Category Science

Why is the Nobel Prize named after Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize is named after Alfred Nobel (1833 to 1896), a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist whose vision created one of the world’s most prestigious awards. Nobel is best known for inventing dynamite in 1867. Before his…

Can jamun trees foretell a drought?

This year, many parts of India are witnessing an unusually abundant crop of jamun (Syzygium cumini). As photos of heavily laden trees circulate on social media, so do claims that the trees are “predicting” a drought next year and are…

Understanding the language of rain

When the monsoon arrives, we often hear terms such as drizzle, showers, rain, downpour, and cloudburst. Meteorologists use these words to classify rainfall based on its intensity, measured in millimeters (mm) of rain received per hour. Drizzle consists of very…