New discoveries on Mars reveal deep, round openings. These features are unlike known craters or volcanic pits. Scientists believe water may have shaped these cavities long ago. Such underground spaces could have protected ancient life from harsh surface conditions. These caves offer a new focus for future exploration and the search for signs of life on the Red Planet.
Scientists are exploring de-extinction for the moa, a giant flightless bird that vanished 600 years ago. Advanced genetic science aims to reconstruct its DNA and reintroduce similar birds, merging genome editing, ancient DNA research, and conservation biology. This endeavor faces significant scientific and cultural debates regarding feasibility and ecological impact.
A rare and deliberate exposure to black widow venom sent a 37-year-old woman to intensive care after she injected a ground-up spider into her bloodstream to get high. Doctors documented severe muscle pain, breathing distress and cardiovascular symptoms, likely intensified by an allergic reaction and an unusually high venom dose. The patient recovered after several days of supportive treatment.
The year 2025 witnessed remarkable progress in space exploration. India achieved major milestones including its 100th launch and the first Indian astronaut on the ISS. Globally, scientists mapped the Sun's winds and observed asteroid collisions. New exoplanets were discovered, expanding our cosmic understanding. Commercial space ventures also saw significant advancements, setting the stage for future endeavors.
A 17-year-old boy in the Netherlands temporarily lost the ability to speak his native Dutch after waking from knee surgery, communicating only in English. Doctors diagnosed the rare condition as foreign language syndrome, a poorly understood phenomenon sometimes linked to anaesthesia. The episode resolved on its own within days, adding to a very small number of documented cases worldwide.
A remarkable discovery in Bolivia's Torotoro National Park has revealed over 16,000 dinosaur footprints. These ancient tracks, dating back 68 million years, show dinosaurs moving along a prehistoric lake's edge. Researchers believe some dinosaurs may have even waded or swum in shallow waters. This site offers unique insights into dinosaur behaviour and their interaction with aquatic environments.
Archaeologists excavating an extension to Rostock’s town hall uncovered a rare medieval curse tablet hidden beneath a latrine. Carefully inscribed on rolled lead, the 15th-century text invokes demonic forces against two named individuals. With no known medieval parallels, the find offers a striking glimpse into private belief, fear and conflict in the Middle Ages.
Mars's giant volcano, Olympus Mons, is a marvel of planetary geology. Its immense size and formation on a static crust differ greatly from Earth's dynamic plate tectonics. Recent discoveries of frost near its summit add to its enigmatic nature. Scientists continue to study this colossal structure to understand planetary evolution. Olympus Mons offers a unique window into Mars's ancient past.
Asteroid 2024 YR4, a 60-meter-wide space rock, has a 4% chance of impacting the Moon in December 2032, potentially creating a kilometer-wide crater and a visible flash from Earth. Scientists are awaiting further observations to refine its trajectory and assess potential debris risks or opportunities for defense system testing.
The James Webb Space Telescope has found a unique exoplanet. This Jupiter-sized world orbits a pulsar closely. Its atmosphere is made of helium and carbon, with soot clouds. Scientists are surprised by this composition. The planet's gravity is stretched by the pulsar. This discovery challenges current understanding of planet formation. Read here to know more!
Asteroid Apophis will make a historic close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, passing within 32,000 kilometers. While initial fears of a collision were widespread, years of observation and simulations have confirmed Apophis poses no threat for at least a century. This harmless encounter offers a unique scientific opportunity to study the asteroid in unprecedented detail.
A new hypothesis from Columbia University astrophysicist David Kipping suggests humanity’s first sign of alien life won’t be a greeting, but evidence of collapse. Drawing on astronomy’s detection bias, he argues we’re most likely to notice civilisations at their loudest and most unstable moments, not at their peak, a bleak twist on decades of first-contact expectations.
A stunning photo from the International Space Station connects Earth's aurora and city lights with the distant Andromeda Galaxy. This image, shared by astronaut Don Pettit, highlights how space-based observation reveals atmospheric phenomena, human activity, and our place in the vast cosmos. Such visuals foster scientific understanding and public engagement with astronomy.
Get ready for a celestial spectacle in 2026! Witness a 'ring of fire' solar eclipse, a deep red lunar eclipse, and a rare Blue Moon. The year culminates with a spectacular total solar eclipse paired with the Perseid meteor shower, plus a supermoon on Christmas Eve. Don't miss NASA's Artemis II lunar mission!
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is revealing surprising details about its journey. Scientists observed unusual, wobbling jet-like features in its sun-facing anti-tail, suggesting a rotation period of about 15.5 hours. This offers a rare glimpse into the behaviour of a pristine object from another star system reacting to solar heat for the first time, aiding our understanding of planetary formation elsewhere.
Vast red glows observed from above the Pacific Ocean reveal extensive human activity: massive Chinese fishing fleets using red LED lights to attract giant squid. This artificial illumination, visible from thousands of meters, highlights the scale of modern distant water fishing and raises ecological concerns about disrupting marine life and predator-prey dynamics.
