CATEGORIES

RACE TO REHABILITATE

Every sixth urban Indian lives in slums. With housing-for-all being a key national target, states across the country have taken steps to redevelop slums.

At the cost of welfare

The Interim Budget 2024-25 took a cautious approach to reduce fiscal deficit. This prioritisation led to inadequate allocations for key sectors

Forced to vanish

The world has its first clear evidence on migratory species facing heightened levels of extinction risk due to human-led pressures

That Lonely Feeling

WHO has recognised loneliness as a public health crisis and is trying to devise a way to measure the condition that affects a quarter of the world population

Worthy alternative

A new field experiment shows that fertiliser derived from faecal sludge can improve crop yields

Narkya and the plunder of biodiversity

Dilution of biological conservation rules and lax enforcement of forest laws are giving free rein to the drug industry and trade

Pencil in this shortage

India's 'pencil village' faces uncertain future due to raw material crises

Fight for land

From stricter land laws to revising domicile rules, Uttarakhand residents demand government action to stop the sale of agricultural land to outsiders

Madagascar faces year's first cyclone

THE FIRST cyclone of 2024 made landfall near Morombe in Madagascar on January 1, affecting around 16,100 people.

Paddy warriors

A couple in Karnataka is preserving rare native paddy varieties through cultivation

SOUR SURPRISE

Fermentation can help make uniquely tangy healthy dishes while also reducing food waste at home

Twist in the (fairy)tale

How might fairy tales read if written in today's times? When Fairyland Lost Its Magic is an attempt at that-a retelling of eponymous fables with climate change factored in on every page.

UNTAPPED POTENTIAL

India's two-decade journey with Geographical Indication tags has shown limited outcome and there is an urgent need to simplify the registration processes to ensure that the protection mechanism helps producer communities

Forced evolution

Plants shift towards self-pollination as they see disruption in interactions with insects due to changes in climate

SILENT FAMINE

For the past 50 years, the country has introduced high-yielding rice and wheat varieties at breakneck speed to achieve food security. A study led by scientists with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has for the first time looked at the food value of these modern-bred grains, and delivers some dire warnings: the food grains that we eat have lost food value; instead they are accumulating toxins. Worse, by 2040, the grains will become so \"impoverished\" that they would worsen the country's growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Misplaced focus

The fictional series based on the Bhopal gas disaster falls miserably short in its attempt to be a riveting survival drama

Patents zoom, but where is the innovation?

India is among the top patent filers globally, but it has yet to make its mark in any breakthrough technologies

Saved by sponge

As oceans warm up, women in Zanzibar switch from seaweed to climate-resilient sponge farming to stay afloat

Conquest of lantana

A decade-long initiative in Madhya Pradesh to reclaim land overrun by lantana helps residents restart agriculture and restore native biodiversity

Highs and lows

As COP28 enters its final week, Parties have operationalised historic loss and damage fund and agreed to the health impacts of climate change, but have failed to reach a consensus on key issues of climate finance, adaptation goal and global stocktake

Electric idea

College students in Delhi make and sell solar-powered lamps to promote use of renewable energy

THE ODD FLOWER

Onion flower stalks can provide a distinct taste and flavour to food

RAISED ON EXHAUST

Link between air pollution and childhood diseases, including cancer, warrants concern

Green equations

A first-of-its-kind index to evaluate gross environment product

Costly trade-off

A reduction in the planet's sulphur dioxide emissions could be behind the recent spike in global warming

POOR SUBSTITUTES

The World Health Organization's announcement on aspartame being possibly carcinogenic to humans has reignited the debate on health hazards of sugar substitutes. Not only is the evidence on safety of sugar substitutes sketchy, their role in controlling blood sugar levels, too, remains inconclusive. On the contrary, studies increasingly indicate that sugar substitutes contribute to factors that lead to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and, quite ironically, diabetes.

RUMOURED FORBIDDEN

It's time to banish the fears around khesari dal, or grass pea, and relish the nutritious legume

CLEAR OPTIONS

India is adopting new sewage wastewater treatment technologies that are more efficient, but it must choose the ones that best meet local needs

Post-pandemic blues of predatory pharma

Huge stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, along with a steep drop in revenues, tell a sorry tale of Big Pharma's greed

Homegrown benefit

A shift from exotic and crossbred cattle to indigenous breeds that are better adapted to changing climate and resistant to diseases will help India's dairy sector stay profitable and sustainable