In this issue

TRY TURMERIC - There is a renewed interest among scientific community about turmeric’s therapeutic benefits

Come September

The abnormally high rainfall in the final month of the rainy season has added to India's monsoon agony

3 mins

CHASING CORAL

With the world having lost 14 per cent of its coral reefs in just one decade, a marine devastation seems imminent. But there may be some hope yet

4 mins

Supply snags

States must contend with several production hurdles before they can roll out fortified rice as part of the Union government's plan to fight malnutrition

6 mins

HERO HERB

The pandemic years have witnessed a boom in the production and export of the humble underground stem called turmeric, along with a renewal of interest among the scientific community in the spice’s therapeutic qualities, especially against COVID-19. VIBHA VARSHNEY reports why inclusion of the household herb in our daily diet is a healthy idea

9 mins

Many hues of haldi

Turmeric plays a prominent role not just in our kitchens, but in many auspicious rites and rituals as well

4 mins

Toxic ignorance

In absence of robust framework and infrastructure, segregation of domestic hazardous waste remains a distant dream for most Indian cities

4 mins

The fading mirage of a TRIPS waiver

A year later, the proposal to lift WTO’s intellectual property blocks to making COVID vaccines has not inched forward

4 mins

BEYOND 100 DAYS

The national rural employment guarantee programme financially empowers village panchayats, thus making them an effective self-governing system

3 mins

‘Reality is not as fixed as people like to think'

Humans pride themselves on the fact that they cannot just see and perceive what is around them but also analyse their observations and form definite conclusions. However, this ability to understand reality is not foolproof, say researchers from the University College of London, UK, in a recent preprint paper published in the online repository PsyArXiv. Through a series of experiments, the researchers have determined that people are often akin to mistaking their imagination for real-life perception. DAKSHIANI PALICHA speaks to lead author of the study NADINE DIJKSTRA about the potential implications of their findings. Excerpts:

4 mins

‘America's original social distancer'

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND LOCKDOWNS MADE DAVID GESSNER, PROFESSOR OF CREATIVE WRITING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON, REVISIT HENRY DAVID THOREAU—THE 19 TH CENTURY AMERICAN NATURALIST, ESSAYIST, POET AND PHILOSOPHER WHO LIVED IN ISOLATION FOR TWO YEARS STARTING 1845. THOREAU SPENT HIS TIME GROWING HIS OWN FOOD, CONTEMPLATING AND WRITING. HIS STAY IN THE WOODS BY THE WALDEN POND IN CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, RESULTED IN HIS MOST-KNOWN WORK, WALDEN—A BOOK THAT DESCRIBES THE ACT OF LIVING DAY TO DAY AND IS CONSIDERED A CLASSIC ON NATURE WRITING AND INDIVIDUALISM. GESSNER COMPARES THOREAU’S SELF-IMPOSED ISOLATION TO HIS OWN FORCED SECLUSION DURING THE PANDEMIC IN HIS BOOK QUIET DESPERATION, SAVAGE DELIGHT TO CONCLUDE “JUST HOW INTENSELY RELEVANT THOREAU IS TO OUR TIMES”. EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:

3 mins

Read all stories from Down To Earth

Down To Earth Magazine Description:

Down To Earth is a fortnightly magazine published by the Society for Environmental Comm, a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in New Delhi, India. It is one of the most respected environmental magazines in the country.

The magazine covers a wide range of topics related to the environment and sustainable development, including:

* Climate change: DTE provides in-depth coverage of climate change, including its causes, impacts, and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
* Energy: DTE covers a variety of energy topics, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and fossil fuels.
* Water: DTE covers a variety of water topics, including water pollution, water scarcity, and water management.
* Pollution: DTE covers a variety of pollution topics, including air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution.
* Biodiversity: DTE covers a variety of biodiversity topics, including forests, wildlife, and conservation.
* Sustainable development: DTE covers a variety of sustainable development topics, including green economy, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable transportation.

Down To Earth magazine is known for its high-quality journalism and its commitment to environmental protection. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the environment and sustainable development in India and around the world.