Author: Science India Bureau
Image Courtesy: NASA Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla—affectionately known as Shux—returned to the Earth on July 15 aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Grace, concluding an 18‑day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) under the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4). The capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California at approximately 3:01 pm IST (2:31 a.m. PDT), completing a 22‑hour re-entry journey from undocking on July 14. The Ax‑4 crew, led by veteran US astronaut Peggy Whitson and accompanied by Poland’s Sławosz Uznanski‑Wisniewski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, conducted more than 60 scientific experiments during its stay, representing contributions from 31 countries. Shukla’s mission…
Image Courtesy: NASA News 30 July 2025; 5.40 pm The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F16 rocket carrying the earth observation satellite lifted off from the second launch pad of the space centre at 5.40 p.m. Eighteen minutes later, it injected the satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit. “The GSLV-F16 vehicle has successfully and precisely injected the NISAR satellite weighing 2,392 kg into its intended orbit,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan said after the launch. FIRST JOINT VENTURE…
YOUNG SCIENTIST/ Dr JITENDRA K SAHU In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of medical science, some individuals quietly transform the way we understand and address complex health conditions. One such name is Dr Jitendra K Sahu, a renowned child neurologist from PGIMER, Chandigarh, whose trailblazing work in the field of childhood epilepsy has earned him the prestigious Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award 2024 in Medicine. Recognised globally for his research on infantile spasms and genetic epilepsy syndromes, Dr Sahu’s efforts are shaping the future of pediatric neurology not just in India, but across South Asia and beyond. BRAINSTORMS OF…
TECH TALK /POCKET SENSOR FOR SO2 In a significant breakthrough for environmental safety and public health, a team of scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, has developed a pocket-sized sensor capable of detecting sulfur dioxide (SO2)—a silent but dangerous air pollutant—at extremely low concentrations. Sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas commonly released from vehicular emissions, industrial processes, and power plants, is notorious for triggering respiratory problems such as asthma attacks, irritation of the airways, and long-term lung damage. Due to its colourless nature and the delay between exposure and visible symptoms, SO2 often escapes detection…
International News As the world approaches a climate tipping point, COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10-21, 2025, has already been hailed as one of the most consequential United Nations climate conferences since the Paris Agreement of 2015. With escalating extreme weather events, intensifying geopolitical divides, and widening gaps in climate finance, COP30 arrives at a moment of both urgency and opportunity—a juncture where global leadership, equity, and scientific realism must converge. Belém, located in the heart of the Amazon basin, is not just a symbolic venue; it is a statement. The Amazon rainforest, often called the “lungs of…
YOUNG SCIENTIST/ DR JAGADIS GUPTA KAPUGANTI In a defining moment for Indian agricultural science, Dr Jagadis Gupta Kapuganti has been awarded the prestigious Vigyan Yuva–Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (VY-SSB) under the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 for his outstanding contributions in Agricultural Sciences. Recognised as one of the nation’s most promising young researchers, Dr Kapuganti’s innovative work on enhancing nitrogen-use efficiency in crops marks a major stride towards sustainable farming and food security in India. Dr Kapuganti serves as Scientist VI at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) in New Delhi. He earned his PhD from the University of…
Visionary Indian space scientist and former chairman of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan passed away in Bengaluru on 25 April. He was 84. Paying tribute on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Two days ago, we lost the country’s great scientist, Dr K Kasturirangan ji. His contribution in lending newer heights to science, education, and India’s Space Program shall always be remembered. ISRO attained a new identity under his leadership”. One of the architects of the modern Indian space programme and a stalwart of Indian science, Padma Vibhushan Dr Kasturirangan was a key figure behind India’s New…
Image Courtesy: Twitter International News We all have heard about frozen water, frozen liquid and even frozen nitrogen, which is a gas. But frozen light? Sounds like an idea from a sci-fi film! In a groundbreaking achievement, a team of Italian scientists has successfully frozen light and demonstrated that it can behave like a supersolid. This discovery, published in the Nature journal on 5 March, under the title ‘A Supersolid Made Using Photons’, marks a major leap in quantum physics. It has been described as “only the beginning” of understanding supersolidity. The research team, led by Italian physicists Antonio Gianfate…
YOUNG SCIENTIST/ PROF PRABHU RAJAGOPAL Prof Prabhu Rajagopal, a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), was recently conferred with the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu. He was awarded the Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in the newly introduced category of Technology and Innovation. This prestigious award recognises his pioneering contributions to remote assessment technologies for infrastructure assets, an area where he has combined expertise in mechanical engineering, robotics, and ultrasonic technologies to bring significant advancements. His contributions in guided ultrasonics, submersible robotics, and non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of infrastructure have not only advanced…
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0/ FacetsOfNonStickPans The Union Budget 2025-26 made an important announcement of the creation of a Makhana Board in Bihar. The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in her budget speech on 1 February announced an allocation of Rs 100 crore for this initiative. “A Makhana Board will be established (in Bihar) to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana… The Board will provide hand holding and training support to makhana farmers, and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant Government schemes,” said the Finance Minister. Sitharaman highlighted the success of…