Science & technology

Scientists have developed a 3D printing technique that can recreate the complex geometry of blood vessels, and could one day be used to produce artificial arteries and organ tissues. A study, published in the journal Nature Communications , outlines a layer-by-layer printing method that features fine-grain, programmable control over rigidity. …

The purple urchin is mowing down kelp forests that are crucial as a critical habitat and a source of food for a wide range of species Early on a grey summer Saturday, an unusual assemblage — commercial fishermen, recreational boaters, neoprene-clad divers — gathered for a mission at Albion Cove, …

Even before the microbiome craze — the hope that the bacteria in your gut holds the key to good health — people were ingesting cultures of living microorganisms to treat a host of conditions. These probiotics have become so popular that they are being marketed in foods, capsules and even …

The loud crack rang out from the fog above the Baishui No. 1 Glacier as a stone shard careened down the ice, flying past Chen Yanjun as he operated a GPS device. More projectiles were tumbling down the hulk of ice that scientists say is one of the world’s fastest …

Women with an aggressive type of breast cancer lived longer if they received immunotherapy plus chemotherapy, rather than chemo alone, a major study has found. The results are expected to change the standard of care for women like those in the clinical trial, who had advanced cases of “triple-negative” breast …

As we go about our daily routines on Earth, Japanese robots are literally hopping about on the surface of a primitive asteroid called Ryugu, some 280 million km away. The data they are collecting might unlock some of the most fundamental mysteries of our solar system. The asteroid-exploring spacecraft, Hayabusa …

Indian researchers have developed a gel which, when applied on the skin, can inhibit some pesticides from getting absorbed into the body, thus averting serious adverse effects and even death. Organophosphate-based pesticides, which are commonly used by farmers in India, are toxic to the nervous system and heart, and can …

Pakistan said on Friday that India’s decision to buy S-400 missile defence system from Russia will further destabilise stability in the region and renewed the arms race. In a statement, the Foreign Office said the Indian purchase was part of its efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System …

China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday. Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, is developing “illumination satellites” which will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter, …

The United Nations has launched a strategy to deal with workplace mental health issues and the well-being of its staff. UN staff struggling with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder have reported feeling isolated and ashamed, with no one to turn to for help, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Noting …

State-of-the-art sensors that can measure stress levels, mood, posture, performance and even smell took centre stage at Asia’s top high-tech fair in Tokyo. The big-screen TVs and entertainment systems that were all the rage 10 years ago at the CEATEC fair have gradually been replaced by tiny sensors that accurately …

Egyptians practised fish farming more than 3,500 years ago, the earliest evidence of such activity worldwide according to a joint German-Israeli study released on Tuesday. Scientists studied 100 fish teeth found at archaeological sites across modern-day Israel to conclude they had been plucked from a lagoon in Egypt’s Sinai thousands …

After bees and birds, insects and other arthropods have also suffered massive losses, a study from a Puerto Rico forest published on Monday showed, citing the impact of climate change. Measuring the population of arthropods, which includes insects, caterpillars, and spiders, is not simple but one method is to place …

Facebook said on Wednesday that it was reviving the pioneering MTV reality show The Real World as its secret weapon to lure viewers away from YouTube. The social media giant said it was also trying to harness the formidable online power of the “cute kitten” factor with a new show …

The Zika virus behind the ongoing outbreak in Rajasthan is closely related to the virus that caused the Brazilian outbreak, according to Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Dr. Bhargava told The Hindu that the National Institute of Virology (NIV) had fully sequenced the …

NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope — which observes galaxies from the Earth’s orbit — is back in action after suffering a technical glitch and going into safe mode last week, the U.S. space agency said. The glitch occurred in one of Chandra’s gyroscopes, scientists said. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/nasas-chandra-observatory-back-online-after-brief-shutdown/article25243002.ece

Researchers have found the oldest clue yet to the mystery of animal life in ancient rocks and oils, including those from India, dating back at least 100 million years before the famous Cambrian explosion of animal fossils. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside in the U.S. tracked molecular signs …

Paul G. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft who helped usher in the personal computing revolution and then channelled his enormous fortune into transforming Seattle into a cultural destination, died Monday in Seattle. He was 65. The cause was complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family said in a statement. The disease …

Electric autorickshaws are set to make a foray into Kerala, with the coordination committee of six autorickshaw driver unions set to ink a pact with a private firm to roll out 200 such vehicles in Kochi on Monday. The vehicles, which are expected on the road in November, will primarily …

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is taking a particularly ambitious step, creating a new college backed by a planned investment of $1 billion. Two-thirds of the funds have already been raised, MIT said, in announcing the initiative on Monday. The college, called the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, …