Did you Know
European Space Agency
A pair of European satellites have created the firstby flying in precise and fancy formation, providing hours of on-demand totality for scientists. The(ESA) unveiled the images at the Paris Air Show, showcasing a breakthrough in space observation. Launched late last year, the two satellites have been simulating solar eclipses since March by flying just 492 feet apart in orbit. One satellite blocks the sun like the moon does during a natural eclipse, while the other captures images of the corona — the sun's outer atmosphere.Known as Proba-3, the $210 million mission has already produced 10 successful eclipses during its test phase. The longest lasted five hours. Scientists hope to achieve six hours of totality per eclipse when observations begin in July.The spacecraft, each under five feet in size, maintain millimetre-level alignment using GPS, lasers, and star trackers. Unlike previous missions, Proba-3's two-satellite setup allows clearer views of the inner corona. 'We almost couldn't believe our eyes,' said lead scientist Andrei Zhukov. ESA expects up to 200 eclipses over two years, offering more than 1,000 hours of totality.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Sinhalese migrated from South India, mixed heavily with Adivasi post-migration, genome study finds
Analyses of whole-genome sequence data of urban Sinhalese and two indigenous Adivasi clans in Sri Lanka, which live in geographically separated regions in the country, shed light on the migratory history of these populations and their genetic relationship to each other and to many Indian populations. The study published recently in the journal Current Biology found that Sinhalese and Adivasi are genetically closest to each other and to South Indians, but, at a regional and fine-scale level, the two Adivasi clans are genetically distinct. For the study, whole genomes of 35 urban Sinhalese individuals and 19 individuals from two indigenous Adivasi clans were sequenced. Of the 19 genomes of Adivasi clans that were sequenced, five were from Interior Adivasi and 14 were from Coastal Adivasi. The sampling and data generation became possible due to the outreach efforts of Sri Lankan collaborator, Dr. Ruwandi Ranasinghe from the University of Colombo. In addition, the whole genome data of 35 Sri Lankan Tamils sampled in the UK, which were already sequenced as part of the 1,000 Genomes Project, were included in the analyses. Sinhalese chronicles and previous genetic studies had proposed that Sinhalese had migrated from northern or northwest India around 500 BCE, though their exact origins and migratory history are still debated. That Sinhalese speak an Indo-European language, Sinhala, whose present-day distribution lies primarily in northern India further supports the idea of their migration from northern India. But the current study contradicts the findings of the previous studies from a genetic perspective. 'The genetic ancestries and their proportions in the Adivasi and Sinhalese are most similar to Dravidian speaking populations who live in Southern India today,' says Dr. Niraj Rai from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow and one of the corresponding authors of the paper. Also Read | Genome study: 180 million genetic variants found in 9,772 individuals 'Even among South Indian populations, we find that the Sinhalese are genetically closest to those communities that have higher proportions of the so-called ASI or Ancestral South Indian ancestry. In contrast to many North Indians, these populations generally have lower levels of a genetic ancestry related to ancient groups from the Eurasian Steppe, proposed to have carried Indo-European languages into South Asia and that are today spoken widely in northern regions of India,' says Dr. Maanasa Raghavan, Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago and a corresponding author of the study. But how does one reconcile the fact that Sinhalese speak a language that is classified as Indo-European, which today is spoken mostly in North India? The authors explain that genes do not reflect linguistic affinities, and biological and cultural evolution can have different trajectories. They speculate that this genetic-linguistic discordance may have been caused by the Sinhalese population having migrated from somewhere in North India geographically, but genetically speaking, the migration may have come from a group that resembles more South Indian Dravidian speakers today. An alternative explanation is that a small group of Sinhalese, perhaps representing the elite, might have migrated to Sri Lanka and transmitted the language but not genes. 'If the Sinhalese were derived from a North Indian genetic cluster with higher Steppe-related ancestry, mixing had to have happened with ASI populations to dilute their genetic ancestries and pull them genetically closer to South Indian populations in our analyses. More anthropological studies are needed to fully understand these differing genetic and cultural affinities of the Sinhalese,' Dr. Raghavan says. The time of formation of the Sinhalese genetic pool was dated in the study to about 3,000 years ago, falling within the range of dates displayed broadly by Indian and other Sri Lankan populations and around the time of the proposed migration date of the Sinhalese in the chronicles (500 BCE). 'The date our analysis reveals is interesting. It implies that the Sinhalese ancestors migrated to Sri Lanka fairly close in time to the dynamic genetic mixing events that were occurring about 2,000-4,000 years ago in India that created the ANI-ASI genetic spectrum we see in today's populations,' Dr. Rai explains. Sinhalese chronicles also say that when Sinhalese migrated from India to Sri Lanka about 3,000 years ago, Adivasi were already existing in Sri Lanka. This is also supported by anthropological studies that propose that Adivasi are descended from early hunter-gatherers in the region. The Adivasi are, in fact, traditionally hunter-gatherers and the Indigenous peoples of Sri Lanka. 