Science

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves beyond the realm of digital assistants and deepfake technology. Astronomers are now harnessing AI to achieve unprecedented precision in understanding the universe’s fundamental parameters. Researchers at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in New York City have leveraged AI to calculate the five cosmological parameters that characterise

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

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

A California-based start-up, Reflect Orbital, has announced an innovative plan that could significantly enhance global energy consumption by providing sunlight after sunset. The company, led by company’s CEO Ben Nowack, plans to redirect sunlight onto Earth’s solar panels during the night, effectively “selling sunlight” on demand. This innovative initiative was introduced by Nowack during the

The human Y chromosome, crucial for male development in the embryo, has been steadily losing its genes over millions of years. Currently, the chromosome is down to just 45 genes from an original count of 1438, with scientists estimating that it could disappear entirely within 11 million years. This genetic deterioration has raised concerns about

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,

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

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,

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

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

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

NASA’s Perseverance rover has embarked on a critical phase of its mission on Mars, beginning its challenging ascent towards the summit of Jezero Crater. This marks a new chapter in the rover’s exploration, which has been ongoing since 2021. After spending three and half years studying the crater’s floor—a region that was once submerged under

SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission was set for launch on Tuesday, August 27, but faced a technical setback owing to technical issues. The mission, which will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule, is notable for the first-ever privatised spacewalk. It is bankrolled by billionaire Jared Isaacman – the founder of

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

Recent archaeological research has uncovered evidence that humans were living near West Papua more than 55,000 years ago, offering new insights into early human migration into the Pacific. The discovery was made in Mololo Cave, located on Waigeo Island in the Raja Ampat archipelago. This significant find includes stone tools, animal bones, and a tree

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

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