Interest in returning astronauts to the Moon has changed considerably over the past few years. What was once centred on individual landings is gradually becoming a much broader effort to establish a lasting human presence beyond Earth. NASA’s latest announcement reflects that shift. Instead of focusing only on the next mission, the agency is preparing…
When the Pacific Ocean carried the effects of a powerful earthquake away from Russia’s far eastern coast in late July, most attention focused on the tsunami warnings issued across the region. Less visible was an unusual scientific opportunity unfolding hundreds of kilometres above the waves. By chance, a satellite designed to monitor Earth’s water systems…
Thomas A. Edison (Image: Wikipedia) Most people know Thomas Edison as the inventor of the light bulb and the phonograph, not as a thinker about health. Yet more than a hundred years ago, he made a prediction about medicine that still sounds strikingly modern. The doctor of the future, he said, would give no medication,…
Niels Bohr, one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century, is remembered not only for his groundbreaking contributions to quantum theory but also for his insightful observations about learning and expertise. Among his most quoted remarks is: “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in…
Deep in the rainforests of far north Queensland, Australia, scientists have discovered a tiny spider with an extraordinary hunting strategy. Nicknamed the “ballista spider”, the newly described species uses a silk-powered trap that launches prey into its web with accelerations reaching up to 140 times the force of gravity. Researchers say the spider specifically targets…
People, pets and livestock have long been protected through vaccines, but scientists are now extending that approach to creatures once thought impossible to immunise. Researchers have already developed the world’s first vaccine for honeybees and are testing similar technology in shrimp, despite the fact that these animals lack the antibody-based immune systems that conventional vaccines…
Photo credit: PIB NEW DELHI: Indian Railways has approved running India’s first indigenous hydrogen fuel-cell-based train on the Jind-Sonipat section of the Northern Railway, entering the elite club of nations including Germany, Japan, China, and the United States.The futuristic train will have 10 coaches and will be powered by a 1200-kilowatt engine. It is expected…
Marie Curie (Image: Wikipedia) Marie Curie spent her life chasing answers, not applause. She discovered new elements, won two Nobel Prizes, and changed science forever, and yet she had little time for fame or personal glory. This short line was something close to a motto for her. It says that in science, our attention belongs…
Moss is usually thought of as one of nature’s simplest plants. It carpets rocks, clings to tree trunks and quietly survives in places where many other forms of life struggle. In deserts, some mosses can dry out almost completely, remaining dormant until a brief spell of rain brings them back to life. That ability has…
The Sun would rise in the west on Venus, but that is only the beginning of how strange a day there would feel. A day is usually one of the simplest measurements we have. The Sun comes up, crosses the sky and disappears below the horizon. We mark the passing hours almost without thinking about…