Category: Science

India’s journey toward human space exploration marked a critical step with the dispatch of the Crew Module for the first uncrewed mission under the Gaganyaan project. The module, integrated with a liquid propulsion system at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Bengaluru, has been sent to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This […]

Evidence of hominin activity has been discovered in Romania, dating back approximately 1.95 million years, significantly altering the timeline of human presence in Europe. Fossil remains, found at the Grăunceanu site in the Olteț River Valley, have provided the earliest known proof of hominin activity in the region. This discovery indicates that early humans reached […]

SpaceX marked a significant achievement during the launch of 27 Starlink satellites from California on January 21, 2025. The mission, conducted from Vandenberg Space Force Base, witnessed the Falcon 9 rocket completing a successful return of its first stage to a drone ship positioned at sea. This marked the 400th orbital-class rocket landing for the […]

A new category of magnetism, identified as “altermagnetism,” has been discovered, potentially unlocking new advancements in superconducting materials and magnetic memory devices. This development, made by researchers using advanced imaging techniques, highlights how altermagnetism bridges the gap between two previously established types of magnetism. This breakthrough could lead to faster and more secure data storage […]

In mid-January 2025, comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was observed as it approached within 8 million miles of the Sun, offering a stunning display recorded by the ESA and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The spacecraft captured images of the comet brightening and its tail extending dramatically as it passed through the Sun’s intense environment. […]

The XB-1 supersonic demonstrator by Boom Supersonic is one step closer to becoming the first commercial aircraft to surpass the sound barrier since the Concorde. In its 11th test flight, conducted on 10 January 2025, the aircraft achieved a sustained speed of Mach 0.95 — approximately 1,172 km/h. This milestone was reached at an altitude […]

A Chinese commercial space launch has achieved another milestone with the successful deployment of five satellites into orbit. The launch was conducted using the Ceres-1 rocket, a four-stage solid propellant carrier, on 20 January at 5:11 a.m. EST. The event took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, located in the Gobi Desert in northwest […]

New research suggests that supernovas, resulting from the explosive deaths of the earliest stars in the universe, may have created vast amounts of water, possibly enabling the existence of life as early as 100 million years after the Big Bang. These findings, based on simulations of short-lived, massive stars, point to water forming within dense […]

The mystery surrounding the Hubble tension has intensified following new findings indicating that the Coma Cluster of galaxies is 38 million light-years closer than predicted by standard cosmological models. The Hubble tension refers to a persistent discrepancy between the universe’s expansion rate as measured in the modern era and the rate predicted based on observations […]

Bill Nelson stepped down from his role as NASA Administrator as Donald Trump commenced his second presidential term on January 20, 2021. After a career spanning more than five decades in public service, Nelson announced his retirement alongside NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. Janet Petro, previously the director of Kennedy Space Center in Florida, was […]

Archaeologists in Cambridgeshire have uncovered a Roman-era cemetery containing a unique burial involving liquid gypsum. The central grave, believed to belong to a high-status individual, was found encased in a stone coffin with gypsum poured around the body. This practice, though documented in Roman times, remains poorly understood. The gypsum, which often preserved organic materials […]

New observations suggest that Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), which recently became visible to the naked eye, might be breaking apart after its close approach to the sun. During its perihelion on 15 January, the comet experienced intense solar radiation, which may have caused thermal stress. While the comet initially seemed unaffected by the encounter, recent […]

China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), referred to as the “artificial sun,” has achieved a new milestone in nuclear fusion research. The reactor maintained a continuous loop of plasma for 1,066 seconds, surpassing its previous record of 403 seconds. This breakthrough, reported on January 20, 2025, represents a significant step towards realising nuclear fusion as […]

Recent seismic data from NASA’s InSight lander could provide answers to a 50-year-old puzzle concerning Mars’ unique structure. The planet is divided into the northern lowlands and southern highlands, separated by significant differences in elevation and crust thickness. This phenomenon, referred to as the “Martian dichotomy,” has perplexed scientists for decades. Clues from seismic activity […]

A Falcon 9 rocket, operated by SpaceX, was launched on January 21, 2025, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, delivering 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. The mission began at 10:45 a.m. ET, with the Falcon 9’s first stage returning to Earth roughly eight minutes later. The booster landed on the drone ship “Of […]

