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. …
The US Department of Defense (dod) wants further exemptions from public health and environment laws in view of the country's military involvement in Iraq and the us-led war against terrorism. But environmentalists allege this is merely a part of the Bush administration's ploy to roll back environmental safeguards. The dod …
Pollution Control Mandatory emissions caps rein in power-plant pollution more effectively than voluntary programmes. That's the conclusion of a collation on environmental records of the 100 largest electricity companies in the us. The reports were put together by a group of us environmental groups including the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible …
December 2004 will mark the 20th anniversary of the worst industrial accident in history, the chemical plant disaster in Bhopal, India, that killed thousands of people and injured tens of thousands more. Along with other safety professionals from around the world, I will be traveling to India this fall to …
An unmanned supersonic jet has startled the world with a flight speed seven times more than that of sound (Mach 7). The us' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa) successfully tested the x-43 a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet), which flew at a speed of 7,700 kilometres per hour. The scramjet …
the complete phase-out of methyl bromide, an ozone-depleting substance (ods) used as a pesticide, would now be delayed because the us will continue to use it for at least one more year. Industrialised countries should have phased out the agricultural chemical by January 1, 2005. But the us wanted a …
the future of science may not be as bleak in the developing world as is commonly perceived. In fact, scientific research witnessed a spectacular growth in several Latin American countries during the 1990s. This has been brought to light in a study entitled
researchers from the us-based Purdue University have discovered a paradox that could crop up if genetically modified (gm) fish are released into the wild. While gm fish are bigger and have more success at attracting mates, they produce offspring that are less likely to reach to adulthood, the researcher found. …
circumcised men are over six times less likely than uncircumcised men to get infected by hiv. This is the finding of researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Medical School, usa, and the National aids Research Institute, India. They studied 2,298 hiv-uninfected men attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in India. The …
Between the 16th and 19th century, a secular Euro-Asian and Euro-American trade boomed, following the voyages of Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and other explorers. Europeans encountered exotic spices, silk, sugar and gold
researchers from us-based Pennsylvania State University have developed an electricity generator that is fuelled by human waste. The device, the microbial fuel cell (mfc), could prove useful in developing countries. Many of these nations need large-scale waste-processing plants, but find them prohibitively expensive, largely because of the high power requirement. …
A row is raging in the us over reports that the Bush administration meddled in a policy proposed to tackle the last uncontrolled source of mercury pollution
Knowledge Exchange The us government in March announced it would ease restrictions on publication of papers from countries under a trade embargo, but almost in the same breath warned 50 us scientists from attending a conference in Cuba, says the journal Science (March 19, 2004, Vol 303 No 1742). For …
The UK is in a peculiar position, as it shares close ties with the United States but is part of the European Union. The US however, is less proactive on climate change issues, and is unwilling to join the Kyoto Protocol. What are you doing to bring your partner in …
The Santa Clara County Superior Court in California, usa, has temporarily halted the 50 toxic chemical exposure claims filed by current and former employees against technology giant International Business Machines Inc (ibm). Judge Robert Baines has ordered that a third-party mediator be selected to resolve the court cases. The workers …
A us scientist, who triggered a bioterrorism scare by illegally shipping back bubonic plague samples he collected from Tanzania last year, has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment by a Texas court. The scientist, Thomas Butler, would also have to shell out us $50,000 in fine and restitution. Butler was …
Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota will now help Ford Motor Company of the us to build environment-friendly cars. Toyota, which recently overtook Ford to become the world's second largest automaker, is keen to promote its technology and expand its hybrid line-up. The pact between the two carmakers allows Toyota's patents on …
Craig Venter, the human genome wizard, has ambitious plans. During a study conducted along with researchers from his US-based Institute for Biological and Energy Alternatives, Venter has identified 1,800 new species of microbes, and over 1.2 million microbial genes. The microbes were filtered from the seawater of the Sargasso sea, …
geography matters: A study shows that geography plays an important role in determining the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). As per the research, conducted by Eric Neumayer of the London School of Economics and Political Science, countries with high average number of frost days produce more CO2 emissions because …
Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers The Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (ieee), an international professional society with 3.6 lakh members, has landed itself in a controversy by cutting off most of its services to members from countries against whom the us has slapped trade and economic embargoes. More …
