Science

Jupiter is usually acknowledged as the solar system’s oldest planet. Scientists, however, want to know how long it took to create. A new study states that the planet’s metal concentration and distribution suggest that Jupiter ate a lot of rocky planetesimals when it was young. Since the Juno spacecraft reached Jupiter in July 2016 and

In the latest and fascinating find, astronomers have detected a rare kind of cosmic object in the Milky Way galaxy. The object named MAXI J1816-195 is found to be emanating X-ray light that was first detected on June 7. It was captured using the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) of the Japanese Space Agency.

Scientists have good news with regards to Antarctica. A secret ecosystem has been thriving under the icy surface and the discovery was recently made. Researchers have found this “hidden world” beneath the Larsen Ice Shelf. Footage reveals a dark cavern-like space filled with swarms of tiny, shrimp-like creatures. The Larsen Ice Shelf is a massive

In what could mark a major step toward solving the problem of freshwater scarcity, scientists have developed a device that filters saltwater a thousand times faster than conventionally used devices. On the industrial scale, seawater is made fit for drinking through the desalination process. It includes removing salt to produce fresh water that is further

Contradicting a previously accepted theory, scientists have concluded that the inner core of the Earth oscillates and results in variations in the length of the day. With the Earth’s structure divided into layers, the inner core is found at the centre followed by the outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle crust, and then atmosphere. It

The Sun is riddled with mystery. People on Earth are about 150 million kilometres away from the Sun and only have a limited view of the star. Add to that the fact that the Sun’s surface is scorching hot, and it’s constantly ejecting particles at a speed of around 1 million miles per hour. So,

Several of the 5,500 marine RNA virus species recently identified by scientists may help push carbon absorbed from the atmosphere to permanent storage on the ocean floor, according to a study. The findings also suggest that a small percentage of the newly discovered species had borrowed genes from the animals they infected, which could aid

The detection of a new and strange fast radio burst originating from a galaxy located 3 billion light-years away has left astronomers puzzled. Fast Radio Burst or FRB are bursts of radio waves in space that are milliseconds long. Usually, these radio bursts occur and don’t repeat. However, in the latest observation, the radio burst

NASA is a step ahead to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Scientists are certain that the icy moon has a vast ocean under the frozen outer shell. To explore the possibilities on this moon, NASA is launching the Europa Clipper Mission. Recently, the team delivered a major component of this mission. The main body of

According to a study, devices made of commonly available oxide and carbon-based materials can manufacture pure hydrogen from water for weeks. The discovery could aid in overcoming one of the major challenges in solar fuel production: present earth-abundant light-absorbing materials are limited in terms of performance or stability. The move to full decarbonisation and the

Astronomers have detected two big, unexplained objects erupting from the universe’s brightest black hole. The supermassive black hole 3C 273 was discovered in a 1959 survey of cosmic radio-wave sources as a quasar (quasi-stellar object). The light emitted by these black holes is brilliant enough to be mistaken for starlight. Scientists have spent decades studying

A 190-feet wide asteroid is going to approach Earth soon and NASA has already announced its approach. To give you some perspective, the asteroid is larger than the Colosseum (157 feet) situated in Rome. According to the space agency, the asteroid will make its closest approach to our planet on Wednesday, June 8. It isn’t

For the first time, scientists have constructed simulations that directly mimic the whole life cycle of some of the greatest collections of galaxies discovered 11 billion years ago in the distant universe. Cosmological simulations are essential for understanding how the universe came to be the way it is today, but many of them do not

A new study based on asteroids that collided with Earth has given some of the turmoil a chronological frame. Astronomers believe asteroids have remained virtually unchanged since their genesis billions of years ago in the early solar system. However, not all asteroids stayed intact. Repeated collisions gradually robbed the insulating mantles of their iron cores,

Postnatal gene therapy may be able to prevent or repair many of the harmful effects of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, a rare genetic condition, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. This autism spectrum illness is characterised by severe developmental delays, intellectual incapacity, respiratory and movement abnormalities, anxiety, epilepsy, and moderate but

With an upgraded supercomputer and strategic modelling program, a team of geologists have successfully forecasted a volcanic eruption in the Sierra Negra volcano five months before it took place. The volcano forecasting modelling program was set up in 2017 by geology professor Patricia Gregg and her team. They installed the program on the Blue Water

In a step that may help achieve better network connectivity in the near future, scientists have developed a beam-steering antenna that enhances data transmission beyond 5G standards. This will give access to a range of frequencies for mobile communications that were earlier out of reach. With the size of an iPhone, the beam-steering antenna has

NASA is set to launch a probe to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 10 that will monitor climate change on Earth. Named Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), this probe will study the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and how the desert dust carried through the atmosphere affects the

A team of international researchers from the US and the UK have received a grant of $750,000 to develop portable, rapid biosensors capable of detecting noroviruses and mycotoxins in foods and agricultural products. The researchers say noroviruses are the leading cause of foodborne illness globally and are highly contagious. They cause a pandemic every few

Making use of artificial intelligence, a team of scientists from the Boston College have shed light on the differences in the behaviour of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its link with neuroanatomy. Autism or ASD is a complicated condition that is characterised by difficulties with communication and behaviour including problems with social interaction,