The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
researchers at the New York University Medical Centre have recently identified a protein on the surface of the single-celled malaria parasite, Plasmodium , which helps it to invade human liver and blood cells. The find, the second such in the past year, has created ripples of excitement among scientists. An …
> The discovery of the parasite that causes malaria is credited to Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French army physician working in Algeria. Laveran's work, published in 1880, was received with scepticism by leading malariologists at the time. Little was known about the disease and it was believed that it …
smog in the office has not been on the agenda of environmentalists. But, in fact it might be causing some severe health problems. Modern office machines such as fax, photocopiers, and printers, can create ozone, which reacts with various commonly-found chemicals to produce volatile organic compounds ( voc s). These …
the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory based at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( nasa ), usa, has detected that gamma-ray bursts occur almost every day. The flashes appear from random directions and last for a few seconds. There are two theories on gamma-ray bursts. One theory suggests that the …
On the role of environmental historians: Our understanding of the past has been radically changed over the last 20 years by environmental historians, who have been part of a more general movement promoting an ecocentric worldview. Most environmental his-torians are products of the '60s generation. I certainly am one among …
deforestation in the tropics is causing massive extinction of bird species. Many of these species, endemic to insular Southeast Asia, may soon be lost if rapid and effective conservation measures are not undertaken, claim ecologists. During a workshop sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society ( wcs ) and the Bolivia …
the cement industry has a larger share in global emissions of carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) than that of aircraft worldwide, estimates an industry scientist. It contributes about seven per cent of the global co 2 output. This puts it in the third place in the list of contributors …
liberal market economies invest heavily on techniques that influence people's minds and hearts, on strategies to persuade young people to take up smoking to ruin their health or get people to drink whisky or buy cars or fridges. But the more difficult task is finding ways and means to persuade …
health is not only - or even primarily - the concern of doctors and nurses. The community has a major role to play in creating an environment that makes available better health care facilities and is conducive to prevention of diseases. In the current environmental situation, which continues to get …
Leaded gasoline causes about 90 per cent of airborne lead pollution in cities, the rest of which comes from factories, power plants, lead pipes, lead-based solder and paint. In the developing countries, about 15 million children may be suffering from permanent brain damage due to lead poisoning. About 80 per …
The latest findings of the spacecraft Galileo, which has been providing valuable information about Jupiter and its satellites, relate to moon Callisto. The satellite shows no evidence of an internal magnetic field and is unlike the other satellites of Jupiter such as Io, Europa and Ganymede. In other satellites, the …
global population growth is slowing down contrary to the expectations of the propagators of demographic disaster, says a study published in the British science journal Nature . The study shows that the world's population will not double in the next century. Population will increase from 580 crore at present to …
Even as humankind exults in having unlocked the secrets of the insect kingdom, the war between humans and insects is far from over. Several conflicts between humans and insects have been won by humans, but they have been hollow victories at best. In its desire to beat the pests, humanity …
there is no doubt about the fact that some of the most prominent Western corporations are beginning to get the message about corporate responsibility. After facing heavy criticism from social activists on subjects such as the setting up of unregulated Third World 'sweat shops' and the use of child labour …
Reemergence of infectious diseases like tuberculosis (TB) is among the major health hazards resulting from increasing globalisation, says a report published by the Institute of Medicine, the medical wing of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. The rapid rise in international travel and global trade also threatens to increase import …
the 'largest lobby campaign in the history of the European Parliament ( ep )' culminated in a vote on July 16 that demonstrates a deplorable lack of democratic responsibility by the ep , according to ngos and environmentalists. The latter feel that Members of European Parliament ( mep ) voted …
A watchful eyeParents would soon be able to use the Internet to keep an eye on their children at nursery school. A new system called Kindercam can send a colour video image twice a second from a video camera in the nursery school to the Kindercam web site, where parents …
transition land between two habitats, known as ecotones could actually be the womb of the priceless diversity of the rainforests according to new research. Where previously these areas on the fringes of rainforests, for instance, were ignored, now they are considered zones of evolution for various life-forms. According to a …
ENVIRONMENTAL degradation of resource- deficient lands, which are home to more than half the world's population, is a serious concern of the 1997 Human Development Report (HDR) which was released on June 12 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Focusing on poverty, this eighth annual survey has mooted a …
