Sergio Canavero: the brain behind first proposed head transplant
Surgeon Sergio Canavero, director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy, has been making news for two years after he claimed he …
What makes us so?
This is no longer a question for philosophers. Evolutionary biologists also dwell upon it. Manuel Massot from Laboratoire Ecologie & Evolution,…
Simulating real-life networks
India is a leader in IT. But how do researchers here apply the science to improve people’s lives? Malay Bhattacharyya, assistant professor …
`Remote sensing is being used to predict crop-growing seasons'
Satellite technology is not just being used to monitor and predict climate change events. Its applications are now also accurately estimating crop-…
The best of Indian science
In this and the following issue, DOWN TO EARTH presents a review of India's ten best scientific research projects. The selection is based on the …
Zeroing in on persistent pollutants
Paints and refrigerants have chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are difficult to remove …
Whither liberalisation
The post-GATT liberalisation era has come to India not only with its enchanting platter of economic efficiency, technological treasure trough …
Atmospheric chemistry shifts blame around
Research in atmospheric sciences is booming because of the impending threat to4he world's climate. Every month there is a new study showing new …
Beads that can heat water
With fossil reserves fast depleting, new technologies promising more efficient use of renewable energy sources, especially the sun, are flooding …
`Top scientists misuse power, funds'
It seems like a lost cause but Kasturi Lal Chopra battles on. As president of the Society for Scientific Values (SSV), he leads the charge to …
Path lab in a tablet
Kanav Kahol, an expert on biomedical informatics, quit his teaching job in the US and came back to India to create a technology that would …
Why can't Indians access maps for 43 per cent of their country?
How is it that you can buy a map of India in Paris with details as fine as the location of all tyre puncture shops in Delhi (updated every six …
India's Chandrayaan programme is "ambitious"
A moon rush is hotting up, with India, China and Japan devising substantial space exploration programmes to compete with the big players -- the …
Clash of the cyberworlds
In an increasingly digital world, the issue of Internet freedom and governance has become hugely contested. Censorship and denial of access occur …
Battle for the Internet
As the Internet becomes the public square and the marketplace of our world, it is increasingly becoming a contested terrain. Its potential for …
Will the boom last?
Fifteen years after it rose and went limp, the biotech sector, globally, as well as in India has seen a bull run of sorts. In January this year, …
Two technologies that shape our future
Battery and meters are two widely used technologies, yet no one stops to think how they work. They determine our future. They dictate how we …
‘Watershed conservation can benefit 700 million people in 100 big cities’
Indian cities are struggling to fight water stress. Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Jodhpur are going to areas located far away to source …
Foss time in India
Microsoft is the most familiar term in the proprietary software industry. The company's penetration in people's minds is so deep that it is often …
Science for ecology
Down To Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment announce the winner of the 2001 Green Scientist Award. In the exercise to rate the …
India close to solar energy breakthrough
Solar energy is free, but harnessing it using conventional crystalline silicon cells is expensive. Efforts in India to produce an efficient, low-…
When the sun flares up
During its active stage, the star spews tonnes of plasma that can disrupt satellites and power grids. Is the world ready to protect itself?
Hanging by a silk
It’s flexible yet tougher than a bullet-proof jacket. Are we anywhere near deciphering the fibre?
India gassed
Climate changes induced by increasing concentration of greenhouse gases could adversely affect the country's crop yields
Unassuming bodyguards
Altering the structure of peptides can fashion them into loyal and hard-to-beat soldiers of the body's immune syustem