Sunday, February 23News That Matters

Tag: System Sciences

Beneath the Himalayas Mysteries of the Indian Plate’s Hidden Dynamics

Beneath the Himalayas Mysteries of the Indian Plate’s Hidden Dynamics

Breaking News, Fact Check, Learning & Developments
For millions of years, the Himalayas have stood as a testament to the Earth’s geological power, their towering peaks born from the relentless collision of tectonic plates. But while these majestic mountains capture the imagination, the story beneath their surface is even more compelling. Scientists are now uncovering clues that shed light on the hidden movements of the Indian Plate, revealing processes that challenge long-held beliefs about how continents behave during collisions. The Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate have been in a slow-motion clash for over 60 million years, a collision that not only gave rise to the Himalayas but also set into motion a series of enigmatic processes deep within the Earth. Unlike dense oceanic plates, which readily subduct into the mantle, continenta...
Researchers Reveal Ancient Hotspot Shaped Formation of Great Lakes

Researchers Reveal Ancient Hotspot Shaped Formation of Great Lakes

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Learning & Developments
New evidence suggests that the Great Lakes owe their extraordinary size and depth not just to Ice Age glacial activity but also to ancient geological processes. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters highlights the role of a geographic hotspot that interacted with the Earth's lithosphere millions of years ago, reshaping our understanding of these iconic water bodies' origins. As the ancient supercontinent Pangea drifted over the hotspot, the Earth's lithosphere thinned. This thinning made the region's crust more fragile and susceptible to deformation, paving the way for significant geological transformations over time. Seismic Wave Analysis Confirms Deformation Seismic wave data provided key evidence for the hotspot's role. Unusual horizontal wave movements beneath ...
Scientists Demonstrate ‘Negative Time’ in Quantum Breakthrough

Scientists Demonstrate ‘Negative Time’ in Quantum Breakthrough

Breaking News, Learning & Developments
Researchers at the University of Toronto have achieved a remarkable milestone, demonstrating "negative time" in a cutting-edge quantum experiment. This phenomenon, where light seems to emerge from a material before entering it, challenges long-held notions about the flow of time and opens new doors to understanding quantum mechanics. The research focused on atomic excitation a process where photons absorbed by atoms elevate electrons to higher energy levels. Typically, when these electrons return to their original states, they release the absorbed energy, causing a time delay in the photons' transit. However, the Toronto team observed an unexpected twist: photons behaved as if atoms spent a "negative amount of time" in their excited states. This startling finding suggests that time, ...
Big Bang to Boundless Expansion: A Physicist’s Guide to the Ever-Growing Universe

Big Bang to Boundless Expansion: A Physicist’s Guide to the Ever-Growing Universe

Breaking News, Space
Have you ever tried to imagine how the Universe expands? Picture baking a muffin. As it bakes, the batter rises, and chocolate chips spread apart. The Universe’s expansion works similarly except there's no pan or edge. It grows into itself, an idea that’s as fascinating as it is hard to grasp. Unlike a muffin expanding into a baking pan, the Universe doesn’t expand into anything. It’s all dough no pan. Even if a pan existed, it would also be part of the Universe and would expand with it. This concept is mind-boggling because it’s so different from anything we experience in daily life. It’s like asking what’s farther north than the North Pole. Yet scientists define the Universe’s expansion by observing galaxies moving away from us, not by needing something for the Universe to expand i...
Indian Astronomers Detect Ultraviolet Emissions from Novae in Andromeda

Indian Astronomers Detect Ultraviolet Emissions from Novae in Andromeda

Breaking News, Space
Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have achieved a groundbreaking discovery, detecting far ultraviolet (FUV) emissions from novae in the Andromeda galaxy for the first time. Novae are transient astronomical phenomena marked by a sudden outburst of light from a star-like object, which gradually fades over time. Using data from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) aboard India's AstroSat, the IIA team identified these emissions while analyzing archival observations of Andromeda. AstroSat, India’s first dedicated space observatory, features UVIT as a key payload developed by IIA. During their study, the team uncovered ultraviolet emissions from 42 novae in Andromeda, including four captured during their explosive outburst phase. This discovery is significant...
Green signal given to PRITHvi VIgyan scheme to fight Natural Disasters

Green signal given to PRITHvi VIgyan scheme to fight Natural Disasters

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Learning & Developments
The Union Cabinet Chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the overarching scheme “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” of Ministry of Earth Sciences, for implementation during the period from 2021-26 at an overall cost of Rs. 4,797 crore. The scheme encompasses five ongoing sub-schemes namely “Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)”, “Ocean Services, Modelling Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)”, “Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER)”, “Seismology and Geosciences (SAGE)” and “Research, Education, Training and Outreach (REACHOUT)”. The major Objectives of the overarching Prithvi Scheme are: Augmentation and sustainance of long-term observations of the atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere and solid e...