Science

The first phase of astronaut training for India’s Gaganyaan mission, a collaborative effort between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA, has been successfully completed. ISRO announced this milestone in an official statment, which confirmed that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the primary crew member, and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, the backup crew member,

Using advanced infrared imaging, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured unprecedented details of the supermassive star cluster Westerlund 1, located around 12,000 light-years from Earth. The findings, released by the Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters Survey (EWOCS), provide critical insights into the cluster’s stellar composition and formation processes. Spanning over 6.6 light-years

Chinese scientists are reportedly racing against time to protect potatoes, a vital global food crop, from the adverse effects of climate change. Research conducted under the International Potato Center (CIP) in Beijing is said to have revealed alarming reductions in potato yields when exposed to higher temperatures. Potatoes grown in simulated conditions, replicating future climate

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will deploy the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission on December 4, 2024, using its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota, as per multiple sources. The mission, designed to examine the Sun’s corona, marks a significant collaboration between India and Europe. Proba-3 will attempt precision formation flying, where

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has begun deploying its scientific instruments during its journey to Jupiter. The probe, launched on October 14, 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Centre, is set to study Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. Europa is believed to possess a subsurface ocean, potentially harbouring conditions suitable for life.

NASA has confirmed in a press release that a contract valued at approximately $20.5 million (173.2 crore) has been awarded to the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland. The contract, which was issued on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), encompasses the development of two Suprathermal Ion Sensor instruments

Magnetic vortices descending from Jupiter’s ionosphere into its deep atmosphere are believed to trigger the formation of ultraviolet-absorbing anticyclonic storms, according to a study published on November 26 in Nature Astronomy. These storms, appearing as dark ovals, span the size of Earth and have been observed primarily in Jupiter’s polar regions. The phenomenon was first

Planetary scientists have explored a hypothetical scenario in which a super-Earth existed within our solar system, situated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. According to recent simulations conducted by Emily Simpson and Howard Chen, planetary scientists at the Florida Institute of Technology, such a planetary configuration could have drastically destabilised the climates and orbits

Flowers of Hypenia macrantha, a species native to Brazil, have been observed using unique mechanisms to outcompete rivals during pollination. According to research, these blooms utilise a pollen “catapult” system to increase the chances of successful pollination. The strategy involves launching their pollen in a burst to displace rival pollen from the beaks of visiting

Scientists are developing an alternative navigation system that utilises mobile signals to assist pilots if GPS fails, according to a study conducted by Sandia National Laboratories and Ohio State University. The system relies on signals from cell towers and communication satellites, offering a safety net for airborne navigation systems. The initiative aims to mitigate risks

One of the most intense cosmic shockwaves has been observed in Stephan’s Quintet, a group of galaxies located approximately 290 million light-years from Earth. The event was triggered by the galaxy NGC 7318b colliding with four neighbouring galaxies at an estimated velocity of two million mph (3.2 million kmph). The collision produced a shock front

Two newly discovered Neolithic stone circles have reportedly been identified in Dartmoor, England, possibly forming part of a 5-mile-long “sacred arc” of ancient monuments. Independent archaeologist Alan Endacott, who made the discovery, told a publication that these stone structures reflect the cultural significance of the uplands during the New Stone Age. The finds, dated to

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a draft environmental assessment (EA) proposing an increase in SpaceX’s annual Starship launches. The assessment, published on November 20, outlines the possibility of raising the current limit of five launches per year from Starbase in South Texas to 25 by 2025. This draft also includes approvals for 25

A recent NASA-funded study has observed findings about the molecular processes that might have shaped the origins of life on Earth. Research published in Nature Communications suggests that ribonucleic acid (RNA), a molecule believed to have predated DNA, exhibits no inherent bias in producing the left- or right-handed versions of amino acids. This challenges long-standing

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has provided new insights into the young star FU Orionis, located in the constellation Orion. Observations have uncovered extreme temperatures in the inner region of its accretion disk, challenging current models of stellar accretion. Using Hubble’s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, astronomers captured far-ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet spectra, revealing

Intelligent extraterrestrial civilisations might be utilising stars as massive interstellar vehicles to explore the galaxy, according to a theory proposed by Clement Vidal, a philosopher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. His research suggests that alien species could potentially accelerate their binary star systems to traverse vast cosmic distances. While such a concept is purely