Combining chips and drives
In today's information world, bits of data are processed by semiconductor chips, but stored in magnetic disc drives. Limitations of this …
Faulty rehabilitation policy
On february 26, yet another full-page advertisement appeared in national dailies as a part of the ruling coalition's feel-good blitz in the build-…
Ebola vaccine developed to fight bioterrorism
An experimental vaccine against the lethal Ebola virus has been administered to humans for the first time in November 2003. If the trial proves …
The US learns that green laws make sense after all
Make no mistake, US President George W Bush's office has conceded that green laws make sound economic sense. Although the White House reiterated …
How enabling is ICT?
In February, 100-odd people got together at the quaint little town of Baramati. All had a common goal: to exchange ideas on the use of …
US embraces nuclear reactors to power spacecrafts
Thirty years after they were abandoned for good, nuclear reactors are making a fatal comeback in the US spacecrafts. In 2003, the US National …
Hell and high water
The incendiary Sardar Sarovar Dam project came to a head on March 15 this year, when Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) agitators, led by the …
China's reforms
Land use in China is in for irretrievable change. At the Third Plenum of the 16th Party Congress, held October 11-14, 2003, the world's biggest …
Blow to anti-AIDS campaign as condom turns taboo subject
The paanwallah-doubling-up-as-a-condom-vendor ad has been taken off the air. Instead, Doordarshan will show a village council member warning …
Smooth sailing by cleaning up fumes
Controlling the polluting sulphur emissions of ships has become imperative after recent research has proved that they are as harmful as the …
Yet another hypothesis to explain decline in vulture population
Another theory has implicated a commonly used veterinary medicine for the large-scale disappearance of vultures from the Indian sub-continent. …
Sarpamitras to get ID cards in Maharashtra
Some voluntary snake rescuers were found involved in smuggling snakes or keeping them in captivity, prompting forest department to fix …
Mountain biodiversity tops Montreal meet agenda
The entire gamut of activities that threaten ecosystems in the mountain regions dominated discussions at the meeting of the scientific advisory …
A hybrid car, at your doorstep
The California Air Resources Board -- the world's trendsetter of air pollution standards -- was clearly being quite ambitious while mandating …
Murder mystery in Bihar
The killing of two social activists has left behind a series of unanswered questions. On the evening of January 24 social activists Sarita and …
‘English wiped out local languages elsewhere, not in India’
Eighty-Five years after George A Grierson, a British administrator, conducted the first survey of languages in India, another such exercise has …
Technology interventions that save water
It was early June. Jaspal Ram of Lehra Turkot in district Bathinda of Punjab was busy in his field putting gunny bags filled with mud on a plank …
Remembering Nammalvar: farewell, organic saint-warrior
G Nammalvar, the agriculture scientist who pioneered organic farming movement in Tamil Nadu, passed away on December 30 at the age of 75. He …
International journal vindicates endosulfan study
The strong case against endosulfan just got stronger. Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed scientific journal of international …
Opening up, but tread softly
April 2003 saw two diverse regions in India take a similar decision. Both partially opened the door to tourism in hitherto protected belts. One …
Iran-India gas pipeline laid low by geopolitics
Mani Shankar Aiyar is known for the many controversies sparked by his provocative comments and controversial ideas. As Minister for Petroleum and …
Towards food security: perspectives from three continents
The Food Insecurity Report 2014, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) last week, has revealed that one …
The past and present of rivers
Author(s): Karuna Futane We are a generation that has turned flowing fresh water rivers to rivers of sewage and garbage. We have lost rivers. …
Not mine, says India
India, the US, and a handful of nations have decided to keep out of the agreement to ban anti personnel landmines
Rejection of Dunkel proposals is a farce
Observers say the government's rejection of the Dunkel proposals on seed patenting is just an eyewash.
