‘COVID-19 could have started 3-4 months before December in China’
Down To Earth speaks to Maureen Miller, infectious disease epidemiologist and medical anthropologist about the possible origins of the novel …
Run-up to pandemic treaty: WHO’s 10 proposals call for high-level council, changes to health regulations
Observers had earlier criticised the absence of independent monitoring for ensuring compliance with the pandemic accord
Antimicrobial resistance: Can sustainable integrated multi-trophic aquaculture reduce AMR in aquatic systems
Developing sustainable and well-maintained integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems could be a new hope to constrain AMR
Is it climate change that impacts trajectory of dengue in India?
Dengue transmission is closely associated with three key factors — rainfall, humidity and temperature
Livestock farming is a crucible for zoonotic disease; here is how
Artificial oceans of pigs and poultry in the hinterlands become mixing vessels for viruses from humans, livestock and wildlife, while other …
COVID-19 testing led to new techniques of disease diagnosis: Progress mustn’t stop now
In the past three years, focus of disease testing moved from simple detecting & understanding to incorporating speed, efficiency & …
Gene-editing in embryos is concerning. New study shows why
Extensive copying of genetic information from one parent to another due to CRISPR could give rise to mutant copies of disease-causing genes in …
The imminent threat of celiac disease in India
Panel discussion sheds light on prevalence of celiac disease in India, which has increased four folds since the 1960s
Will this be the fourth consecutive warm winter?
Longer monsoon spell, warm winter lengthen mosquito-borne disease outbreaks across India
Indian scientists identify cells linked to obsessive-compulsive behaviour
Targeting the development of cells that triggers obsessive-compulsive behaviour can help treat the root cause of autoimmune diseases rather …
Mosquitoes in a warming world: Aedes the menace
Latest Zika outbreaks indicate mosquito-borne diseases are fast spreading to new populations and regions & are no longer restricted to monsoon.…
First ever national survey shows the extent of South Africa’s TB problem
In 2019, 58,000 people died of TB in South Africa and 1.4 million people died from TB globally
Can the Grim Reaper wait, please?
A timeless dream: eternal youth, unblemished by illness. The search for the font of immortality has taken a late 20th century turn into what …
Simon Schama’s history of 18th and 19th century disease outbreaks speaks powerfully to the present
At the core of Foreign Bodies is Schama’s understanding that “all history is natural history”
Combination of heatwave & high air pollution may double risk of heart attack deaths: Report
Women at higher risk of fatal heart attacks during extremely hot days & older people on days with extreme cold or high PM2.5
"Cape Town's consciousness about water consumption has helped reduce demand"
Xanthea Limberg, mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services & energy speaks on water restriction rules …
Here is how nutrition may help overcome genetic risk of diabetes
B12 and folic acid supplements have a beneficial impact on genes associated with Type 2 diabetes, says research by the Council of Scientific and …
First ever case of H7N4 afflicting a human being reported in China
The virus, identified by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is of avian origin
Cocktail of plant oils can keep mosquitoes at bay
Researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research have found a plant-based repellent which is as effective as chemical repellent
Health Ministry asks Railway Board to not allow junk food, tobacco ads
Indirect advertising of such products can increase the risk of non-communicable diseases, the health ministry says
Researchers find new gene providing resistance to last-resort antibiotic
The finding comes eight months after the first-ever gene responsible for resistance to colistin, a last-resort drug for multi-drug-resistant …
Zimbabwe baobab trees dying due to mysterious disease
This could cause a potential food crisis in the country which is in the throes of drought
Microbes in extreme heat and cold hold lessons about life on Earth, and beyond
Microbes have the ability to survive in extremely hot and cold conditions. This makes them invaluable tools for research: they can teach us how …
Disease claims over 2,000 pigs in Mizoram's Champhai district
Besides Champhai, another region called Lunglei has also shown cases of infection, but the casualties are far less
Zika, dengue, yellow fever: what are flaviviruses?
The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes responsible for spreading Zika and yellow fever have been shown to be able to adapt in high-density urban areas