Science

Shri Kulkarni, Indian-born RAS Gold Medal astrophysicist. When the Royal Astronomical Society announced Shrinivas R. Kulkarni as the recipient of its Gold Medal, it marked more than another milestone in a decorated career. Awarded continuously since 1824, the medal is the Society’s highest honour, reserved for scientists whose work has fundamentally altered how humanity understands…

Sunita Williams is one of the most accomplished astronauts in the history of NASA, with a career highlighted by dedication, resourcefulness, and a lack of boastful fanfare in the face of quiet trailblazing throughout her career at the space agency. Chosen to be a NASA astronaut in the year 1998, Williams went on to have…

A layer of molten rock deep inside some rocky planets may be doing more than shaping their interiors. New research points to the possibility that these hidden magma oceans could help protect planets over long stretches of time. The idea is not centred on surface conditions or atmospheres, but on what happens far below, under…

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams marked the end of her spaceflight career with a message that reflects both continuity and transition within the US space program. Speaking on the day of her retirement, Williams highlighted the importance of long-term groundwork in enabling future missions and partnerships. Her words come at a time when NASA is entering…

This place is the most isolated place on Earth, and NASA uses it as a spacecraft graveyard ( AI-generated) Point Nemo sits quietly in the southern Pacific, marked on maps but rarely thought about. It is not a destination in any usual sense. There are no ships passing nearby, no islands breaking the surface, and…

This blue planet possibly resembling Earth experiences rain of glass at 5400 mph, says NASA (AI-generated) HD 189733 b orbits so close to its star that distance almost stops mattering. The planet was logged in 2005, one of many large gas worlds found tucked tight against their suns. Over time it drew attention for reasons…

Scientists discover lizards reinvented their armour multiple times (AI -gemerated) Biologists have long treated the bony plates found in some lizards as an ancient inheritance, passed down and occasionally lost. New research now suggests a different pattern. A study led by the Museums Victoria Research Institute argues that most of these plates, known as osteoderms,…

The future of the Dead Sea appears to be moving in a quieter direction than many earlier warnings suggested. New long term modelling points to a lake that becomes smaller, warmer and increasingly saline, but not one that suddenly disappears. The work follows how the lake responds to water loss and changing climate conditions over…

A rare and intense energy flare from the sun has reached our planet, leading to what scientists say is the most violent solar radiation storm in the past two decades. While of intense scientific interest, the phenomenon also promises to provide spectacular displays of the northern lights in areas that do not normally witness such…

Europe has a new ‘space phone line’ and it can hear missions across the solar system (AI-generated) The European Space Agency has quietly added a major piece to its global space communications network with the inauguration of a new deep space antenna in Western Australia. The structure doesn’t change the missions’ appearance or destination, but…