Bihar’s earthquake toll due to poor condition of houses
Census data shows Bihar among the three states with lowest proportion of houses which can be categorised ‘good’
Swine flu: shortage of lab facilities adds to people’s woes
Government hospitals testing only those patients who are in poor condition, complain patients
Unpacking europium, the mainstay of the lighting industry
The rare earth metal is all around us—in flouorescent lamps, display screens, televisions to smart tablets and phones. But is deep mining …
Amount of mercury in environment grossly underestimated
Quantity released in the environment since 1850 is over twice more than previously estimated, says a study
Is the warming Pacific Ocean finally signalling an El Niño?
After cooling down suddenly in July, the Pacific Ocean is warming up once again but it could be another mischief played by the 'Little Boy'
Moody monsoon floods Bihar, Northeast, keeps rest of India dry
The erratic nature of the monsoon coupled with the faulty methodology of presenting rainfall statistics are misleading people
Heavy rains in Nepal may threaten Bihar again
Water levels in the Kosi and other rivers are likely to rise further this week because of heavy rains in Nepal from August 13. Heavy rainfall …
Meeting called by health ministry to regulate e-cigarettes inconclusive
There is abundance of evidence that e-cigarettes are harmful but no progress made in 'national consultations' as some participants demanded more …
Wait for the monsoon continues
Stalled since about 10 days in a crucial agricultural month like June, the 'mood swings' of the south-west monsoon continue to keep half of India …
Unaware and unprepared
More than 26 asteroids entered Earth's atmosphere between 2000 and 2013. None of them was detected in advance
WHO estimate on air pollution shows Indian cities are death traps
Analysis of database indicates that all 124 Indian cities assessed exceed the WHO guideline for particulate matter levels; Delhi, Patna exceed …
Women’s Day can be special when women are safe
We need a special national police force and sustained public campaign to avert a potentially explosive situation
Gut instinct
Grasshopper gut contains DNA of plants it eats. Data on the pest’s food habits can help devise control strategies
Social ants and social humans
Book>> The social conquest of earth• by Edward O Wilson • Liveright publications • Rs 1,040
Advocate for Hyderabad's threatened lakes
Jasveen Jairath, convener of Save Our Urban Lakes, a citizens initiative for saving water bodies of Hyderabad, talks about the challenges of …
Trials at sea
Book>> Round about the earth • by Joyce E Chaplin • Simon & Schuster • Rs 1,850
Simply creative
General principles of architecture are imaginatively applied to create a green building in Gurgaon
Uncertainty increases over convention terms
As it comes under increasing scrutiny, the biodiversity convention signed last year is proving to be neither good nor bad -- just uncertain. Key …
Delegates stall action on greenhouse gases
Little was achived at the December climate meeting in Geneva by way of setting schedules for future sessions,mainly because of stalling tactics …
Finnish belt-tightening chokes green projects
Faced with the century's worst recession Helsinki has had to cut back heavily on development aid. At stake are several international …
Third World posers for Northern donors
In the new environment-sensitive atmosphere after Rio, two Northern agencies that aid research projects in the developing world are being …
A watered-down capitulation
Who should benefit from biotechnology? The South, where the genes originate, or the North, with its massive gene banks? Commercial interests …
Politics of punctuation
A comma gave rise to an argument over whether technology transfer should take place according to terms agreed upon at Rio or terms mutually …
Southerners win the Rio round
For many southern groups, the greater cause at Rio was to align with their governments against the West's "green imperialism"
Conserving biodiversity and generosity
An offer of desi ber by a village lad came as a sharp comment on the global politics of biodiversity