At first glance, some scientific research can seem, well, impractical. When physicists began exploring the strange, subatomic world of quantum mechanics a century ago, they weren't trying to build ...

Critical thinking: It is vital to create an environment in which fundamental science can thrive. (Courtesy: iStock/Pobytov) History teaches us that fundamental science is critical to the development ...

The humble inventions that power our modern world wouldn’t have been possible without decades of support for early-stage research. In December 1947, three physicists at Bell Telephone ...

Physics is the study of the underlying laws and mechanisms explaining how the universe works. Most of what we do in daily life is based on a principle or law of physics—dealing with forces, motion, ...

In many engineering colleges across India, a discernible curricular shift is underway; one that reflects not just pedagogical reform but also a deeper reordering of priorities. Courses such as ...

The scientific Nobels announced this week — in Physiology or Medicine, Physics and Chemistry — honored achievements rooted in fundamental research from decades ago. By Katrina Miller Katrina Miller ...

As the story is usually told, science began when some deep thinkers in ancient Greece decided to reject the popular mythological explanations for various natural phenomena. Those early philosophers ...

From an anthropological point of view, the practice of science comes out of two possible impulses. One is a desire to understand the world and its manifestations, the other to make the world more ...