As the year comes to a close, here are the most-read science articles from each month by The Hindu. From understanding why Turkey’s earthquake was so devastating to figuring out how quantum physics shapes everyday objects, take a look at all the mysteries we spelled out in 2023.
1. Why is the land sinking in Joshimath?
Joshimath has developed in exactly the way a committee of experts advised against — 46 years ago.
2. Why Turkey is prone to devastating earthquakes
This is the strongest earthquake to shake the region in more than a hundred years and has killed at least 5,000 people across Turkey and Syria.
3. Scientist who reported room-temperature superconductivity faces more controversy
Allegations of scientific misconduct mount against Ranga Dias and his work.
4. C.R. Rao wins top statistics award – a look back at his pioneering work
Indian-American statistician Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao has been awarded statistics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
5. Can you spot the quantum physics around your house?
Thinking of quantum physics in spooky ways overlooks its role in shaping the properties of the objects in our daily lives.
6. Humans’ groundwater extraction has affected the earth’s rotation: study
Scientists estimated that nearly 2,150 billion tonnes of groundwater have been pumped up and drained into the oceans.
7. ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission | When did it start and when will it end?
The Chandrayaan 3 mission plans to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe-landing and roving on the lunar surface.
8. Chandrayaan-3 | How NASA, ESA will support ISRO during the Moon landing on August 23
Back-up support is common during the key moments of a space mission, such as a landing.
9. ISRO says no signals from Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander, Pragyan rover
Pragyan rover was put into sleep mode on September 2, joined by the Vikram lander on September 4.
10. ‘Today, mathematics is not only necessary in daily life but pervasive’
An interview with Apoorva Khare, one of India’s leading young mathematicians, about his influences, collaborating with maths superstar Terence Tao, and why prizes matter to scientists.
The probable impact point is expected to be over the north Pacific Ocean, ISRO has said.
12. Don’t flush that pet fish or turtle down the toilet: CCMB scientist
Invasive species are also responsible for incurring huge economic losses every year for the country, said invasion biologist Gopi Krishnan from Dr. G. Umapathy’s lab in an official online post
