Month: March 2026

    As the world rapidly expands solar power to combat climate change, a new challenge is emerging: the growing mountain of discarded solar panels. Experts warn that by 2050 the global solar industry could generate nearly 88 million tons of solar panel waste, creating an urgent need for large-scale recycling solutions. The rapid expansion of solar energy installations has been largely driven by China, which dominates the global photovoltaic manufacturing supply chain. According to projections from the International Energy Agency, solar photovoltaics are expected to account for around 80 percent of new renewable power capacity added worldwide over the next five years. Recycling challenge grows as solar panels reach end of life While solar power is considered a key t...

    Residents of Lakshadweep are witnessing a major improvement in their daily lives as desalination plants begin providing clean drinking water across several islands. During a recent visit to the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plant in Kavaratti, Union Minister for Earth Sciences and Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh interacted with local residents who shared how the new facilities have eased long-standing water shortages in the region. For decades, many households depended on small wells near their homes, but the water was often salty due to the islands’ close proximity to the sea. Abdul Rehman, a resident of Kavaratti, told the Minister that life has changed significantly since desalinated water became available. “Earlier we used to drink salty w...

    India is expected to witness sharply contrasting weather conditions on Monday, March 9, as rising temperatures trigger heatwave alerts in parts of northwest India while rain and snowfall are forecast for the Himalayan region. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi is likely to experience a warm and partly cloudy day with the maximum temperature reaching between 34°C and 36°C significantly above the seasonal average for early March. Minimum temperatures are expected to remain between 16°C and 18°C. Meteorologists said temperatures across the plains of northwest India are currently three to five degrees Celsius above normal. Hill states such as Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are experiencing even higher deviations, with temperatures re...

    VIJAYAWADA: After decades of hardship caused by contaminated groundwater and a rise in kidney-related illnesses, residents of A. Konduru mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Tiruvuru constituency are finally set to receive a reliable source of safe drinking water. The long-awaited Krishna Water Supply Project, developed under the Jal Jeevan Mission at a cost of Rs 49.4 crore, has reached its final stage and is expected to be inaugurated in March. The initiative has been actively pursued by MP Kesineni Sivanath and aims to bring treated water directly to households across the region. Safe Water for Thousands After Years of Health Crisis The project will supply treated drinking water sourced from the Krishna River to 38 affected habitations in A. Konduru mandal. Once operatio...

    More than six decades after a spectacular Bronze Age hoard was unearthed near the town of Villena, researchers have confirmed that two of its most puzzling objects were crafted from iron that fell from space. The discovery reshapes understanding of early metallurgy on the Iberian Peninsula and suggests that ancient metalworkers were experimenting with meteoritic material between 1400 and 1200 BCE centuries before the region’s Iron Age officially began. The hoard, known as the Treasure of Villena, was discovered in 1963 and is regarded as one of Europe’s most important prehistoric gold assemblages. It contains more than 60 objects, most of them finely worked gold pieces carefully stored inside a ceramic vessel. But among the shimmering gold artifacts were two it...

    Astronomers have confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice outside our Solar System for the first time, spotting frozen water grains in a debris disk surrounding a young star just 23 million years old. Using the powerful instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers detected the unmistakable spectral signature of crystalline ice in a dusty ring encircling the star HD 181327, located about 155 light-years from Earth. The discovery provides some of the clearest evidence yet that water a key ingredient for life may be common in young planetary systems across the galaxy. HD 181327 is an F-type star, far younger than our 4.6-billion-year-old Sun. At just 23 million years old, it represents a planetary system in its formative stages. Surroun...

    The Moon Earth’s closest celestial companion is gradually shrinking as its interior cools, according to scientists studying lunar geology. While the process has unfolded over billions of years, fresh analysis suggests the contraction may be occurring faster than previously estimated. Researchers at the National Air and Space Museum’s Centre for Earth and Planetary Studies say the phenomenon is linked to the steady loss of internal heat. As the Moon cools, its interior contracts, forcing the crust to wrinkle and compress much like a grape turning into a raisin. The findings build on earlier work by Thomas R. Watters, a senior scientist emeritus at the centre, who first presented evidence in 2010 that the Moon has been shrinking over geological time. Scientists e...

    On hazy winter mornings in Delhi, the air people breathe at street level may not reveal the full extent of pollution exposure. A new peer-reviewed study published in npj Clean Air reports that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations were up to 60% higher at around 100 metres above ground compared to levels recorded near the surface during severe haze episodes. The findings raise concerns that conventional ground-based monitoring systems may be underestimating exposure risks in high-rise urban environments. Researchers deployed a custom-built drone equipped with low-cost particulate matter sensors to conduct vertical air profiling over South Delhi in March 2021. On one particularly hazy morning, PM2.5 levels reached approximately 160 micrograms per cubic met...

    The second edition of the Indian Bison Fest will be held on March 8, 2026, at Zeropoint inside the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary. Organized by the Hirakud Wildlife Division, the two-day festival celebrates the Indian bison, locally known as ‘Gayala’, and highlights the sanctuary’s growing importance as a gaur conservation hub. Located in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, Debrigarh has emerged as one of eastern India’s key landscapes for protecting the Indian bison (gaur), the world’s largest bovine species. According to the latest census conducted in January 2026, the gaur population in the Debrigarh-Hirakud landscape has reached 848, marking a net increase of 190 animals within a year. Nearly 235 of them are juveniles below two years of age, accounting for about 30% of...

    A new study from Auckland University of Technology suggests that planting large native canopy trees at the beginning of forest restoration projects rather than waiting years could simplify efforts and reduce costs across Aotearoa New Zealand. The findings, published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, challenge the traditional staged approach to forest restoration, which typically prioritizes fast-growing “nurse” plants before introducing slower-growing canopy species. Conventional restoration methods recommend planting early-successional nurse species first. These hardy plants provide shade and shelter, improving conditions for late-successional canopy trees that are introduced later. But researchers from AUT’s Living Laboratory program monitored 1,840 canop...