TAKING OWNERSHIP

There is a surge in demand by forest communities to not only access the resources of their habitat, but also to establish their ownership over forests. They are doing so by wielding a previously underused provision of the Forest Rights Act. The forest department, however, is reluctant to let go of its control. SHUCHITA JHA and ZUMBISH travel across Odisha and Chhattisgarh to understand how communities have gained through this law and the mechanisms they are setting up to ensure sustainable use of forest resources PARTY

Acquired shortage

India's HIV drug shortage is real and could have been averted

Fuelling problems

With LPG price crossing the ₹1,000-mark, the poor are forced to return to unclean cooking fuels

Sequence for a just future

Without a robust regulatory framework, digital genomic data will not allow benefits from biological resources to reach communities

Illusive oilseed

Without the Centre's push, niger seed might vanish from the tribal food plate in near future

Sleep And Your Heart Health

Sleep duration is now considered an essential component for ideal heart and brain health.

MAGICAL MONSOON OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

The gushing winds after a simmering summer brings in the fresh air from the Seas and Oceans.

NTFP Its impact on Forests

Extraction of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) has been going on for centuries.

SPECIES IN FOCUS

Green Bee-Eater (Merops orientalis)

TRAILS OF JAGESHWAR

Writings from a wild traveller

Indonesia's Kawah Ijen Volcano Erupts with Electric-Blue Lava

Ever heard of a blue lava volcano?

Giant Bacteria- 5000 times bigger than normal

Scientists have discovered the world's largest known bacterium, which comes in the form of white filaments the size of human eyelashes, in a swamp in Guadeloupe.

Long term high-fat diet expands waistline and shrinks brain

New research shows that fatty foods may not only be adding to your waistline but also playing havoc with your brain.

NASA's Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far.

Animal feed useful weed

Agriculture is the backbone of world's economy and food availability. Various biotic and abiotic factors affect agriculture.

Sign-In for Good Health: Human Microbial Signatures

Deoxyribonucleic  acid or DNA is rightly referred to as the molecule which accounts for 'Unity in Diversity' in living organisms and this molecule has provided valuable biological insights including human and animal health, biodiversity, agriculture, forensics, evolution, and much more.

Fossil of three-eyed animal found, lived in the seas 500 million years ago

Scientists have come to know about such an animal of the Arthropod group, which used to have three eyes.

Protective T cells remain 20 months after COVID-19

In the July, issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Anna Martner and co-authors at University of Gothenburg report two main findings.

New cancer drug trial shows promising results

A new cancer therapy that targets a "shield" that protects tumors from the immune system has surprised scientists by causing all trial participants to go into complete remission, representing what is claimed to be the first time such success has been found.

Africa To Pay For Europe's Energy Crisis

AT THE latest meeting of the Group of 7 (G7) countries, host Germany and Italy watered down a pledge to end financing for overseas gas projects. The pledge was made at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last year, and at the meet in June, new loopholes were introduced for temporary financing so countries can tide over the energy crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The invisible bhadralok

FIELD NOTES FROM A WATERBORNE LAND SHEDS LIGHT ON THE LIVES OF THOSE BENGALIS WHO BARELY EXIST FOR THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Dry beginning

June is becoming drier and this is delaying the sowing of the kharif season

Not close enough

Human milk banks are important for infants who do not have access to mother's milk. But India is yet to see large-scale rollout of such centres

Spark of hope

India needs to reform panchayati raj institutions, reserve seats in Parliament and legislative assemblies to create more women leaders like the new President Droupadi Murmu

FIX FROM GROUND UP

Prepare business strategies for districts and leverage existing government schemes to make India a global economic powerhouse

'We can soon study stars that formed during the Big Bang'

THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE AMAZED THE WORLD ON JULY 12 WITH ITS FIRST IMAGES OF THE UNIVERSE. ASTROPHYSICIST JESSY JOSE OF THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, TIRUPATI, WILL SOON USE THE LARGEST AND MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPE IN THE WORLD TO STUDY THE EARLY STAGES OF STARS. SHE TELLS ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY WHAT MAKES THIS DEEPSPACE VIEWING TOOL ONE OF A KIND

Bridging gaps

A farmer-producer organisation in Dantewada provides crucial market links for organic produce and helps naturally improve yields and incomes

Is The Covid-19 Vaccine Story Over?

India claims vaccines are no longer an issue in the battle against COVID-19, but a host of developing nations would disagree

Clear signs

The repercussions of a 1.5°C global temperature rise would be catastrophic for India. Ladakh could grow 2.23°C warmer than pre-industrial levels; Rajasthan could receive 23 per cent more rainfall AKSHIT SANGOMLA and PULAHA ROY New Delhi

KILL TO CONSERVE

Sustainable use of wildlife is the best approach to conservation in the long run. This is the latest scientific assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Optimal exploitation of wild flora and fauna will ensure that livelihood and dietary needs of humans are met without threatening survival of the species. But do countries have the capacity to ensure sustainable use, and to make sure the benefits reach local communities? An analysis by SHUCHITA JHA, HIMANSHU NITNAWARE and VIBHA VARSHNEY in New Delhi with ABSALOM SHIGWEDHA in Namibia, CYRIL ZENDA in Zimbabwe, PETER ELIAS in Tanzania and CHRISTOPHE HITAYEZU in Rwanda