Much of what exists on social media is not conversation or even argument. It is sheer gossip Gossip plays a crucial role in one of our greatest epics. I am talking of the Ramayana, and what Sita has to undergo as a consequence of, yes, gossip after she has been …

A rare case of organ transplant failure highlights the need for outcome registries in India In a rare instance in Mumbai last month, the organs of a 59-year-old brain-dead patient, that were harvested and transplanted, failed in all the three recipients. One of them, a 32-year-old being treated for renal …

Critical hardware swapped to back-up units, solar panels pointed towards sun Barely a week after NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope entered safe mode, the Chandra mission has also suffered a glitch possibly due to the failure of the gyroscope, the US space agency said. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory, observing the universe …

Injected bacteria transferred the pigment-producing genes to the rose genome It may soon be possible to breed blue roses in your garden, say scientists who have found a way to express pigment-producing enzymes from bacteria in the petals of a white rose. Researchers including those from Chinese Academy of Sciences …

Drug safety results of over 5,000 patients showed significant reductions in patient mortality while no new safety signals have emerged In a recent Rapid Communication, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made important changes in the regimens to treat patients with multidrug-resistant TB (resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin). Two of the …

‘High-risk’ zones need special conservation attention Human–animal conflict is common in the Himalaya like any other region where wildlife and people live together. A study of patterns of leopard attacks here reveal that some areas are high-risk zones requiring urgent conservation measures for the safety of both man and beast. …

The silk scaffold has seamless junction between the cartilage and bone portions Implanting cartilage alone or injecting cells found in healthy cartilage (chondrocytes) at the site of injury to heal the damaged cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis does not produce favourable results. Similarly, implanting two different scaffolds joined together to …

As Sri Lankans grapple with rapidly soaring living costs, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament last week that “the increase of oil prices is inevitable in the current global context”. Fuel prices went up from six to eight rupees — 92-octane petrol costs LKR 155 (roughly Rs. 68) — slowly …

Banksy’s impact beyond the conventional art world has been profound, says Dave Stuart, who runs Shoreditch Street Art Tours in London. Banksy’s humorous, often bitingly political, thought-provoking pieces introduced the media and the public to the world of street art and showed those aspiring street artists, who believed they had …

Staving off tough competition from priceless Chinese antiques, the crème de la crème of European art and Japan’s own woodblock print masters, the hottest museum tickets in Tokyo currently are to Borderless: the world’s first permanent digital art museum. teamLab, the collective behind the museum, is transforming the very ontology …

It was a day when the gloves were off. The spiralling trade war between China and the U.S. visibly mutated into what appeared to be the beginning of a new Cold War. On October 8, when Beijing was in its mid-autumn prime, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, wheeled …

Mnuchin says Trump’s tariffs will have the opposite effect U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday pushed back against warnings that Washington’s trade fight with China imperils the world economy, saying that pushing Beijing to open up will be good for all. The IMF had warned this week at annual …

U.S. President says there will be ‘severe punishment’ if the missing journalist is found murdered U.S. President Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned that Washington would inflict “severe punishment” if he was found murdered. The Saudi critic has not …

DSRV can be mobilised from Mumbai The Navy has inducted its first deep submergence rescue vehicle to rescue downed or disaster-struck submarines on the high seas. India has now joined a select group of countries that have the capability to locate “distressed submarines”. At present, the U.S., China, Russia and …

’Statue of Unity’ gets finishing touches The 182-metre-tall ‘Statue of Unity’ dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, touted to be the tallest statue in the world, is being given final touches as it is set to be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31. The statue is being built …

Queen mother invites traditional leaders from four States for a meeting The Bastar Dialogue, aimed at furthering peace in the Red Corridor, concluded in Jagdalpur on Saturday with the passing of a resolution and finalising a roadmap towards achieving peace in the Dandakaranya region. Krishna Kumari Devi, the queen mother …

Garba, the traditional dance from Gujarat, connects the entire world and gives people abundant joy — this is the essence of a song penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about 25 years ago. As various parts of the country celebrate Navratri, a group of visually challenged girls from Andh Kanya …

Groups seek contracts to maintain sewerage systems safely When Maya’s husband died in a sewer in the north-western Delhi suburb of Rohini in 2002, she was left with four small children and no means of livelihood. After years of scrounging, odd jobs, and dependence on relatives, she is now prepared …

Cong. says Parrikar is being retained as CM because he has details on Rafale deal Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Saturday said the BJP was forced to continue with Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister because he was privy to many details about the Rafale deal. The Congress objected to …