NASA just released the first pictures the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) ever taken of jets of gas coming from new stars. These jets, which are moving very quickly, hit gas and dust in the Serpens Nebula, which is 1,300 light-years from Earth. The picture shows the nebula, which is home to a thick group of stars that are about 100,000 years old. It is made up of thin layers of orange, red, and blue gas and dust. Klaus Pontoppidan from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said that this event records how stars formed in the past. Before, these things were either blobs or couldn't be
On Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) accomplished an important milestone with the successful completion of the third and last Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX). The LEX series came to an end with this test, which took place at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka, at 7:10 IST. With an emphasis on the winged vehicle termed Pushpak's exact horizontal landing, ISRO highlighted the achievement on X, the former Twitter. At a height of 4.5 kilometres, the vehicle was dropped from an Indian Air Force Chinook chopper. Pushpak demonstr
Using its onboard remote sensing sensors, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Aditya-L1 spacecraft has successfully captured high solar fury. For India's first dedicated solar mission, which launched on September 2, 2023, and reached the Lagrangian point (L1) on January 6, 2024—127 days later—this is a noteworthy accomplishment. L1, which is positioned about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, enables the spacecraft to keep an eye on the Sun all the time. In May 2024, two important Aditya-L1 instruments recorded dynamic solar phenomena: the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph
The largest genome ever known, exceeding the human genome by more than 50 times, was found in a little, unassuming plant called Tmesipteris oblanceolata. With 160 billion base pairs, this fern surpasses both the previous record holder, Paris japonica, and the biggest genome, the marbled lungfish, by a substantial margin. Jaume Pellicer, an evolutionary scientist at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona, co-authored the study. Since he had previously assumed that P. japonica had the maximum genome size, this discovery caught him off guard. This plant, which is indigenous to the archipelago o
On Monday, Japan and the European Union published a joint statement pledging to collaborate on improving clean hydrogen consumption and supply, thereby promoting associated technology. This programme aligns with Japan's goal of being carbon neutral by 2050 and Europe's plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels. The European Commission's Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson, emphasised the importance of hydrogen being a worldwide commodity. She emphasised the need for EU-Japan collaboration to develop renewable and low-carbon hydrogen globally while maintaining regulatory standardisation. On M
Agnikul Cosmos, an IIT Madras-incubated firm, has launched the world's first rocket powered by a single 3D-printed engine. On Wednesday, the launch took place at 7:15 a.m. from Sriharikota. The Agnibaan-SOrTeD (sub-orbital technology demonstrator) was launched from Dhanush, India's first private launchpad founded by the firm. The mission's goal is to collect critical flight data and guarantee that systems for the startup's orbital launch vehicle, Agnibaan, operate optimally. Agnibaan employed India's first semi-cryogenic engine, which combines liquid and gas propellants, providing advantag
An endangered male plant, Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii), known as the world's loneliest plant, is being partnered with a female mate using artificial intelligence. The University of Southampton is leading the initiative, looking for E. woodii in South Africa, where the lone known specimen was discovered. All of the present members are male clones who cannot reproduce naturally. Dr. Laura Cinti, the project's leader, is employing drones and artificial intelligence to find a female E. woodii. She claimed that the E. Woodii story moved her and reminded her of a well-known tale of unrequite
Researchers have created an iron-based cathode material, which could lead to more affordable, safe, and ecological batteries. This novel material eliminates the need for expensive and precious metals such as cobalt and nickel, lowering the cost of producing electric vehicles. Oregon State University chemistry researcher Xiulei "David" Ji emphasised their success in changing the reactivity of iron metal. In addition to having a higher energy density than most advanced cathode materials used in EVs, iron costs less than a dollar per kilogram, far less than nickel and cobalt. These cost savin
Earlier this month, Mitsubishi Electric's TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronised Motion Testing Robot (TOKUFASTbot) broke a new Guinness World Record for solving a Rubik's cube in 0.305 seconds. This achievement beat the previous record by 0.075 seconds. TOKUFASTbot's success can be credited to its high-power, signal-responsive servomotors, which can complete each 90-degree rotation in 0.009 seconds, and an AI algorithm that accurately identifies and matches colours despite impediments. Mitsubishi engineers used motion-control technologies from their manufacturing processes to ensure the exac
South Korea announced a 26 trillion won ($19 billion) support package for its chip industry to stay competitive in areas like chip design and manufacturing amid intense global competition. To increase investments by semiconductor companies, President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled a 17 trillion won financial support programme via the government-run Korea Development Bank. "Win or lose, that depends on who can make cutting-edge semiconductors first," Yoon said, highlighting the crucial nature of the semiconductor industry. South Korea trails behind in chip design and contract manufacturing, even th