Science
Down To Earth
The Others Too
The MeToo campaign comes at a time when women are being courted for electoral gains. Is it good or bad?
2 min |
November 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Goa's Shadow Dancer
Dragonflies tell us about the health of our wetlands and ecology. Hence the discovery of a new species is heartening news
5 min |
November 01, 2018
Down To Earth
'Natural Disasters Are Shaped By Social And Economic Inequality'
In the early hours of October 31, 1876, a devastating cyclone emanating from the Bay of Bengal drowned at least 0.21 million people and another 0.1 million died in the cholera epidemic and famine that followed. Such events are often described as "natural disasters". But historian BEN KINGSBURY turns that interpretation on its head in his book, An Imperial Disaster: The Bengal Cyclone of 1876, showing it was not simply a "natural" event, but one shaped by all-too-human patterns of exploitation and inequality—by divisions within Bengali society, and the enormous disparities of political and economic power that characterised British rule on the subcontinent. RICHARD MAHAPATRA spoke to Kingsbury on the untold narratives of "natural disasters". Excerpts
3 min |
April 01, 2019
Down To Earth
A Mountain Lost
The Aravalli mountain range extends for more than 692 km from Champaner in Gujarat to Delhi and beyond. Its role in defining the shape of the Indian subcontinent and its climate, and the fact that it triggered the explosion of multicellular life, are under-appreciated. The rugged mountains guide the monsoon clouds and protect the fertile alluvial river valleys from the assault of cold westerly winds from Central Asia. However, over the past four decades, the world's oldest mountain range has been destroyed by mining, deforestation and over-exploitation of its fragile and ancient water channels
10+ min |
April 01, 2019
Down To Earth
'I Am A Farmer About To Commit Suicide. Can You Help Me? My Aadhaar Number Is...'
Ishan Kukreti reports on how psychologists are now intervening to help distressed farmers
6 min |
April 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Microbes: Breaking The Mould
Microbes will always triumph over antibiotics. We can only choose the battles that will make a difference
5 min |
September 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Capital Loss
The Land Pool Scheme of the Andhra Pradesh government to acquire land for the new state capital is turning out to be a nightmare for farmers JITENDRA | amaravati
4 min |
September 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Time To Define The New Normal
The monsoon of 2017 has challenged India's conventional and simplistic definition of the complex tropical circulation
3 min |
September 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Dialects Are The Avantgarde Teams Exploring New Semantic Possibilities
Linguist GANESH DEVY has just published a new volume of a unique language survey that is based on geography and people's vernacular claims. He speaks to RAJAT GHAI on the link between languages and ecology
4 min |
September 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Last Shots
The Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee faces extinction as it fights a losing battle against innumerable threats ABHIJIT MOHANTY
4 min |
September 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Chambal Without Ravines
The ravines of Chambal used to provide multiple livelihood options for its poor and marginal farmers. Leveling of land is triggering conflicts and increasing social inequity
4 min |
September 1, 2017
Down To Earth
A Continued Disaster
Political instability and paucity of funds delay Nepal's attempts to spring back from the 2015 earthquakes.
4 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Smouldering Threat
Nigeria is losing its tropical forests at an alarming rate to satiate the world's growing appetite for charcoal. Subhojit Goswami finds how the cheap fuel now threatens the country's biodiversity.
4 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Trade In Extralegal Currency
Energy guzzling cryptocurrencies could make commodity markets volatile.
5 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Understanding An Unusual Cyclone
Cyclone Ockhi intensified from a deep depression to a cyclonic storm in less than six hours, baffling scientists about its fast evolution.
4 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
The Future Is Electric
Global automobile fleet is marching forward to wean away from fossil fuels. India has shown intent but lacks a clear policy and roadmap. But India can lead this business and be different by finding affordable strategies and linking electric mobility with shared mobility and mass transport.
10+ min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Dope As A Drug
More than 18 countries across the world have legalised the use of marijuana for medical use. India may soon join the club.
4 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Tangy Buds
Elandha vada is a traditional nutritional snack that is fast disappearing from our food basket.
3 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
In Black And White
Why zebras have stripes.
2 min |
February 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Binary Blunders
The gender spectrum is a consequence of the complex interplay between culture and highly-nuanced and protean brain.
5 min |
February 16, 2018
Down To Earth
Immune To Accountability
For eight years, the private healthcare sector has opposed the Clinical Establishments Act. State governments are only succumbing to its interests.
4 min |
February 16, 2018
Down To Earth
Bone Voyage
Russia joined the coloniser's club in 1741 when its Great Northern Expedition discovered Alaska. It remains the most grisly exploration in maritime history.
4 min |
February 16, 2018
Down To Earth
Scattered Dots
Sarnath Banerjee takes on too many nuances of a water crisis that are difficult to integrate in his graphic novel.
3 min |
October 1, 2016
Down To Earth
Mountains of Sanjeevani
The Uttarakhand government's initiative to spend R25 crore on an elusive mythical herb should trigger a wider quest to identify,document and analyse life-saving Himalayan herbs.
4 min |
October 1, 2016
Down To Earth
Tame the Mosquito
India does not have to bear the onslaught of vector-borne diseases year after year. It is possible to control mosquitoes that spread these diseases. Here's how.
7 min |
October 1, 2016
Down To Earth
Town Today, Gone Tomorrow
Morwa town, built to serve mining companies, faces the ugly truth of its own displacement.
4 min |
October 1, 2016
Down To Earth
Leafy Greens like Mutthi Saag Are Ideal For The Poor
Leafy greens like mutthi saag come in handy for poor people to meet their nutritional requirements
2 min |
April 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Cities Of Joy
Last year, the South African city of Cape Town was in the news for running out of water. It managed to avert Day Zero, but the threat has not disappeared. With changing climate, more cities across the world will face similar crises. But there are a few metropolises that have overcome water shortage despite heavy odds. Though these cities still need to keep adapting and innovating, they have done well so far. Here's how they did it
3 min |
March 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Mortgaging Our Ecological
A climate change narrative lost in rhetoric and catchy metaphors.
4 min |
May 16, 2019
Down To Earth
To No One's Gain
Government takes back land it gave to people as their right. Now, people of three districts face eviction and have nowhere to go.
4 min |