Science

The uranium experiment that went wrong triggered the discovery of nuclear fission. Image credit – Wikimedia While conducting some meticulous experiments in Berlin towards the end of 1938, two chemists, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman, saw something that defied the scientific laws of the period. Following their bombardment of uranium with neutrons, they analyzed the…

The chemist licked his fingers after dinner, and uncovered the first artificial sweetener. Image credit – Wikimedia The odd flavor detected while eating dinner sparked one of the greatest innovations in the modern food industry. In 1879, Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist, was experimenting in Ira Remsen’s chemistry laboratory in Johns Hopkins University. He noted that…

Henri Becquerel accidentally uncovered radioactivity by keeping photographic plates in the dark. Image credit – Wikimedia Some of the greatest scientific discoveries started out unexpectedly. One such case was a finding made in 1896 by the French scientist Henri Becquerel during experiments with phosphorescent substances. Photographic plates, which had been wrapped together with uranium salts,…

An ancient Spanish coin, minted 2,000 years ago, was mistakenly used as bus fare in Leeds in 1950. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Imagine opening your wallet after an exhausting commute, only to pull out a couple of normal pennies, only to find a piece of currency once used to circulate through the old Mediterranean. This…

The deep Antarctic drill that pulled up air from a world long before humans. Image credit – Gemini Deep under East Antarctica, scientists are drilling into one of the oldest frozen records in the world. But the ice isn’t the only thing they seek. The air bubbles locked inside it hold many secrets. The Beyond…

A significant ancient artifact, the Venus of Willendorf, was unearthed in Austria in 1908. This small statue, made from stone transported over 450 miles, challenges previous beliefs about Ice Age societies. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons In some cases, the turning points in the course of history take place not in royal castles, but rather in…

A new scientific study is quietly changing the way researchers understand human evolution. It focuses on something surprisingly small: ancient tooth proteins preserved inside fossils around 400,000 years old. These teeth were discovered in China and are linked to early human ancestors. The findings suggest that long-lost human populations may have interacted in ways scientists…

The emergence of a fresh alert on the climate front continues to make rounds in meteorological circles across the globe. Preliminary reports indicate that the currently forming El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean will grow to become extremely strong within the next few months. There is a possibility that it will be the strongest…

Mount Uturuncu, a Bolivian volcano, is not on the brink of a massive eruption as previously feared. New research reveals its ‘zombie’ behaviour stems from migrating hydrothermal fluids and gases, not an imminent magma buildup. A huge shadow has been hanging over the Bolivian Plateau for many years. Standing more than 6,000 meters above the…

In 1978, utility workers in Mexico City unearthed the massive Coyolxauhqui Stone, a significant Aztec artefact. This discovery revealed the Templo Mayor, the empire’s religious and political centre, buried beneath the modern city. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Any digging in the concrete of a modern metropolis would most likely bring up only remnants of ancient…