Japan ordered 147 F-35s, making it the largest foreign buyer. Israel recently doubled its planned fleet to 100 custom F-35I jets. Britain currently owns 47 F-35Bs, but its original order of 138 has stalled.

How many F-35s does Britain, Japan and Israel have?

Over 19 nations are purchasing the F-35 Lightning II for its unmatched stealth and sensor fusion. With prices falling to USD 80 million, the fifth-generation jet offers allied air forces seamless interoperability and future-proof technology.

Why so many countries want the F-35 fighter jet

Bangladesh leads the world with 60.6 per cent of its national territory classified as arable land, closely followed by Denmark and Ukraine. World Bank data reveals a stark global divide, highlighting severe water scarcity in the Middle East and massive fertile plains in South Asia.

‘Not the US or China’: These are the countries leading the world in arable land

From Chris Gayle to Punit Bisht, here's a look at the top five batters with the most sixes hit in a T20 innings. This list also includes Finn Allen and Sahil Chauhan

Meet top 5 batters with most sixes in a T20 innings

Janhvi Kapoor to Ananya Panday, these actresses have delivered fashion moments that feel straight out of a fairy tale. Read on to know more. &nbsp;

Ananya Panday to Sharvari: 5 actresses serving major princess vibes

What Happens if a Rogue Black Hole Comes Close to Earth?

What are Rogue Black Holes?

The Problem with Rogue Black Holes

Scientists: 500 Million Rogue Black Holes in Galaxy

What if Such a Black Hole Comes Closer to Earth?

Orbits of Other Planets can be Disturbed

A Discovery in 2022

Rogue black holes, also known as orphan or wandering black holes, wander randomly in galaxies, gobbling up anything that comes their way. They are problematic

Earth’s pole are shifting and it's not a good sign! Here is why

Earth’s Magnetic Pole 

What will happen

How much pole has shifted?

When does it happen? 

Another Theory

Albert Einstein Foreward

Chan Thomas’ claim

A civilisation reset 

Pseudo science or truth? 

Science: Discover the alarming reasons behind the shift in Earth's poles and what this means for our planet's future. Learn about the potential global impacts and challenges.

NASA's James Webb Telescope discovers alcohol cloud in deep space

Protostars IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385 

Key Instruments 

COMs in Ices 

Simpler Molecules Identified

Transport of Icy Molecules

 A Solar System Analogue

Research Context

Science: NASA's James Webb Telescope reveals an alcohol cloud in the depths of space, marking a significant step in exploring cosmic phenomena and interstellar chemistry.

SpaceX launches Thuraya-4 mobile connectivity satellite for UAE

SpaceX launches Thuraya-4

Mission Overview

Satellite Design and Purpose

Thuraya-4's Role

Future Satellite Plans 

Launch Delays and Challenges

SpaceX's Launch Performance

Future Plans for Space42

Science: SpaceX successfully launched the Thuraya-satellite, enhancing mobile connectivity capabilities for the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant step in telecom advancements.

Was there an ancient groundwater system on planet Mars?

Mars’ Crustal Thickness

Research Lead

Southern Highlands 

Early Hesperian Periods

Groundwater Formation 

Mars’ Geological History 

Future Exploration

Science: Mars' thick crust plays a pivotal role in granitic magma creation and could support underground water reserves.

8 Stunning Space Images Released by NASA in 2024

NGC 628

Duo of Starbursts in I Zwicky 18

Horsehead Nebula

The Crab Nebula

Orion Nebula

Rho Ophiuchi

Pillars of Creation

Perseus (NGC 1333)

This image taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows Spiral galaxy NGC 628, which is 32 million light-years away from the Earth. It has a densely populated star region amid bright orange gas and dust, spiralling counterclockwise.

An irregular dwarf galaxy, I Zwicky 18 is located 59 million light-years away from us. The image taken by JWST shows two star formation regions surrounded by bubbles of hot gas.

The Horsehead Nebula, which resembles a horse’s mane, is captured in this image captured by JWST. This cloud of dust and gas is one of the best for studying how radiation from stars interacts with interstellar matter.

A product of a bright supernova explosion, the Crab Nebula is located 6,500 light-years from Earth. A super-dense neutron star sits at its centre, radiating luminous energy.

This composite image taken from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope, shows the Orion Nebula. It is a star formation region surrounded by a giant cloud.

This composite image of Rho Ophiuchi taken by JWST shows a cloud complex full of gas and stars. This star-forming region is located about 390 light-years from Earth.

