Priya Moorjani, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, talks about new findings that could provide clues to humans’ inherited dispositions, particularly in terms of health
Climatic crises can be handled by Ambedkarite principles like democratic governance & moral, spiritual humanism: V M Ravi Kumar
‘Reality is not as fixed as people like to think’
‘Wise to assume bird flu pandemic will cause more severe disease in humans than COVID-19’
Baobab reforestation efforts show rapid impact in Madagascar
Down To Earth speaks to two scientists on efforts to conserve the iconic trees of the world’s fourth-largest island
‘We are seeing a sign that dark energy is not a cosmological constant’
Shadab Alam, faculty at the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, on deviations observed with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
Protect India’s scrublands to save the caracal: Dharmendra Khandal & Ishan Dhar
Down To Earth speaks to Dharmendra Khandal and Ishan Dhar of Tiger Watch about their new book on the caracal
Frans de Waal showed non-human species are more complex than they are given credit for: Anindya Sinha
Down To Earth spoke to Sinha, one of India’s leading primate experts, about the legacy of the Dutch-American primatologist, who passed away recently
‘Environment ministries in most countries are still led by junior politicians’
Despite global consensus on the climate emergency, action remains inadequate, says economist Nitin Desai
One of the major gaps in our weather observational system is over the oceans: Elena Manaenkova
Former WMO Deputy Secretary General, Elena Manaenkova speaks to Down To Earth about extreme weather, the global cryosphere and emissions on World Meteorological Day
Fact or fallacy: ‘RO is a defence against contaminants’
The demand for advanced purification methods in the country is likely to soar, says Mahesh Gupta, chairperson of Kent RO Systems
‘Lianas threaten Earth’s carbon sinks’
Field ecologist Alain Ngute explains how lianas have lower carbon sequestering capacity than trees & when they compete for sunlight in the canopy, they suppress trees
We never gave any thought to ferocious dog breeds so far: S Theodore Baskaran
Down To Earth spoke to conservation writer, historian, naturalist and veteran activist S Theodore Baskaran on the Centre contemplating a ban on certain foreign dog breeds
Rainwater harvesting and wastewater treatment best options for Bengaluru: T V Ramachandra
The IISc professor who famously ‘saw the future of Bengaluru’ a decade ago, speaks to Down To Earth about where the city went wrong and how it can right itself
Departure from the goddess: Sunderbans’ women & Bonbibi suffer the worst of climate crisis
Women live precarious lives in the cyclone-ravaged delta, as people slowly disconnect from Bonbibi worship & its principles of ecosystem preservation
‘The Congo more climate-resilient than Amazonia? Jury is still out’
Down To Earth speaks to Elsa Ordway from UCLA about a 10-year study on the ecology of tropical forests in the Congo Basin and other parts of the world
Emic perspective of Indian food reveals untold stories of migrant labourers, women, cattle
Food anthropologist Ishita Dey on how migrant labourers adapt their diets during their long train journeys and how sugar is key even in a more health-aware sweets industry
Russia has turned the Dnipro into a major weapon of war: Paul Josephson
Down To Earth speaks to specialist in Soviet and Russian history about the impact of two years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Dnipro river
‘FAO acknowledges that it neglected costs of food systems in its accounting’
Alexander Muller, former FAO assistant director-general talks about how the impacts and cost of natural capital as well as social affairs have been ignored till now
We find several connections of sound to the environment: Radha Kapuria
Down To Earth speaks to Durham University academic and author about the influence of the environment on music, visual and the performing arts
A dedicated snow leopard cell was long-pending: Koustubh Sharma
Down To Earth speaks to snow leopard expert Koustubh Sharma on the findings of the latest government report on the enigmatic cat
Did Hanuman inspire China’s Sun Wukong? In all probability yes, says B R Deepak
Prominent Sinologist talks to Down To Earth about the ancient connections between India and China via the Ramayana
'Childhood cancers doubled in Delhi in 25 years, when city's air quality also became toxic'
Manas Ranjan Ray, former assistant director & head, department of experimental haematology, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, on Delhi's air pollution-related health impacts
Interest in indigenous cattle breeds like the Pulikulam is reviving: Karthikeya Sivasenapathy
Down To Earth speaks to the head of the environment wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam about the Pulikulam cattle breed of Tamil Nadu
Tigers in the Terai’s sugarcane fields are developing into an ecotype of their own: Rahul Shukla
Down To Earth speaks to conservationist who has documented and written about tigers growing up and surviving in the Terai landscape of northern India