Down To Earth
Catch them young
A school in Odisha offers first-hand experience of sustainable living and resource conservation to children
2 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Guardians of groves
How women of an Uttarakhand village successfully revived a lost forest
3 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
OUT OF WILDERNESS
The wild seasonal fruit tendu is nutritious and must be mainstreamed with supporting policies and technologies
3 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Fixing food
In an attempt to reduce human-wildlife conflicts around Jim Corbett National Park, the Uttarakhand forest department is replacing teak and eucalyptus plantations with native and fruit-bearing trees
3 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Invisible scars
Climate change and land-use changes exacerbate gully erosion, which is a major driver of land degradation across the world
3 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
The missing heart of pandemic treaty
The Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System that is central to the treaty is an annex, with details still to be worked out
4 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
ORIGIN OF PROXIES
The revival of dire wolf by an American biotechnology company proves that it is possible to create proxies of extinct species through cutting-edge genetic editing and cloning technologies. But can this actually fix the extinction crisis?
10+ min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
A sizeable threat
Increased interaction with human habitations has resulted in elephants contracting diseases not usually associated with the animal
3 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
India's landholdings shrink, food demand soars
SHRINKING LANDHOLDINGS and rising food demand are shaping a new agricultural landscape in India, highlights the latest policy paper by National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-NIAP).
1 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Survival mode
MARCHING IN THE DARK SHINES A LIGHT ON MAHARASHTRA'S RESILIENT 'FARM WIDOWS' AND THE STRENGTH THEY FIND FROM MUTUAL SUPPORT
5 min |
May 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Shallow attempt
Uttar Pradesh is India's largest groundwater extractor. Water-guzzling crops, unregulated borewells and a lack of policy enforcement have pushed the state to the brink of water crisis
5 min |
May 01, 2025
Scientific India
Asteroid 2024 YR4 Risk Update: Could it Hit the Moon? JWST Observations Reveal New Data
Asteroid 2024 YR4, initially discovered on December 27, 2024, was first noted for a 3.1% chance of impacting Earth on December 22, 2032. However, as more observations have been collected, NASA has revised this probability downward to approximately 0.004%, effectively removing Earth from the list of impact concerns.
1 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
If we must bring back extinct species, let's focus on the giant herbivores
The American genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences recently announced to much fanfare it had “de-extincted” the dire wolf, a canine species that was wiped out around 10,000 years ago.
2 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV): Unveiling the Silent Respiratory Threat
Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), a highly significant but underappreciated pathogen, is responsible for a substantial number of respiratory infections worldwide.
7 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
The Hidden Cost of Speed:How driving fast drains your fuel
Fuel efficiency is a critical factor for both economic savings and environmental sustainability.
1 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
Tigers in the neighborhood: How India makes room for both tigers and people
In India, tigers haven't just survived they've made a comeback. Despite a growing population and increasing pressure on their habitats, the number of wild tigers is rising.
2 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
The Discovery:Potential Biosignatures on K2-18b
K2-18b, located approximately 120 light-years away in the constellation Leo, is classified as a \"Hycean\" planet a term coined by Dr. Madhusudhan to describe planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres and potential subsurface oceans.
1 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
The marvel of migration: behaviour and mechanisms in animals
Migration is one of the most fascinating phenomena in the natural world.
3 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
Scientists Revive Extinct Dire Wolf After 13,000 Years: Genetic Breakthrough by Colossal Biosciences
How ancient dire wolf DNA extracted from fossilised remains - is too degraded and damaged to biologically copy or clone-Paleogeneticist Dr Nic Rawlence, Otago University
1 min |
March-April 2025
Scientific India
Scientists Discover MAL: A New Human Blood Group After 50 Years
In 2024, scientists from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the University of Bristol identified a new human blood group system named MAL, resolving a 50-year-old mystery surrounding the AnWj antigen.
1 min |
March-April 2025
Down To Earth
RESILIENT RURAL FUTURES
Ambuja Foundation Tackles Climate Vulnerability Head On ...
3 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Nature guides
A women's collective in Uttarakhand improves members' livelihoods through sustainable tourism initiatives
2 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
The Big Pharma fix
Weight-loss drugs will not help India unless measures are taken to promote healthy diet and lifestyle
5 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
'Commission will provide legal aid to protect rights of elderly'
The Kerala Assembly has on March 19 passed the Kerala State Elderly Commission Bill, 2025, which allows the government to set up an Elderly Commission to protect the rights of the senior citizens and promote their welfare. In a conversation with K A SHAJI, the state's Minister for Higher Education and Social Justice R BINDU shares the mission of the country's first such commission. Excerpts:
4 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
AN AI FOR AN AI
Countries and companies are engaged in geopolitical competition and are pouring billions to dominate Al economy. But dangers abound
5 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
UPDATE REQUIRED
India needs to upgrade its legislative and legal framework to deal with the impacts of AI technology
4 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
ARTIFICIAL YOURS
Artificial Intelligence has made its way in everyday life. From Ghibli art to search engines to weapon systems, the technology's penetration is nearly complete. Trends show that organisations are rewiring to cope with the new reality. Governments are using private players to gain AI supremacy, while allowing them a greater say in public policy. India has entered the race late, but plans to develop its own model this year. What are the societal, legal and environmental challenges posed by the AI revolution?
7 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
In full retreat
Hindu Kush glaciers retreated 65 per cent faster in 2011-20, compared to previous decade. In a 2 °C warmer world, half of its glaciers could vanish
3 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
TRUMP'S TARIFF FRENZY
India should be most concerned about 'reciprocal tariffs' as Donald Trump seeks to pry open the country's agricultural markets for US' agri-business companies
6 min |
April 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Discourse on plant, forest genetic resources
WITH AN aim to discuss strategies for conserving plant and forest genetic resources, global leaders convened in Rome for the 20th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA 20) on March 24-28. CGRFA, part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is the only permanent intergovernmental body that deals with all components of biodiversity for food and agriculture.
1 min |