Down To Earth
CLIMATE SHAPES SPECIES
Gradual changes in a population that lives in a region with environmental shifts give rise to new species
3 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Preserving a voice
Non-profit in Madhya Pradesh documents Korku language, makes education accessible for the tribal community
2 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
'Story of human origin is still not figured out or over'
Fifty years ago, the discovery of a partial skeleton amid the barren desert landscape of northern Ethiopia transformed our understanding of where humans came from, and how we developed into Homo sapiens. \"Lucy\" was first spotted on November 24, 1974, by the American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and his student assistant Tom Gray. Named after the Beatles' Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, a popular song in the their team's camp at the time, it was immediately clear she was a female, because of her small adult size, and that she had walked upright, unlike chimpanzees. Lucy was also very old-at almost 3.2 million years, she was anointed as the then-earliest known (distant) ancestor of modern humans. Over the following decades, rather fittingly given her name, she became a \"paleo-rock star\", going on a US tour from 2006 following a deal with the Ethiopian authorities.
7 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
LEAFY GOODNESS
Leaves of the bottle gourd can be a healthy green addition to the plate
3 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
US drug regulator faces Trump heat
FAILED REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is making more news now than during his doomed attempt to get the party nomination for president. Ramaswamy's decision to throw in the towel and back Donald Trump after his campaign went nowhere showed acumen, the kind he is famous for in the investment world.
4 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Deadly discharge
Residents of an industrial cluster blame effluent and sewage treatment plants for discharging poorly treated water that contaminates the area, causes skin diseases
4 min |
January 16, 2025
Scientific India
Turning carbon emissions into methane fuel
Chemists have developed a novel way to capture and convert carbon dioxide into methane, suggesting that future gas emissions could be converted into an alternative fuel using electricity from renewable sources. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that accounts for a large part of Earth's warming climate, and is produced by power plants, factories and various forms of transportation.
1 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
AI predicts that most of the world will see temperatures rise to 3°C much faster than previously expected
Three leading climate scientists have combined insights from 10 global climate models and, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), conclude that regional warming thresholds are likely to be reached faster than previously estimated.
1 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Climate Change Added 18 mph to Hurricane Wind Speeds over Past 5 Years
High ocean temperatures caused by global warming boosted maximum intensities for most storms between 2019 and 2023, as well as for every 2024 hurricane.
1 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Infrared Radiation: A New Player In Mosquito Host-Seeking
The sound of mosquitoes is all around us when the sun sets and the air gets warm and sweltering.
3 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Climate change arms the world, ovarian cancer pulls the trigger.It's time we disarm them both
Climate change, driven by human activities, leads to environmental changes such as rising temperatures, altered weather patterns, and increased pollution.
6 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
How Indian Vulture Decline Led to 500,000 Deaths in 5 Years
Once a common sight across India, vultures were abundant scavengers, often seen circling landfills in search of carcasses.
2 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Understanding Monkeypox: Insights and Implications
Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic disease, has gained significant attention in recent years due to its re-emergence and sporadic outbreaks globally.
2 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Building world's 1st pyramid
In a preprint study published this summer, researchers proposed that ancient Egyptians built the world's first pyramid the 4,700-year-old Step Pyramid of Djoser, which sits on Egypt's Saqqara plateau using a \"modern hydraulic system\" powered by a long-gone branch of the Nile River.
1 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Fish Oil May Benefit to Cure Alzheimer's, disorder: new findings
The benefits of fish and fish oil consumption are well-known in medical science as fish is considered a precious food resource that provides sufficient nutrition to humans.
2 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
A new class of antivirals could help prevent future pandemics
The arrival of Paxlovid in December 2021 marked another turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic an effective antiviral that has since successfully treated millions.
2 min |
November - December 2024
Scientific India
Air pollution in India linked to millions of deaths
India emits about 3 gigatonnes (Gt) CO2eq of greenhouse gases each year; about two and a half tons per person, which is less than the world average. The country emits 7% of global emissions, despite having 17% of the world population.
2 min |
November - December 2024
Down To Earth
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
2 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
10+ min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
4 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
1 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
5 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
8 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
4 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
5 min |
December 16, 2024
Down To Earth
THE YEAR PLANET CHANGED
WE KNOW THAT WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE EXTREMES. WE ARE NOT IN DENIAL. BUT WE ARE NO LONGER THE SOCIETIES THAT WORK FOR COMMON CAUSES
5 min |
December 01, 2024
Down To Earth
TEST OF SURVIVAL
GENERATION ALPHA INHERITS A WORLD IRREVOCABLY WARMER BY 1.5°C
5 min |
December 01, 2024
Down To Earth
OPEN AND SHUT CASE
2024 WITNESSED A RECORD NUMBER OF ATTRIBUTION STUDIES THAT SHOW CLIMATE CHANGE AS THE KEY FACTOR BEHIND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
3 min |
December 01, 2024
Down To Earth
VAPOUR ACTION
MOISTURE IS A SILENT FORCE THAT AMPLIFIES GLOBAL WARMING. YET SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND LITTLE ABOUT THIS GREENHOUSE GAS AND HOW IT INFLUENCES WEATHER SYSTEMS
8 min |
December 01, 2024
Down To Earth
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
4 min |