Science
Down To Earth
Will The Aral Sea Ever Come Back?
Forty years of “creeping environmental problems” built up into a mammoth monster insidiously sucking the great Aral Sea virtually dry
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
A SILENT CRISIS
Years of undernutrition and a heavy reliance on rice, supplied through public distribution system, could be fuelling diabetes among tribal population
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
ARE WE THERE YET?
Model villages are Still far from the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
A FOREST DROUGHT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT
Severe dry spells in Indian forests have hit the livelihood of more than 100 million people
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
DEADLY TARGET
Health experts blame Centre's over-emphasis on women's sterilisation for the Chhattisgarh tragedy
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
ETHICS ON TRIAL
Five per cent of the clinical trials conducted across the world will be in India by 2012. While doctors and organisations conducting trials make big bucks, the rights and safety of the subjects are often overlooked
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
Village Democracy, Mendha Style
A nondescript Maria Gond village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district can offer a lesson to urbanites on how to run a functioning democracy
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
HOMELESS HILSA
The ocean fish that swims against the tide to spawn in rivers is moving away from Bangladesh
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
IT's UNDERBELLY
India produces about 400,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year, growing exponentially. The country is one of the lead importers of all kinds of waste. Almost all of this is recycled or scrapped by the unorganised sector
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
ON SHAKY GROUND
Nearly half a million people living in and around the Jharia coalfield in Jharkhand have to be shifted to control underground fires
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
PRIVATE (LTD)
A controversial plan to sell water from the Sheonath river
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
ORPHANED BY APATHY
Hidden from the outside world, this is the plight of the Van Taungiyas
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
REPUBLIC QUAKED
How can a region officially recognised as the most earthquake prone be so helpless when it strikes?
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
TURNING TURTLE
Olive Ridley sea turtles have been coming to the Gahirmatha coast in Odisha for thousands of years for mass nesting. But for two consecutive years now they have failed to nest here, though they have shown up
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
THE RULERS NOUVEAUX
Madhya Pradesh became the first state in the country to implement the 3-tier panchayati raj. But lack of finances might just undo the transfer of power to the people
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
THE SALT OF THE EARTH
Moves are afoot to convert the brackish Pulicat lake into a freshwater one to supply water to Madras city and authorities seem to have little regard for its consequences on the environment
2 min |
May 16, 2023
Down To Earth
Can Vaccines Help Beat Latest Surge
ON APRIL 14, the country recorded 11,000 new COVID-19 cases, the highest so far in 2023. As cases rose throughout the month, states and Union Territories issued advisories on wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings to prevent the infection.
1 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
Power of pine
Women in Solan, Himachal Pradesh use abundantly available pine needles to weave items of everyday use and decor, earning a handsome monthly income
2 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
A silent crisis
Years of undernutrition and a heavy reliance on rice, supplied through public distribution system, could be fuelling diabetes among tribal population
10 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
POTENT EMITTER
Termites are a major source of methane, but determining the risk they pose to global warming is fraught with uncertainty
5 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
PLANT BABOOL
The tree can grow well on degraded land, can survive droughts and floods, and has numerous medicinal properties
4 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
Tiger reserved
Fiftieth anniversary of Project Tiger means little to forest-dwelling communities
5 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
GREEN FLIGHT
From sustainable fuel to hydrogen-propelled engines, the aviation sector is experimenting with various technologies for a clean future
4 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
'ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO MARRIAGE'
Nearly five years after scrapping Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised homosexuality, the Supreme Court in April 2023 began hearing petitions seeking legalisation of same-sex marriage, which would not just recognise unions within India's LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, transgender, queer-identifying and others) community, but also allow partners to open joint bank accounts, make medical decisions and be eligible for inheritance. As a five-judge bench of the Apex Court headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heard arguments both for and against the petitions, debates arose on the institution of marriage, on whether marriage equality was an \"elitist concept\", and even on the biological definitions of a man and a woman. DOWN TO EARTH spoke to two experts on the fate of marriage equality in India.
3 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
When generics turn into Big Pharma
Top generics firms, some from India, are charged with price-fixing and sleazy deals; Sun Pharma has paid up to settle claims
4 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
Every count matters
India’s first census of waterbodies is a much awaited one but experts question the methodology
4 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
RISE OF THE FUNGUS
Fungal infections often go undiagnosed. Even when identified, they are among the most difficult diseases to manage. They are now quietly spreading across the globe, preying on people's weakened immune system and taking advantage of the high diabetes burden. Some are even showing resistance to the existing arsenal of drugs and are becoming virulent in a warming world.
10+ min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
Deserted by state
Rural households in West Bengal are pushed into debt traps and forced migration after the Centre's decision to withhold funds to implement India's flagship public wage programme in the state
8 min |
May 01, 2023
Down To Earth
Mined To Destruction
Sand is the second most exploited resource after water and the most mined material globally, as per the UN Environment Programme. Its extraction from riverbeds is often done without regard to the adverse impact on natural river ecology. In India, sand mining grew as a large and, in many cases, illegal industry after the rapid urbanisation brought on by the economic liberalisation in the 1990s
3 min |
April 16, 2023
Down To Earth
Revival of a tradition
Rajasthan communities restore pastureland to ease impacts of fodder crisis in livestock farming
4 min |