Science
Down To Earth
Weathering A Poor Network
With extreme weather events becoming the new normal, forecasting has become more important than ever. It's time African nations invest in observation networks
3 min |
May 16, 2018
down to earth
claims we buy
for food manufacturers, misleading claims are a way of marketing in india. it's time the government made the regulations stringent and brought about necessary changes in its approach towards food labelling and claims
9 min |
january 16, 2017
down to earth
pale and yellow
shortage of vaccines has pushed many african countries to the brink of a yellow fever epidemic
4 min |
january 16, 2017
down to earth
honey, they shrunk our livelihoods!
honey collectors gamble with their lives to eke out a livelihood in the sundarbans, but are forced to sell it to the forest department for a pittance.
5 min |
december 16, 2016
Down To Earth
Revenge Of The Rich
Trump's election reflects the anger of the rich who did not get richer. This inequity is also at the core of the climate change challenge.
4 min |
December 01, 2016
Down To Earth
A Sniff To Save
It can detect a person buried under six metres of snow. PERVEZ CAMA, who travelled to the Swiss Alps, traces the history of St Bernard, a dog groomed to rescue travellers, and now part of popular culture.
4 min |
December 01, 2016
Down To Earth
Bonds To The Rescue?
Urban local bodies across India are floating bonds to raise money. This may render them unviable and make city living costly
4 min |
April 01, 2018
Down To Earth
Was The Met Office Napping?
Hailstorms have once again damaged crops in the drought-prone Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra as well as the credibility of the India Meteorological Department.
5 min |
April 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Era Begins Without Plan
NITI Aayog formally begins its business without a vision or an action plan.
4 min |
April 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Champaran Satyagraha Continues
A century ago, Mahatma Gandhi tested the idea of satyagraha for the first time to fight for indigo farmers in Champaran. While the crop is seeing a revival in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Champaran in Bihar is in the throes of another peasant struggle.
10+ min |
April 01, 2017
Down To Earth
Measles Is Back
With outbreaks reported from across the world, measles' eradication by 2020 seems difficult
4 min |
May 16, 2017
Down To Earth
Bitter Medicine
It is time to treat pharma waste more rigorously. The waste contains active ingredients used in antibiotics and may be contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance
6 min |
May 16, 2017
Down To Earth
Blind Spot in Namami Gange
Two flagship programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are working at cross-purposes. By 2019, when Swachh Bharat Mission comes to an end, some 30 million septic tanks and pits would have been dug along the Ganga. These tanks and pits would produce 180 million litres of faecal sludge every day, which will eventually find its way into the Ganga, defeating Namami Gange. It's time the Central, state and local sanitation programmes recognised faecal sludge management as a priority to ensure a clean Ganga
10+ min |
December 16, 2016
Down To Earth
Ganga Needs More Than Just Cleaning
Government reforms must include basin-scale hydrological and ecological conservation efforts Michelle Irengbam, Shivani Barthwal, Niladri Dasgupta, Ruchi Badola & Syed Ainul Hussain
4 min |
August 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Pills By Jugaad!
A new investigative book, bottle of lies, says that Indian cancer drugs are contaminated; cholesterol medication has shards of glass; and, blood pressure pills contain a live bug. In these excerpts, the author, Katherine Eban writes about jugaad, an indian model of aggressive shortcuts, the ability to dodge onerous rules to get the desired results
2 min |
August 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Vitamin B12 - Are You Deficient?
The prescription for a plant-based diet overlooks vitamin B12 deficiency that is primarily present in animal-based diets
3 min |
August 16, 2019
Down To Earth
5G And The Fear Of Radiation
Radiation fears mount as the world gets ready to embrace the networkintensive 5G
4 min |
April 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Here Come The Gene Hackers
Interventions to make heritable changes to the human genome are fraught with uncertainties. There are legitimate concerns about using a still imperfect technology that can rewrite the very blueprint of life. Also, the debate on whether it’s ethical to do so is far from being settled. However, would-be baby tinkerers around the world have failed to get the message
10 min |
August 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Mumbai Coastal Road Project - An Ecological Disaster
The US $1.7 billion mumbai coastal road to be built by reclaiming the inter-tidal Western Coast is an ecological and livelihood disaster in the making. Here’s why
3 min |
August 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Miniature Brinjals From The Northeast
Quite common in the northeast, these miniature brinjals can be cooked in a myriad ways
2 min |
August 01, 2019
Down To Earth
Valley's Morel Magic
THE RARE HIMALAYAN MUSHROOM, KANGECH, WHICH GROWS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR, WILL LEAVE YOU WITH AN UNFORGETTABLE AFTERTASTE
4 min |
August 16, 2019
Down To Earth
Popular, Prolific, Populist
November and December saw the passing away of three relentless champions of popular cause.
7 min |
December 16, 2016
Down To Earth
The Hungry Caterpillar
Even as science unmasks the sinister side of plastic, we are becoming ever more dependent on it. Is there a way out of this deadly addiction?
5 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Govt V Govt V People
Two government departments and landless people are locked in a legal battle over 4,000 ha in Madhya Pradesh whose outcome would have countrywide ramifications
4 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Migratory Mayhem
The migration season in the Maasai MaraSerengeti region in Africa has begun earlier than usual this year, due to the destruction of habitats
4 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Underrated Treasure
Though it is present everywhere, people tend to miss the superfood kulfa
3 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
We Could Discover New Bird Species In The Eastern Himalayas
TREVOR PRICE has been studying birds in India since 1972, investigating breeding biology and bird distributions, especially in the Himalayas. He is a leading expert in bird speciation—the formation of new bird species in the course of evolution Currently, on a Fulbright Fellowship and working with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, he speaks to RAJAT GHAI about Himalayan avifauna
3 min |
August 1, 2017
Down To Earth
Drowned In Uncertainty
The Supreme Court has given the go-ahead to the controversial Sardar Sarovar Dam to run at its full capacity. But the government is not sure who all will get submerged, let alone rehabilitate them
7 min |
June 16, 2017
Down To Earth
Poor Despite ₹5,800 Crore
Plan and plan well is the message from the first independent evaluation of India's ambitious resource-sharing plan for mining districts
6 min |
June 16, 2017
Down To Earth
A Blow To Autonomy?
The landmark Goods and Services Tax, which aims to create a one-tax nation, could reduce local self-governing bodies to mendicancy and lead to centralisation of financial power
5 min |