Scientists have discovered ancient DNA, some dating back two million years. This DNA, found in Siberian permafrost and Greenland ice, offers a glimpse into Earth’s past. There is something quite magical about the idea of the time capsule. We imagine metallic containers buried underground in school yards full of letters and old coins. However, nature…
NASA’s Perseverance has captured a sweeping new panorama of a rugged Martian region nicknamed “Crocodile Bridge”, revealing one of the oldest known landscapes on Mars in remarkable detail. The 360-degree mosaic, created using the rover’s Mastcam-Z camera system, combines 980 images captured across multiple Martian days, or sols. Located on the rim of Jezero Crater,…
Cyborg Botany is emerging as a new field of research where plants are being developed into interactive living technology. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, scientists are exploring ways to combine natural plant systems with advanced sensors and materials. This approach allows plants to respond to touch, detect movement, and even interact with digital devices….
Residents in Jonggol, Indonesia, were left stunned after vibrant “rainbow clouds” lit up the sky in videos that quickly went viral across social media. The unusual clouds displayed swirling bands of pink, green, blue and yellow, leading some viewers to suspect the footage had been created using artificial intelligence. Scientists, however, say the phenomenon was…
Laser technology has revealed a hidden world of sophisticated urban centers and extensive networks within the Amazon rainforest, challenging the long-held perception of it as an untouched wilderness. For years now, Amazon has been depicted as the “ultimate green hell.” The favourite explorer stories and textbooks always described it as an endless wilderness, which had…
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz The quote “Perceptions which are at present insensible may grow some day: nothing is useless, and eternity provides great scope for change,” by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, may seem complicated at first, but it has a simple and strong idea about how change works in life. Leibniz, a prominent 17th-century philosopher, frequently examined…
Czech Republic’s Hranice Abyss, the world’s deepest water-filled cave, holds a mystery extending to a kilometre, far beyond its explored 473.5 meters. Image Credit: Wikipedia Buried in the depths of a tranquil forest in the Czech Republic lies an inconspicuous pool that refuses to surrender its mystery. It may appear like any other natural pond…
Have you ever wondered why rockets eventually tilt themselves after launch? Most people assume a rocket’s goal is to fly as high as possible, but ‘up’ is only the first step. If a rocket flew perfectly straight, it would eventually run out of fuel and fall directly back to Earth like a stone thrown into…
There is a growing idea in evolutionary biology that human ageing might not just be a modern biological process. Instead, it may be rooted in a very ancient survival strategy shaped millions of years ago. According to microbiologist João Pedro de Magalhães from the University of Birmingham, early mammals lived in a world dominated by…
For decades, scientists have debated whether the earliest humans survived mainly by hunting animals or scavenging carcasses left behind by predators. Now, a new study of 1.6 million-year-old fossils from Kenya suggests the answer may be far more complex. Researchers analysing ancient animal bones, stone tool marks and hominin remains from the Koobi Fora Formation…
