Everyone is stealing germplasm
When agronomist Ralladoddi Hampaiah was advisor to the Russian government, he discovered how easy it was to take genetic resources out of India. …
'There is a conflict in gene patenting in India and abroad'
ASIS DUTTA, a senior biologist at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, is the first Indian scientist to have applied for a gene patent in …
Promises to keep
With the 1996 general elections just around the corner, the nation's premier political parties are back to making elaborate 'green' promises. But …
Smooth sailing by cleaning up fumes
Controlling the polluting sulphur emissions of ships has become imperative after recent research has proved that they are as harmful as the …
‘Stopping GM trials is anti-farmer’
Genetically modified (GM) mustard hybrid DMH-11 developed by Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants ran into …
Beads that can heat water
With fossil reserves fast depleting, new technologies promising more efficient use of renewable energy sources, especially the sun, are flooding …
'In genetics, the ethical choice lies with the people'
A professor of molecular biology and virology at the Salk Institute at La Jolla, USA, Dr Inder M Verma is also the chairperson of the Scientific …
"Biodiversity treaty is misleading the Third World"
A known a crusader for traditional Indian medicine. P Pushpangadan, who completed his Ph.D from Aligarh University, is currently the director of …
Yet another hypothesis to explain decline in vulture population
Another theory has implicated a commonly used veterinary medicine for the large-scale disappearance of vultures from the Indian sub-continent. …
"It happened by sheer accident"
More great discoveries in the realm of science get stumbled upon by the unprepared mind than untangled by methodical research. dna fingerprinting,…
`Top scientists misuse power, funds'
It seems like a lost cause but Kasturi Lal Chopra battles on. As president of the Society for Scientific Values (SSV), he leads the charge to …
Origins of Indo-European languages
Now evolutionary biologists have jumped in where linguists fear to tread, namely the stormy question of when and where Indo-European languages …
The new obesity
A growing number of people are unable to shed those extra pounds despite strict diet regimes and long hours of workout. Evidence shows that the …
EU eyes Indian scientists
The European Union (EU) road show to attract Indian scientists and forge collaborations with India concluded recently. During this event, EU …
Aid cuts will defeat objectives of Agenda 21
WITH HUGE reductions in aid already under way and further cuts to follow soon, transfer of resources remains the most contentious issue in …
Book review: Inventing Global Ecology by Michael Lewis
In the 1950s and 1960s India used to import not only subsidised sewing needles and milk, but also wildlife conservation science from the US. …
David Sands on bacteria's role in rainfall
David Sands, professor at the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, usa, hypothesized that there is a link …
Veggies delight
The rising demand for vegetables has opened up a money-making opportunity for small farmers. Already reeling from recurring droughts and …
`We've strong evidence that eating sugar contributes to heart disease'
Kimber Stanhope, nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis, US, is studying the health effects of fructose, a component of …
The pollution story In Black And Pink
Life in Delhi is a capital punishment. The city's air is so polluted it claims a victim every hour. The level of small particles less than 10 …
GM maize and its health implications for humans
Michael Antoniou, head of the Nuclear Biology Group in the UK, has been studying the health effects of genetically modified (GM) crops since 1995.…
Children of a lesser State
A rare killer disease, Japanese encephalitis, has been annually and invariably breaking out in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. This year, so far, 3,…
Deadly Particles
They are tiny and deadly. Recent research has brought to light the existence of airborne particles so tiny they defy measurement. Toxic particles …
How carcinogenic is your CAR?
Do you want a country full of cars? Cars cause cancer. Scientists can even measure the cancer potency levels of the cars we ride. The so-called …
Vaccine Eloquent
Universal vaccination became part of government policy in 1978. A quarter of a century since, progress has been fitful. In some parts of the …