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. …
GIRISH CHANDRA REGMI THE ORIGINAL inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley were the Newars, whose culture was distinct from other Asian cultures. The Newars developed unique building methods, resulting in high, narrow houses quite unlike the architecture of other societies. The Newars were master builders, especially skilled in handling space and …
PEOPLE who live in areas prone to droughts, floods and cyclones or amidst hills and forests have developed lifestyles best suited to their natural resources, thereby enriching the biodiversity of their areas. Diversity emerges only through the human ability to combine varied and often opposing patterns of life - to …
• Half the world's 6,000 languages will die out in the next 75 to 100 years. • Harvard biologist Edward Wilson estimates that nearly 140 species become extinct very day. • The world's 250 million indigenous peoples live in about 70 countries and are marginalised wherever they are. In Bolivia, …
THE Bagmati, one of nine rivers in the Kathmandu valley but its main source of drinking water and hydel power, is so heavily polluted, local residents have given it the unflattering sobriquet, "Toilet Bowl of the Valley". Though holy to the Hindus, who cremate their dead on its banks, the …
SCIENTISTS have good news for tea and coffee drinkers: they need not kick the habit for fear that the caffeine in the beverages causes cancer. Research indicates that caffeine may actually help prevent cancer caused by radiation and certain chemicals and that it can be useful in radiotherapy. Till 20 …
TO THE thousands of tourists who flock every year to Chittaurgarh, the best known of Rajasthani hill-forts is an impressive reminder of the golden years of Rajput chivalry and the courage of Rajput wives, who would immolate themselves on funeral pyres rather than submit to the enemy. What the tourists …
WHEN ARMIES march, they usually leave a trail of barren, brown desolation in their wake. But in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, former Indian army personnel are embarked on greening projects involving the most degraded tracts. Operating as units of the so-called Eco Task Force (ETF), …
ROUND logs can be transformed into square ones without using a saw. The process yields wood that is stronger, denser and less liable to split and warp (New Scientist, Vol. 135, No. 1828). The method, evolved by Japanese scientist Yoshinori Kobayashi, involves baking the logs to around 1000 C in …
THE RESETTLEMENT and rehabilitation (R&R;) policy for project-affected persons, proposed by a sub-committee of the national water board, under the ministry of water resources, appears to be far from satisfactory. Commentators say its scope is restricted to large reservoir projects and it does not provide for any legislative backing. The …
ABOUT 10 million ha of trees have been planted as part of a 'Green Wall' scheme, to address the problem of desertification, in North China. By the end of the century, the government plans to complete construction of the 7,000 km 'Green Wall' which stretches from eastern inner Mongolia to …
• National policy should only indicate guidelines. • Involuntary displacement should be minimised. • A widely-representative body should take decisions. • Fair standard of living, not lower than that before displacement, should be guaranteed. • Full compensation of losses should be paid both individually and collectively. • All rights and …
COCONUTS may look alike and most may even taste alike. But not the kati variety of Thailand, also known as the makapuno in the Philippines, whose thick, white and creamy texture makes it king of the crop -- and costs 20 times more than ordinary nuts. Coconut fanciers throughout south …
THE GRAVITY-FREE environment in space will form more perfect crystals of certain proteins and scientists hope that by understanding their protein structure, they will be able to design better drugs to combat diabetes and arthritis, along with some other diseases. A protein derived from the deadly toxin found in castor …
A COMMITTEE that has been reviewing regulations governing coastal tourism recommends that decision-making in these matters should be left to the states concerned because they "are aware of the local constraints and the extent of demand for beach tourism" and it was upto state officials to determine how best to …
THE MOST significant case on an issue of scientific integrity in recent times, that of AIDS researcher Robert Gallo, has yet to be settled. The Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) cleared Gallo of misdemeanour early this year, (Down To Earth, July 31). Now, …
THE QUALITY of mathematics education in the land that produced the mathematical genius Ramanujam has fallen considerably over the years, if India's poor showing at the recent international maths Olympiad (IMO) in Moscow is any indication. But according to some educators, the fault also partially lies in the selection process …
STATIC library budgets in India and soaring printing costs abroad have drastically reduced the inflow of foreign science and technology (S & T) journals. Indian institutions subscribe to less than 20 per cent of the 60,000 S & T journals published the world over. The number has dropped alarmingly -- …
THE ELUSIVE sandalwood smuggler Veerappan has dealt another blow. Last month, he lured Mysore superintendent of police T Harikrishna and his men into a trap and mercilessly killed him and five other policemen. Harikrishna headed the special task force set up to nab the smuggler and had been 'informed' earlier …
MEDICAL practitioners in the West are resorting to traditional oriental medical systems in seeking to cure diseases that do not respond to conventional treatment. British dermatologists say they have confirmed that traditional Chinese herbal therapy can be used to treat resistant skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis (The Lancet, Vol. …
AN ADVANCED, ultraviolet (UV) light-water disinfection system has been installed at a water pumping station in UK. The system, developed by Hanovia Ltd, differs from earlier systems in that it can automatically regulate UV intensity in response to changes in water quality and water flow. UV disinfection has normally been …