Earth's radio bubble, a century-old expansion of broadcast signals, now spans over 119 light-years. While these waves have reached nearby stars like Proxima Centauri, they are too faint and blended with cosmic noise for any civilization to decipher. Modern communication methods are also reducing the energy leaked into space, making Earth quieter.
Ancient wolf remains unearthed on a Baltic island suggest a complex relationship with humans 5,000 years ago. These wolves, brought to the island by people, shared diets and showed signs of care, hinting at a bond beyond mere coexistence. Genetic analysis reveals they weren't ancestors of modern dogs, raising new questions about early human-canid interactions.
Ancient oceans, driven by microscopic life, once pulled vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, leading to dramatic cooling and ice ages. This biological pump, fueled by plankton, highlights how marine ecosystems can profoundly reshape global climate. Today's changing oceans may trigger similar, unpredictable shifts, underscoring life's power to alter planetary conditions.
Water's colour, often unseen in small amounts, reveals itself in larger bodies like the sea. Scientists explain that water absorbs red light more than blue, a phenomenon noticeable only with significant depth. Particles, algae, and even sky reflection further influence the hues we perceive, turning clear water into a vibrant spectacle.
The Red Sea is a vital global trade route connecting Europe and Asia. This narrow sea boasts incredible marine biodiversity with numerous fish and coral species. Its name's origin remains a mystery, with theories linking it to bacteria, cardinal directions, or coastal terrain. The Red Sea is a place of natural wonders and human history.
Astronauts do not need sunscreen in space because their advanced spacesuits and spacecraft windows are designed to block harmful UV radiation. These engineered protections, rather than topical lotions, ensure safety from the Sun's harsh rays during extravehicular activities and inside habitats. A rare suit tear did cause one astronaut sunburn, highlighting the critical role of this technology.
A 15,600-year-old human footprint discovered in southern Chile is now believed to be the earliest confirmed sign of human presence in South America. This discovery, made near Osorno, predates the previously accepted earliest settlement by about a thousand years, potentially altering migration timelines.
Skywatchers, take note! A 'black moon,' a rare lunar timing event, occurs when there are two new moons in a single month or the third new moon in a four-new-moon season. While invisible, these nights offer the darkest skies, perfect for stargazing and astrophotography. Plan your celestial observations for 2026 with our new moon calendar, featuring IST times.
Human radio waves have inadvertently altered Earth's radiation belts, creating an unexpected barrier that modifies radiation behavior. While solar storms can rapidly create temporary, powerful radiation belts, human activity has caused a more subtle, long-term change. This dual influence necessitates a reevaluation of space environment models for future space exploration and technology.
Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to screening CVs or scheduling interviews. Two unsettling Reddit accounts describe interviews where neither side realised they were speaking to a machine. Perfect answers, repeated phrasing and lifeless precision exposed the truth. The stories hint at a near future where human presence in hiring becomes optional, and increasingly difficult to verify.
A bus-sized asteroid successfully completed a routine flyby of Earth on December 22, 2025, at a safe distance. NASA confirmed the event, emphasizing that the object was tracked well in advance and posed no threat. This flyby served as a clear demonstration of how near-Earth objects are monitored and understood by scientists.
Astronomers are closely watching asteroid 2024 YR4. This space rock may hit the Moon in December 2032. The impact could be visible from Earth. It could also send debris towards Earth. This poses a risk to satellites and future human missions. The James Webb Space Telescope will provide more data. Scientists are monitoring the skies for safety.
President Trump has unveiled a new executive order prioritizing space exploration, aiming to return humans to the Moon by 2028 and establish a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. The directive also emphasizes Mars missions, orbital missile defense systems, and fostering a commercial space economy, underscoring a renewed focus on space as a key US strategy.
Mars' abundant ice offers a revolutionary solution for future human settlements. Scientists propose using this frozen water as a primary building material, providing crucial insulation against extreme temperatures and harmful radiation. This sustainable approach significantly reduces reliance on Earth-based supplies, making Mars colonization more practical and cost-effective, paving the way for a new era of space exploration.
Archaeologists in Mexico unearthed a unique cube-shaped skull. This discovery sheds light on ancient cranial deformation practices. The skull belonged to a man who lived over a thousand years ago. This ancient tradition involved reshaping a child's skull using boards and bandages. The findings suggest possible cultural links across ancient Mesoamerican regions. Read more about this here!
Indian-origin professors have pioneered America's first monolithic 3D AI chip, fabricated in a US foundry. This breakthrough, developed by a multi-institutional team, significantly boosts AI performance and energy efficiency by stacking memory and processing units vertically. The innovation tackles the 'memory wall' bottleneck, paving the way for faster, more powerful AI systems and strengthening domestic chip manufacturing.
The South American lungfish genome, the largest animal genome sequenced at 91 billion base pairs, has been fully decoded. This breakthrough offers insights into evolutionary biology, revealing that genome size doesn't equate to organismal complexity. The lungfish's genetic makeup provides a glimpse into the transition of vertebrates from water to land.
