What makes us so?
This is no longer a question for philosophers. Evolutionary biologists also dwell upon it. Manuel Massot from Laboratoire Ecologie & Evolution,…
Sergio Canavero: the brain behind first proposed head transplant
Surgeon Sergio Canavero, director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy, has been making news for two years after he claimed he …
Science cannot be a minion to wealth
A journalist without the pretensions of a scientist -- that's how JOHN MADDOX, editor of Nature for 15 years, would like to see himself. On his …
Simulating real-life networks
India is a leader in IT. But how do researchers here apply the science to improve people’s lives? Malay Bhattacharyya, assistant professor …
Does science need spiritualism?
At the time of Independence, India saw 'big' science and technology as the only way ahead. Perhaps with good reason. Fifty-odd years later, though,…
Light on India’s fourteenth meteor shower
The Vidarbha region in Maharashtra was hit by a meteor shower on May 22. It was no spectacle—it came between 2 pm and 2.30 pm—in the …
`Remote sensing is being used to predict crop-growing seasons'
Satellite technology is not just being used to monitor and predict climate change events. Its applications are now also accurately estimating crop-…
How to inspire India's youth to take up farming?
Arguably, reviving India's agriculture is the country's most important agenda. But who will carry forward this primary livelihood activity? There …
The grand old man of Kannada
SOME PEOPLE live in years, others in deeds. At 91, Kota Shivarama Karanth has done both. Journalist, litterateur, dramatist, playwright, …
"The name of the game is resource productivity"
Currently chairperson of the Bundestag committee on environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, Ernst Ulrich von Weizsaecker has …
The best of Indian science
In this and the following issue, DOWN TO EARTH presents a review of India's ten best scientific research projects. The selection is based on the …
"Indian science is run by a mafia"
p m bhargava is the founder-director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (ccmb), Hyderabad. He has also been a former fellow of …
Desperately seeking experts
The environmental situation in India is grave -- our natural resources are getting depleted at an alarming rate and there is an acute paucity of …
How enabling is ICT?
In February, 100-odd people got together at the quaint little town of Baramati. All had a common goal: to exchange ideas on the use of …
US embraces nuclear reactors to power spacecrafts
Thirty years after they were abandoned for good, nuclear reactors are making a fatal comeback in the US spacecrafts. In 2003, the US National …
Zeroing in on persistent pollutants
Paints and refrigerants have chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are difficult to remove …
Africa is heading for trouble
The founding president of African Academy of Science, Thomas R Odhiambo , has been working to evolve a framework necessary for stimulating …
"The UK has to live by its wits"
DAVID ANTHONY KING has been chief scientific advisor to the United Kingdom government for 3 years now. Prior to this, he was head of the …
Whither liberalisation
The post-GATT liberalisation era has come to India not only with its enchanting platter of economic efficiency, technological treasure trough …
Indian science must stop merely aping West
Cynicism is perhaps the natural fallout of a long career within the government machinery. But when Yash Pal, one of the country's leading …
Atmospheric chemistry shifts blame around
Research in atmospheric sciences is booming because of the impending threat to4he world's climate. Every month there is a new study showing new …
Reconstructing atmospheric history
Old paintings can provide information about the composition of the atmosphere of bygone ages. When a volcano erupted in Indonesia in 1815, …
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 …
`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 …