Power for the future
The Institute of Plasma Research in Gujarat is working to make power generation from nuclear fusion a reality.
Molecules made to order
Restructuring molecules for specific purposes -- be it symmetry of design or to develop medicinal drugs -- has come of age in India.
Speeding up in the fast lane
India's largest particle accelerator installed in Delhi is a boon for scientists studying the behaviour of particles at high speeds.
A ray of hope for leprosy patients
Two groups of Indian scientists have developed anti-leprosy vaccines that they claim are also effective in helping victims recover.
A meeting of minds on rivers
The recently held Dhaka summit, sponsored by the Global Infrastructure Research Foundation, addressed the critical question of exploiting the …
"India has lost much to the West"
Lynn Crisanta R Panganiban is a physician in the department of pharmacology at the University of Philippines, Manila. A toxicologist and an …
Lingering death scare
Strange ailments have besieged a town of Nigeria that was used as a dump-site for hazardous waste
Migratory birds expert Taej Mundkur on bird flu
Taej Mundkur, an expert on migratory birds, tells Padmaparna Ghosh that bird flu spreads through respiratory route , and not just the faecal route.…
"A fragile experiment is under way"
Bertrand de la Chapelle is the Special Envoy for the Information Society, French Foreign and European Affairs Ministry. A recent meeting of the …
EDRIVEN
Electric and hybrid vehicles are gaining a foothold because they are cheap and clean. But batteries are either expensive or short-lived. Their …
Potato cure
Edible vaccine for cancer of cervix created by incorporating gene of the cancer-causing virus in potatoes
Harmful sterilisation in West Bengal
A banned female sterilisation method is in use in the rural areas of West Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab and Gujarat. So concludes a study conducted …
For tradition's sake
CONSERVING THE SACRED FOR BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT· Edited by P S Ramakrishnan, K G Saxena and U M Chandrashekara·UNESCO publication&…
Destination Saturn
A lot of effort has gone into programming Cassini, the last of the bigger spaceships produced by NASA. But the mission is unlike others in that …
Understanding Gandhi
GANDHI’S VISION AND VALUES — THE MORAL QUEST FOR CHANGE IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE·Vivek Pinto·Sage, New Delhi, 1998
Swan song
THE SONG OF THE DODO: ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY IN AN AGE OF EXTINCTIONS·David Quammen· Frank Bros & Co·Rs 325
Oceans of fantasy
THE OCEAN... OUR FUTURE· Report of the Independent World Commission on the Oceans·Mario Soares· Cambridge University Press, …
Mission control
SHARING THE WORLD Michael Carley and Philippe Spapens Earthscan Publications Limited, London-£14.95
Tackling a menace
VIRUS: THE CO-DISCOVERER OF HIV TRACKS ITS RAMPAGE AND CHARTS THE FUTURE·Luc Montagnier, Stephen Sartarelli (Translator)· W W …
A collector's item
WEALTH, POVERTY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT· David Barkin·InterAmerican Council for Sustainable Agriculture·66pp
"People who own cars make life unpleasant"
John Whitelegg of the School of Built Environment at Liverpool's John Moores University spoke to Anish Gupta about Calcutta's transport …
Tears and the drama aside, the message survives
Prabhat Roy's award-winning Shwet Paatharer Thala is a tear-jerker, which nevertheless effectively preaches the lesson of family welfare.
Riveting saga of a river that gives -- and takes
Goutam Ghose's Padma Nadir Majhi depicts how poor fisherfolk, already vulnerable to nature's whims, are exploited by fellow-humans.
Poverty alleviation: investment or mere sop?
After successive reductions, can increased allocations for rural development, agriculture, education and health be effective?
12 film marathon spotlights urban decadence
Interestingly, apartment blocks in Warsaw bear a strong resemblance to Delhi Development Authority's more abominable creations.