Sci &Tech

Sunita Williams’ retirement from NASA in December 2025 wrapped up almost three decades of distinguished service to one of the most demanding scientific institutions in the world. Recognised for her leadership aboard the International Space Station, long-duration missions, and calm decision-making under pressure, Williams retired not as a celebrity but rather as a United States…

Rice is a C3 plant, and C3 photosynthesis is less water-efficient in hot or dry conditions than C4 plants, e.g. maize. | Photo Credit: Steve Douglas/Unsplash A: Many rice-growing systems deliberately flood the fields and most of the water is lost to the air or to the ground. Farmers often maintain shallow flooding to stabilise…

Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, takes part in a panel discussion on artificial intelligence at the Technical University Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, February 7, 2025. Axel Schmidt | Reuters OpenAI is in talks with sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East to try to secure investments for a new multibillion dollar funding round,…

Sunita Williams is one of the most accomplished astronauts in the history of NASA, with a career highlighted by dedication, resourcefulness, and a lack of boastful fanfare in the face of quiet trailblazing throughout her career at the space agency. Chosen to be a NASA astronaut in the year 1998, Williams went on to have…

Those who perform exceptionally well at a young age versus those who do so in adulthood are rarely the same people, according to a December 2025 study in Science. This means “most early top performers don’t become top performers at peak age, and … most top performers at peak age weren’t early top performers,” the…

Jeff Bezos holds the aviation glasses that belonged to Amelia Earhart as he speaks during a press conference about his flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard into space, in Van Horn, Texas, July 20, 2021. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Jeff Bezos‘ space venture Blue Origin announced Wednesday it plans to deploy 5,408 satellites into…

A faded outline of a human hand on a cave wall in Indonesia could now be the world’s oldest known rock art, according to archaeologists who say it was created at least 67,800 years ago. The handprint is part of a small cluster of similar stencils on the cave wall, but researchers believe this one…

Schizophrenia is usually described as a disorder of thought, perception, and behaviour — a disease of the brain. Yet for years, researchers have noticed a quieter, more persistent pattern in the lives of people with the condition. Compared to the general population, they are more likely to have weaker bones and to suffer fractures, in…

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta on Wednesday said it will begin to show advertising on its Threads microblogging service to all users globally starting next week. “With ads on Threads, businesses can authentically join this conversation while finding new ways to connect with the people most interested in…