Although spending on science has risen worldwide, greater investment is needed in the face of growing crises, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended in a new report published. The latest edition of its Science Report, which is published every five years, further reveals that there is …
The problem of desertification sits at the interface of environmental and developmental concerns. In this article, we examine the institutional relationship between desertification science and policy through focus on the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and its subsidiary body, the Committee on Science and Technology. We argue that …
The threat posed by climate change is all too real, but some of the solutions are all in the mind. That's the message from work in the field known as conservation psychology, which is beginning to show how people can be encouraged to change their lifestyles to cut greenhouse gas …
DAM Turkey to go ahead without aid Turkey decided to go ahead with the construction of the US $1.68 billion Ilisu dam project even after credit agencies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland withdrew from the project. In December 2008, the three governments suspended funds claiming Turkey did not fulfill certain …
A large fraction of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity enters the sea, causing ocean acidification. We show that otoliths (aragonite ear bones) of young fish grown under high CO2 (low pH) conditions are larger than normal, contrary to expectation. We hypothesize that CO2 moves freely …
The Lives of Ants by Laurent Keller and Elisabeth Gordon,Oxford University Press, USA, $28 Since time immemorial, ants have captivated human beings. With numerous black-and-white images and eight pages of colour plates, the book depicts a world full of surprises, one which, even after decades of observation, is still replete …
Japanese researchers have genetically engineered monkeys whose hair roots, skin and blood glow green under a special light, and who have passed on their traits to their offspring, the first time this has been achieved in a primate. They spliced a jellyfish gene into common marmosets, and said on Wednesday …
The long twentieth century in Indian S&T; based developmental experiments, in particular at grass roots, has thrown up immense volumes of data, facts and artifacts. A crucial issue emerges. The country very badly needs a strong mechanism to capture data related to S&T; and innovation right from the regulatory or …
It was snap, crackle and pop in the early days of the universe. You would not want to live there. Astronomers said Tuesday that they had smashed the long-distance record in astronomy when they recorded an explosion, probably a massive early star, that lived and died 13 billion years ago, …
The Contested Commons, Conversations between Economists and Anthropologists, edited by Pranab Bardhan and Isha Ray, OUP, Rs 695 The book explores the theme of common environmental resources from the perspective of two disciplines: economics and anthropology. Written by senior scholars in economics, anthropology, sociology, and political science, the essays touch …
Scientists searching for a planet like Earth said on Tuesday they have found the smallest planet ever detected outside the solar system, less than twice the size of our own. The exoplanet, a planet that orbits a star beyond the solar system, is called Gliese 581e after the star it …
The Science and Engineering Research Board, established through an Act of Parliament, can sanction projects valued up to Rs.75 crore. IN December 2008, nearly four years after the Prime Minister
Regulatory bodies worldwide are charged with making major decisions related to chemical toxicology, such as designation of toxic thresholds and establishment of criteria for preclinical testing and toxic hazard classification. Although every agency has access to the same research data, each agency uses different criteria for judging which data to …
Archaeologists have long puzzled over the collapse of the mighty medieval Khmer kingdom in Southeast Asia best known for its resplendent capital, Angkor. New findings suggest that a decades-long drought at about the time the kingdom began fading away in the 14th century may have been a major culprit.
