The National Biodiversity Authority has released a new set of rules to manage sharing of benefits generated through the use of biological resources. The Biological Diversity (Access to biological Resources and Knowledge Associated thereto and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits) Regulation 2025 was approved by the Central government and …
FOR most lay persons, the conservation of biodiversity is a concept that remains confined to the realm of forests. It is a subject which leaves their day to day existence untouched. But as Australian ecologist Robert Lambeck suggests, this disinterest will end if conservationists change their way of thinking (Science, …
THIS one's for the believers in the grow- young pills. The drug that was once hailed as an anti-aging agent is now being discredited. Human growth hor- mone, the drug under question, created euphoria among health freaks when it was reported to reverse the aging process. A recent study, how- …
A RECENT report reveals that the UK regularly exceeds its own stringent limits for particulate emissions from diesel vehicles. The report by the Quality of Urban Air Review Group - set up by the British government - has suggested additional tough measures for controlling the emissions and meeting officially recommended …
Biologist Robert Wharton of the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada, US, is convinced that there once existed life on the Mars, planet. For the past 17 years, Wharton has been melting holes into the surface of Antarctic glacial lakes and diving below in search of life in any form. …
PATTERNS of the Wild was screened at the India International Centre in New Delhi on February 24, 1996. It is a documentary on the primal theme of the preservation of wildlife and biodiversity. Although based on a conventional idea, the film's gripping narration and case studies of conservation measures adopted …
In order to take crucial decisions on germplasm access and management, an honest accounting of the geopolitics of 'where does it come from' is needed. With 75 per cent of the ex situ collections, that is, resources preserved in laboratories and gene-banks, in the North, and 83 per cent of …
FOR the past 10 years, a large number of moose are dying in southwest Sweden. The cause for this is acid rain. Acidification and the declining numbers of this warm-blooded animal are being linked because of a complex chain of events, arising from the occurrence of the former. According to …
A NEW find by a team of researchers from the Duke University Medical Center, us, may hold a lot of promise in finding a suitable antidote to Huntington's disease. This genetic neurodegenerative condition that strikes in the middle age causes involuntary muscular movements and, at an advanced stage, dementia. Three …
'Species 2000' is the latest UN/World Bank venture to take an integrated look at the world's biodiversity. The current tally puts the total number of plants, animals, fungi and other microorganisms at about 13.5 million species; estimates had varied anywhere between seven to 20 million. The new venture proposes to …
The basilisk lizard -found in the tropical rainforests of Central America -can perform an amazing feat: it can run on water. Harvard biologists Jim Glasheen and ThomasMcMahon recently found that the lizard swings its foot through the air and then slaps the water. The act creates an air pocket which …
OZONE levels have been depleting at the average annual rate of 4.3 per cent every decade in the Northern Hemisphere, and a slightly lower 4.1 per cent in the Southern Hemisphere, since 1979. These figures were disclosed by Rumen Bojkov of the World Meteorological Organization (wmo) in Geneva, Switzerland. The …
COCAINE is the single-most abused drug in the us. Researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of the Duke University, both in the us, have taken the first step towards, what they claim, a therapeutic cure for addiction of cocaine and other …
MORE than 100 years ago, Charles Darwin had concluded his book The Origin of Species by declaring that the stability of an ecosystem 'was related to the diversity of life forms present therein. According to him, a grassland would yield a higher quantity of grass if more varieties of grass …
'SIT straight. Keep your elbows close to your body.' How often one has been admonished and hated it all along. But this is what was suggested by experts who met at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. If you are consistently using your hands for your …
SNAKEBITES could spell death to countless victims had there been no antidotes available. But these commonly available antivenins also have their share of side effects, including strong allergic reactions that could even prove fatal. Thus, a new generation of antidotes to snakebite becomes significant. It promises faster treatment, smaller doses …
The Royal-Bardia National Park in Nepal is poised to prove to the world that biodiversity is best protected when the people are made responsible for it. The country representative of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Mingma Norbu Sherpa, recently signed an agreement with the director general, General International Cooperation, …
A three-day training-cum- workshop for disseminating information on AIDS control was organised by Disha, an NGC, at the New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The aim was to strengthen governmental efforts at arresting the disease and dispelling doubts and correcting half truths about it through its puppet ensemble. …
The standard practice of removing small throat tumours using laser is ineffective against the larger ones, so a new procedure using a special drug and light rays can reduce the suffering of patients, if not cure them. The drug called photofrin - manufactured by QLT Phototherapeutics Incorporated of Vancouver in …
Artistic tents, recreated by Clarissa Mitchell -a designer -capture the exotic and practical aspects of a nomadic tradition and provide a new expression to Rajasthani skill. Rajasthan, says Clarissa, has offered much in terms of designs, textiles, crafts and miniatures, among numerous other forms of arts. "Everybody seemed to be …
IF YOU are a heavy snorer, with bouts 0( stopped breathing during sleep, you could be putting your heart to increased risk of diseases. Researchers concluded recently that the seemingly harmless phenomenon of interruptions during sleep called apnea, plays an insidious role in causing heart diseases, in~luding congestive heart failure, …
