Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
American biomedical researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, have devised a simple instrument to accurately measure carbon monoxide (co) in a person's lungs (Environment Science Technology, Vol 29, No 1). The device, invented by the Harvard scientists Kiyoung Lee and Yukio Yanagisawa, consists of a mouthpiece, an …
TILL a few years ago, all abdominal surgeries left the patient with a long scar. But thanks to laparoscopy -- a surgical technique that obviates the need to cut open the abdomen -- most patients can now leave the operating table without carrying the ugly legacy of the surgeon's scalpel. …
Insulin injections seem to be the only weapon diabetics have against coma, and even death. But not only are these injections painful, the blood-sugar balance may still fluctuate enough to damage blood vessels, leading to blindness, kidney failure, and amputations. Further, techniques for transplanting healthy insulin-producing cells from another human …
While scientists have long known that all mammalian embryos have the basic female attributes -- uterus, fallopian tube and vagina -- what triggers some of them to change their sexual identity 30-45 days following conception was a mystery. Now scientists know how. Michael Weiss and his colleagues at the University …
How do sperms find the ova? Solomon Snyder and his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, say that the male sex cells virtually sniff out their female counterpart (New Scientist, Vol 145, No 1961). The scientists found that rat sperms possess odour receptors, which are also present …
Two British genetic engineers have developed a blood substitute that could sustain the body for long periods on little oxygen. The inspiration for developing the artificial blood -- which could be useful in transfusions during heart and lung transplants -- came from the crocodile's ability to stay underwater up to …
European scientists claim that a new generation of artificial limbs that are controlled by the brain and similar to a "natural" extension of the body may soon become a reality. Says Paolo Dario, head of a consortium of research institutions from 4 European countries called INTER, "Our goal is to …
Scientists at Abbott laboratories, Illinois, have found a new way to detect the most common sexually transmitted infectious bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis, which can cause pelvic inflammation and even infertility (Lancet Press Release, January 25, 1995). The test, known as the ligase chain reaction, detects the bacterium in a urine sample …
ALTHOUGH the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was convicted of AIDS more than a decade ago, a small bunch of scientists continues to challenge the verdict. But even as the heretics grab headlines by their controversial statements, a recent 3-month-long investigation by the US journal Science (Vol 266, No 5191) has …
DOES environmental exposure to lead affect the intelligence of children? Yes, according to a fresh interpretation of over 20 studies on the issue, which rules that at age 5 or more, a doubling of body lead is associated with a loss of 1-2 IQ (intelligence quotient) points. But children below …
A sudden migraine attack in a research subject undergoing brainscan has led to a serendipitous proof of a theory of the origin of the throbbing headache. Known as the "spreading depression" theory, it ascribes the excruciating pain to reduced blood supply throughout the brain and not just to the site …
A single injection of special proteins can make cancerous tumours regress, claim David A Cheresh and Peter C Brooks from the Scripps Research Institute, San Diego. They found that the injected proteins which are either synthetic or genetically engineered block the blood vessels that feed the tumour, causing them to …
OVER the last few decades, the whirlwind of technology has changed the face of diagnosis, and medical treatment. 40 years ago, if a patient suffering from "effort angina" approached the physician, he would do a complete physical examination and after a series of tests, conclude that the patient is suffering …
GERMAN scientists have devised a method to repair blood vessels damaged during delicate surgery by coupling them using a novel biodegradable device. Anastomosis, or coupling of thin blood vessels with sutures, is usually an intricate task which requires a great deal of surgical time and skill. Although several mechanical devices …
WHILE the Indian government appears to be a lame duck in the face of the recent spurt in malaria in the country, a joint research team of the University of Western Australia and Murdhoch University has developed a new drug capable of killing one of the most virulent forms of …
PEOPLE suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD) can now hope for better survival chances, thanks to a new drug called "simvastatin" which can bring down the level of blood cholesterol. This drug succeeded in a largescale clinical trial conducted by a Scandinavian team of researchers (The Lancet, Vol 344, No …
Peter Smetacek 5,25 a, Jangpura-b New Delhi 110 014 The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Post Box 30772 Nairobi, Kenya International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics Patancheru 502 324 Andhra Pradesh Andrew Thompson Murdoch University Murdoch, wa 6150 Australia
Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences has become the country's first hospital to launch a new technique to detect artherosclerosis -- a disease of the blood vessels caused by cholesterol deposition within the arteries. Called the Intra Vascular Ultra Sound (IVUS), the new technique is currently being demonstrated by …
In a breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research, American doctors have converted a simple eye test into a powerful diagnostic instrument for the disease (Science, Vol 266, No 5187). A research team led by Leonard Scinto and Huntington Potter of the Harvard Medical School, Boston, reports that the pupils of Alzheimer's …
Why do human beings and some other species find symmetrical patterns more appealing than asymmetrical ones? Two research teams working independently offer an explanation: the sensory bias towards symmetry is part of the development of the perceptual ability of the brain and nervous system (Nature, Vol 372, No 6502). While …
