Salvage science
Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister seeks more funds and education reforms in science sector
Breach of trust
The world’s premier rice research institute tilts towards intellectual property rights
National centre for clean coal R&D opened
The centre is established as a national consortium on clean coal research and development under Indian Institute of Science’s leadership
Neem-coated growth
The Union government's decision to produce neem-coated urea will not only improve soil health and agriculture, but also halt its illegal …
Genetic engineering
Promising initial tests of new rice strains with high potential for farmers have spurred biotechnologists to press ahead with the search for …
Ground zero within
What was the social yield of the nuclear tests conducted by India? As the sensitive electronic devices measured the output of the blasts, Down To …
Diseased fields
Dying paddy crops leave Kashmir valley farmers high and dry. The state government chips in late to combat the crisis
Can thunderstorms tell us more about climate change
Scientists spot correlation between storms in US Southern Great Plains and variations in climate
Mosquitoes genetically modified to combat dengue
For the first time mosquitoes have been engineered to fight all 4 known types of dengue
Genetically modifying mosquitoes to control the spread of disease carries unknown risks
Significant worry: A new breed of mosquito might emerge that is more difficult to control
Here is how fake scientific journals are bypassing detection filters
A new study points out that the eco-system of predatory journals is evolving cautiously to bypass standard methods used for their detection
'Innovators of medical diagnostic tools can approach us for finances'
Mohammad Aslam, managing director of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, tells Down To Earth how the government-aided non-profit …
Ageing impacts cancer, both in good and bad ways
Ageing can stop aged cells from forming new cells and may also witness rogue cells escape retirement
Scientists find probiotic yeast strain to fight phosphorus deficiency
Humans and non-ruminant animals lack an enzyme called phytase that converts phytate into free phosphorus
Scientists find new anti-diabetic drug from plant source, call it non-toxic, safe
Chalcone significantly inhibits the rise of blood glucose and brings back the glucose levels to normal much earlier than commercial anti-diabetic …
Genesis of water
Life on Earth is the result of several fascinating coincidences, of which the presence of water is considered the most important. But we are …
Overwhelmingly WEIRD!
The edifice of Western science is built on generalisation, where homogeneity has replaced diversity
Fossil evidence reveals that cancer in humans goes back 1.7 million years
Cancer is not the modern disease many believe it to be. New fossil evidence from two South African caves suggests that its origins lie deep in …
How Africa can close its continent-wide science funding gap
Successful economies are led by innovation and driven by knowledge. For Africa to advance, it needs to make more substantial investments in its …
Back, again!
Over 80 per cent of India's population suffers from at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime. New research links back pain to the …
Embryo research gets a new lease of life
The US government is spurring on embryo research that might provide crucial treatment clues to ailments still evading cures
Why some bumble bees spend the night out
Bumble-bees infected with the larvae of parasitic flies stay the night out in the cold to hinder the development of the eggs
In search of gravitational waves
Two projects are under way to detect an elusive phenomenon that are thought to be produced by violent events in outer space
Wanderlust heats up the blood of some fish
Biologists have found that some fish evolved into warm-blooded creatures because their adventurous ancestors were exposed to large temperature …
Bed and breakfast available, only for a year
Researchers probing parasitism among birds say the hosts are cleverer than those living at their expense. The great reed warbler, for example, …