Science

Dan Shechtman found a forbidden pattern while looking at an aluminium alloy through an electron microscope. Image credit – Wikimedia When Dan Shechtman analysed the aluminium-manganese alloy rapidly cooled in April 1982 through a transmission electron microscope, the materials scientist found something unusual. The diffraction pattern on the metal revealed the tenfold symmetry, a structure…

Scientists have uncovered a colossal magma reservoir, the largest ever imaged, lurking miles beneath the Andes. This molten body, approximately 125 miles wide, is actively expanding, causing the entire Altiplano-Puna plateau to rise. In the high Andes region of South America lies the Altiplano-Puna plateau, a harsh, windswept terrain reminiscent of something found on another…

This discovery challenges the centuries-old perception of “classical purity,” showing a far more lively and decorated ancient world than previously understood. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons When you think of ancient Greece in the dark of night, what do you visualise? You are likely imagining a land that is full of white marble. This comes from…

B. F. Skinner (Image: Wikipedia) There is something slightly strange about the way people react to the word failure. Even hearing it can feel uncomfortable. The word carries weight. People hear it and immediately think about things that did not work out. Exams that went badly. Jobs they did not get. Plans that collapsed halfway…

A routine cleaning in 1900 at China’s Mogao Grottoes led to a major historical find. Monk Wang Yuanlu uncovered a hidden chamber, the Library Cave, packed with nearly 50,000 ancient documents and artefacts. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons Some of the greatest secrets of history come about simply while cleaning up after oneself. It was in…

A routine fishing trip in 1938 yielded an astonishing discovery: a living coelacanth, a fish thought extinct for 66 million years. This ‘living fossil’ challenged scientific understanding of evolution and extinction. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons Some of the greatest scientific findings indeed tend to occur when people least expect them to. For example, on one…

Maria Branyas Morera, who lived to 117, defied aging expectations. image Credit: Wikipedia Imagine having a 117th birthday celebration with a sharp mind, a strong heart, and enough energy for the daily walk. If you’re Maria Branyas Morera, this was not just a wish; it was her reality. Although most people think of getting older…

A routine fishing trip on Lake Michigan led to an extraordinary discovery: a pre-Civil War shipwreck, the George L. Newman. Image Credit: Gemini A typical weekend fishing trip ends with stories about what went wrong. When Tim Wollak and his six-year-old daughter, Henley, took their boat on a trip near Green Island on Lake Michigan,…

Quote of the Day by Nikola Tesla Some quotes sound wise immediately. People read them once, understand them, perhaps save them somewhere, and continue scrolling. Nikola Tesla’s quote is not really one of those. It behaves differently. It slows people down a little. You read it once, and there is a small pause afterwards because…

A unique, emoji-shaped Lake Rouge in Quebec vanished overnight due to a catastrophic outburst flood. Image Credit: NASA/Landsat The secluded boreal forest in southwest Quebec has secrets that are revealed when you study it with a keen eye or look at it from a distance of thousands of miles. Within this vast expanse, the remarkable,…