Science
Down To Earth
Are we beyond laws of evolution?
WE AS a society are disconnecting from nature. This is a truism for the human species. But how disconnected are we from nature, from where we evolved? On the face of it, this sounds like a philosophical question. Still, if one gets to measure this, which tool to use? Miles Richardson, a professor engaged in nature connectedness studies at the School of Psychology, University of Derby, UK, has published a study that attempts to measure this widening connection between humans and nature. His finding says that human connection to nature has declined 60 per cent since 1800.
2 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Paddy overload
Even as it records a rise in paddy acreage, Telangana enhances its push for fine-grained varieties of the crop, raising concerns
3 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Dogged disruption
Free-ranging dogs have risen as predators due to the decline in vulture numbers in India. Now, these canines threaten other animals and humans with feral behaviour, disease transmission
5 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Rain check revolution
A citizen science initiative collects localised precipitation data in and around Pune to help people gain insights on rainfall patterns
2 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
A STATUTORY ORDER, NOT AN ADVISORY
The International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion that countries driving climate change are committing a crime against humanity reiterates the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. It is likely to boost litigation related to climate reparations
10+ min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
TIMELESS CORBETT
EXPLORING THE HUNTER, WRITER, NATURALIST AND CONSERVATIONIST BEHIND THE LEGEND OF JIM CORBETT
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
REIGN OF FIRE
Jharia coalfield continues to burn, with no sign of respite and only sluggish progress in rehabilitation for its people
6 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
FORGED CONSENSUS
State governments offering financial incentives to make panchayats forego voting and elect candidates by consensus could have unfavourable consequences for India's local self-governance.
10+ min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Healing minds
In Chhattisgarh's Durg district, health workers are offering support to those silently struggling with mental health conditions
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Spirit of the soil
MITTI: EK NAYI PEHCHAAN BRINGS FARMER ISSUES TO THE FORE THROUGH THE EYES OF A YOUNG PROTAGONIST WHO RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS
3 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Soft targets
India's largest renewable energy park risks displacing Ladakh's nomadic herders and their prized pashmina goats
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Breaking the coal taboo
WHAT DO we do with coal and the electricity it generates? This is the zillion-dollar question in the face of the twin challenges of climate change and the urgent need for energy to power homes, factories and shops across vast parts of the still-developing world. The world is fast running out of the carbon budget to keep temperature rises below 1.5°C—a guardrail against out and out devastation. We need solutions that can and must work in the interests of all. This is where the coal question becomes complicated. It is easy to say “keep it in the ground”—do not use coal for generating electricity as it is more than certainly responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions that have already filled our shared atmosphere. But how will that work in an energy-insecure world?
3 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Micro menace
As nations negotiate a global treaty to regulate plastics, scientists have released a damning report highlighting the health impacts on humans
5 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
'Window to avoid worst climate scenarios is rapidly shutting'
In 2023, scientists for the first time quantified nine planetary boundaries—aspects that affect the functioning of Earth systems, including climate change, ocean acidification and land-system change—and concluded that six of them have already been transgressed. This assessment is based on a framework put forth in 2009 by a team led by JOHAN ROCKSTRÖM, now director at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and professor of earth system science at the University of Potsdam, Germany. All the boundaries are under strain due to global warming, bringing us closer to irreversible climate tipping points, Rockström tells SHAGUN. Excerpts:
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Fewer farms, older hands
FARMS ARE declining across the world, and farmers are ageing. The average age of a farmer in the world is 55 years, closer to the retirement age. At the same time, there seems to be less interest among the youth to take up farming. Going by data with the International Labour Organization, in 1991 agriculture accounted for 43 per cent of global employment. By 2023, it reduced to 26 per cent. According to Census 2011, every day 2,000 farmers in India give up farming. Arnold Puech Pays d'Alissac, president of the World Farmers' Organisation, has a warning, rather an alarm call: “A lot of people will be out of the job, I expect, retired, very soon.”
2 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
BEYOND PETHA
Whether enjoyed as a sweet treat, refreshing juice or hearty vegetable dish, ash gourd offers a wealth of nutritional benefits
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Blind spots
Climate models still struggle to keep up with rapid changes in the polar regions
4 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
All in the name
Draft UN resolution on trans-fats elimination fails to distinguish industrial and natural sources, threatening nutrition in poorer nations
8 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
New battlefronts
UN Environment Programme's \"Frontiers 2025: The Weight of Time\" identifies emerging environmental risks in a planet in crisis
2 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Pads with purpose
In Delhi's Azadpur, women champion menstrual health through hand-made, affordable hygiene products
2 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Undamming Europe
EUROPE IS on a river-barrier demolition spree—23 countries demolished 542 barriers in 2024. The continent must pursue this trend more vigorously if it is to meet its target of making 25,000 km of rivers barrier-free by 2030.
2 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
BOUND BY DISASTER
Across South Asia, droughts, floods and displacement are fueling marriages of adolescent girls as a survival tactic
4 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Mistaken identity
A Central Zoo Authority report says confusion in animal identification might have led to selection of wrong deer species for conservation breeding
3 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Silent spread
Unauthorised herbicide-tolerant cotton varieties circulate in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh
5 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
AT A CROSSROADS ROADS
With the right push, air conditioners can shift from energy guzzlers to climate allies in India’s energy efficiency story
6 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Ownership rights
From controlling wildfires to restoring forest health, several Chhattisgarh villages use Community Forest Resource Rights to usher in a new forest management regime
4 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
PUMPED FOR CHANGE
Even though India is a global leader in water pumps, the sector needs urgent efficiency overhaul
5 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
‘Almost every middle-income country is being targeted by Big Food and its scientific agents’
There is a secret world of corporate science out there, where powerful companies and allied scientists shape research to serve industry interests. SUSAN GREENHALGH, an anthropologist and specialist on contemporary China, exposes this hidden world in her new book, Soda Science. Blending investigative storytelling with scholarly analysis, this book reveals how Coca-Cola used front groups to distort science and manipulate public policies to protect its profits. In an interview with SNIGDHA DAS, Greenhalgh offers a glimpse into her decade-long investigation and the workings of “soda science”.
8 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
GAME CHANGERS
Improving energy efficiency of appliances—equipment of everyday use—is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to enhance energy security and avoid carbon dioxide emissions.
3 min |
August 01, 2025
Down To Earth
RAISE THE BAR
From consumer incentives to bulk procurement and strict efficiency standards, India has many options to promote efficient appliances
6 min |