A major development in sustainable architecture has enabled researchers to convert ordinary timber into an advanced thermal reservoir. In this case, lignin is removed from wood through chemical modification and phase change materials are added, giving rise to a new product that has been termed ‘solar battery,’ which stores solar energy collected by a building…
Experiencing a Giant Sequoia is more than just an experience with nature; it’s an experience of sheer impossibility. Within the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, a veritable forest full of these ancient giants defies our understanding of biology and the scale of living organisms. Consider how truly large an organism must be to exceed the…
Thorns in different plant species have always been an interesting subject for botanists. Be it rose plants or cactus, they use thorns to protect themselves from herbivorous animals. It was long unknown to researchers about the genetic development of thorns in plants. This has been clarified recently through the discovery of how genetic mutations can…
Quote of the day by Rosalind Franklin (Image source: Britannica) Some scientists stand out not only for their discoveries, but also for how clearly they saw responsibility and progress. One such person was Rosalind Franklin. She was famous for her groundbreaking work on DNA structure, and she also believed strongly that scientific work should have…
BENGALURU: In the race to find safer and cheaper alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, scientists in Bengaluru may have found a promising step forward, by fixing a problem that has long held aluminium batteries back.A research team led by Kavita Pandey of the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), a Department of Science and…
BENGALURU: When the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) wrapped up its high-altitude human behaviour simulation near Leh on April 9, much of the focus was on what it could reveal about crew psychology. Less visible was the role played by a Bengaluru-based firm that enabled the exercise on…
Forests seem sturdy and solid from the outside, but there might be something happening silently underneath. Some fungi can cause trees to decay internally and leave them weakened without showing any sign of it. Researchers are cautioning us that these seemingly insignificant beings could be pointing towards a more serious environmental problem, which is global…
Our oceans encompass over 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface area; however, the depths of the oceans represent one of mankind’s most mysterious frontiers. Under thousands of meters of water and tremendous pressure are many geological anomalies, biological marvels, and historically mysterious things that defy our existing scientific knowledge. Examples of this are the…
In terms of plant nutrition, the root system is traditionally viewed as the main access point to nutrients. Ground-breaking research, however, has demonstrated an additional survival strategy with elegant sophistication. Plants in some of the world’s highly nutrient-poor environments have developed a strategy for ‘eating’ minerals found in aerial dust and, subsequently, avoiding exhausted soil…
You walk into a room and suddenly feel every eye on you. Before you can even process what is happening, warmth rushes to your face. Your cheeks turn red, your skin tingles, and the more you think about it, the worse it gets. Blushing feels uncontrollable and often embarrassing, yet it is one of the…
