Stanford AI Vibrancy Index Highlights India’s Growing AI Strength

India has secured the position of the world’s third most competitive country in artificial intelligence, according to Stanford University’s Global AI Vibrancy Tool. Ranked behind only the United States and China, India’s performance signals its rising prominence in the global AI ecosystem, particularly notable given its lower-middle-income economic status.

Scientists Identify Brachycephalus lulai in Southern Brazil

Scientists have discovered a new species of miniature frog in the cloud forests of southern Brazil, underscoring the extraordinary yet vulnerable biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest biome. The finding was made in the Serra do Quiriri mountain range and adds a rare new member to the genus Brachycephalus, a group famed for tiny body size and high endemism.

Union Cabinet Clears Census 2027 with Digital-First Approach

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the conduct of Census of India 2027 with an estimated outlay of ₹11,718.24 crore. The decennial census is India’s most extensive administrative and statistical exercise, designed to generate updated demographic, social and economic data that will guide policymaking, resource allocation and governance planning across the country.

Google Unveils Project Suncatcher for Space-Based Data Centres

Google has announced a bold long-term research programme, Project Suncatcher, aimed at developing solar-powered data centres in space. Revealed by CEO Sundar Pichai, the initiative reflects how rapidly growing artificial intelligence workloads are forcing technology companies to rethink where and how computing infrastructure is built. Experimental satellite launches under the project are planned to begin around 2027.

NASA Faces Setback After Losing Contact with MAVEN Spacecraft

NASA has reported a sudden loss of communication with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, triggering concern within the planetary science community. MAVEN, which has been orbiting Mars for more than ten years, stopped transmitting signals after passing behind the planet, an otherwise routine orbital event. When communication failed to resume, engineers began emergency recovery procedures to diagnose the anomaly.