This image shows Pillars of Creation, which is a star-forming region, where bright, young stars of various colours can be seen among the grey pillars of dust and gas stretching from bottom to upward.

This image of Nebula NGC 1333 shows a nearby star-forming region, where large, bright stars are seen surrounded by glowing orange and blue-coloured cloudy gas and dust.

6 Space Books That You Must Read in 2024

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide

The Secret World of Stargazing

Moongazing

The Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos

Star Mentor

The Disordered Cosmos


The book sheds light on how to get started, choosing and using a telescope, the telescopic universe and capturing the cosmos.



The book focuses on stargazing, and why it's good for us, physically and mentally.



There is a lot to learn from this instructive and enthusing piece of work, that is sure to appeal to selenophiles everywhere.



A great guide for amateurs, introducing the night sky and the tools needed to observe it.

The book is full of fantastic activities that can be used as teaching aids, all broken down into different categories.


The book’s main premise is that physics doesn’t just affect us all as a society, but it taps into our natural desire to learn and understand.

Science Behind Runny Nose in Winter Season

Have you ever wondered why our noses start running when we are outside in the cold weather? There’s a scientific explanation for it!

When we breathe chilly air, our noses make the air warm and add moisture to it on its way to our lungs.

The cold, dry air irritates the nasal lining, which leads to nasal glands producing more mucus. This is to keep the lining moist.

This can cause the nose to be runny as the excess mucus drips from the nostrils. To reduce this, you can wear a scarf as it warms the air before it enters your nose.

If you are concerned about your runny nose, consult a health professional.


Exploring the Science of Why Certain Foods Make Us Happy

You have probably realised that certain foods improve your mood and make you feel happy. But why? Well, science may have answers!

Different foods contain different nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that our body needs for functioning.

Some foods like bananas and turkey contain tryptophan, a compound that promotes the production of serotonin in the brain.

Folate, which is found in spinach, also helps in the production of serotonin and helps in improving mood.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has a calming and happy effect on the brain. It also regulates sleep and pain.

Another neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), helps to regulate mood. Foods like beef, pork, and sesame and sunflower seeds are rich in glutamine, which improves the production of GABA.


Foods rich in dopamine like bananas, avocados, green vegetables, dairy products, and others, also help in boosting the mood.


7 Unseen Images Of Star Clusters Captured By NASA

This spectacular image of globular cluster Terzan 12 shows tightly bound stars captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is located at the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

This stellar group known as NGC 2040 is captured in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It shows the largest known region of star formation.

This globular cluster is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, where millions of stars are born. This 100 million-year-old sense star cluster is tightly bound together by mutual gravitational attraction.

This image shows Hodge 301, one of the most active starburst regions located in the Tarantula Nebula, where bright, massive stars illuminate in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, the stars in open cluster KMHK 1231 are loosely bound by gravity and surrounded by crimson gas and dust of the nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

This bright image by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the young star cluster LH63, an active star-forming region surrounded by the red glow of nebula LHA 120-N 51 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

The image shows one of the massive young star clusters in nebula NGC 3603 in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a prominent star-forming region.

Are You Eating Non-Vegetarian Food Without Knowing? The Alarming Reality of Figs (Anjeer)

Fig or Anjeer is a delicious fruit and is known for its nutritious properties. However, some call this fruit ‘non-vegetarian’ due to the natural process with which it is formed.

The pollination process of figs begins when a female wasp crawls into the inverted closed flower of a fig tree to lay her eggs.

However, during the process the wasp breaks her antennae and wings, making her unable to exit the flower and die there.

The fig digests the wasp’s body, breaking it down to protein. Meanwhile, her eggs hatch into larvae, mate, and then crawl out of the fig.

Since the wasp dies and was absorbed within the fruit, many vegans don’t eat the fruit and consider fig ‘non-vegetarian’.

However, the commercially grown figs are often grown without this pollination process by the wasp.


Some vegans still eat figs as they say veganism is against the exploitation of animals, while fig pollination is a natural process, without any human intervention.


How are Certain Birds Able to Mimic Human Speech So Well?

Some birds like parrots, crows, and ravens have the ability to mimic human speech surprisingly well. But how are they able to do it?

Researchers have found that parrots often have “conversations” amongst themselves and can learn languages similar to how humans do.

Furthermore, these birds have a different voice box than humans, which lets them have more control over their vocal tract.

These birds also can produce two sounds at once, which enables them to sing continuously.

