Alphabet, parent company of tech giant Google, has announced tie-ups with three major Indonesian telecom operators to expand web connectivity in the country’s remote areas using hundreds of net-beaming balloons. The initiative is part of Project Loon by Google X, Alphabet’s research division, which works on ambitious ideas, including self-driven cars, EFE news reported.                                             …

A team of Australian scientists has discovered a gene in a “magical” plant that will open the door for space-based food production, especially during deeper human missions, including to Mars. Professor Peter Waterhouse, a plant geneticist at the Queensland University of Technology, discovered the gene in the ancient Australian native tobacco plant Nicotiana benthamiana —…

Stating that India has “one of the largest nuclear power programmes” among developing nations, a US-based think-tank on Monday said by the end of 2014 India had enough weapon-grade plutonium to possess an estimated stock of atomic weapons in the range of 75-125. “An estimate of India’s nuclear arsenal can be derived by considering its…

A city-based start up, Freshdesk, has roped in LinkedIn India’s Managing Director Nishant Rao, as its Chief Operating Officer. He will be responsible for all non research and development aspects of Freshdesk’s activities across each of its offices worldwide. Freshdesk, in a statement, said Mr. Rao will begin his duties in November 2015. “I am…

The 3,000 Rice Genomes Project (3K RGP) is a collaborative, international research program that has sequenced 3,024 rice varieties from 89 countries. This massive dataset is a powerful resource for understanding natural genetic variation in rice as well as for large-scale discovery of new genes associated with economically important traits. It will help accelerate the…