Science & technology

ISRO to demonstrate cost-saving technology The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will demonstrate a cost-saving Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology in a few months. “A helicopter will take the shuttle to a height and then release. The RLV will land automatically on the runway,” ISRO Chairman K. Sivan told reporters. …

A rocket carrying a satellite on a mission to deliver the world’s first artificial meteor shower blasted into space on Friday, Japanese scientists said. A start-up based in Tokyo developed the micro-satellite for the celestial show over Hiroshima early next year as the initial experiment for what it calls a …

India ranks third in the world in terms of high quality research publications in artificial intelligence (AI) but is at a significant distance from world leader China, according to an analysis by research agency Itihaasa, which was founded by Kris Gopalakrishnan, former CEO and co-founder of Infosys. The agency computed …

They developed in roughly the final 2% of the planet’s current age, say scientists Saturn’s rings are one of our solar system’s magnificent sights, but may be a relatively recent addition, according to data obtained from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft before the robotic explorer’s 2017 death plunge into the giant gas …

NATIONAL Gaganyaan top priority: ISRO SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI, JANUARY 19, 2019 00:00 IST UPDATED: JANUARY 19, 2019 05:37 IST SHARE ARTICLE PRINT A A A Spreading out:ISRO Chairman K. Sivan, right, addressing the media in New Delhi on Friday.R.V. Moorthy Spreading out:ISRO Chairman K. Sivan, right, addressing the media …

As complaints of power cuts continue to pour in even before the onset of summer, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is preparing to put in place a new army — AI (artificial intelligence)-powered chatbots — to deal with the innumerable calls and messages that its multiple helplines receive. Bescom …

High-resolution satellite data can precisely assess the status of poverty at household level in rural areas of developing countries, according to a study. If countries are to achieve the U.N. sustainable development goals, it is particularly important to track the living conditions in poor nations around the world where the …

The environment holds the key: study Scientists have uncovered why the venom of some snakes makes them so much deadlier than others. Some species, such as cobras, boomslangs and rattlesnakes, have far more venom than they apparently need. Why venoms vary so much in their ability to kill or incapacitate …

2,000 assessments showed that her gaze is not straight but to the viewer’s right German researchers say they have finally cracked the intriguing question of whether the Mona Lisa ’s eyes follow viewers around the room. The answer is a disappointing ‘no’. In science, the “Mona Lisa Effect” refers to …

Many believe that a historic Jesus statue, paraded every year, brings good fortune Throngs of believers flung themselves at a historic statue of Jesus Christ as it was paraded through the Philippine capital on Wednesday in an annual festival that is one of the world’s biggest shows of Catholic zeal. …