"Inputs of social scientists are critical"
John R Seager, research director, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa, speaks to Atanu Sarkar on interdisciplinary aspects of …
"Brown clouds are a transcontinental issue"
Asian Brown Clouds created a lot of heat in South Asia, a few years ago (see: 'Aerial Raid,' Down To Earth, August 15, 2002). Now the chief …
"I do not like the word sustainability"
The Danish minister of energy and environment, Svend Auken , is widely respected for promoting environmental policies which honour the interests …
Protecting the nation's patents
V K GUPTA , director, National Institute of Science Communication (NISCOM), tells VIBHA VARSHNEY how they set about building the Traditional …
'Fashion trends dictate the demand for herbs'
Rakesh Aggarwal, proprietor of the National Herbs Company, explains the pulse of the medicinal plants market to Vibha Varshney
"The state cannot deprive people"
WALTER FERNANDES, who has worked extensively for tribes and on tribal issues, talks to SURYA SEN
"Centralised wastewater treatment does not work"
The Centre For Scientific Research Trust (CSR), Auroville, Pondicherry has pioneered the decentralised wastewater treatment system in India. …
A new manifesto
Francis Wurtz, president of the Paris-based European United Left party, is certain that ecology is emerging as a political ideology on the left. …
We give them complete mentorship
IN a special programme to help industry, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has created Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Programme …
We must move from the reverse to the forward gear
Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is the director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and a former director of one of …
"Desertification is a global problem"
Ambassador BO KJELLEN has seen it all, from diplomacy and development to even sports. A "family man", as he describes himself, …
"The name of the game is resource productivity"
Currently chairperson of the Bundestag committee on environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, Ernst Ulrich von Weizsaecker has …
"Many want to gain from India's experience"
While India's rule-of-the-fist wildlife conservation programmes focus on protection, UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme seeks to lay emphasis …
"We need to take the development path"
Herman E Daly asks, "What good is a sawmill without a forest?" That sure is an unconventional question coming from an American …
Under-sea study will help India
Prattipati Shivshankar Rao is the first Indian scientist to sail the seabed of the mid-Atlantic ridge. His search for hydrothermal fields and …
Novel Therapy
Bimal K Banik is President’s Endowed Professor and professor of chemistry at College of Science and Mathematics, University of Texas-Pan …
Perfect model
Biologists use a variety of animal models for experiments. But a mouse or a fruitfly cannot truly represent a human being. Jessica Bolker, …
Mobile tester for crop diseases
Michigan State University scientists have developed a portable, effective device for testing plant diseases. Called Gene-Z, it was unveiled at …
"DBT's role in policy formulation is limited"
A winner of the 1995 Norman Borlaug Award for her contribution to the field of agricultural sciences, MANJU SHARMA is secretary to the …
"The EPA is a weak agency"
Armin Rosencranz , the founder and president emeritus of the Pacific Environment and Resources Centre in California, US, spoke to Madhumita …
"Bad TV is better than no TV"
'Welcome to tomorrow' seems to be ARTHUR C CLARKE's motto in life. He was the first to hit upon the notion of global broadcasting networks …
"Tribals conserve to survive"
A scion of one of Ranchi's (Bihar) royal families, K S SINGH retired #s the director general of the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI). He …
"History does not repeat itself"
A pioneer in the field of environmental history, Donald Worster of the University of Kansas in the US highlights the importance of the subject …
'Supercede capital'
JOEL KOVEL , Alger Hiss Professor of Social Studies at Bard College in Annandale, New York, is best known as the Green Party's candidate in the …
"Alternative fuel helps us tide over oil crises"
LUIS FERNANDES, Brazil's deputy minister for science and technology, talks to T V JAYAN about his government's biodiesel project and its other …