Science

damselflyRepresenative image from Canva For much of the 20th century, the Santa Cruz River that winds through Tucson, Arizona, existed more as a memory than a living waterway. Groundwater pumping, drought and urban growth drained the riverbed, leaving long stretches of dry sand and scattered pools. Then, in a quiet but transformative experiment, treated wastewater,…

In 1999, scientists dropped 45 tons of wollastonite over a 29-acre New Hampshire watershed A large-scale effort to restore an American forest damaged by acid rain had an unexpected environmental effect when added nutrients caused a huge increase in nitrogen flowing into nearby streams. In October and November 1999, researchers spread about 45 short tons…

In this image posted on Sept. 1, 2026, The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F17) stands integrated on the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Scheduled for liftoff on September 4, the 19th GSLV flight will place the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-05 into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. (Image…

The Amazon River is one of the world’s largest and most powerful river systems, carrying an extraordinary volume of freshwater across South America before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Its immense flow is closely connected to the vast Amazon basin, which receives water from rainfall, tributaries and sources in the Andes. The river carries approximately…

Centuries after people forced a Cumbrian river into a straight, artificial channel, nature has reclaimed its original course in the Lake District, bringing endangered wild fish back to historic spawning grounds almost immediately. In the summer of 2016, conservationists restored a 1.1-kilometre stretch of Swindale Beck near Haweswater by putting its natural bends back into…

Image: Left/Wikipedia/Right/Gaby Barathiue, Ocean Image Bank The world’s oceans cover most of the planet, yet vast areas remain difficult to protect, monitor and manage. In June 2026, Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic organisation announced a fresh $260 million commitment to expand the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, bringing its total support for ocean conservation to $635 million. The investment…

PC: LinkedIn Profile of Aadit Krishna A Union County teenager has developed a floating water-purification system designed to tackle PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a class of persistent chemicals called ‘forever chemicals’. Aadit P. Krishna, whose research focuses on decentralised water purification, developed HelioPure as a solar-powered platform that can operate on surface water. The…

In 1896, American electrical engineer William Hadaway received the first patent for an electric stove, marking an important step in the development of electric cooking. His patent came just four years after Canadian executive Thomas Ahearn put together the first electric range in 1892, as cooking technology was moving beyond wood, coal and gas. According…

Thecacera sesama. Image Credit: Ho-Yeung Chan An accidental encounter by a student during a recreational dive has led to the formal description of a ‘tiny new sea slug’ from the waters of north-eastern Taiwan. ‘Ho-Yeung Chan’ first noticed the animal while diving and later helped establish that it belonged to a species previously unknown to…

Quote of the day by Richard Feynman (Image: Wikipedia) Not knowing the answer to a question can often feel like a weakness. In school, at work and even in everyday conversations, people may feel pressure to appear knowledgeable and confident, even when they are uncertain. American physicist Richard Feynman viewed uncertainty very differently. Known for…