AI isn’t close to becoming sentient — the real danger lies in how easily we’re prone to anthropomorphise it

Chatbots like ChatGPT raise important new questions about how artificial intelligence will shape our lives, and about how our psychological vulnerabilities shape our interactions with emerging tech

Climate crisis threatens truffle production but could put UK species back on the menu

Summer drought & heat can be detrimental to truffle harvests

Pollution control: Amendments to Water Act is a greenwashing attempt

Institutional strengthening of Pollution Control Boards and local governments need of the hour

Why rain on snow in the California mountains worries scientists

Rain-on-snow events have resulted in some of the nation’s most destructive and costly floods

Climate change threatens spring wildflowers by speeding up the time when trees leaf out above them

Country-wide pattern: Trees, wildflowers active earlier now than in the past, and they are active earlier in warm years & places

Deepening local democracy: What is the legal validity of Jharkhand’s hamlet-level governance units?

Complete reliance on community-based organisations can be ineffective; Gram Sabhas should play central role

How to use free satellite data to monitor natural disasters and environmental changes

Increasing availability of open-access data from government satellites have made it possible for everyone to gain insight into environmental changes underway

Unquiet soundscapes: Shipping noise impacts rivers, marine ecosystem

Noise makes it hard for the dolphins to communicate and use echolocation to navigate in shallow water, increasing the risk of getting stranded

Deepening local democracy: Tola sabhas in Jharkhand provide easy access, more accountabilty

These hamlet-level governance units are a replica of Gram Sabha but can be a more effective in many ways, especially for far-off villages.

Union Budget 2023: Foundation for sustainable farming is missing in India

Ambitious initiatives for farmers are promising but transition to sustainable agriculture requires healthy soil and inputs

Droughts bring disease: Here are 4 ways they do it

Prolonged dry spells, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions, may have serious impacts, particularly if people aren’t prepared

The earliest modern humans in Europe mastered bow-and-arrow technology 54,000 years ago

Neanderthals did not develop mechanically propelled weapons, used traditional weapons

International law doesn’t protect people fleeing environmental disaster — here’s how it could

A firm understanding of what works where climate migrants are forced to settle will be invaluable.

Reforming global governance institutions the Indian way

Multilateralism has not failed; it is the governments of nation states that have miserably failed to carry out the ethos of multilateralism.

Subaltern, forgotten: How mainstream narratives neglected the Bhumij, among the first to revolt against the British

The Prime Minister released ‘Dictionary of Martyrs‘ of India’s Freedom Struggle, selecting 1857 as the watershed year, conveniently dismissing all struggles prior to 1857

Nigeria’s cities are growing fast: Family planning must be part of urban development plans

Urban poverty that already afflicts 42% of urban residents in Nigeria is set to rise

How COVID lockdowns triggered changes in peregrine falcon diets

Urban pest control needs rethinking; pigeons contribute to the success of apex predators like the peregrine falcon

Silicon Valley Bank biggest US lender to fail since 2008 financial crisis — a finance expert explains the impact

Investment losses, coupled with the withdrawals, were so large that regulators had no choice but to step in to shut the bank down to protect depositors

3 years of pandemic: I am still dealing with the havoc COVID wreaked on my health

Down To Earth reporter recounts his harrowing experience of dealing with post-COVID illnesses

Three years into the pandemic, it’s clear COVID won’t fix itself. Here’s what we need to focus on next

Political frankness, avoidance of infections and adoption of new knowledge and technology can be our future respone plan

A tonne of fossil carbon isn’t the same as a tonne of new trees: Why offsets can’t save us

Avoiding the worst of climate change means stopping the extraction and burning of fossil fuels; offsets will not save us