Fern assault

Trees are not very effective carbon sinks

The unseen invader

Lesser known invasive species Hyptis suaveolens is spreading across India

Adrift and Isolated

A proposed blanket ban on scientific prawn culture in Chilika lake is a total let-down for the fiskerfolk

Science & Technology - Bytes

From the verge of extinction

Several species to be removed from endangered list in the us

Colouring plants

Mythila painting is an innovative media that contain powerful messages of conservation

Unchecked mining spells doom for Saranda forest in Jharkhand

Unregulated large-scale mining activities have decimated plant and wildlife populations in the once-rich Saranda forest in Jharkhand

Desert green

A gene found in humans can help plants thrive in arid regions

Sunflower power

Curbs the human immunodeficiency virus

Drying wetlands

Ladakh's high altitude wetlands are under severe stress from the livestock population as well as tourist influx

Paradise under fire

The beautiful Valley of Flowers, known for its flower diversity and fecundity, is caught in a strange controversy over ban on grazing

Andaman and Nicobar: Beyond India's landmass

Excerpts from Troubled Islands! by Pankaj Sekhsaria

Science and Technology - Briefs

Clean proposal

The European Commission unveils its plan to curb toxic gases emissions from waste plants

Real flower-power

Chemical protectors

Flowers' chemical compounds shield the plants from herbivorous insects

"Serious study has not yet begun"

R Uma Shankar, Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, speaks to Down To Earth

"We need to be more proactive"

Dr. S. Ramani, senior scientist (Agricultural Entomology), Project Directorate of Biological Control (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), …

"Biological control is the way out"

Dr. R D Gautam, principal scientist and in-charge of the Plant Health Clinic, speaks to Down To Earth

Better paranoid

Than regret loss that happens in millions

Appalling ability

What makes a species invasive?

Tamil Nadu must sustainably manage its rattans

The plants have seen huge commercial exploitation in the state and need restoration to safeguard their survival

Scientists to study effect of climate change on rainforests

Experiment will take place in El Yunque National Forest

Amazonian secrets

Hundreds of ridges that crisscross the rainforests of South America have helped flora and fauna proliferate, says a latest study