'At a broad scale, Adivasi today look genetically very similar to the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil. This must mean that the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, or other groups migrating from South India must have met the Adivasi, mixed with them heavily, and contributed to what is the present-day genetic structure of the Adivasi,' Dr. Raghavan says. Sinhalese and Adivasi are close to each other and share broad-level genetic similarities, but on a fine-scale demographic resolution, the study found that the two Adivasi clans are a bit different from the Sinhalese. The Adivasi have slightly higher levels of ancient hunter-gatherer ancestry than the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils, and have maintained smaller population sizes over the course of their history, both of which support their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle. The Adivasi genomes also display signatures of endogamy, which appear as long stretches of DNA inherited from a common ancestor. The study further reports that a consequence of the low population size and endogamy is that the genetic diversity in the Adivasi is lower than the urban populations, which may have an impact on their health and disease status. While both Adivasi clans maintained lower population sizes compared to the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils, the authors found that the Interior Adivasi clan seemed to have undergone a stronger reduction in their population size compared to the Coastal Adivasi, leading to a greater loss of their genetic diversity. 'We find the two Adivasi clans — the Coastal Adivasi and the Interior Adivasi — also have some differences in their genetic ancestry arising due to distinct geographic separation between them,' says Dr. Rai. This, according to Dr. Raghavan, indicates that the Interior Adivasi clan must have undergone stronger pressures, perhaps societal or environmental, to keep the population size lower compared to their Coastal counterparts. Explaining how the two Adivasi clans are more similar to each other, but still have genetic differences at a fine scale, she says that this basically means that at some point in time, due to geographic separation, the genetic and lifestyle attributes of the two clans started to drift apart. In fact, the fragmented nature of the Adivasi clans also impacted the study sampling strategy. While 35 individuals representing the two large groups — Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils — have been included in the analyses, the numbers for the two Adivasi populations are small — five for interior Adivasi and 14 for coastal Adivasi. Though it would be ideal to keep matched sample sizes of different populations for genetic analyses, the reason for including only small numbers for the two Adivasi clans was because the Adivasi communities today are very fragmented. 'Historical, anthropological, as well as our genetic results all suggest that these communities live in small sizes and practice endogamy,' says Dr. Raghavan. 'Because of endogamy, a lot of these individuals tend to be quite related to one another. Having really high relatedness in a group impacts the genetic analyses because then everybody's going to look like each other. So that's why our sample sizes were lower for the two Adivasi clans.' Despite the number of individuals representing the two Adivasi clans being small, the researchers were able to recapture the entire population history of these two groups. The study was able to address the questions that the researchers set out to do despite the Adivasi sample sizes being small, says Dr. Raghavan. 'Since every individual's genome is a mosaic of their ancestor's genomes, even a small number of individuals can represent their population's genetic histories. Moreover, we didn't find any genetic outliers within the Adivasi clans. So, all the sampled individuals fit into the model that we propose,' clarifies Dr. Rai. 'This is the first time that high-resolution genome data have been sequenced from multiple populations in Sri Lanka, including the Indigenous Adivasi and urban Sinhalese, to understand the deeply rooted ancestries and their population histories,' says Dr. Rai. Broadly, the study has important implications for how humans moved across South Asia and highlights the high degree of interconnectedness between India and Sri Lanka over millennia.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
The real science reform India needs — bringing back its own talent
In a recent interview to an Indian national daily, Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan offered a candid and largely accurate critique of Indian science. He highlighted persistent challenges: Low R&D investment, bureaucratic bottlenecks, policy instability, and poor quality of life in urban India. These are real and serious concerns that have long constrained our scientific potential, and they deserve urgent policy attention. Where I wish to offer an additional perspective, however, is on the prescription that India must strive to become a magnet for senior foreign scientists, much like Singapore or certain European nations. That aspiration may be admirable in the long run, but at this stage of our national development, our foremost priority must be to strengthen our foundations, reclaim our own talent, and support those who never left. India today has one of the largest diasporas of scientists and engineers in the world. Thousands of Indian-origin researchers lead globally respected labs across the United States, Europe, and East Asia. Many of them were educated in India's public institutions, built with taxpayers' money, and nurtured by committed mentors. Before they left, the country had already made a considerable investment in them. It is not unreasonable to expect that some of this talent, if provided the right opportunities and environment, can return, contribute, and help transform Indian science. Indeed, we must ask, who will realistically build the scientific future of India? Can we expect researchers from Germany, Japan, or the United States to uproot their lives and move to Indian cities with infrastructure gaps and administrative unpredictability? That is neither practical nor necessary. Only Indians, those born here, trained here, or connected by language and identity, can meaningfully take on this responsibility. Many of our scientists abroad left not out of disloyalty, but because of limited opportunities, rigid hierarchies, or lack of support for high-risk ideas. But now, with growing uncertainty in global research funding and immigration policies, there