Science

Earthquake-resistant technology may soon become simpler, cheaper and far more reliable thanks to a newly patented steel sphere cylinder developed by researchers at the University of Sharjah. The passive seismic damping device, created by civil engineering professor Moussa Leblouba, uses friction generated by steel balls inside a hollow cylinder to absorb earthquake vibrations in buildings,…

The world’s largest river delta is so massive that most people never guess it. Image credit – Wikimedia When people consider world-famous river deltas, the Nile often comes first due to its importance in the history of Egyptian civilisation. However, in terms of the size of the delta, lands are compared among experts and geographers,…

In 1940, a cracked silicon crystal at Bell Laboratories led Russell Ohl to discover the p-n junction, a pivotal moment for electronics. Strange current jump on a fractured piece of silicon opened the door to solar cells. Image credit – Wikimedia In 1940, a cracked silicon crystal at Bell Laboratories led Russell Ohl to discover…

The Chemists were vapourising carbon and noticed a perfect 60-atom cage. Image credit – Gemini While conducting experiments on the vaporisation of carbon atoms in 1985, chemists Harold Kroto, Robert Curl, and Richard Smalley obtained surprising results that showed the stability of a cluster comprising only 60 carbon atoms. This molecular structure became famous by…

Parakeets fluttering in and out of people’s houses, gardens and urban parks are becoming a regular occurrence in many places. However, experts suggest that the bright green parakeets might actually provide information on climate change, biodiversity, urban ecology, habitat shifts and the state of the environment. In fact, according to the research done on ring-necked…

When Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado returned to his family land in Brazil during the 1990s, he reportedly found a devastated landscape instead of the lush forest he remembered from childhood. Years of deforestation, cattle grazing and soil degradation had stripped the land of wildlife, water and greenery. Rivers had dried up and much of the…

Starship test flight has been building for weeks, with space enthusiasts closely watching every update from SpaceX. The company’s massive Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful ever built, has become one of the most closely followed experimental space systems in the world. Now, the schedule has delayed the 12th flight test of Starship by…

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…

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…