Perfect model
Biologists use a variety of animal models for experiments. But a mouse or a fruitfly cannot truly represent a human being. Jessica Bolker, …
Shutting down the particle powerhouse
Even though funds for the Superconducting Super Collider have dried up, particle physicists are determined to prove their theory of, well, everything
Ash-less coal
An Indian scientist has developed a process to refine low-grade coal to prevent its residue of fly ash
Maps of the world
Geographical Information Systems is revolutionising the present and portend a happier future. Or so we hope in the maps of our minds.
Competing with wheat
Human-made triticale is nutritionally superior to wheat and could become a major foodcrop in the lower Himalayan region
Children and passive smoking
A pregnant woman exposed to cigarette smoke can pass on the harmful smoke constituents to the foetus
The super cars are coming
With aerospace technologies set to revolutionise engine and body design, today's cars could become as obsolete as dinosaurs.
Making clothes more comfortable
A mathematical theory may result in an objective technique to evaluate both the comfort of a fabric and how it will behave over time
Are your organs in the right place?
Scientists have hit on a gene that decides exactly where internal organs will be positioned in the body of a mouse
Supercomputers map global ocean currents
Scientists have created the most realistic model of ocean currents yet and taken another step towards understanding global climate
No more shrinking from shrimps
Scientists in Bangalore have identified the protein that makes people allergic to the meat of shrimps, crabs and prawns. Now they will be able to …
Taxol-producing fungus found in Montana woods
A new species of fungus, which can produce taxol, the drug used to treat ovarian cancer, promises to be a boon for women all over the world.
New cholera strain strikes India
A cholera epidemic in the Indian subcontinent is nothing unusual. But now, another bacterial strain that can cause the disease has surfaced.
Spring brings sad tidings on ozone hole
Fresh data on dipping levels of atmospheric ozone add up to a grim scenario that can have serious implications for life on earth.
No money for labs in antibiotics research
Though increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is making it difficult to treat diseases such as malaria, pharmaceutical companies do not …
European bird pioneers new route
The European blackcap has dramatically changed its migration pattern, flying to a new site, more than 1,000 km north of the region where it …
Drainage plan helps reclaim land
Scientists have evolved a subsurface drainage system that makes saline soils arable within three years
Global warming will increase ozone depletion
Simulated climate models show increasing carbon dioxide and chlorine emissions can drastically alter weather conditions and lead to the formation …
Protein provides clue to Alzheimer's disease
Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in treating this old-age disease, with the discovery that abnormal production of proteins, called …
Two-stroke or four-stroke?
To reduce pollution levels, it is becoming necessary to upgrade conventionally designed, two-stroke two- and three-wheeler engines with cleaner …
AIDS increases TB death risk
People infected with the AIDS virus are more susceptible to tuberculosis, and this further reduces their chances of survival.
Using viruses for biological pest control
The use of viruses as control agents against crop attacking insects is increasingly becoming popular.
Tissue-culture technology facilitates to hike yeild of tasty coconut
The tasty, popular coconut species of Thailand, kati, could not be produced in large scale because it is infertile. But scientists have now found …
Cheaper vaccine to check hepatitis B
WHO's immunisation programme is expected to receive a tremendous boost thanks to the low-cost vaccine developed through genetic engineering
Corals in shells of death
The shores of the Andaman and Nicobar islands are losing their magnificent coral reefs because of heavy siltation caused by …