Listen... plants too speak
As early as in 1880, Charles Darwin demonstrated that plants could sense light, moisture, gravity, pressure and possessed several other qualities.…
"Right should belong to scientists"
For the first time in India, the draft of the Plant Varieties Protection (PVP) Act is being finalised by the ministry of agriculture. India, as a …
Changing climes
Climate change is a very slow process, notoriously difficult to understand. Is it happening in India? Residents of some Himalayan towns, where …
The vanishing lakes
There is more water than land in north Bihar. The rivers that ramble down from the Himalaya feed numerous depressions scattered all over the …
More than half of Indian bird species are in academic campuses, says WII study
Academic campuses and similar fragmented areas could secure a wide variety of species, say authors
Here is why forest fires now pose a threat to the very survival of Uttarakhand’s unique biodiversity
Forest fire season in Uttarakhand coincides with flowering & breeding months of several vulnerable species, many of them native to Himalayas
Funga: UN wants us all to say it along with ‘Flora & Fauna’
The global organisation says it is time that fungi are recognised and protected equally with plants and animals
Odisha government proposes state’s second biosphere reserve at Mahendragiri
The Mahendragiri hills host a rich biodiversity of fauna and flora and are part of the Eastern Ghats
A multi-pronged attack
The people of southern Zimbabwe have found a variety of ways and means to upgrade the quality of the environment in their part of the world
Climate change severely affecting biodiversity in Hindu Kush Himalayas: ICIMOD
Biodiversity will suffer even if the global temperature rise is maintained at 1.5 degrees Celsius
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 …
How Nanak used nature in his verses to drive home his point
Down To Earth speaks to musician and singer Rabbi Shergill about the poetry of Sikhism’s founder and its many allusions to facets of …
Five actions Madagascar's president must take to save country's biodiversity
Andry Rajoelina’s term represents the last chance to save some of Madagascar’s incredible natural heritage
Propagate and protect halophytes
It is high time that India’s governments make serious efforts to identify, propagate and protect these plants which establish mangroves, …
Male flowers enhance pollination
Plants normally have only bisexual flowers. Some species, however, also produce male flowers to make the dispersal of pollen more efficient.
Sands of life
Beyond the Thar's austere barrenes, a battle of survival rages - between the region's treasure-trove of floral diversity and marauders like humans,…
A unique tree park for Chennai
With 300 species of trees, the ‘Forest Genetic Resources Tree Park’ will serve as a unique gene pool for Tamil Nadu’s …
Have scientists stumbled upon the brain of a plant?
Scientists have shown how a 'decision making centre' of a plant that assesses environmental conditions and determine when seeds will germinate
Meet thy neighbours
Every existence has its excuse, it is said. Every year taxonomists in India venture into uncharted landscapes and scan every nook and corner to …
Species census
Total number of known species on Earth are rising. A report by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University, US,…
A drop of wood alcohal helps to perk up plants
Plants grow taller and faster if sprayed with a solution of methanol, claims an American farmer
Much-maligned bats need more protection
Scientists insist bats are a muck-maligned bats mammal that in fact plays a crucial role in the propagation of several plant species
Bees before blossoms
A new finding suggests that bees may have been around about 100 million years before flowering plants appeared
More than intoxicating
Yet government policy has forced many people to give up mahua -- their nutritious staple food
The cactus and its uses
Cacti are prickly, and pleasing. Extremely ungainly, they flourish in arid conditions where no plant will survive. Succulent inside, their thick …