Science

For the first time, scientists have successfully detected and measured an invisible electric field enveloping Earth. This field, known as the ambipolar field, was first theorised over 60 years ago and its discovery marks a significant advancement in our understanding of Earth’s atmospheric dynamics. Glyn Collinson, an astronomer at NASA‘s Goddard Space Flight Center, and

NASA has announced that astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be launching on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Tuesday, September 24, 2024. This update comes after changes to the mission’s crew composition. Originally, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were also part of

A significant portion of the Atlantic Ocean near the equator experienced a rapid and unprecedented cooling over the summer months, leaving scientists puzzled about the cause. While the temperatures in the area have started to climb back to normal levels, the reasons behind this sudden drop remain unclear. The cold patch, which appeared in early

Researchers from IIT Guwahati and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have made a surprising discovery that could reshape our understanding of X-ray pulsars. They found that the X-rays emitted by Swift J0243.6+6124, the first known Galactic Ultraluminous X-ray Pulsar, exhibit an unexpectedly low level of polarization. This pulsar, which is located within our galaxy,

In 2023, scientists discovered subtle ripples in the fabric of spacetime, known as gravitational waves, originating from pulsar timing arrays. These low-frequency waves were initially thought to be the result of a phase transition that occurred shortly after the Big Bang. However, new research has cast doubt on this explanation, suggesting that our understanding of

For the first time in history, a NASA-funded researcher will accompany their experiment on a commercial suborbital rocket. This milestone will take place aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket system, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than Thursday, August 29. The experiment, developed by a team from the University of Florida in Gainesville,

Astronomers have achieved a significant breakthrough with new high-resolution images of Polaris, also known as the North Star. Using the CHARA Array located on Mount Wilson in California, researchers have captured unprecedented details of the star’s surface. This is the first time scientists have been able to observe features such as large bright and dark

Recent research reveals that human brains can survive for an astonishingly long time, with some specimens enduring for up to 12,000 years. Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Oxford, led a study that uncovered over 4,400 instances of preserved human brains across various archaeological sites. This finding challenges the notion that

NASA is grappling with a significant challenge as two US astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, find themselves stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Initially scheduled for an eight-day mission, their return has now been delayed to February due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was supposed to bring them back to

India’s space agency expects a 20 percent-30 percent increase in its budget in the coming years, its head said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview on Tuesday, describing the agency’s rocket launch prices as on a par with SpaceX’s, though without giving details. In a wide-ranging interview, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath

Physicists have recently observed an unexpected phenomenon in a superconducting material, potentially pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in this field. The discovery centres on a material typically known as an electrical insulator. In this insulator, researchers found that electrons could pair up at temperatures as high as minus 123 degrees Celsius (minus 190 degrees

The launch of SpaceX’s four-person Polaris Dawn mission will be delayed by at least a day because of a helium leak in ground equipment at Kennedy Space Center, the company said on Tuesday, hours before the scheduled liftoff of its Crew Dragon capsule. The highlight of the five-day mission is expected to come two days

Two NASA astronauts who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June aboard Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule will need to return to Earth on a SpaceX vehicle early next year, NASA officials said on Saturday, deeming issues with Starliner’s propulsion system too risky to carry its first crew home as planned. Veteran NASA astronauts Butch

Astronomers have traditionally relied on helioseismology to estimate the Sun’s age by analysing the vibrations that ripple through its interior. However, recent research has uncovered a significant obstacle, the Sun’s magnetic activity, which follows an 11-year cycle, appears to be distorting these measurements. Data from the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BISON) and NASA’s SOHO mission,

New research suggests that peculiar zones in the Earth’s mantle, where seismic waves slow dramatically, may be more common than previously thought. These ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs) have intrigued scientists for years due to their ability to slow seismic waves by up to 50 percent. Recent findings indicate that these enigmatic features could be present

Astronomers have long anticipated a cosmic clash between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy. This event, projected to occur within the next 5 billion years, has been seen as an inevitable galactic merger. However, a recent simulation suggests that the chances of this collision happening within the next 10 billion years might be less

Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has released a fresh set of images from the Chandrayaan-3 mission, coinciding with the first anniversary of its successful landing on the Moon. These images, taken by the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, showcase key moments from the mission, including Pragyan’s attempts to imprint India’s national emblem on the

India is celebrating its inaugural National Space Day today, marking a significant milestone in the country’s space exploration journey. This day commemorates the historic event of August 23, 2023, when Chandrayaan-3 successfully made a soft landing on the Moon. With this achievement, India became the fourth nation to land on the Moon and the first

Chandrayaan-3 mission, India’s first successful mission to have landed on the Moon, might have made a notable discovery. As per a new study, it might have found evidence of a former magma ocean near the Moon’s South Pole. This finding was achieved through the efforts of the Pragyan rover, which landed on the lunar surface

MIT engineers have achieved a major breakthrough with the creation of a zinc-air microbattery, a device so tiny it measures just 0.1 millimetres in length and 0.002 millimetres in thickness—about the thickness of a human hair. This innovative battery harnesses oxygen from the air to oxidise zinc, generating up to 1 volt of power. This