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Monday, February 23, 2026
TopicEarth

Topic: Earth

South Asians became lactose-tolerant by accident & asteroids may be gold mines of cosmic treasure

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to their sources.  

Did Saturn lose its rings? Here’s what happened

About 400 years ago, astronomers observing Saturn through telescopes were baffled when its rings seemed to vanish.

‘Blood Moon’ Sunday! Total lunar eclipse set to paint the moon red. How rare is the phenomenon

India will witness the five-hour lunar eclipse and Astronomical Society has released a list of public viewings. It can be seen from the naked eye, unlike a solar eclipse.

Indian consortium to build 1st ‘Made-in-India’ commercial Earth Observation satellite series

Consortium will invest over Rs 1,200 cr over 5 yrs to launch a constellation of 12 EO satellites in what is being billed as coming of age of India’s private space industry.

‘Today’s the day!’ $1.5 bn ISRO-NASA partnered NISAR satellite set for liftoff

A first-of-its-kind, NISAR is the most powerful SAR satellite providing high-resolution images for scientists to better understand the processes involved in natural hazards.

‘City-killer’ asteroid headed towards Earth with 2.3% chance of impact in 2032. India a possible target

Situation is significant enough to warrant global planetary defence community's attention. Astronomers plan to use James Webb Space Telescope to get precise estimate of asteroid's size.

Earth has a ‘mini moon’ for 57 days. All you need to know about this bus-sized celestial visitor

Asteroid 2024 PT5 entered Earth orbit Monday & will exit the planet’s gravity on 25 November. It will travel in a horseshoe-shaped orbit & require powerful telescopes to be seen.

Venus Orbiter Mission gets Cabinet nod. Why ISRO wants to study ‘Earth’s twin’ & what mission will entail

Mission approved with total funding of Rs 1,236 crore, of which Rs 824 crore will be spent on the spacecraft. ISRO officials say it will likely take flight by March 2028.

Life-sustaining freshwater first appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago, finds Nature study

Geologists analysed ancient rock crystals from Australia to find that freshwater appeared on earth a mere 600 million years after the formation of the planet.

Space debris on the rise, ISRO performed record 25 collision-avoidance manoeuvres in 2023

ISRO report highlights 'growing congestion', with number of objects sent to space having increased by 24% in 2023 from previous year. India aims to have debris-free space missions by 2030.

On Camera

Nick Jonas wearing a mangalsutra is validation for many Indians. He’s our favourite jiju

Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

India eyes 6th generation FCAS, looks at tying up with France for possible collaboration

Initial talks held on the possibility of India entering the programme that was started in 2017 between France, Germany and Spain to ensure European sovereignty in defence and security.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.