Two NASA rocket missions are set to explore the mysteries of auroras, aiming to uncover why they flicker, pulsate, or feature dark patches. These rockets, part of NASA’s effort to understand Earth’s space environment, will launch from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, starting January 21, 2025. The findings could contribute to protecting astronauts […]

Finland has officially become the 53rd country to sign the Artemis Accords, joining the international framework aimed at promoting responsible and peaceful space exploration. The agreement was signed on January 21, 2025, during the Winter Satellite Workshop in Espoo, Finland. This milestone underscores the Nordic nation’s commitment to advancing its role in collaborative lunar exploration […]

Iron, a primary component of the Earth’s core, exhibits unique behaviours under extreme temperatures and pressures. Recent research has examined its melting temperature and phase stability under conditions mirroring those at the Earth’s core. Findings from advanced experiments involving ultrafast X-ray absorption spectroscopy have highlighted significant revelations about the structural and thermal properties of iron. […]

Earth’s atmosphere, particularly its upper layers, remains one of the least understood regions of the planet. Despite extensive research on the lower atmosphere, scientists have struggled to collect reliable data on the mesosphere and higher regions. This atmospheric layer, which sits between the stratosphere and space, has earned the moniker “ignorosphere” due to its inaccessibility. […]

ELIZA, a chatbot developed in the 1960s and recognised as the world’s first, has been revived using long-lost computer code found in archival records. Originally created by MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum, ELIZA was designed as a conversational program capable of mimicking a psychotherapist’s interactions. The project, conducted by researchers and archivists, marks a milestone in […]

A strange and ancient supernova remnant, located roughly 6,500 light-years away from Earth, has been puzzling scientists. The remnant, known as Pa 30, surrounds a zombie star cloaked in sulfur filaments stretching across three light-years. Skywatchers first documented the explosion in 1181, but its spiky filaments and structure have only recently been studied in detail. […]

A paralysed individual, aged 69, has successfully piloted a virtual drone using a brain-computer interface (BCI) that interprets neural signals. This innovative achievement has enabled the participant to navigate a video-game obstacle course by imagining specific finger movements. The breakthrough device, which bridges brain activity and real-time control, demonstrates potential applications for assisting those with […]

Two young stars have been captured in a new image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, located in the Orion Nebula, a well-known region for star formation. The stars, named HOPS 150 and HOPS 153, are situated approximately 1,300 light-years from Earth. The Orion Nebula is considered the closest massive star-forming region to Earth and […]

Engineers and materials scientists have achieved a major advancement in battery technology, developing a lithium-sulfur battery that retains 80 percent of its charge capacity after 25,000 charging cycles. The new design, which uses a specially formulated electrode, represents a significant improvement over conventional lithium-ion batteries. The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, lighter, and […]

The nutritional reliance on small carnivores by early hunter-gatherer societies in the Levant has been highlighted through recent archaeological discoveries. A series of excavations at the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB) site of Aḥihud, located in present-day Israel, has revealed the widespread use of red foxes, wildcats, and other small carnivores for meat and fur. […]

The concept of heavy dark matter has raised concerns about its implications for the universe’s fundamental structure. While dark matter has been theorised as a key component explaining several astrophysical phenomena, new research indicates that particles exceeding a certain mass could disrupt the Standard Model of particle physics. The ongoing quest to identify dark matter, […]

Recent findings have intensified debates surrounding the universe’s expansion, suggesting discrepancies in its speed may challenge long-standing cosmological models. Observations from advanced instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope indicate variations in the rate of expansion across different regions, leaving scientists searching for explanations. Researchers have now strengthened the evidence for […]

Stonehenge is often hailed as a masterpiece of ancient engineering, but it is neither the oldest nor the largest megalithic site on Earth. Around the globe, other remarkable structures rival its grandeur, with some predating it by thousands of years. From Göbekli Tepe in Turkey to the Carnac Stones in France, these monuments showcase the […]

Buried landforms from a massive ice sheet that existed approximately 1 million years ago have been uncovered deep beneath the North Sea. These findings, revealed through high-resolution imaging, depict large-scale structures formed during the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT). Researchers have stated that the ice sheet, which extended from present-day Norway to the British Isles, left behind […]

A rare and exceptionally well-preserved Corinthian helmet, believed to have been used by Greek hoplite warriors, is set to go under the hammer later this month in London. Crafted from bronze and dating back to between 500 and 450 B.C., the helmet showcases the artistry of ancient Greek warfare. Such helmets, designed to cover most […]