Science
Down To Earth
The Ganga Crusader
G D Agarwal's death after holding fast for 111 days for the cause of India's holy river should inspire us to fight in a Gandhian manner
2 min |
November 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Software Outsmarts Drug Research
Now, a programme can bypass patented drug pathways and create synthetically-produced medicines
2 min |
February 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Quick Fix Aid
A first after many years, farmers are at the centre of political attention. Ahead of the general elections, there is a rush of cash support schemes to woo them. This may bring some solace to farmers, but will the schemes have a lasting impact?
10+ min |
February 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Potato's Neglected Cousins
Tubers come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and pack quite a punch
3 min |
February 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Out Of The Legal Hole
There is no such thing as environmentally acceptable and safe rat-hole coal mining and hence this primitive practice must be discontinued
3 min |
February 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Will Nudge Come To Shove?
It is crucial that nudge as a tool is used meticulously for political canvassing
4 min |
February 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Fatal Test
A Maharashtra legislature panel's suggestion to make sex-determination test mandatory could derail decades of efforts to protect the rights of women and the safety of the girl child.
4 min |
June 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Landslide Trigger
Leakage from the tunnel carrying water to Parbati II hydroelectric plant in Kullu is just one way how the project threatens the landslide-prone area.
4 min |
June 1, 2017
Down To Earth
New Systems, Old Habits
Launched in 2014, the continuous monitoring systems for highly polluting industries were expected to usher in a new era of environmental governance in India. But poor planning, hasty execution and lack of enforcement have made the new-age regulatory mechanism a non-starter. Sanjeev Kumar Kanchan reports.
2 min |
June 1, 2017
Down To Earth
A Clean Miss
The new Swachh Survekshan ranking promotes cities with poor waste management practices.
6 min |
June 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Dry Run
Nutritional standards for the sale of camel milk, issued for the first time by the government, are a huge threat to the nascent dairy industry.
4 min |
February 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Out Of The Abyss
The recent surge in earthquakes and the explanation for the formation of the world's largest exposed fault have provided momentum to seismological research. SHREESHAN VENKATESH looks at the latest findings.
8 min |
February 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Rosewood Fades In India
After putting up a fight at CITES, will India be able to provide an alternative trade regime to rosewood artisans of the country?
4 min |
November 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Under Salty Waters
Is Andhra Pradesh turning a blind eye to illegal shrimp rearing?
3 min |
November 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Given To Imperious Decisions
Most of Indira Gandhi's decisions were in the right direction, but were not swayed by people's movements, which are the very soul of genuine environmental activism
5 min |
November 01, 2017
Down To Earth
No Just An Affair Of The Heart
Indira Gandhi made conservation a part of political discourse and her leadership on environment remains unparalleled globally
4 min |
November 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Poverty@25, India@70
Poverty remains conditional to one's social status
3 min |
November 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Through a Narrow Path
An engineering folly unfolds over a week-long journey along Bihar's Kosi river, a tempestuous tributary of the Ganga.
10+ min |
January 01, 2017
Down To Earth
A Fruitful Journey
A food safari in the desert of Rajasthan reveals a variety difficult to imagine in cities.
8 min |
January 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Embrace of Chipko
Impacts of the Chipko movement are visible in Chamoli even after four decades, but Tehri Garhwal has taken a different turn.
10 min |
January 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Serpentine Problem
WHO now recognises snakebite as a neglected disease. But India, which has the highest number of snakebite deaths, is woefully ill-prepared in tackling the problem
4 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Inking Solutions To Pollution
Two Indian startups are converting polluted air particles into inks and paints
4 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Back To Bins
The City Corporation of Panaji wants to discontinue the decentralised waste management system that helped it become a bin-free city
4 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Aral Apocalypse
The Aral Sea has shrunk to a fourth of its size. Neha Mungekar travels to Uzbekistan and recounts how it remains a living sample of a monumental human-made ecological catastrophe
5 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Rise Of The Fall
Fall Armyworm, a deadly but little understood crop pest, poses a threat to food security and livelihoods of millions as it ravages crops in Africa and now Asia. First detected in July 2018 in India, the pest has caused widespread damage to maize crops, raising the possibility that the country may have to import maize.
10+ min |
March 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Bedaquiline And India's Patent Law
Opposition to the new patent claims on the Johnson & Johnson drug is a test of how well the rules against evergreening are working.
2 min |
March 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Robots Are Here, Almost
The use of industrial robots is growing at an unprecedented rate in India. Are blue-collar jobs under threat?
3 min |
March 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Hidden Elixir
A one-stop medicine shop, amrakh can be the wow factor in homemade pickles and chutneys.
3 min |
March 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Encroached Upon
Thirteen years aft er a historic law was formulated to give forest dwellers legal ownership of their traditi th onal land, their fate still hangs in the balance.A recent Supreme Court verdict, which almost made their eviction imminent, has brought the focus back on the tedious righhts recognition process under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.ISHAN KUKRETI reports from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarli and Delhi, with inputs from PRIYA RANJAN SAHU in Odisha
10+ min |
March 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Of Cacti And Algae
Even after 50 years, India's research on forage crops fails to avert fodder shortage but churns out some unconventional alternatives
3 min |