Science

The Pentagon is creating a new office to investigate unidentified flying objects amid concerns that after broad probes it cannot explain mysterious sightings near highly sensitive military areas. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, working with the US director of national intelligence, ordered the new investigatory body to be established in the US Defense Department’s

Machine learning (ML) methods are not only supplementing the already available technology but are also taking scientific research further ahead. Now, a new deep learning method has added a whopping 301 exoplanets to the total tally. These planets were added to the already validated 4,569 planets which are orbiting several distant stars. The additions were

NASA is preparing a mission to deliberately smash a spacecraft into an asteroid — a test run should humanity ever need to stop a giant space rock from wiping out life on Earth. It may sound like science fiction, but the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) is a real proof-of-concept experiment, blasting off at 10:21pm

NASA is set to test a laser technology in space. This mission is aimed at speeding up space communications. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will be launched on December 4 after a two-year delay. The technology will be launched into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket during the Space Test Program

A University of Glasgow researcher has made a device that will enable pet dogs to communicate with their owners over long distances. Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a specialist in animal-computer interaction at the university’s School of Computing Science, has been building devices for her 10-year-old Labrador for a while now. Her focus is on building devices

Binoculars, often referred to as binocs/ bins/ nocs are the birders best ally in the field helping them spot, identify, and fully appreciate the beauty of the birds. Like a superior tool enhances the craft of an artisan, so does a good pair of binocs enhance the ability and overall experience of the birder. Binoculars

NASA has shared a stunning image of an “undersea world” from deep space. The image is of the Cosmic Reef and it comprises two different nebulae. The first nebula, with a hue of red and blue against a black backdrop dotted with sparkling lights, is a vast star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a

Final rehearsals for NASA’s planetary defence test are already underway. The one-of-a-kind mission, which will launch next week, is set to intentionally crash a spacecraft into an asteroid to deflect its path. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will attempt to hit the moonlet asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger asteroid called Didymos. None of

There is a growing amount of space debris, comprising everything from dead spacecraft and spent rocket parts to the junk created by anti-satellite tests. This junk is whizzing around at incredible speeds, posing a serious threat to communications satellites and the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian ASAT test last week even sent astronauts aboard

If anyone has a good idea on how to put a nuclear fission power plant on the Moon, the US government wants to hear about it. NASA and the nation’s top federal nuclear research lab on Friday put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system. NASA is collaborating with the US Department

Data from almost four decades ago can suggest the presence of a ninth planet in the Solar System. The hypothetical Planet Nine has been in the talks among scientists for some time but no one has yet observed it. Michael Rowan-Robinson, professor of astrophysics at Imperial College London, dived into 38-year-old data and now he

Mars has now emerged as the new frontier, with most space-faring nations focussing on the exploration of the Red Planet. The idea behind exploring Mars is to find signs of life, understand its climate, and figure out natural resources. However, a new research suggests that explorers looking for ancient life on Mars could be misled

Over the years, businesses have increasingly turned to automation and robotics for undertaking many jobs. Since COVID-19 forced people to the confines of their homes, many enterprises introduced robots to perform tasks to help reduce human contact. From cleaning floors to disinfecting, the kind of tasks that robots can do has expanded manifold. Yet when

Have you ever imagined what the sound of a nebula in deep space is like? Thanks to NASA, we can now hear the sound of the Butterfly Nebula through data sonification as it soars across space at more than 966,000kmph. The data sonification process converts data to sound. The Butterfly Nebula, also known as NGC

A question that has often intrigued scientists is from where do all the heavy metals, including gold and uranium, come from? How did they originate? While all heavy metals have formed under extreme conditions inside stars or due to stellar explosions and collision of neutron stars, the question remains: when and why was the material

There has been a lot of debate on whether space-time travel through wormholes is possible or not. Most studies have suggested these hypothetical shortcuts are not possible as any passage of a vehicle through one would instantly lead to its collapse. However, a new theory says space-time travel through wormholes may be possible after all.

Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in our solar system, has the most spectacular and complex ring system. Earth may soon have its own set of rings, according to researchers at the University of Utah, US. These rings which may develop around our planet, however, will be made up of space

A Russian anti-satellite missile test has created a debris field in low-Earth orbit of more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris, forcing the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in their spacecraft for safety, the US said. This direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test has also likely generated thousands of smaller

There’s some good news for people suffering from Type 1 diabetes. More than 40 healthcare professionals and legal experts have for the first time issued guidance for using Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology-driven systems to manage their condition. Traditional monitoring of Type 1 diabetes involves taking blood samples and calculating precise insulin dosages to maintain blood sugar levels. This

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia’s Roscosmos plan to launch their joint Mars rover mission in 2022. It was earlier planned to take off in 2020, but got delayed for several reasons. The main cause behind the delay is that the journey from Earth to Mars is only attempted when the planets are favourably