India granted 'observer' status in Arctic Council

India has been granted the status of an observer in the Arctic Council, an organisation of global nations that coordinates Arctic policy. With the melting of Arctic ice, new waterways are emerging, creating opportunities for countries to tap the region’s so far inaccessible resources. There is growing competition over the untapped oil, natural gas, minerals and fish resources of the region.

A trip down memory lane

Between 1972 and 1977, the fledgling Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the US commissioned 70 photographers to document the country’s state of environment. They set out across coal mines, landfills and manufacturing zones of the then industrial US, and explored the nooks and crannies of big cities.

Rap for ad

Someone at Mountain Dew thought it would be a hip idea to let African-American rapper Tyler-The Creator direct an online ad for them. Mountain Dew, a product of PepsiCo, targets younger men with its neon colour and high caffeine content and sometimes attempts to have edgier ads.

Knowledge commons

A photograph of one of the first hot air balloon flights; an 1833 map of the US showing an eagle “sitting atop the nation” and several accounts of the lives of the Native Americans during the 19th century. All these can now be accessed at the click of a mouse. Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), a non-profit initiative to create a large-scale public digital library, opened its virtual doors in April.

A rather ridiculous gap

Trademark disputes are the humdrum of intellectual property (IP) litigation. Important, no doubt, for the parties involved but hardly the stuff to get you and me excited. What all we have missed in recent times?

A reliable HIV self-test

What aspect of HIV does your study deal with? What are the findings? Interviewee:  Nitika Pant Pai

Water’s ways

HOW many years does it take for a reservoir to fill with sediments? How fast are nutrients supplied to streams and soils? Many a time such questions come in the way of policymaking. The answers lie in the rate at which the hill slopes upstream are eroding. It is important to know the propensity with which river currents cut rocks in the riverbed and carve paths for the water. Called river incision, the phenomenon plays an important role in shaping the structure of mountains, controls carbon cycle and delivers sediment to coast and reefs.

Science and Technology - Briefs

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Shield melts off

Old demons remain, new emerge

In bad taste

McDonald’s has come under fire for a recent ad campaign which speaks about its Big Mac burger in the same breath as mental illness. The ad, which appeared on the Boston transport system in early April, showed a woman covering her face with her hand next to the slogan: “You’re Not Alone”.