Researchers HAD predicted that 2021 would become the year of variants. It has. Currently, there are four variants of concern, as per the World Health Organization (WHO), of which the Delta variant, implicated in India’s second wave of infections, has been reported from 124 countries and is set to become the most dominant variant circulating in the world.
The variant was first isolated in India in October 2020. On April 4, 2021, who labeled it a variant of interest, and on May 11, 2021, upgraded it to a variant of concern. In the UK, it forms 99.3 per cent of the sequenced samples in the four weeks preceding July 23 (see 'Fast-spreading variant', p18), while in the US, it is 73.7 per cent of the sequenced samples in the same period, as per the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), an online repository of genomic data from flu viruses.
Esta historia es de la edición August 01, 2021 de Down To Earth.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
