Wiping out all of Africa’s elephants could accelerate Earth’s climate crisis by allowing 7% more damaging greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, scientists say. But conserving forest elephants may reverse the trend, providing a service worth $43billion in storing carbon, the academics found. The research, published in Nature Geoscience, shows that …
B D Nagchaudhuri who passed away on June 24, 2006, was among the pioneers of nuclear and environmental sciences in India. Handpicked by the illustrious Meghnad Saha to do a PhD at Berkeley, Nagchaudhuri was among the first Indians to study at that institution. He returned to India, after completing …
In an autobiographical piece, Professor Amulya K N Reddy described himself as a "socially responsible scientist' and a "maverick'. This self-description fitted him to the cue. Prof, as he was known to those who worked closely with him at the Indian Institute of Science (iis c ), Bangalore, and the …
3d mouse: Scientists in the US have developed a fast, high-resolution, 3D mouse embryo visualisation technique that may revolutionise the way birth defects and cancer genes are studied in animal models. The new tool, called Virtual Histology, has already boosted the researchers' ability to study the mouse embryo and more …
a homoeopathic drug may offer a ray of hope to arsenic victims. An Indian study claims that Arsenicum Album-30 can help remove arsenic from the body. But allopathic doctors stressed the need for a more rigorous trial. The study was conducted by a team of researchers from West Bengal's University …
In the 1960s, two of the world's best-known biologists collaborated to propose a theory that was to revolutionise the world of ecology and, later, conservation. Robert Macarthur, a geographical ecologist, and Edward Wilson, famous for his work on insect societies, wrote a monograph on the theory of island biogeography. This …
in perhaps the most significant contribution to the world of science from India in recent years, a team of researchers from Hyderabad has helped resolve the mystery of how animals grow from a fertilised egg. It is well known that cells differentiate and proliferate to form various organs that a …
not many people would know that ice is found in as many as a dozen forms. The difference lies in the crystalline structure and density of the ice forms and is a result of variations in temperature and atmospheric pressure. Now, a team of scientists has discovered two more forms …
the claim by an India-born nuclear scientist of achieving nuclear fusion the reaction that fuels the sun in a laboratory has landed him in a controversy, with his peers reporting they could not replicate the experiment. Rusi Taleyarkhan, a professor of nuclear engineering at Purdue University, usa, shot to fame …
What's the secret of Navbharat-151's success? This is designed as a shorter-duration variety (140 days) as against 180 days to facilitate the rabi crop. Because it originates from the best local selections, it suits local conditions well. Besides, this is a long-staple variety and has potential yield of 5,500 kg …
a group of scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (embl) in Heidelberg, Germany, has developed a computational method to reconstruct the tree of life
does exposure to cadmium increase the risk of cancer and other malignancies? Although the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies cadmium as a carcinogen, there have been other population-based studies that have yielded inconsistent results. But now, a study by a group of Belgian scientists offers strong indication of …
there is enormous distrust over the Indo- us talks on nuclear energy. The top scientist of India's nuclear establishment has openly criticised the us administration for "changing the goalpost' as it moves closer to clinching a deal. The statement by India's Atomic Energy Commission (aec) chief Anil Kakodkar in an …
more than a year after the killer tsunami hit southern India, the country still does not have a plan in place to study the seafloor rupture that triggered the calamity. Not only has India not initiated any research programme to probe the 1,300-kilometre rupture zone, two-thirds of which falls in …
the proposed plan to link 37 major rivers in India may hit the very source of precipitation for these rivers. This warning was issued in an article published in the January 10, 2006 issue of the journal, Current Science. The report, an outcome of a one-day meeting of scientists from …
a chemical technique that Germany used in World War ii may now help break the spiral of ever-rising oil prices. A team of German scientists has perfected the technology of transforming coal into liquid transportation fuels such as diesel and petrol. Since the 1940s, chemical engineers have been using iron …
artemisinin is the only drug available right now against Plasmodium falciparum, one of the malaria-causing pathogens. But its indiscriminate use may make the drug ineffectual, warns a study published in The Lancet (Vol 366, No 9501, December 3, 2005). Though the World Health Organization (who) recommends that artemisinin should be …
singing iceberg: Scientists monitoring earth movements in Antarctica believe they have found a singing iceberg. Sound waves from the iceberg had a frequency of around 0.5 Hertz, too low to be heard by humans, but by playing them at higher speed, the iceberg sounded like a swarm of bees or …
