CATEGORIES

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

THE SUMMER LINGERS

That we still seek the Stockholm declaration’s ideals only shows how we need to up our game to prevent the planet’s environmental crisis

Does India care about TRIPS waiver anymore?

As WTO talks begin on a compromise deal worked out with India's participation, New Delhi remains enigmatically silent

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

The 50th anniversary celebration of the Stockholm conference should be about our common future, not the divisions of the past

MEASURING PROGRESS

Sustainability will command top priority when the world meets to review Stockholm; post-pandemic recovery must be inclusive

Bichhri still sees red

Compensation, land restoration and access to potable water remain a dream even 35 years after rogue industries poisoned Bichhri's aquifers

DECENTRALISATION OF POWER

Power generation and transmission models that are local and self-sustaining can increase access to energy in the future

BENEFIT WITHHELD

Two decades ago India adopted a law that mandates sharing of benefits from commercial utilisation of biodiversity with local communities. What has kept the law from protecting the interest of people and the biodiversity? VIBHA VARSHNEY travels to bio-rich parts of India to find out

A grim outlook

Investing in restoration of degraded land makes economic sense, can see massive financial benefits

Science For Just Solutions

If science-policy interfaces are to deliver just and effective solutions to climate change, they must involve indigenous peoples and local communities

Oceans On Simmer

The world's oceans will witness marine heatwaves, sea ice-free Arctic, severe cyclones

Lost archives

India is fast losing its geologically critical sites in the Himalayas to developmental activities, destroying forever records that not just tell us about past climates and floral and faunal evidence, but also provide data that can aid in predicting monsoonal and seismic activities, all because the country lacks laws to protect such locations

One step too far

Madras High Court's decision to ban cattle grazing in Tamil Nadu's forests will have far-reaching impacts on forest-dwelling communities and natural biodiversity

SEEDS OF TROUBLE

Countries and economic blocs across Africa are on a legislating spree to regulate the continent's seed markets, ostensibly to overcome chronic hunger. The real reason, many believe, is the corporate push that is driving nations to facilitate and promote trade of hybrid seed varieties. The fear is that the new laws will destroy not only the continent's food diversity, but also its indigenous practices of seed conservation.

Chilli under attack

A new species of thrips destroys chilli farms across six states, triggering market shortage and farmer suicides

A charged view

Using discarded solar panels to make buildings can help deal with PV waste and give the cells a new lease of life

"Indian vegetarians do not eat vegetables"

FROM A RACE OF TALL, GRACILE PEOPLE WITH GOOD HEALTH AND LONG LIVES, INDIANS HAVE NOW BECOME OBESE AND UNHEALTHY. FOOD HISTORIAN AND PHYSICIAN MANOSHI BHATTACHARYA TELLS ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY THAT THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE WAY OUR DIETS HAVE CHANGED OVER THE CENTURIES.

Shark whisperer

WHITE SHARKS HAVE A PERSONALITY BEYOND THE ANTAGONIST BEAST THEY ARE PORTRAYED AS IN MOVIES. THIS IS WHAT RAJ SEKHAR AICH, A NEW ZEALAND-BASED MARINE ANTHROPOLOGIST AND RESEARCHER OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH IN HIS BOOK IRIDESCENT SKIN. THE SOCIALLY INTELLIGENT MARINE ANIMAL HAS BEEN TRAVERSING THE SEAS FOR ABOUT 400 MILLION YEARS, BUT IS CURRENTLY A VULNERABLE SPECIES IN NEED OF CONSERVATION. THIS INTIMATE ACCOUNT LOOKS AT THE HUMAN WHITE SHARK RELATIONSHIP THROUGH THE EYES OF CAGE-DIVING TOURISTS IN NEW ZEALAND, AND BRINGS OUT TRAITS OF THE FISH THAT ARE RARELY ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE AUTHOR'S PERCEPTION SURVEY OF TOURISTS BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE SHARKS SHEDS LIGHT ON HOW CAGE-DIVING CAN HELP IN CONSERVATION EFFORTS. EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:

Shot in the dark

India's precautionary dose rollout indicates that the world is reluctant to move beyond vaccines in the fight against COVID-19. How practical and viable is this booster-shot strategy?

Will Biden Dare To Use March-In Rights?

Health advocates are asking Washington to use laws that allow patent override on drugs developed with public funds