Science

India is setting its sights on the moon once more as it is aiming to launch the ambitious Chandrayaan-4 mission in 2028. This upcoming mission, led by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), seeks to return samples from the moon’s south pole. The mission plans to retrieve 3 kilograms of lunar material from areas believed

A monumental predator-prey event in Norway’s coastal waters has captured scientists’ attention. It marks the largest observed marine feeding spectacle and highlighting significant dynamics in the food chain. Leading the research, Professor Nicholas Makris from MIT’s Department of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, alongside his team, witnessed this unprecedented event where vast shoals of cod pursued

After a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station, Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu safely returned to Earth, touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China. Having launched on April 25, the crew concluded their mission on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with the capsule landing at approximately 12:24 p.m.

Four farmworkers have been diagnosed with presumed bird flu in the Washington state. This marked an unsettling trend in the spread of the virus among farm animals and occasional human cases across the United States. Health officials expect the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to verify these cases, which would bring the total

Indian scientists have discovered an exoplanet named TOI-6651b, a large and dense planet orbiting a Sun-like star. The exoplanet has a mass roughly 60 times that of Earth and is about five times larger in radius, setting it apart from most planets of similar size. This finding marks the fourth exoplanet discovery by India’s Physical

China has set a new world benchmark with the development of a powerful 42-tesla resistive magnet. The country has broken the previous 41.4-tesla record maintained by the United States since 2017. The breakthrough was achieved on September 22 by the High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, affiliated with the Chinese

The Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) observatory, the world’s highest imaging Cherenkov telescope, has been inaugurated in Hanle, Ladakh, at an elevation surpassing 4,300 metres. This facility is set to advance India’s role in space research and cosmic-ray studies, marking a new milestone in high-energy astrophysics. The observatory aims to explore cosmic phenomena such as

Deep Blue Aerospace, a Chinese company based in Jiangsu, has announced plans to enter the burgeoning space tourism market. The company aims to start launching paying customers into suborbital space by 2027. Tickets for these exclusive journeys will be priced at approximately 1.5 million RMB, equivalent to about $210,000. Deep Blue says this experience will

China has built the world’s most powerful resistive magnet, achieving a magnetic field strength of 42.02 tesla. The milestone was reached on 22 September at the Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF), part of the Chinese Academy of Science’s Hefei Institutes of Physical Science. This achievement just surpasses the previous record of 41.4 tesla, set

Artificial intelligence is showing promise in helping people with opposing views find common ground. A new tool developed by Google DeepMind uses AI to mediate discussions and synthesise viewpoints into balanced summaries. In recent trials, participants favoured the AI-generated summaries over those created by human mediators, suggesting that AI could be an effective mediator for

Solar maximum marks a critical phase within the solar cycle, which spans roughly 11 years. During this time, the Sun experiences an uptick in activity, evidenced by a notable rise in sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These events result from the complex dynamics of the Sun’s magnetic field, which becomes increasingly tangled. The

Injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere could potentially cool the planet by 1.6ºC, according to a recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters. Led by Sandro Vattioni, a climate scientist at ETH Zürich, the research explores whether diamonds, as opposed to commonly used materials like sulfur, could offer a safer and more effective method for

China has revealed ambitious plans to build a lunar space station and explore the possibility of habitable planets as part of its long-term space programme. On Tuesday, China’s space authorities announced a comprehensive development plan that will run from 2024 to 2050, with the intention of launching a manned lunar mission in the near future. This

A new study has demonstrated the successful use of radioactive ion beams to treat tumors in mice. This innovative approach, published on arXiv.org, represents a significant step forward in cancer therapy. Researchers can monitor the precise location of the treatment in real time. First Successful Treatment Using Radioactive Ion Beams This research marks the inaugural

A powerful solar storm is predicted to reach Earth on Thursday, 10th October, according to forecasters from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The storm could generate stunning auroras and affect radio communications, power grids, and satellites. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) has issued a G4-class geomagnetic storm warning, the second-highest level

On 7th October 2024, an active sunspot, AR 3842, fired an X2.1-class solar flare, causing temporary radio blackouts across parts of North and South America and over the Pacific Ocean. This event followed another powerful flare from the same sunspot just days earlier. On 3rd October, AR 3842 unleashed the strongest solar flare of Solar

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has embarked on significant exploratory trials in the Andaman Sea using the Varaha-3, a specialised seabed mining machine. These trials, which took place at a depth of 1,193 metres, are part of India’s broader initiative to explore and harness ocean resources responsibly. The Geological Survey of India previously surveyed

On October 3, 2024, the sun unleashed a colossal solar flare, registering as an X9.05 eruption, marking the most powerful flare recorded in this solar cycle. The flare reached its peak at 8:10 a.m. EDT (1210 GMT), leading to significant shortwave radio blackouts across Europe and Africa, where the sun was illuminating the Earth during

China is making remarkable progress in its goal to send astronauts to the moon by 2030. Recently, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) unveiled a new spacesuit designed specifically for this historic mission. This announcement highlights China’s commitment to enhancing its space capabilities and achieving significant milestones in lunar exploration. Innovative Spacesuit Design The newly

Indian scientists recently made a fascinating discovery: the global COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 affected not only Earth but also the Moon’s temperature. A study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters found that lunar nighttime temperatures dropped by 8-10 Kelvin during the strict lockdown period between April and May 2020. Led