Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
Summer 2010 saw a new suite of climate change studies from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) with the stark conclusion that “Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for—and in many cases is already affecting—a broad range of human and natural systems. …
Over the course of 2010 we've seen international climate negotiations stalling. But at the same time we!ve seen many encouraging developments on climate action on a national level. More and more countries are recognising climate change as a real threat. A recent poll, for example, revealed that two thirds of …
Consumers need to wise up, slow down, stop shopping and start living, because that's the only way manufacturers will stop making shoddy, short-lived goods.
Long- and short-term exposures to air pollution, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), have been linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. One hypothesized mechanism for these associations involves microvascular effects. Retinal photography provides a novel, in vivo approach to examine the association of air pollution with changes in the human microvasculature.
Telomere length reflects biological age and is inversely associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Ambient air pollution is associated with CVD, but its effect on telomere length is unknown. McCracken et al. investigated the association of ambient black carbon (BC), a marker for traffic-related particulate matter (PM), with telomere …
Studies using reconstructed exposure histories have suggested an association between heavy metal exposures, including lead, and Parkinson's disease (PD), and a study that used bone lead as a biomarker of cumulative lead exposure also reported a nonsignificant association with PD. Weisskopf et al. estimated the association between bone lead and …
When six of India’s top scientific academies were asked by Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh in March to assess the feasibility and safety of genetically modified (GM) crops and their regulation, it was expected their evaluation would help resolve the highly contentious question of growing GM food …
TUBERCULOSIS has been on the rise globally, and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis even more so. Of the estimated 9.4 million cases worldwide, around half a million are drug resistant. India accounts for 1.98 million cases. Smear microscopy that tests the presence of tuberculosis bacteria is 125 years old and routinely misses …
HOW cloudy is it outside? Will it rain? The answers may depend on the level of atmospheric pollution in one’s region. Cloud-forming microscopic particles, called aerosols, absorb and reflect solar radiation. These particles have the ability to modify cloud formation and encourage or suppress precipitation. They can be released from …
IT WAS not that the gorillas and the chimpanzees were fighting for a title—but still the chimpanzees lost. Chimpanzees were believed to be the reservoir of Plasmodium falciparum, the drug-resistant parasite responsible for malaria. A research team, now, claims malaria passed on to humans from gorillas. Microbiologists from University of …
Erika, who is a photographer, and myself, headed out in a boat from Fourchon, US state Louisi ana’s southernmost port. We had four co-travellers: Jonathan Henderson from non-profit Gulf Restoration Network, his friend Randy, who is a cameraman, and Craig, our fishing captain and guide. It was August 16, the …
This book about lessons from dismantling of dams in the US comes at a time when Indian government has been forced to cancel a few dam projects on the river Ganga. Economist and columnist Bharat Jhunjhunwala was drawn to the subject a few years ago on a visit to his …
Penguins are lovable. And it is hard to believe a children’s book on such an inoffensive bird can trigger a controversy. But that’s exactly what happened with And Tango Makes Three in 2005. Based on a true New York zoo story by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, the book tells …
David Henry discusses a research article by Geoffrey Spurling and colleagues that examined the relationship between exposure to promotional material from pharmaceutical companies and the quality, quantity, and cost of prescribing. Original Source
In response to calls for more direct measurements of pesticide residues in foods consumed by children, and to compare direct measures of pesticide residues in foods representing actual consumption with those reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program, Lu et al. measured pesticide residues in 239 24-hr …
What inspired you to monitor air pollution through a cellphone? In Los Angeles, we always worry about air quality. In the past few years, there has been a revolution in the cellphone technology. They are equipped with programmable sensors like cameras, GPS systems and compasses. If each phone can act …
Computer scientists from Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, USA, launched software that uses the sky’s pictures to test air quality. Sameera Poduri, who worked on the project, explained the technology in this interview to Down To Earth.
Following the advice of Attorney General (AG) of India, the Centre has decided against pursuing the case of Bhopal Gas Tragedy compensation in the US courts, observing that it would not be in the interest of the country or victims.