Isro's LVM3-M6 mission will launch the BlueBird Block-2 satellite on December 24 for AST SpaceMobile, aiming to provide global high-speed mobile connectivity directly to smartphones. This next-generation satellite, the largest and heaviest commercial payload for LEO by Isro's LVM3, will enable 4G and 5G services worldwide, bridging connectivity gaps for billions.
Venus, often called Earth's twin, hides extreme conditions and secrets. It is the solar system's hottest planet due to a dense atmosphere. Its atmosphere rotates faster than the planet itself. Venus also rotates backwards and is covered in volcanoes. The atmospheric pressure is immense. It shows phases like the Moon and is the brightest planet in the night sky.
Two massive, unusual structures, dubbed low shear velocity provinces, have been discovered deep beneath Africa. Scientists believe these formations, hundreds of kilometers thick, are composed of ancient oceanic crust that subducted into the mantle millions of years ago. Their unique composition and density cause seismic waves to slow, influencing volcanic activity and heat flow on the surface.
Indian scientists have unearthed a surprising connection between Srinivasa Ramanujan's 1914 pi formulas and modern physics, particularly theories describing black holes and turbulent fluids. These extraordinary mathematical insights, previously unexplained, now appear to mirror the underlying mathematics of systems exhibiting scale invariance and extreme change, offering new avenues for scientific discovery.
Get ready for two spectacular solar eclipses in 2026! An annular 'ring of fire' event on February 17 will grace parts of South America and Africa. Later, on August 12, a breathtaking total solar eclipse will sweep across Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, with partial views for much of Europe. Remember to use certified eye protection for safe viewing.
A wildlife photographer's chance observation in Italy's Stelvio National Park led to the discovery of thousands of dinosaur footprints from the Late Triassic period. These 210-million-year-old tracks, attributed to large herbivores like Plateosaurus, reveal insights into their calm group movements and potential social behaviors. The extensive find offers a rare glimpse into prehistoric life on the European continent.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is about to make its closest appearance to Earth today. This event is significant for astronomers studying the object. The comet offers a rare opportunity to examine matter from another star system. Scientists are observing how it behaves when exposed to sunlight. The comet poses no danger to Earth.
Space is becoming a dangerous place due to more satellites. A new CRASH Clock shows a critical risk of collisions. Solar storms can disable satellites, leading to potential chain reactions. Scientists warn urgent action is needed to prevent a space disaster. The situation is dire, with less than three days' warning possible.
Jared Isaacman is now NASA's 15th administrator. The Senate approved him, paving the way for crucial missions. Isaacman will lead the Artemis program, aiming to land humans on the Moon again. He also plans for Mars exploration. His experience in private spaceflight is expected to boost collaboration. NASA faces challenges including budget cuts and personnel reduction.
Albert Einstein's dying wish for cremation and secret ash scattering was partially ignored. While his body was cremated, pathologist Thomas Harvey removed his brain and eyeballs. The eyes, given to his ophthalmologist, remain in a New York safe deposit box, their purpose unclear and their existence a quiet contradiction to Einstein's rejection of physical veneration.
Scientists studying one of the Pacific’s most active underwater volcanoes were stunned to find hammerhead and silky sharks living inside its crater. Footage captured near the Solomon Islands showed the animals swimming through hot, acidic water previously thought uninhabitable. Researchers say the discovery raises new questions about how marine life survives extreme environments and adapts to climate stress.
NASA is undertaking a vast observation effort for comet 3I/ATLAS. This interstellar visitor is being studied by multiple spacecraft and telescopes. Researchers aim to understand its composition and origin by comparing it with solar system comets. The comet will be closest to Earth on December 19, offering a viewing opportunity with telescopes.
La Niña returns to the Pacific after a brief neutral phase. This event, expected from September to December 2025, is considered weak. Its influence on global weather and climate patterns is being closely monitored. Changes in sea level, rainfall, and temperature are anticipated across continents. Researchers are tracking ocean temperatures and atmospheric circulation for disaster preparedness and climate outlooks.
Albert Einstein’s death in 1955 set off an extraordinary and ethically fraught afterlife for his brain, secretly removed by a hospital pathologist and kept for decades. Intended as a scientific quest, the episode instead became a prolonged saga of disputed consent, questionable research, and a specimen that wandered far from Einstein’s own wishes before finally reaching museums.
Recent research suggests that small, carbon-rich asteroids could be invaluable economic and scientific resources, offering water, organic materials, and precious minerals for space missions. These primitive bodies, acting as time capsules, hold the key to fueling future exploration and reducing Earth's resource dependency, despite current technical challenges in large-scale mining.
While Mars doesn't directly control Earth's climate, its gravity subtly influences our planet's orbit and tilt over vast timescales. These predictable orbital shifts, affecting sunlight distribution, have historically driven ice ages. Scientists emphasize this gravitational nudge is distinct from rapid, human-caused global warming, offering crucial context for understanding Earth's long-term climate history.