is an opportunity. If India can reduce friction and offer dignity, autonomy, and continuity, we may see many of them return. Encouragingly, the Indian government has recently taken important steps in this direction. Major reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing science have been introduced, including simplified procurement rules for scientific equipment, streamlined grant disbursals, and the creation of unified research portals. These long-overdue measures signal a welcome shift from control to facilitation, and from fragmentation to integration. If implemented sincerely and extended across agencies, they could significantly enhance the day-to-day experience of Indian researchers. What we now need are structured return pathways: Joint appointments, visiting fellowships, sabbaticals, and startup support with minimal bureaucracy. Schemes like the Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship, which has since been discontinued, must be replaced with better-designed, stable, and transparent programmes. Returning should not feel like a bureaucratic gamble, but a welcome homecoming. And yet, while we look outward to reclaim our own, we must not overlook those who stayed. Across India's vast network of universities, colleges, and laboratories, scientists continue to do serious work in often challenging circumstances. They face delayed grants, uncertain policies, and infrastructure gaps, but they persist. Their efforts are rarely celebrated, but they represent the backbone of Indian science. Supporting them is not about meeting global benchmarks. It is about honouring quiet dedication. Ramakrishnan is right to call attention to India's R&D spending, which hovers around 0.7 per cent of GDP. That figure must increase. But alongside funding, we need trust, vision, and alignment. Even within resource constraints, India has delivered landmark achievements, from affordable vaccines to space missions, from green energy solutions to digital public infrastructure. These were outcomes of focused, mission-oriented efforts, a template we must scale across disciplines. Likewise, Ramakrishnan's concern about India's urban conditions is valid. Scientists, like all citizens, need clean air, safe streets, and reliable services. But building scientific ecosystems cannot be separated from the broader goal of building a better India. Science does not exist in a vacuum, it must rise with the society around it. At the same time, we must recognise that life abroad is not without its own constraints. Many Indian-origin researchers face visa uncertainties, limited tenure tracks, and systemic ceilings. As United States science budgets come under pressure, this is a rare moment for India to reach out, not with promises of luxury, but with purpose. We must say, we value your experience, we understand your aspirations, and we are building something worth coming back to. And that brings us to the heart of the matter. Building a scientific culture cannot be outsourced. It must be cultivated at home. While global accolades are valuable, meaningful progress is measured by impact, by clean water in drought-prone regions, by affordable diagnostics for underserved communities, by solutions developed for India's specific challenges. Our demographic dividend gives us a limited window. If we spend it chasing prestige, we risk losing more than just global standing. But if we reinvest in our own, those abroad and those within, we will become not just a hub of knowledge, but a model of resilience. India may not yet be a magnet. But it can be a crucible. And that may be exactly what the world needs next. The author is the former director, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, and visiting professor, IIT Bombay. Views are personal
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Project Hail Mary Trailer: Ryan Gosling Is On A Mission To Save Earth
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Project Hail Mary is set to hit the theatres across India on March 20, 2026. The trailer of the action-packed sci-fi adventure, Project Hail Mary, is finally out. In the much-anticipated film from Amazon MGM Studios, Ryan Gosling takes on the lead role of Ryland Grace. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film is set to hit the theatres across India on March 20, 2026. It is based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir. The trailer introduces Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace – a lone astronaut, actually a middle school science teacher, who wakes up on a spaceship far from Earth. To add to this, he has no memory of himself and knows nothing about why he is on the spacecraft. As Grace gradually recollects the past moments, he begins to uncover being a part of a mission: Project Hail Mary, to save Earth from a dying sun. As a part of his mission, Grace must travel 11.9 light years away to a star that is immune to the substance causing the sun to die out. The reason? There is a hope that the star has the solution to save everything on Earth from extinction. Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling alongside Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt. Eva is a European Space Agency official who recruits Grace for the mission as she believes that he can solve this galactic mystery, given his background in molecular biology. Joining Ryan Gosling and Sandra are Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung and Lionel Boyce, adding to the star-studded cast. There's also a surprise alien friend who extends his helping hand during Grace's deep-space journey. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Project Hail Mary is produced by Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Aditya Sood, Rachel O'Connor, Andy Weir and Ryan Gosling. It is written by Drew Goddard, who also wrote the screenplay for The Martian. During a CinemaCon appearance earlier this year, Ryan Gosling called the film 'an insanely ambitious story that's massive in scope." He added, 'It seemed really hard to make, and that's kind of our bag … This is why we go to the movies. And I'm not just saying it because I'm in it. I'm also saying it because I'm a producer on the film." Interestingly, the project marks another spacefaring role for Gosling, who previously was seen playing Neil Armstrong in First Man. First Published:
