BENGALURU: In the vast hierarchy of the universe, the smallest galaxies are often overlooked. But a new study now suggests they may hold clues to one of astronomy’s most persistent questions: how black holes first formed and evolved.Researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru have examined whether dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the tiny,…
Image: Left/Wikipedia/Right/ESA Space exploration got another boost recently when Elon Musk’s SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Rosalind Franklin rover into the red planet, Mars, in 2028 via the strong Falcon Heavy rocket. Sponsored by NASA and under the leadership of the European Space Agency, this mission is expected to start a new journey for…
A supermassive black hole binary system (two black holes orbiting each other) has been directly identified in the final stages of orbital decay in all of astronomy. These two supermassive black holes (each boasting a combined mass ranging from 100 million to 1 billion solar masses, the mass of the Sun) are located at the…
Water scarcity is emerging as a major threat in contemporary agriculture, necessitating the development of innovative means by which every drop of water should be put to use efficiently. Previously, irrigation was done through a universal method, in which all the trees were watered, thus causing inefficiency at times due to wastage. Luckily, an innovation…
NASA has released a document that sketches out one of its most ambitious space plans in decades. The so-called “Moon Base User’s Guide,” published in early April, lays out what it might actually take to build a permanent human presence on the Moon. It does not read like a finished blueprint. It feels more like…
In April 2029, asteroid Apophis will pass Earth at a distance that sounds almost unreal on paper. About 20,000 miles away from the surface, close enough that it sits inside the region where many satellites already orbit. It is not expected to hit Earth, and NASA has made it clear there is no known risk…
Scientists have intensely studied the Moon’s polar regions due to the ice found in Permanently Shadowed Regions. The newest study in Nature Astronomy confirms that the Moon has been accumulating ice for about 1.5 billion years. Researchers used data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to determine that the build-up of ice is a steady-state…
From high up in the sky, some of the remotest regions can tell a tale that can be perceived only when viewed from a high vantage point. In one particular photograph, there is a beautiful picture of a small lake hugging the edge of one of the oldest pieces of ice in all of Canada….
Scientists have developed a powerful new technique that acts like a “light switch” for oxytocin, often called the brain’s love hormone, allowing it to be activated with extraordinary precision. The breakthrough, led by researchers at the University of Queensland, enables scientists to release oxytocin in specific parts of the brain using light. This makes it…
Each spring in Kyoto arrives with a quiet anticipation. Buds swell, branches soften, and for a brief, luminous moment, cherry blossoms transform the landscape into something almost unreal. For Prof Yasuyuki Aono, this annual spectacle was not merely a cultural ritual but a lifelong pursuit of precision. A researcher at Osaka Metropolitan University, he spent…
