Jayant Narlikar wrote alternative what-if histories, explained difficult scientific theories with funny analogies, and leavened his lectures with jokes and humorous asides.
The elusive Higgs boson, or the "God Particle" that may solve the fundamental questions about the formation of the universe has been found, scientists are likely to announce on Wednesday.
Wondering what all that scientific jargon means? Confused about what the mystery of the God particle is all about? Here's a lowdown on what the scientists are seeking to do.
Four cities in neighbouring Pakistan and one in China are among the world's top 20 polluted cities.
New data from India's Chandrayaan-3 mission suggests that ice might be present at more locations on the Moon's surface than previously believed. The study, published in Communications Earth and Environment, analyzed temperature data collected by the ChaSTE probe onboard the Vikram lander. The researchers found that significant variations in surface temperatures can influence the formation of ice, with slopes angled away from the Sun potentially providing favorable conditions for ice accumulation. The findings have implications for future lunar exploration, suggesting that water-ice resources could be more accessible than previously thought.
In a 'quantum' leap in physics, CERN scientists on Wednesday claimed to have spotted a sub-atomic particle 'consistent' with the Higgs boson or 'God particle', believed to be a crucial building block that led to the formation of the universe.
As the world eagerly waits for an announcement on the finding of elusive Higgs boson particle, a leaked video suggests that the scientists have indeed found evidence for a new particle, possibly the Higgs, according to news reports.
The five-decade-long hunt for the elusive Higgs boson or the 'God particle' has reached a milestone, with scientists at the CERN claiming on Wednesday that they have discovered a new subatomic particle that looks like the one believed to be crucial for formation of the universe.
The world's largest and most respected centre for scientific research has shown how collaborative effort in the acrimonious field of particle physics can prove of enormous benefit to mankind.
The trial incineration of 10 tonnes of waste from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, responsible for the 1984 gas tragedy, began on Friday afternoon in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. The process, ordered by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, is expected to take 72 hours to complete. The waste includes soil, reactor residues, pesticide residues, and other materials. The State Pollution Control Board says the chemicals in the waste have become "almost negligible" and there is no presence of methyl isocyanate gas. The incineration process is being monitored by the Pollution Control Board and broadcast live.
The first round of trial incineration of 10 tonnes of waste connected to the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy has begun in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, amid tight security. The Supreme Court refused to intervene in the MP High Court's order directing the transfer and disposal of waste at a private company-operated plant in Pithampur. The trial incineration is being conducted in the presence of scientists from the central and state pollution control boards. Protesters have expressed apprehensions about harm to the human population and environment due to the disposal of this waste, but the state government has rejected these concerns, saying that solid arrangements are in place for safe disposal.
Blue Origin's 10th human flight, NS-30, will lift off from Launch Site in West Texas on Tuesday, February 25.
The city's 24-hour Air Quality Index, recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 418, up from 334 the previous day, and it may trigger stringent restrictions under the third stage of the graded response action plan to mitigate hazardous conditions.
Officials said Clade 1b strain has been detected in a 38-year-old man from Malappuram district who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.
The city's 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI), recorded at 4 pm daily, stood at 417, making it the worst in the country. On Friday, the AQI level was 396.
Over eight million deaths in 2021 were attributed to air pollution, affecting both children and adults alike.
Delhi's air quality plummeted to alarming levels on Tuesday after 24 days, with many areas witnessing a significant spike in pollution despite the strictest measures, including a ban on construction activities and the entry of trucks into the city, coming into force.
Indore-based Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, a Department of Atomic Energy facility, has played a major role in the supply of vital parts for Large Hadron Collider of European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
The city's air quality dropped to the "very poor" category, with an Air Quality Index of 330 at 10 pm.
Delhi's air quality improved for the second consecutive day on Thursday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded in the "moderate" category at 165. This marks a significant improvement from the "poor" category recorded on Tuesday. Several restrictions imposed under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were lifted, but some restrictions under Stage 2 remain in place. The Decision Support System (DSS) has not been updated since Friday, with technical difficulties hindering the update of data for the last six days.
According to ISRO officials, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from the Earth. The L1 point is about one per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will perform the final manoeuvre on Saturday to inject Aditya-L1 spacecraft -- the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun -- into its final destination orbit, some 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.
Data collected around L1 would provide insights into the origin, acceleration, and anisotropy of solar wind and space weather phenomena, it said.
All Indian salt and sugar brands, whether big or small, packaged or unpackaged, contain microplastics, according to a study published on Tuesday.
Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is getting ready for its launch soon, ISRO said on Monday.
Aditya-L1 spacecraft is designed for providing remote observations of the solar corona and in situ observations of the solar wind at L1 (Sun-Earth Lagrangian point), which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the earth.
The scene encloses a famous dialogue from SRK's movie Om Shanti Om: 'Itni shiddhat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai, shayad har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai.'
The Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system is about 1.5 million km from the Earth. It is about one per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.
The total solar eclipse of 2024 was a historic celestial event because it won't be visible across the contiguous US again until August 2044 and an annular eclipse -- which happens when the Moon can't completely blocks the Sun-- won't appear across this part of the world again until 2046.
Aditya-L1 is a fully indigenous effort with the participation of national institutions., an ISRO official said.
This will also help test the effectiveness of preventing the entry of Nipah in target cells.
Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space-based observatory that will study the Sun from a halo orbit around the first Sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from the Earth.
Aditya L1, the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun underwent the second earth-bound manoeuvre successfully, during the early hours on Tuesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation eased in January to 0.27 per cent, mainly due to moderation in prices of food items. WPI inflation was at 0.73 per cent in December 2023. The WPI inflation was in the negative zone from April to October and had turned positive in November at 0.39 per cent.
The study also examined whether chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, which generate dying cancer cells, could contribute to cancer's metastatic spread.
In 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre.
From hitting massive sixes, to scoring tons of runs, to producing breakthroughs, charismatic all-rounder Sunil Narine has been KKRs' go-to man for more than a decade in the IPL, and co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was effusive in his praise for the all-rounder, calling him the "Superman" and the real energy behind the team's success.
Shifting the focus to its next space odyssey after successfully placing a lander on the moon's uncharted South Pole region, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath on Saturday said that the country's maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 is ready and will be launched in the first week of September.
The Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion manoeuvre marks the beginning of the spacecraft's about 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun.
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