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  Air pollution linked to higher risk of blindness: Study

  November 26, 2019 13:44 IST

  The findings were based on 111,370 participants of the UK Biobank study cohort, who underwent eye tests from 2006 to 2010 at sites across Britain. The participants underwent a test to measure intraocular pressure, and a laser scan of the retina to measure thickness of their eye's macula, the central area of the retina.

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  Scientists make low-calorie sugar using bacteria

  November 25, 2019 14:52 IST

  In the study published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers described a process that may unlock the commercial potential of this low-calorie, low-glycemic sugar.

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  NASA's BRUIE to hunt for life on distant ocean worlds

  November 24, 2019 23:53 IST

  The underwater rover is NASA's hope for exploring distant ocean worlds, such as Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus.

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  New marker helps predict mice prone to alcohol addiction: Study

  November 24, 2019 13:54 IST

  Researchers have discovered a new brain-circuit system in mice that sheds light on how the rodents transition from moderate to compulsive alcohol consumption -- an advance that may lead to the development of new approaches to study drug addiction in humans.

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  Pacific Ocean temperature swings violently in industrial age: Study

  November 24, 2019 13:55 IST

  The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, compared chemical deposits found on present-day corals -- that are dependent on water temperature -- with similar deposits on older coral records representing relevant sea surface temperatures from the past 7,000 years.

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  Real time NASA satellite data may help cut disaster response time, cost: Study

  November 23, 2019 19:16 IST

  Emergency responders could cut costs and save time by using near-real-time satellite data along with other decision-making tools after a flooding disaster, according to a study by NASA. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, estimated the value of using satellite data in disaster scenarios.  

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  Despite abundant water, this place on Earth has no life

  November 23, 2019 17:42 IST

  The infernal landscape of Dallol, located in the Ethiopian depression of Danakil, extends over a volcanic crater full of salt, where toxic gases emanate and water boils in the midst of intense hydrothermal activity.

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  ISRO to launch 14 satellites in 27 minutes on 27th Nov

  November 23, 2019 14:40 IST

  India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket is expected to put 14 satellites into orbit in about 27 minutes after its lift off at 9.28 a.m. on November 27 from the second launch pad at the Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be sending up its PSLV-XL variant with 14 satellites.

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  'Brightest yet gamma ray emission in space observed'

  November 21, 2019 13:42 IST

  The researchers, including those from George Washington University in the US, detected a burst on January 14 labeled GRB 190114C which led to a collaborative effort to observe the radiation coming from the source using more than 20 observatories and instruments around the world.

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  Noise a 'global pollutant' threatening over 100 animal species: Study

  November 20, 2019 18:21 IST

  The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, provides the first quantitative evidence for legislative bodies to regulate noise pollution more effectively. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the noise is one of the most hazardous forms of pollution, the researchers noted

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  NASA confirms water vapour on Jupiter's moon Europa

  November 20, 2019 15:51 IST

  The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, measured the vapour by peering at Europa through W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, US.

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  How birds influence each other in coordinated flight decoded

  November 20, 2019 11:53 IST

  The researchers said they did not consider pigeon social patterns for their estimation since earlier research had shown that hierarchies between the birds were independent of the dominance they exhibited during flight. Chen and his team suggested that their method could be used to study other coordinated behaviours, and plan to examine the collective functioning of cells in the immune system.

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  In a first, extraterrestrial sugar found in space rocks

  November 20, 2019 11:02 IST

  The team discovered the sugars by analyzing powdered samples of the meteorites using gas chromatography mass spectrometry, which sorts and identifies molecules by their mass and electric charge.

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  Radiation from CT scans increases thyroid cancer risk

  November 19, 2019 18:53 IST

  Published in the journal JNCI Cancer Spectrum, the study based on a National Health Insurance dataset in Taiwan between 2000 and 2013 followed 22,853 thyroid cancer, 13,040 leukemia and 20,157 non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases.

