In 1996, two students discovered an ancient skeleton, dubbed “The Ancient One,” near the Columbia River. DNA analysis revealed the 9,000-year-old remains are genetically linked to Native Americans, resolving a long-standing debate. Representative Image (Image Credits: Google Gemini) In the year 1996, two young college students, struggling with the intense heat of July on a…
A routine renovation in Turkey’s Cappadocia in 1963 unearthed Derinkuyu, a vast underground city. This ancient marvel, extending 85 meters deep, housed thousands with residential areas, stables, and sophisticated ventilation. Most people who take a sledgehammer to a basement wall are looking for extra storage space or a hidden pipe. But in 1963, a homeowner…
A young boy’s desert exploration led to an incredible find. Jude Sparks stumbled upon a fossilised tusk and skull. This prehistoric beast, a stegomastodon, lived over a million years ago. Representative Image (Image Credits: Google Gemini) It was supposed to be a normal afternoon of exploring the desert. In November 2016, nine-year-old Jude Sparks was…
In 1974, farmers in Shaanxi, China, digging for water near the Li Mountains, unearthed fragments of terracotta figures. A terrible drought struck the province of Shaanxi in 1974. The farmers there, who wanted to help themselves out, began to dig a well on the hills around Li Mountains, not far from Xi’an. No water came…
Astronomers announced they discovered the TOI-201 planetary system, which greatly expands our understanding of how solar systems form and develop. It is located 370 light-years from Earth, has three distinct objects (a super-Earth, a warm Jupiter, and a very massive brown dwarf) and contains a dynamic gravitational interaction. Unlike the solar system we inhabit, as…
Among the myriad of actions performed exclusively by humans, crying appears to be the most enigmatic. While no other animals are known to cry, humans shed emotional tears from birth throughout life. As suggested by some scientists specialising in evolutionary biology, rather than being an act of vulnerability, crying is, in fact, a highly developed…
In Brazil, scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology of São Paulo State University (ICT-UNESP) are working on a new way to safely treat drinking water. They have found that a saline extract from the seeds of Moringa oleifera can be used to remove microplastics from drinking water. By taking advantage of the coagulant…
The latest imaging work on ancient Egyptian remains has brought unusual clarity to mummified body parts that were sealed for over two millennia. Scientists using advanced CT and 3D scanning technology have examined limbs, skulls, and a foot that dates back more than 2,300 years. The remains, reportedly from between 401 and 259 BCE, were…
BENGALURU: Inside a seminar room at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Monday, astronaut Group Captain Angad Pratap laid out a scenario spacecraft designers prefer never to confront: a crew module hurtling back to Earth with its primary Navigation, Guidance and Control (NGC) system compromised.His answer is not to replace automation, but to add…
Researchers in China have discovered the 11th new lunar mineral, ‘Cerium–Magnesium Changesite,’ from the first Moon meteorites recovered in China. This important advancement, announced by the China Geological Survey, represents a major development within extraterrestrial geology. The new mineral is colourless, transparent and brittle, with unusual physical characteristics such as a distinct fluorescence effect and…
Ernst Öpik’s journey from Estonia to Northern Ireland is a story shaped by war, forced migration and scientific achievement. A respected astronomer and astrophysicist, he left his homeland during the Second World War as Soviet forces advanced across Eastern Europe. Like thousands of Estonians in 1944, he fled the Red Army and began a long…
Antarctica has long been seen as Earth’s frozen shield, vast, remote, and seemingly unbreakable. Yet scientists are now warning that some of its most fragile regions may have crossed a dangerous threshold. What was once a slow, measurable retreat of ice is increasingly being described as something far more serious: a tipping point. This so-called…
