How air pollution is exacerbating climate change in the Himalayas

Here’s how smoke settles in higher altitudes and messes up the natural processes of glaciers

Black pepper may hold the key for Corona fighting drug: Study

Piperine, an alkaloid present in pepper, could bind to novel coronavirus proteins and stop it from entering human cells, says IIT (ISM) study

‘Who created the terms superior and inferior races?’

Down To Earth speaks to activist Binalakshmi Nepram about race in the light of the US race riots over George Floyd's death

Did the Cow lead scientists to birth of a black hole?

A rare celestial explosion, nicknamed the Cow, has scientists scrambling for an explanation

New gamma ray telescope will better observe explosion of stars

The four-metre telescope in Ladakh will be able to operate in bright environment like twilight hours and moon-lit nights, unlike traditional ones …

Black hole producing mysterious particles, says NASA

Figuring out where high-energy neutrinos come from is one of the biggest problems in astrophysics today

Smallest-known galaxy containing a ‘supermassive’ black hole found

The black hole, according to the international space agency, is five times the mass of the one at the center of Milky Way galaxy

“The source of the danger is black people” — Why is racism normalised in conservation?

Extra-judicial killings of innocent people — including children — in Africa and Asia are airily dismissed as collateral damage in a &…

My bears and other animals: ‘The Wildlife Stories of An Armyman’ is a fine literary accomplishment

This book, given the experience and the range of experiences of the author, is long overdue and the narrative is both a historical and ecological …

New detailed map of dark matter agrees with Einstein’s theory of gravity: Study

Gravitational field generated by these massive objects bends and distorts light that passes through them  

Extent of fungal disease in India is larger than expected

Over 4% Indians likely to be affected by serious fungal diseases, many of which are lethal, finds study

In Pics: New colourful, tropical sunbirds found in Indonesia

Irish zoologists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered several new species of sunbirds on the tiny Wakatobi Islands in central Indonesia

Share of non-CO2 pollutants contributing to global warming almost as much as carbon dioxide: Study

World needs to target non-CO2 pollutants and CO2 pollutants to achieve climate targets, it added  

How climate change has pushed the koala towards ‘Endangered’ status

The Australian bushfire season of 2019-20 killed thousands of the marsupials and could have hastened the drop in their numbers

Shift towards sustainable fisheries in Mediterranean, Black Sea region: Report

While 75% of fish stocks was subjected to overfishing, this percentage fell by more than 10% between 2014 and 2018

Brown carbon ‘tarballs’ that hasten glacial melt found in Himalayan atmosphere: Study

The percentage of tarballs increased on days with higher pollution levels, could contribute to global warming   

COVID warriors: More action than words protect consumer rights in UP

Rajesh Choubey has stopped ration shops from pilfering, sensitised people and assisted them in finding livelihood during the pandemic 

How bushfires and rain turned our waterways into ‘cake mix’, and what we can do about it

Tonnes of ash, sediment and debris were washed into creeks and the Murray River. Steep terrain within burnt regions of the upper Murray catchment …

Scientists map black swan genome to better understand immune response

Black swans are highly susceptible to the bird flu virus and the scientists hope to uncover clues to prevent the next pandemic

How pandemics fuel the rise of mega-corporations

The Black Death and COVID-19 seem to have caused concentration and centralisation of business and state power. The question is whether these …

Scientists transform black soot into a boon for water purification

Black carbon soot is emitted from gas and diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and other processes that involve burning of fossil fuel

Concentration of air pollutants significantly increasing over India: IPCC

Just effective decarbonisation policies not enough to bring SO2, NO2, O3 and NH3 to safe levels; clean energy and waste management would be needed

Bright and black

Female tigers at the Similipal reserve in Odisha are increasingly giving birth to black or melanistic breeds and catching rare worldwide attention

SDGs: Focus on short-lived climate pollutants ahead of UN Summit

Targeting methane and black carbon rich sources could prevent approximately 2.4 million deaths annually, says report

Climate impact: Study finds juvenile black rockfish fared better than expected in unusually high ocean temperatures

Fish growth and development were positively related to temperature, but survival to settlement was not directly related to ocean conditions