Similarly, some birds have this unique ability to mimic the sounds they hear in the environment. For example: Mockingbirds are known to mimic the sounds of other creatures including crickets and frogs.

Then there are lyrebirds who have surprised researchers with their ability to mimic unnatural sounds like a camera, chainsaw, and others.


Did You Know Your Handwriting Changes With Your Mood? Here’s Why!

A new study by Israel’s University of Haifa has revealed that a person’s handwriting can reveal their mood.

The study included 62 participants who were divided into three groups and made to watch movies to put them in a specific mood–positive, negative, and neutral.

They were then asked to write a paragraph on a computerised system to study the changes in their handwriting.

Researchers found that the letters of participants who were in a negative mood were much lower than the rest.

It was also found that the participants in negative moods wrote quickly and their letters were narrower in width when compared to those in positive or neutral moods.



The researchers explained that a negative mood can create a cognitive burden on the brain, leading the participants to subconsciously change their handwriting.


Why Do People Cry Only When They Cut Onions, Not Other Vegetables?

Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry when you cut them, but not other vegetables? Let’s find out:

Onions have a defence mechanism to protect themselves from various animals that feed on roots, tubers, and bulbs.

When you cut onions, their skin is broken and it emits enzymes and sulfenic acid, which combine and become propanethial S-oxide.

When this gas touches the protective water layer on our eyeballs, it turns to sulfuric acid.

Our eyes produce tears to flush out the irritant as a defence mechanism to protect the eyes from harm. The reaction may be more intense for people who are allergic to onions.

How Do Whales Sleep Without Drowning in The Ocean?

Whales are aquatic mammals that live in the oceans and seas across the world. They are warm-blooded animals, give birth to their offspring, and breathe air.

Whales also need sleep to survive but have you ever wondered how they sleep in the water without drowning?

Humans are involuntary breathers, who breathe automatically without thinking even while sleeping. However, whales are voluntary breathers, which means they have to think about taking each breath.

Whales have unihemispheric sleep, which allows them to partially sleep by shutting down half of their brain at one time. This lets them be aware of the surroundings as the other half is awake.

This way whales can breathe and not drown even while sleeping as one part of their brain is always awake.

Why Do Some People Get ‘Butterflies’ in Their Stomachs When Nervous?

You’ve probably felt or heard about ‘butterflies’ in your stomach before. Science can explain why this happens!

This sensation can be caused due to the release of dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ chemical, which makes us feel happy when we are doing pleasurable activities.

The norepinephrine hormone and neurotransmitter in the central nervous system also leads to a feeling of butterflies in the stomach. This chemical is released when your body’s ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in when you feel afraid or stressed.

This chemical is also released by the brain when you feel nervous or excited during a romantic moment.

Another explanation for this jittery feeling is the connection between the gut and the brain. Our digestive system also contains its own nervous system which enables you to have ‘gut feeling’, gastrointestinal nervousness or stress, or butterflies in your stomach.

While this feeling may be a sign of stress, nervousness, or excitement, it may also be a signal of a gastrointestinal disorder when accompanied by nausea, pain, or discomfort in the stomach, which may then require medical attention.


Do You Know Why MRI Machines Are Never Stopped?

MRI or magnetic resonance imaging machines are used to create detailed images of various body parts and enable us to see anatomy and physiological processes. These machines use strong magnetic fields and are never turned off. Here’s why!

The main reason why these huge machines cannot be turned off is because of the strong magnet present inside them.

This magnet comprises superconducting coils that are cooled to extremely low temperatures with liquid helium.

If the machine is turned off, the magnet will lose its superconductivity and heat up, boiling the liquid helium.

This can lead helium to escape the magnet, which can not only damage the machine but also can be extremely dangerous.


To ensure this doesn't happen, the machine always remains on, although its power may be reduced when not in use.

Why Do Astronauts Lose Their Sense of Taste in Space?

Food tastes bland to astronauts who are on a mission in space. But do you know why? Let’s find out!

Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia discovered that the feeling of loneliness or isolation can affect the astronauts’ ability to smell and taste.

They observed that despite having their meal plans designed carefully, astronauts are not able to meet their nutritional needs and reported that their food tasted bland.

Previous research also found that due to the absence of gravity in space bodily fluids shift from lower to upper parts of the body.

This shift also leads to facial swelling and nasal congestion, which affects the sense of smell and taste of the astronauts orbiting in the space station.

