For Christopher Filardi of the American Museum of Natural History, there is nothing like the thrill of finding a mysterious species. Such animals live at the intersection of myth and biology – tantalizing researchers with the prospect that they may be real, but eluding trustworthy documentation and closer study. Indeed, last month, Filardi waxed poetic on the hunt for the invisible beasts that nonetheless walk among us. “We search for […]

Universal Pictures has released the first trailer of the hugely anticipated new Coen Brothers movie Hail Caesar! Josh Brolin stars as Eddie Mannix, a Hollywood ‘fixer’ working on the year’s ‘prestige picture’ Hail Caesar starring Baird Whitlock (George Clooney). But things get very problematic when Mannix receives an anonymous typewritten note informing him that Whitlock has been kidnapped and his job is to ‘gather a hundred thousand dollars and await […]

Legendary Tamil actress Manorama died at a private hospital here tonight following a heart attack, family sources said. She was 78. She is survived by her son Boopathi. “She passed away due to heart attack, my world has fallen apart,” Boopathi told PTI. The actress died at around 12.05 AM. A versatile actress, Manorama had acted in over 1,200 Tamil films, rubbing shoulders with top stars like MGR and Sivaji […]

The ideal and perfect man – Mr Right, if you may – seems to be turning into something of a myth. Or so this new video by comedy collective AIB will have you believe. The video, incidentally created for a dating app, shows two women trying to outdo each other qawwali-style on whose creep is, well… creepier. While the first woman sings about finding her creep in the “other” folder […]

Sherlock has gone retro on us. The BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Dr Watson has gone back to the place it started from — Arthur Conan Doyle’s 19th century London — but in its heart it stays contemporary. The two-hour Christmas Special set in Victorian England, which we will get to watch later this year, came up with its second promo and we do […]

Tokyo: Looks like a birth control pill for men is on its way. According to a study published in the journal Science, scientists from Japan were able to temporarily disable sperm in mice. For the study, scientists at Osaka University used an immunosuppressant drug which they injected it in mice. They found that the drug blocked a protein that is essential in sperm production. The protein called calcineurin, is found […]

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen in a movie? Sri Devi playing a woman who is actually a shape-shifting snake in Nagina? Shah Rukh Khan riding a rickshaw to chase a gang of criminals in a car in Main Hoon Na? Or a song whose lyrics go as follows: ‘Your mama says you love me, your papa says you love me, love me baby, love me’? It’s a safe […]

The ministry of human resource development is inviting applications for the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan 2016. The scheme is meant for Indian nationals who wish to pursue a master’s degree or PhD. The study is tenable in the UK from September-October 2016. Applicants should not be more than 40 years (as on October 8, 2015). Candidates who have already been abroad for studies/training/specialisation either on scholarship or on their […]

Around the majestic Mehrangarh fort’s feet, Jodhpur unfolds into a jumble of blue-hued houses, medieval buildings and winding streets. The graceful palaces, forts and temples strewn throughout the city bring alive its famed historic grandeur. Azure houses Set in stark contrast against the harsh backdrop of the Thar, the azure-painted houses in Jodhpur have earned it the nickname ‘The Blue City’. There are several stories behind the city’s unique colour. […]

Tara Balgopal, 80, was one of India’s most loved danseuse, honouring whom the government had released a postal stamp in 1975. She was one of the most famous performers of Kathak, Kathakali and Bharatanatyam in the country. But Balgopal now only has a copy of the stamp to live with. Her financial condition is miserable and she has received none of the benefits that usually come with artistic fame. In […]