surprise for Star Wars’ fans on May 4, revealing how the fictional series is inspired from the real world. The franchise has presented a fictional world to its viewers, making it difficult to imagine that the planets shown in the series would have any relation to the our universe. It turns