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Science Snapshots
Tech · 71 updates
Science Snapshots: July 19, 2026
Three recent important research developments, all readable in one minute
Making sense of embodied AI
Unlike the AI chatbots that learn from texts, images, and videos, embodied AI must master gravity and balance, which are profoundly difficult
A community for cosmic curiosity
Just like how certain stars connect to form beautiful constellations, astronomy and space lovers can come together to create clubs!
NASA Solves Mystery Of Near-Earth Object, Finds It Was A Hidden Comet
The scientists detailed their findings in a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Why engineering evolution is a high-stakes race between cure and chaos
The safest aircraft is one that does not take off. How we balance the risks and benefits of the flight of gene drives is a challenge that each country will address in different ways. The reality is that we will soon have field data on both the concerns and the benefits, and our discussions and debates need to be prepared for this future
Survival of the wittiest? Scientists debate if wit helped evolve language
By identifying ‘living fossils’ in modern speech, some researchers are arguing that human language evolved slowly through a ‘survival of the wittiest’. The theory suggests verbal humour was sexually selected over physical fighting, using visual brain regions to build the foundation of complex modern grammar
Do animals understand death? Scientists are asking cockatoos for answers
In a 2020 paper with cognitive scientist Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró, philosopher Susana Monsó argued that two forms of anthropocentrism — the belief that human beings are superior to all others — undergird humans’ reluctance to acknowledge animals’ ability to understand death
How the amino acid leucine helps our cells produce energy
Leucine offers both protection and more energy to cells and organs
Why scientists watched a gene hop from a predator into its prey
Jumping genes are responsible for the spread of antibiotic resistance and in the development of many cancers. Scientists are also studying circular RNA molecules, like the one derived from the jumping intron, as next generation vaccine platforms. Understanding jumping genes can thus have profound implications for medicine
Space Exploration Day | How are astronauts trained?
If you want to be in space, you’ll need training. A lot of it. Here’s a look at all the different training — from spacewalk to simulation — that astronauts undergo to be efficient and valiant when, after much waiting, they finally get to space!
An eye for an i #660: That’s one small step for man…
If you completed that headline by saying “one giant leap for mankind,” you know what’s coming. For the rest, who are more grounded, this is a quick timeline retracing the historic first human moon landing. On this Space Exploration Day, join A.S.Ganesh as he takes you from start to finish on humanity’s historic voyage that spanned a little over a week in July 1969...
Celluloid story: An action-packed invention
Did you know that billiard balls used to be made from elephant tusks? Or the plastic that was invented to replace it contributed handsomely to the early years of the cinema industry? A.S.Ganesh introduces you to the elephant in the room, before going into an action-packed celluloid story…
Space Exploration Day | Life at the International Space Station
Ever wondered how life would be if you were living in space for a while? Here’s a sneak peek of how astronauts live the ‘high’ life (pun intended)
Scientists Discover Atmosphere Around Earth-Like Planet That Could Support Water
Representative Image
Astronaut Shares View Of Wildfire Smoke Appearing As Smear From Space
The image was captured by the NOAA GOES-19 satellite.
Ancient Kevda Fossils Found In Assam Show Plant Is Older Than Human Civilisation
Researchers recovered four fossil leaves from Tikak Parbat Formation.
Space Exploration Day | Meet the parts that make space exploration possible
Every space mission is a team effort. Beyond the rocket and astronauts, specialised parts like launch vehicles, orbiters, landers and rovers work together to explore space. Here’s what each one does.
