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Updated on 11-01-2024 | IST 01:02 PM Whirligig beetles, known as the world’s fastest-swimming insects, have mystified researchers with their remarkable speeds, achieving peak acceleration of 100 meters per second and a top velocity of 100 body lengths per second. A recent study conducted by Cornell University challenges previous explanations of the physics behind their rapid swimming, shedding light on a surprising strategy shared by fast marine mammals and waterfowl. The common belief among researchers was that whirligig beetles attained their incredible speeds through drag-based thrust, a propulsion system requiring…

09 Jan 2024, 05:24 PM IST A private spacecraft funded by NASA, Astrobotic Technology, experienced a “critical” fuel leak just hours after its Monday launch. The lunar lander, named Peregrine, managed to orient itself towards the sun to charge its battery, but the fuel leak has dimmed hopes for the planned moon landing on February 23. The issue was reported approximately seven hours after liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket provided the lift for Astrobotic’s lander. Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One faces a “technical…

New Delhi | Updated: January 3, 2024 16:02 IST By Science Desk The Earth, in its elliptical orbit around the Sun, reached its perihelion, the closest point to the star, on Wednesday. While technically, this event makes the Sun appear approximately three percent larger than average, the difference is imperceptible to the human eye. The precise time of perihelion occurred at 6:08 AM IST on January 3, marking the moment when the Earth is nearest to the fiery star in its annual revolution. The Earth’s orbit, being slightly elliptical rather…