Scientist who called mysterious Oumuamua object alien probe explains why

Abraham Loeb, one of the Harvard scientists who came up with this theory, talks about this extraordinary conclusion and the media frenzy it generated

All you need to know about Zika and how it spreads

Nitesh Pandey, a researcher in Evolutionary Medicine with Indian Astrobiology Research Foundation, talks about Zika and how the mobility of humans makes it so challenging to contain

‘We won’t deliver financial stability if we don’t manage climate risks’

UK’s climate envoy talks to Down To Earth about their efforts to combat climate change and partnerships with India for a sustainable future

‘Cashew Board will help procure raw cashew nut directly’

Rajesh R, Managing Director of Kerala State Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Co-operative Society (CAPEX), talks about the problems with the Indian cashew industry

‘Gender differences in internal migration patterns decrease as countries develop’

Social and employment policies affect migration but can have different impacts according to location and circumstances

'Achieving zero hunger requires agriculture to be sustainable, climate smart'

FAO India representative Tomio Shichiri talks to Down To Earth on whether current government policies are effective to achieve the Zero Hunger goal by 2030

‘The Indian green bond market is a driver for people’

Green bonds in India have grown from virtual non-existence in early 2015 to a US $7 billion market, with participation from public and private sector corporations alike who are opting to raise finance, especially for renewable energy projects through this mechanism. With the banking sector …

‘To promote renewable, pair it with gas or hydro’

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO)’s chairman, Vikram Kapur was asked to appear before the Madras High Court today to apprise the court about the status of the power sector in the state. Here are extracts from his recent interview to CSE on the direction Tamil …

‘Labour burden on women millet producers must be reduced’

Shailaja Fennell, an expert in gender and household dynamics in agriculture, talks to Down To Earth about millet production in India

Letting sanitation workers die inside sewers is not ‘seva’: Bezwada Wilson

The activist speaks to Down To Earth on issues perpetuating manual scavenging and challenges in resolving them

‘Leave the Sentinelese alone’

50 years after he first visited North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archipelago, veteran anthropologist, T N Pandit talks to Down To Earth about the Sentinelese people, other tribal groups in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and his legacy

"Swachh Bharat Mission echoes sterilisation campaign of 70s"

A new book exposes the lacunae in the way India manages its waste and recommends changes in practices and attitudes toward waste. Robin Jeffrey and Assa Doron, authors of the book, speak to Swati Singh Sambyal on the layered challenges of managing solid waste

‘In a world in which wildlife is so threatened, the Indus dolphin is a rare good news story’

Gill Braulik, who has been studying Indus River dolphins in Pakistan for over 15 years, speaks to Down To Earth about the future of the animal in both Pakistan and India

'Don't misunderstand the leopard'

Few wildlife enthusiasts have tracked leopards more closely or known them more intimately than jonathan and Angela Scott, who have made the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya their home for over 40 years. They speak to Deepanwita Gita Niyogi about their book, The Leopard's Tale, that …

'There are more than 60,000 tree species in the world & my book had room for only 80!'

Jonathan Drori, author of Around the World in 80 Trees tells S S Jeevan about the phylogeny, ecological services, and the sociological importance of trees

‘We inform locals about the wildlife in their backyard’

Sanjay Gubbi, who recently set up a nature information centre in Karnataka, says this it’s the first such centre to disseminate information in a vernacular language

'The Sarus appears to be altering its nesting behaviour due to climate change'

K S Gopi Sundar, a well-known expert on cranes, recently conducted a study on how climate change and cropping patterns affect the nesting cycles of the Sarus Crane 

‘Gamers with pathological patterns can now be diagnosed and treated’

Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, associate professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, says WHO’s move to call gaming disorder a mental health condition a big step forward

‘Centre using finance commission to promote its flagship programmes’

Centre is urging Finance Commission to finalise tax-devolution formula keeping in mind the national development programme

'Africa should not be a dumping ground for cheap technologies'

Africa has only 1,152 weather stations; most of which are in dilapidated condition. Adequate infrastructure and quality data is needed to help provide seasonal forecasts 

‘If periods are bad omen, then semen discharge should be too’

A tête-à-tête with Dr Meenakshi Bharath, a gynaecologist for the last 35 years and a green campaigner