Your brain can be trained, much like your muscles – a neurologist explains how to boost your brain health
Your brain is not passively wearing down with age. It is constantly remodeling itself in response to how you use it
Psychedelics are revealing how the brain builds the sense of self
Psychedelics can temporarily ‘loosen’ the brain patterns that support the feeling of a ‘me’, allowing researchers to watch that system reorganise itself in real time
How groundbreaking new brain atlases capture development in motion
New brain atlases combine several advanced mapping methods to trace how neurons and glia form, migrate, and diversify across time and species, turning static brain charts into a dynamic developmental reference
AI and the brain: similar in scale, different in design
GPT-4 introduced mixture-of-experts architectures that activate only specialised portions of a network for a given task. This resembles the brain’s selective recruitment of different regions
Are new neurons born in the adult human brain? Study revives debate
Amid a morass of conflicting studies, new research — from researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm — has provided further evidence for adult neurogenesis using modern sequencing and machine-learning methods, infusing new life into a long-standing debate with important scientific and practical implications
Decoding brain bleeds: evolving treatments promise encouraging results
As news comes in of celebrity Kim Kardashian being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, here’s what you need to know about the condition. A brain aneurysm is a balloon-like outpouching or protrusion affecting the blood vessels of the brain. A haemorrhage happens when the wall of the balloon becomes weak and ruptures. Diagnosing and treating them early is critical to successful outcomes
What makes the brain the most complicated object in the universe
For the first time, the thoughts and impressions of people unable to communicate with the outside world were translated into continuous natural language, using a combination of AI and brain imaging technology
Jupiter's Moon Europa Holds Hidden Ocean With Potential Clues About Life Beyond Earth
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Parts of Assam were once under sea: Study
A team from Nagaland University probed a prominent middle-Eocene sedimentary rock formation in Karbi Anglong district to arrive at a conclusion
Ozempic For Cats? Weight-Loss Drugs May Help Overweight Pets
Excess weight raises a pet's risk of diabetes, arthritis, heart disease.
How Magnetic Forces Could Help Grow Replacement Tissues And Blood Vessels
Researchers developed artificial blood vessels using a novel mechanical stretching method.
2,000 volunteers join a painstaking effort to restore massive skeleton of prehistoric predator
Mastodonsaurus lived about 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic period. It was an underwater ambush hunter, preying mainly on fish and smaller amphibians
Scientists Discover First Evidence Of 2 Companion Stars That Exploded As Supernovas
Road deaths have declined globally since 1990 except in poorer countries, study finds
New estimates show road deaths are declining in the U.S. and globally
Andhra Scientist Wins Danish PhD Fellowship Worth 3.6 Crore For Sustainable Agriculture Research
The highly competitive fellowship will support Bathineni's three-year doctoral programme.
Night owls may have more belly fat, higher blood sugar, poorer lipid profiles: Study
The research highlights that when people eat may be just as important as what they eat
Spouses May Increase Risk Of Dementia By Up To 70%, New Study Finds
Representative image.
Himalaya’s birds grapple with a seasonal drop in insect prey
The Hindu’s weekly Science for All newsletter explains all things Science, without the jargon.
‘Virtual magnet’ claims reveal why EVs need their rare-earth magnets
A large amount of effort has gone towards replacing permanent magnets in the rotor with either electromagnets or just a piece of iron. However, efficiency, starting torque capability, and the maximum speed achievable are some important constraints that have kept these motors out of EVs
Beyond childhood: the expanding possibilities of cochlear implants for hearing restoration
One of the myths surrounding cochlear implants is that they are only meant for children. Adults of all ages can be implanted successfully, as long as they have undergone a suitable evaluation
IISc researchers decode how a virus hijacks host protein machinery
Zoopharmacognosy — when animals medicate themselves
Based on the fact that animals use plants to treat themselves, plant biologists have coined the term ‘zoopharmacognosy’ — ‘zoo’ stands for animals, ‘pharmaco’ for medicines, and ‘gnosy’ for knowledge
Scientists Capture Orcas Smashing Giant Sunfish Into Thousands Of Pieces
The footage shows a female orca holding the tail fin of a recently killed sunfish.
Watch: Killer Whale Rams 1,800Kg Sunfish So Hard It Explodes Into Pieces
Researchers described it as an entirely new behaviour.
Scientifically Speaking: AI changing biology but it won’t cure all diseases
In an Anthropic survey of nearly 52,000 Americans, almost half included curing cancer or Alzheimer’s among their top hopes for AI
Almost all countries overuse antibiotics, contributing to drug resistance: Analysis
60% of the countries were found to be still using antibiotics that WHO considers should no longer be prescribed
More than half of the world’s migratory bird species are declining: Study
NASA Study Finds Mars Auroras Form Through A Process Similar To Earth's
The discovery is based on data collected by NASA's MAVEN mission.
This Common Gym Supplement May Give Cancer-Fighting Cells An Energy Boost
This gym supplement may boost killer T cells, helping them fight cancer more effectively.
