Water diviner

Sarjubai Meena is resolute in her mission to conserve soil and water in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district BHAGIRATH

‘Never thought I’d see octopus change colour in front of me, at Juhu beach’

A journalist and editor, SEJAL MEHTA has for the last four years walked the shores across India looking for creatures in intertidal zones—spaces explorable upon the retrieval of high tides. By virtue of traversing the sea as well the shores, the life forms found in intertidal spaces are blessed with features that appear otherworldly. In an interview with PREETHA BANERJEE, Mehta talks about her walks and the sightings that resulted in her book Superpowers on the Shore. Excerpts:

OLD DIVIDE PERSISTS

The Bonn conference was important for laying the groundwork for global climate action. But it underscored progressive dilution of climate justice

Only a piglet in Russia's war on patents

Post-Ukraine, Russia has held back from appropriating intellectual property despite a law to punish unfriendly countries

Double trouble

The Union government's claim about being on track to double farmers' income sounds hollow as it has not even spent the allocated budget for agrarian schemes in three of the past five years

NOT JUST ANOTHER DELUGE

In a warming world, floods are no longer an annual affair in Assam, but a year-round crisis. As people struggle to cope with the new reality, some are already changing their cropping patterns and architecture

Sage advice

Plant clinics are emerging as parallel support system for farmers in resource-strapped countries

Forests in seconds

Miyawaki forests are springing up across Indian cities. Are they a way to restore urban biodiversity or just a quick-fix to achieve greenery?

Burden to bear

Living in the shadow of old state policies, vulnerable tribal groups demand their right to opt for family planning

An Indian epidemic

Increasing number of children and adolescents in the country are developing diabetes. This will have lethal consequences

THE HUNT IN MUDUMALAI

The 2021 capture of a male tiger in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve was a high-stakes mission. The missteps made in this operation provide many lessons on wildlife management

Elephant whisperers

Chhattisgarh forest department has trained an army of people to spread awareness about elephant behaviour, avert conflicts with them

Trial by fire

E-scooter fires a wake-up call for India's electric vehicle strategy

POX RETURNS

Monkeypox spreads to new geographies as the world experiences its worst ever outbreak of the zoonotic disease

SPRINGS MAKE HIMALAYAS

Incentive-based approach can ensure conservation of Himalayan forest springs, a key source of water for downstream states

Charity after profiteering, the Big Pharma way

Pfizer to sell its medicines at no profit in world's poorest countries, and other big names to make cancer drugs more accessible

A SEED SPROUTS WINGS

The seeds of Indian elm are nutritious and have multiple uses in traditional medicine

A price rise nobody is talking about

Unprecedented fodder price rise is forcing farmers to quit dairy and abandon cattle

5G network Technology

Some major Indian cities are expected to get 5G network by the end of 2022, something which the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) confirmed in 2021. In India, only 13 metro cities will first get to experience 5G services this year.

Listening to plants

Plants of any type have always been an integral part of human life since time immortal.

Magic mushroom found in the dense forests of Australia

A unique species of magic mushroom has been discovered in the dense forests of Australia.

Microorganisms, Perhaps Still Alive, Discovered In 830-Million-Year-Old Rock Salt

Scientists used a selection of imaging techniques to discover well-preserved organic solids locked within fluid inclusions embedded in an ancient piece of rock salt, as known as halite.

Plants grown on the soil of the moon for the first time

Creating a human colony on the moon can now be easy.

Significance of Rudraksha

Elaeocarpus Ganitrus Or Rudraksha is an evergreen traditional medicinal Plant that is commonly found in South East Asia.

Short Term Food Relief Does Not Fill Up B12 Stores

During the period when children were provided with food relief, their B12 levels increased, before decreasing considerably once we stopped the programme.

Diet Plays Key Role In ADHD Symptoms In Children

Here's a good reason for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to eat their fruits and vegetables: It may help reduce inattention issues, a new study suggests.

Fertile stubble

College students in Delhi develop "stubble pots" that help plants grow faster, bloom early and live longer

Airing grievances

THE OFTEN IGNORED ASPECTS OF AIR POLLUTION BROUGHT TO LIGHT BY ARTISTS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD DAKSHIANI PALICHA

Doublespeak

India plans a framework to rehabilitate communities around abandoned mines while also exploring the possibility of resuming mining in them

Why Tribal People Die Young?

Change in food intake and poor access to healthcare may be the reasons behind tribal populations' low life expectancy