Reply by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in compliance to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order dated January 21, 2024 in the matter of ‘News item titled “Feeling anxious? Toxic air could be to blame” appearing in Times of India dated 10.10.2023’. NGT had directed CPCB to file a …
Rabat – Morocco leads in science, technology and innovation capacity in Africa, according to the Africa Capacity Report issued Tuesday, March 28 by the Africa Capacity Building Foundation. Morocco scored the highest index values, with 71.6 in science, technology, and innovation, followed by Tanzania’s 68.8 and Rwanda’s 68.2, showed the …
A new continental report has ranked Rwanda third on the continent as far as science, technology and innovation (STI) capacity is concerned. The Africa Capacity Report is the work of the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a continental organisation established by African Governments and their development partners to help build …
A NEW information and communication technology-leaning project has been rolled out in the framework of improving the resilience of smallholder farmers in the country. Smallholder farmers are considered the backbone of the country’s agriculture and feed millions through getting reliable and timely information and knowledge. The project called “Agricultural Services …
The social brain hypothesis posits that social complexity is the primary driver of primate cognitive complexity, and that social pressures ultimately led to the evolution of the large human brain. Although this idea has been supported by studies indicating positive relationships between relative brain and/or neocortex size and group size, …
Rossby waves are a type of global-scale wave that develops in planetary atmospheres, driven by the planet’s rotation. They propagate westward owing to the Coriolis force, and their characterization enables more precise forecasting of weather on Earth. Despite the massive reservoir of rotational energy available in the Sun’s interior and …
Gut microbiomes play crucial roles in animal health, and shifts in the gut microbial community structure can have detrimental impacts on hosts. Studies with vertebrate models and human subjects suggest that antibiotic treatments greatly perturb the native gut community, thereby facilitating proliferation of pathogens. In fact, persistent infections following antibiotic …
Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-layer depleting compound, and each year humans are responsible for releasing millions of tons of it into the air. Recently, an international group of chemical engineers suggested an innovative strategy for reducing nitrous oxide levels globally: Partner an electricity-producing system known as …
In an attempt to fight the menace of plastic waste and also bridge the housing deficit gap in Ghana, a young man in his thirties has come out with an innovation to build houses using plastic bottles. The new innovation is 33-percent cheaper than the traditional form of building a …
Lignin, one of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth, derives from the plant phenolic metabolism. It appeared upon terrestrialization and is thought critical for plant colonization of land. Early diverging land plants do not form lignin, but already have elements of its biosynthetic machinery. Here we delete in a moss …
Researchers at Egypt's Nile University are developing a way to turn dried shrimp shells that would otherwise be thrown away into thin films of biodegradable plastic they hope will be used to make eco-friendly grocery bags and packaging. Six months into their two-year project, the research team has managed to …
China will launch a space station core module next year as the first step in completing the country’s first space outpost, a senior engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corpsaid yesterday. The core module of the space station, named “Tianhe-1,” will be launched on board a new-generation Long March-5 …
Developments in electronic tagging and tracking have revolutionised the way wildlife is studied and improved conservation strategies. But scientists now worry that the innovative technology also has the potential to increase the threat of poaching, if it falls into the wrong hands. Many species are hard to observe in their …
After sending a probe to Mars in 2020, China plans to explore three asteroids and land on one of them to conduct scientific research, according to a Chinese asteroid research expert. The "China's Space Activities in 2016" white paper, recently issued by the Information Office of the State Council, also …
This document presents a framework for the use of science and technology for disaster risk reduction and resilient development for Pacific Island Countries. It aims to support the implementation of both the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Framework for Resilient Development (FRDP). To reduce risks and increase …
• The source of the world’s biggest underwater pool of the powerful greenhouse gas methane has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean by a team of scientists. • The discovery could have implications for humans’ use of the sea as any disturbance could send large amounts of the gas into …
While we really have no shortage of women learning science and excelling therein as well as in teaching science, their involvement in ‘doing’ science, in leading and directing scientific investigations is not commensurate with those who train in science. While the small fraction of women in the scientific work force …
With over 75% of litter items collected on Australian beaches being plastic, anyone can see that this isn’t good for the environment. It’s projected that by 2050 there will be more plastic waste in our oceans than marine life. So what can be done about it? This week Australian company …
A new study on how ocean currents transport floating marine debris is helping to explain how garbage patches form in the world’s oceans. Researchers from the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and colleagues developed a mathematical model that simulates the motion of small spherical …
Seven small planets whose surfaces could harbour liquid water have been spotted around a nearby dwarf star. If such a configuration is common in planetary systems, our Galaxy could be teeming with Earth-like planets.
A Washington State University study of the chemistry of technetium-99 has improved understanding of the challenging nuclear waste and could lead to better cleanup methods. The work is reported in the journal Inorganic Chemistry. It was led by John McCloy, associate professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, …