What Would Happen If Earth Lost Gravity for 5 Seconds?

While we do not think about it often, it is the gravity that keeps everything together on our planet. But have you ever wondered what would happen if Earth lost gravity for just 5 seconds?

If Earth lost gravity even for 5 seconds, it would end life on our planet before we even know it. Gravity pulls the objects towards one another and the more massive an object is, the stronger the gravitational pull becomes.

Gravity is what keeps us on the ground and what causes objects to fall on the floor when we drop them. In the absence of gravity, humans and other objects would lose their weight and fly around.

However, instead of just floating like astronauts in space, with no gravity, the objects would become tumbleweeds and move very fast. This is because our planet would keep spinning without anything to hold objects in place.

Lack of gravity would result in pulling air, water, and atmosphere on Earth leading to devastation all across the globe. Lack of air pressure would result in shattering everyone’s inner ear almost instantly.

Our planet would also lose oxygen resulting in concrete structures crumbling as oxygen is an important binding agent for them. With the absence of oxygen, H2O would become hydrogen gas, leading to explosions in every cell.


The moon is the only natural satellite of the earth. Here are some little-known facts about the moon you probably didn’t know:

The most widely accepted theory of how the moon was formed is when a huge rock the size of Mars crashed into Earth soon after the solar system was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

While it is known that the moon causes tides in the oceans, it also makes the Earth move with each tide by several centimetres.

Indian Captains With Most Test Wins At Home

Moon is slowly drifting away from our planet by approximately 3.8 centimetres each year, which may impact the length of the days on Earth by as much as an hour longer in 200 million years.

The moon has water on its surface. Ice has been found on the moon, trapped between the minerals and dust in the areas that remain permanently in shadows.


Little-Known Facts About the Moon

8 Space Technologies That Revolutionised the World

The development of communication satellites has revolutionised global communication, enabling television broadcasting, internet access, and worldwide phone calls.

Originally created for military purposes, GPS is now used for navigation, tracking, and location-based services in everything, from smartphones to transportation systems.

Weather satellites provide crucial data for accurate weather predictions, helping us prepare for and mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

 Research in space led to the creation of new materials, like memory foam and lightweight metals, which have found application in everyday products.

The miniaturisation of electronic components for space missions paved the way for the development of smaller, more powerful, and energy-efficient consumer electronics.


Techniques developed for space missions, like digital imaging and remote sensing, have been adapted for medical purposes, such as MRI and CT scans.


Space missions required efficient water recycling systems, leading to advancements in water purification technology on Earth.



Solar panels used in space missions have contributed to the growth of solar energy as a clean and renewable power source on Earth.


7 Signs You May Be an Introvert According to Psychology

Introverts are often mistaken for not liking people. However, that is not true. Here are seven signs you might be an introvert:

Introverts often keep their opinions to themselves in most situations. Due to this, it is likely that other people often ask you for your opinion on things to know what you are thinking.

You indulge in reading, playing video games, or listening to music whenever you have the chance to take a break. Quiet time is important to you even though sometimes you may feel socialising.

You Receive More Calls and Texts than You Make

Introverted people do not reach out to others to socialise unless they have no other option. They only tend to react to calls or texts when they receive them.

You may use your headphones as a shield while going in public whether it is a crowded street or a bus station to avoid contact with others.

You avoid getting into any small talk with salespeople or acquaintances. You prefer to share your thoughts and feelings with only those who are close to you.


You Find the Best Solution When On Your Own

While you may not oppose group discussions or meetings, you come up with better solutions when you work on the problem on your own as it allows you to utilise your skills to engage in original thought.


You Lead Best When Others Take the Initiative

Although it is often assumed that introverts can’t be good leaders, however, they can make the best leaders. They can draw out the maximum potential of their team when the members are self-starters.


7 Signs You Maybe an Introvert According to Psychology

Few organisms produce blue pigments naturally. While many species have evolved pigments for green, yellow and red, true blue pigments are rare because of the chemical complexity required to produce them.


Many animals and plants that appear blue, such as butterflies and flowers, don’t have blue pigments. Instead, their colour comes from the microscopic structures that scatter light to reflect only blue wavelengths, called structural colouration.


science

Photos

How many F-35s does Britain, Japan and Israel have?

Why so many countries want the F-35 fighter jet

‘Not the US or China’: These are the countries leading the world in arable land

Meet top 5 batters with most sixes in a T20 innings

Ananya Panday to Sharvari: 5 actresses serving major princess vibes