HISTORICAL FACTS: 8 - The Untold Story

Palitana's 3,800 Steps, Jain Rules After Dark, and What Shatrunjaya Asks of Every Pilgrim

The city that goes dark before you doYou arrive in Palitana expecting a temple town. What you find is a place that has already decided what it will and will not permit. There is no meat sold here, not in any shop, not in any home. The Gujarat government made…

Times Life · Sep 14

Girnar's 9999 Steps: What the Climb Actually Takes and the Hour You Must Start By in Junagadh

The Number Is Real, and So Is the Gap Between Step One and Step 9999The official count is 9999 steps. That figure is not a legend, it is the number carved into Gujarati pilgrimage history and confirmed by the stone beneath your feet. What the number does not tell you…

Times Life · Sep 13

A powerful laser turned diamond into a mirror, and helped solve a 20-year-old mystery about its melting point

Scientists precisely determined diamond's melting point using powerful ultraviolet lasers. This experiment resolved a twenty-year scientific disagreement about diamond's behavior. The new measurements show diamond melts over 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit lower than earlier studies. These findings align experimental results with theoretical predictions for matter under extreme conditions. The research aids…

The Economic Times · Sep 12

In 2008, a spacecraft was launched by NASA to study how our heliosphere, the magnetic bubble surrounding our Sun and planets, interacts with interstellar space

In 2008, a spacecraft was launched by NASA to study how our heliosphere, the magnetic bubble surrounding our Sun and planets, interacts with interstellar space. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, was sent into Earth orbit to map the boundary of the solar system. It uses energetic neutral atoms to…

The Economic Times · Sep 11

Couple trapped on San Francisco cliff after rising tides

A couple became stranded on a Presidio cliff while watching the sunset. Darkness fell and the rising tide blocked their only exit route. They called 911 using a dying mobile phone and a location app. Firefighters arrived and used ropes to safely haul both individuals up. The rescue operation concluded…

The Times of India · Sep 11

A newly discovered solar phenomenon could help scientists predict the Sun’s next powerful outburst and solar flare

New solar telescope observations reveal swirling plasma movements on the Sun's surface. This phenomenon, known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, occurs at magnetic region boundaries. These turbulent motions may help explain how powerful solar flares begin and store energy. Understanding these processes could improve future space weather forecasting for Earth. The Daniel…

The Economic Times · Sep 11

Sun shines on Floriade despite dark clouds of traffic disruptions and union threats

Canberra's celebration of spring is "good to go", says Chief Minister.

The Canberra Times · Sep 11

Why Rosacea on Brown Skin Goes Undiagnosed for Years, and What It Actually Looks Like

The redness that doesn't look redOn fair skin, rosacea annonces itself. Cheeks flush crimson. Capillaries show pink through thin dermis. Every dermatology textbook photograph confirms the look. On brown skin, the same inflammation sits underneath a layer of melanin that absorbs and mutes it, so what reads as bright red…

Times Life · Sep 11

How to Reapply Sunscreen Over Makeup, Under a Helmet, and at Indian Midday Heat

Why Reapplication Is the Step Everyone SkipsSunscreen degrades. A broad-spectrum SPF 50 applied at 8 am gives you meaningful protection until roughly 10 am, after that, UV filters break down from sun exposure and sweat, and you are functionally unprotected. A 2019 study published in JAMA Dermatology found that less…

Times Life · Sep 11

Mercury may have shrunk 30% more than previously believed, new study says; planet’s radius may have decreased by 7.2 miles

Recent studies indicate that Mercury has shrunk more than scientists previously realized. The presence of impact debris has hindered the visibility of this contraction, shedding light on Mercury's interior features and its metallic core. This discovery offers valuable clues to the planet's geological history and magnetic field evolution. Upcoming explorations,…

The Economic Times · Sep 10