Down To Earth
World at risk of losing ice sheet, glaciars
THE ANTARCTIC ice sheet, which has the biggest potential for sea-level rise upon melting, may be at or very close to a tipping point, says a study published in Communications Earth and Environment on May 30.
1 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
May mayhem
The 2025 monsoon arrived a week early and raced across India in May, breaking records with its speed and intensity
5 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
World at risk of losing ice sheet, glaciars
THE ANTARCTIC ice sheet, which has the biggest potential for sea-level rise upon melting, may be at or very close to a tipping point, says a study published in Communications Earth and Environment on May 30.
1 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
THE BIG PICTURE
Restoring environmental flow in the Yamuna requires a comprehensive approach to watershed restoration, not just tackling the river's pollution
5 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
LOOPHOLE PLUGGED
On May 16, 2025, while hearing a case based on a petition by Vanashakti, a Mumbai-based non-profit, which questioned the validity of development projects initiated without environmental clearance (EC), the Supreme Court struck down two executive instruments issued by the Union environment ministry allowing ex post facto ECs, or retrospective clearance granted after a project had begun construction or operation. The court also barred the Union government from issuing any “new version” of the instruments—a 2017 notification and a 2021 Office Memorandum. Legal experts tell Down To Earth the judgement not only upholds principles of environmental law, but also holds the government accountable for its role in safeguarding the country’s environment.
7 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
The shape of water
Inspired by the idea of low-lying ponds at a sanctuary in the Thar, a Jodhpur environmentalist builds waterbodies in his village to allow the smallest of animals access to clean water
2 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Reluctant to share
Even three decades after panchayats received constitutional status, states across India seem unwilling to share power with them
3 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
The mammoth in the patent system
Firms working on de-extinction of long vanished species are banking on wide patent protection to make colossal profit
4 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Flood fix
Chennai is implementing sponge parks to mitigate waterlogging. But they may not be the best solution
3 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
GET THE BALANCE RIGHT
India currently relies on three major food crops—rice, maize and sugarcane—for ethanol production. Ethanol-blended petrol supports the country’s goals of carbon neutrality and energy sovereignty. But the transition to clean energy must not jeopardise food security.
6 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
TRICKY TRAJECTORY
Indirect emissions from land-use changes, overexploitation of water resources must not be ignored in the pursuit of biofuel
6 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Artwork by nature
Once close to disappearance, Banda's shajar stone handicraft industry is on a revival path
4 min |
June 16, 2025
Down To Earth
MIND THE TRADE-OFF
In times of climate change, a careful roadmap must be drawn to plan how much of food crops can be diverted to fuel production
4 min |
June 16, 2025
Scientific India
Healing the Ozone Hole: A New Ally in Combating Climate Change
In a groundbreaking study published in Science Advances, researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the UK's National Centre for Atmospheric Science have unveiled a compelling link between the healing of the ozone layer and the Southern Ocean's capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).
2 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Antibiotics from Human Use Contaminating Rivers Worldwide, Study Finds
Anew study led by McGill University has revealed that rivers around the world are being contaminated by antibiotics from human use, creating risks for aquatic life and contributing to antibiotic resistance.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Scientists uncover 230 giant ocean viruses that hijack photosynthesis
Giant viruses play a role in the survival of single-celled marine organisms called protists.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
How Bacteria Signal to Survive Antibiotic Attacks?
In the natural world, communication is often a key to survival—whether in animal herds, insect swarms, or even microbial colonies.
2 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Sleep-in science: How 2 extra weekend hours can calm teen anxiety
A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting found that teens who get moderate but not excessive catch-up sleep on weekends have fewer symptoms of anxiety.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
When Antibiotics Backfire: How Antibiotics Fuels Bacterial Resistance
Antibiotics have long been the cornerstone of modern medicine, designed to eliminate infections and restore health. But what if, instead of killing bacteria, these drugs were quietly helping them survive and even evolve?
2 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Inside the Mind: Brain-Reading Devices and Their Ethical Frontiers
Brain-reading devices, also called brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) or neurotechnologies, are systems that detect, interpret, and sometimes influence brain activity.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
The Rise of Drone Warfare: A New Era of Conflict
A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), meaning it is an aircraft that operates without a human pilot on board. Drones can be remotely controlled by a human operator or autonomously navigated using onboard sensors, GPS, and software.
2 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Rhino Genome Mapped in Hopes of Species Rescue
In a Kenyan wildlife conservancy near the equator, armed guards protect two northern white rhinoceroses, Najin and Fatu.
2 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
All of the biggest U.S. cities are sinking
Anew study of the 28 most populous U.S. cities finds that all are sinking to one degree or another.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Two CHOP Patients with an Inherited Blindness Successfully Treated with Gene Editing
A multi-institutional clinical trial involving researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania found that CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing delivered to fourteen individuals with a form of inherited blindness was safe and led to measurable improvements in vision in nearly half of the of the participants treated, including the two children treated at CHOP. The findings were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
AMR: an increasing global burden for animal and human health
We all have heard about MDR or multi drug resistance strains for some important human diseases like TB (tuberculosis), but the increasing number of resistant bacterial strains in livestock is a serious concern for animal health and eventually, human health too.
5 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Forever Chemicals on Your Plate?
The Hidden Threat of PFAS in Food
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
How Bacteria Hunt with Poison-Tipped Harpoons
Imagine living in a neighborhood where your neighbors don't just argue over boundaries or make noisethey carry microscopic harpoon guns and will stab you for your nutrients.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
Earth's Magnetic Pulse and the Breath of Life: A Surprising Link Between Magnetism and Oxygen
For most of human history, the magnetic field of Earth was considered simply a geophysical feature essential for navigation, responsible for the auroras, and a protective force shielding our planet from cosmic radiation.
1 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
The Intersection of Renewable Energy and India's Economic Future
India, one of the world's largest economies, is rapidly embracing the transition toward renewable energy.
4 min |
May-June 2025
Scientific India
India's Genome-Edited Rice Revolution:
India has officially approved and released two genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, developed using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology.
2 min |