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  'Trash talk' hurts even more when it comes from a robot: Study

  November 19, 2019 15:43 IST

  Discouraging words such as "I have to say you are a terrible player" can be disturbing for people even when uttered by a robot, according to a study presented here.

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  Climate change may double greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater lakes: Study

  November 19, 2019 13:50 IST

  The researchers said that changing the vegetation around freshwater areas could change the organic molecules that end up in the water. 

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  Arctic Ocean may be ice-free for part of year by 2044: Study

  November 18, 2019 12:34 IST

  Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US noted that as long as humans have been on Earth, the planet has had a large cap of sea ice at the Arctic Circle that expands each winter and contracts each summer.  

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  Arctic Ocean acidification may cause emission of more harmful greenhouse gas: Study

  November 17, 2019 17:05 IST

  The gradual acidification of the subarctic region of the Pacific ocean, is causing a significant increase in the production of nitrous oxide, an ozone-depleting greenhouse gas, according to a study.

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  Environmental DNA test may reveal where birds flock together: Study

  November 17, 2019 12:43 IST

    The researchers, including those from the Charles Darwin University in Australia, developed a genetic probe that targets and identifies the eDNA of the endangered Gouldian finch -- a rainbow-coloured bird found in northern Australia.  

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  Megadrought linked to powerful ancient civilisation's collapse: Study

  November 16, 2019 11:46 IST

  The researchers found that the megadroughts that affected the empire started decades earlier than previously thought, and also discovered that the region experienced one of the wettest times in the period prior to the megadrought in a span of nearly 3800 years.

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  2017 North Korean nuke test equal to '17 Hiroshimas': ISRO study

  November 15, 2019 16:16 IST

  The 2017 nuclear test by North Korea shifted the ground by a few metres, and was 17 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945, according to scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).  

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  Chandrayaan 3 Launch: India may again attempt soft landing on Moon in Nov 2020

  November 15, 2019 11:59 IST

  After an unsuccessful bid two months ago, India may attempt another soft landing on the Moon by next year-end, probably in November, sources in ISRO said on Thursday. The Indian Space Research Organisation had constituted a high-level committee, headed by S Somanath, Director of Thiruvanathapuram-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, the lead centre responsible for all launch vehicle programmes of ISRO, to prepare a report on the proposed Chandrayaan-3.

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  Arctic ocean may be invaded by microbes from tropics, affecting ecosystems: Study

  November 15, 2019 10:56 IST

  The two studies, published in the journal Cell on Thursday, found that the diversity of microscopic organisms habiting the Earth's oceans are the least at the higher latitudes -- nearer to the poles -- and increase in a gradient towards the equator.

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  Scientists 'unlock' photosynthesis to help meet growing food demand

  November 14, 2019 17:23 IST

  The study, published on Thursday in the journal Nature, reveals the structure of cytochrome b6f -- the protein complex that significantly influences plant growth via photosynthesis.  

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  Modern apes smarter than pre-humans: Study

  November 14, 2019 15:14 IST

  The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, challenges the long-held idea that, because the brain of Australopithecus was larger than that of many modern apes, it was smarter.

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  Elon Musk-led SpaceX completes key Crew Dragon static fire engine tests

  November 14, 2019 15:10 IST

  "Full duration static fire test of Crew Dragon's launch escape system complete -- SpaceX and NASA teams are now reviewing test data and working toward an in-flight demonstration of Crew Dragon's launch escape capabilities," SpaceX tweeted on Wednesday

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  AI tool to predict life expectancy in heart failure patients

  November 14, 2019 14:06 IST

  The machine learning algorithm based on de-identified electronic health, records data of 5,822 hospitalised or ambulatory patients with heart failure at UC San Diego Health in the US.

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  'How rabies virus blocks out immune response decoded'

  November 14, 2019 12:56 IST

  The researchers, including those from the University of Melbourne in Australia, said many viruses, including the one that caused rabies, which kills more than 60,000 people globally each year, targeted the human protein STAT1 and related proteins to shut down the host's immune defences.