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U.S. senators last week grilled Facebook on its plans to better protect young users on its apps, drawing on leaked internal research that showed the social media giant was aware of how its Instagram app damaged the mental health of youth.

Data | From incessant blackouts to manufacturing slump, China's power crisis explained

In August 2021, the gap between the growth in electricity generation and consumption widened considerably in China

A ‘pink bot’ awareness campaign on breast cancer

It is never too early for detection. Dr P Guhan and his team introduce a ‘pink bot’ campaign that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

NIMHANS to launch MindNotes app

October 10 is World Mental Health Day

Question Corner | How far can globe skimmer dragonflies fly?

In 2009, it was hypothesised that globe skimmer dragonflies (Pantala flavescens) can migrate thousands of kilometres across the Indian Ocean, from

NRC backs Linear No-Threshold model for radiation safety

This decision of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was awaited by specialists

Mergers of black holes and ‘kicks’ that hold a key to puzzles

The fact of black holes having masses over 100 times the solar mass has puzzled the community

Why three countries have paused Moderna vaccine

After reports showed an increase in myocarditis and pericarditis cases, Denmark, Sweden and later Finland paused use in people under 30 years

Environmentalists alarmed as Himachal witnesses lesser snow

Average precipitation tendency has been decreasing, especially the monsoon rains: IMD official

Explained | Could Facebook sue whistleblower Frances Haugen?

Ms. Haugen secretly copied a trove of internal Facebook documents before leaving the company.

Cardiac surgeon by day and a tree doctor at night

To arrive at a realistic and helpful picture of borer activity in trees, Dr. Janardhana Reddy conducted imaging studies on branches of infested trees

Lunar samples brought by Chinese mission studied

Samples dated to later volcanic lava

A natural pest control agent?

Woopeckers feed voraciously on insects, which sometimes are those that can quietly damage a tree. That is why Chennai should woo its black-rumped flameback back to its urban spaces

Weekly Bytes | Balloon flights to edge of space, Sony’s wearable speaker, and more

Here's our curated list of important tech news from this week in byte size.

Quantitative restriction on export in place for certain syringe types for three months: Health Ministry

The restriction applies to just three categories of syringes, Health Ministry said.

Annual migration of birds from the Northern Hemisphere to the Indian sub-continent has begun

Considered one of Nature’s great wonders, birds from 29 countries fly to India every year at this time signifying the beginning of migration

EU questions Microsoft rivals over Teams integration in Office

Microsoft introduced Teams in early 2017 to compete with Slack and others in the fast-growing workplace collaboration market.

Facebook apologises for second outage in a week, services back up

The outage on Monday was the largest that web monitoring group Downdetector had ever seen and blocked access to the apps for billions of users, leading to a surge in usage of rival social media and messaging apps.

Apple asks judge to pause Epic Games antitrust orders as it appeals ruling

Epic separately is appealing the judge’s finding that Apple has not violated antitrust law through its payment rules.

Facebook rolls out new Page experience for users in India

Some of the new features include an intuitive layout with a crisper look and feel, making it easy to navigate between a personal profile and a public Page.

Air quality commission expects reduced stubble burning

It will be aided by reduction in area under paddy cultivation and shift to short duration crops

Google to let you know flights with lower carbon emissions

While choosing among flights of similar cost or timing, users can also factor carbon emissions into their decision, Google said.

Data | Which major Indian cities exceed WHO's revised pollution limits?

As many as 95.6 deaths per one lakh people were recorded in India due to PM2.5 exposure in 2019

How the river runs through it: on the 2021 edition of environment film festival, ALT EFF

The second edition of a virtual environmental film festival features 44 entries and a film that teaches a lesson through the Ganga

Google to prohibit ads on content that deny climate change

The policy change will apply to advertisers, publishers and YouTube creators from next month.

Government introduces guidelines for cybersecurity in power sector

The guideline lays down actions required to ramp up security measures across various utilities to raise preparedness in power sector.

Microsoft: Russia behind 58% of detected state-backed hacks

Accounting for more 92% of the detected Russian activity was the elite hacking team in Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency best known as Cozy Bear

Tesla moving headquarters to Texas from California

Tesla joins Oracle, HP and Toyota Motor in moving U.S. headquarters to Texas from California, which has relatively high taxes and living costs.

One month on, El Salvador's bitcoin use grows but headaches persist

But only a fraction of the Central American nation's businesses have taken a bitcoin payment and technical problems have plagued the government's cryptocurrency app, frustrating even committed users of the technology.

Dutch watchdog finds Apple app store payment rules anti-competitive

Apple's app-store payment policies, in particular its requirement that app developers exclusively use its payment system where commissions range between 15% and 30%, have long drawn complaints from developers.

Taiwan's TSMC, after U.S. request, says it won't leak sensitive info

TSMC, and Taiwan's government, have repeatedly said they are doing all they can to resolve the chip shortage.

India-U.S. partnership underscores joint commitment to taking decisive climate action, says John Kerry

Mr. Kerry stressed that cooperation in this sector is a central pillar for the bilateral relationship

Google Maps goes green with its new routing feature

Vehicles on the road account for over 75% of transportation carbon dioxide emissions and are one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases worldwide, according to the International Energy Agency.

PM Modi to launch industry body Indian Space Association on Monday

Indian Space Association (ISpA) represents homegrown and global corporations with advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies

And now, a GI tag adds more vibrancy to Rajasthan’s Sojat Mehndi

Known for its entrancing, deep burnt-red stain, the world famous Sojat Mehndi of Rajasthan got its due on September 14. We explore its harvesting, manufacturing and various art and medicinal forms — as well as the issue of adulteration

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