Science

European hedgehog (Image Credit: Canva) What was once seen as a useful garden helper in New Zealand has become an unexpected threat to some of the country’s most vulnerable wildlife. European hedgehogs were deliberately introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century, with acclimatisation societies releasing them in the hope that they would help control…

Florence Nightingale, widely remembered as the “Lady with the Lamp”, became one of the most influential figures in the history of nursing and healthcare. Born in 1820, she challenged the expectations placed on women of her time and devoted her life to improving the treatment of sick and injured people. Her work during the Crimean…

Pythagoras is best known today for the mathematical theorem that bears his name, but the ancient Greek thinker was also associated with a broader philosophical tradition that explored morality, discipline, friendship and the pursuit of a virtuous life. One saying attributed to him offers a timeless reflection on the people we choose to keep close:…

At first glance, the fire salamander appears much as it always has: black skin broken by irregular yellow markings, a pattern long associated with the species’ chemical defences. But under ultraviolet light, that familiar appearance changes. According to the 2026 study published in the Royal Society, titled ‘Glandular biofluorescence in fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra): first…

A conceptual illustration of CD-35 2722, featuring an object resembling a moon (Credit: ESO) For decades, astronomers have been finding planets orbiting stars far beyond our solar system. More than 6,000 exoplanets are now known.But there is one glaring omission.Not a single moon outside our Solar System has been confirmed with the same level of…

Henrietta Lacks (Image Credit: Wikipedia) In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African-American woman, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. During her treatment, doctors removed tissue from her tumour for research without telling her or obtaining her permission. The cells behaved unlike any human cells scientists had successfully maintained before: they…

Representative image of CME (Image credit: Nasa) BENGALURU: Scientists have developed a computer model that could help predict how quickly powerful eruptions from the Sun will travel towards Earth, potentially improving warnings for disruptions to satellites, power grids and communication systems.The three-dimensional model was developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an…

While India is a country filled with annual cultural traditions, a natural one that returns every year without fail is the buzzing around the bed as soon as the monsoon rains begin pelting the ground. Most of the mosquitoes that entered homes and offices were removed with the help of α-cypermethrin, a widely used pyrethroid…

Ornithoptera priamus. Image Credit: Robert Nash/Curator of Entomology Ulster Museum/Wikipedia Butterfly wings could offer a unique solution to one of the biggest problems faced by solar panels, which is ‘sunlight that bounces away before it can be used.’ A study published in ‘Solar Energy’ explored how the tiny structures found on the black scales of…

A juvenile and an adult Black Drongo perch on a tree branch (ANI Photo) In 1935, the Japanese South Seas Development Company made a decision that would have repercussions for Mariana Islands’ ecosystems for nearly 100 years. In search of a natural method for controlling agricultural pests, they imported black drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus) from Taiwan…