Gut-microbe study races to capture what urban diets erase in urbanising India
India has an estimated 89.8 million adults living with diabetes as of 2024, according to the International Diabetes Federation’s lates study
Experts bat for modern knee replacement tailored to patients
Personalised arthroplasty and medial-pivot implant designs are increasingly being adopted to improve joint function, range of motion, and long-term outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis
Researchers look at biomarkers which can predict dengue severity
Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Virology in the capital are now engaged in a large prospective study of 2,000 dengue patients to study the critical biomarkers or its combinations that can predict dengue complications and severity.
AI Says: Where Love Really Lives: Brain Vs Heart
NASA Plans AI-Powered Mission To Collect Saturn Ring Particles Directly
Scientists say the technology could also be used in future planetary exploration missions.
67 amphibian and 76 reptile species found in Shendurney survey
Though separate surveys of amphibians and reptiles have been held earlier, this is the time that a combined amphibian-reptile survey was conducted across four days this month.
Vedic knowledge plays a vital role in Indian knowledge system, says South Asia LPG Limited MD
IIT Jodhpur Researchers Decode Brain Mechanisms Behind Attention, Memory And Emotions
MoU signed to boost innovation in medical robotics
Fields Medal: Hong Wang makes history as star mathematicians claim 2026 honours
Wang has become the third woman to win the Fields Medal, after Maryam Mirzakhani and Maryna Viazovska; Wang and Deng are also the first Chinese nationals to win since 1982
Comet which makes appearance once in 5.5 years now visible in Bengaluru sky
The comet has been becoming brighter during June and July, and it will continue to be observable through late July and the first half of August, with peak visibility occurring around August 2 and 3
NASA Astronaut Shares Breathtaking Photos Of Nile River From Space
The images capture the natural patterns and colours of Earth.
IIT Madras Researchers Develop Cooling Design To Stop Electronics From Overheating
IIT Madras design stands out for its antiparallel arrangement and use of an O-ring.
Guam’s snake invasion began after WWII. Now DNA shows 19,000 changes
Brown tree snakes invaded Guam after World War II, causing ecological damage. These snakes now exist in extremely high densities across the island. New research reveals thousands of hidden DNA changes in the snakes. This genetic flexibility helps them adapt to new environments and survive. The findings challenge previous understandings of invasive species and inbreeding.
German scientists find microbes that remove 95% of uranium from contaminated wate
Angola dam site reveals 15th-century burials after landmines cleared
Archaeologists excavating a site in central Angola before it is flooded by a hydroelectric dam have uncovered the country's oldest radiocarbon-dated burials, earliest known stone structures and only known ancient urn cremation. Dating to the early 1400s, the discoveries provide new evidence of organised communities and burial traditions before European arrival.
These 600,000 Mosquitoes Won't Bite You, Here's Why They're Being Released In Washington
Because onlymale mosquitoes arereleased, they donot bite humansor feed onblood
Study Reveals The Sun Contains More Silver Than Scientists Previously Thought
The findings were published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Science of deception: Why our brain loves to lie
Let’s explore how evolution taught our brains to deceive in order to avoid conflicts.
Andromeda Galaxy entering ‘middle age’
The Andromeda’s star formation rate has been steadily dropping, especially over the last 40 million years
Rare Arctic squid filmed guarding eggs in sub-zero water for first time
Scientists documented a rare Arctic bobtail squid guarding its eggs in Northeast Greenland. This marks the first confirmed in situ record of Rossia moelleri in its natural habitat. The observation occurred in the world's largest national park, a remote Arctic fjord. This finding fills a gap in understanding Arctic cephalopods and their reproduction. It provides a baseline for tracking marine life in a rapidly warming Arctic region.
Rare Amazon turtle hatchling born without its species’ dark colours
A rare albino turtle hatchling emerged in Bolivia’s Manuripi Reserve. This unusual sighting draws attention to conservation efforts for vulnerable species. Conservationists are closely monitoring turtle reproduction and nesting sites. Habitat loss and illegal trade pose significant threats to native turtles. Continued monitoring and protection are vital for species survival.
Why 21.5 million more Americans may need statins
Rare video shows Andean bear entering river in Bolivia watershed
A rare Andean bear has been captured on camera near the headwaters of Bolivia's Parapetí River, giving conservationists hope that the vulnerable species continues to use the protected forest. Experts say the sighting also highlights the link between wildlife conservation and protecting vital water sources.
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