Science

Astronomers have found the oldest visible planetary nebula (PN) inside a 500-million-year-old galactic open cluster (OC). The rare celestial jewel has been discovered inside a cluster called M37 and is believed to be of high astrophysical value. Planetary nebulas (PNe) are glowing shrouds ejected from dying stars that shine with distinct colours and shapes offering

Greenland’s ice sheet is reported so out of balance with the Arctic climate that it can no longer hold on to its current size, a new report claims. Furthermore, it is suggested that the ice sheet is irreversibly committed to reduce by 59,000 square km, which is considerably larger than the area of Denmark, Greenland’s

Demonstrating that a cloud of atoms can be used as a receiver to pick up video transmission, researchers have developed an atomic television. The television uses atom clouds and lasers to carry video signal that meets the traditional resolution standard. Atom-based communication systems are believed to be smaller and can tolerate more noise than conventional

NASA announced on Monday that its Artemis I SLS-Orion Spacecraft launch has been halted due to an issue with one of the rocket’s engines. Minutes after the spacecraft was scheduled to blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier today, the US space agency explained that the launch of Artemis I — NASA’s first step towards

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

The movement of the eye, during sleep, may reflect where you’re looking in a dream, suggest a new study by researchers at the University of California. Rapid eye movement (REP) sleep, a period of sleep when your eyes move under your eyelids, has long been a subject of fascination for researchers around the world. While

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

Without using sperm and eggs, as normally required, scientists have developed synthetic mouse embryos from stem cells. The model embryos feature beating hearts and even foundations for the brain and other organs of a mouse’s body. The achievement was made after years of study and is likely to help researchers unravel why some embryos successfully

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

Some 66 million years ago, when the land was ruled by dinosaurs, the oceans used to be infested with giant marine predators called mosasaurs. And, now, researchers have discovered the fossil of a new species of mosasaurs named Thalassotitan atrox. Mosasaurs were like giant marine lizards that could grow up to 12 metres in length.

The ongoing quest for signs of ancient life on Mars has seen several landers, orbiters, and spacecraft attempt to gain deeper knowledge about the Red Planet. Now, scientists have utilised data collected over a decade by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to create a water map of the planet. Featuring sites of aqueous

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

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

For more than 50 years, telescopes and the needs of astronomers have dominated the summit of Mauna Kea, a mountain sacred to Native Hawaiians that’s also one of the finest places in the world to study the night sky. That’s now changing with a new state law saying Mauna Kea must be protected for future

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