Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccine claimed to have 80.6% efficacy

'Shot well tolerated in participants; adverse events balanced between vaccine and placebo arms of the trial'    

New genealogy project allows astronomers to trace ‘ancestors’

The database provides information on more than 33,000 astronomers, their advisors and universities and the links to their dissertations

Eminent physicist Stephen Hawking dies at 76

Hawking theoretically proved that black holes were present as singularities in the cosmic space-time continuum

Why India should not reopen schools and colleges during COVID-19 pandemic

The Centre and state governments should refrain from doing so in the light of new studies highlighting COVID-19 cases among children

New strategies needed for elimination of malaria: Experts

Conventionally less lethal malarial parasites are also taking up deadlier forms, they said 

A fungus that can degrade endosulfan identified

The commonly used insecticide was used to get rid of insects in cashew plantations and exposure to it is reported to have led to several health …

National Institutional Ranking Framework 2022: The grey side of it

Underrepresentation, unequal availability of opportunity for quality higher education plaguing India’s education system

JNU to establish new centre for research in natural products

The main objective of the centre is to screen natural products to identify potential candidates for further optimisation and preclinical and …

This Hawaiian tree snail is the first extinction of 2019

George, of the species Achatinella apexfulva, died on New Year’s Day, 2019

Will the new Yamuna River Project clean up the river?

A study by the University of Virginia on cooperation between India and Spain aims at rejuvenating the Yamuna as it flows through India’s …

Fast-spreading banana fungus poses major threat to African food security

High risk as same banana strain grown in most plantations; Staple food for millions can be affected

UN 2023 Water Conference: I am hopeful Great Salt Lake won’t go the Aral Sea and Lake Urmia way, says Kevin Perry

Down To Earth speaks to Kevin Perry from the University of Utah on the Great Salt Lake in the American West

Your phone and your brain - what we know so far

The evidence indicates that there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the long-term impacts of digital device use on cognition

Bacteriophages: An answer to antibiotic resistance

Research on new antibiotics have hit a wall. Bacteriophages that kill disease-causing bacteria provide an alternative treatment

‘India’s statements about Zika virus in Rajasthan are detrimental to public awareness’

Yale scientist Nathan Grubaugh criticises the central and state response to the Zika crisis, praises Down To Earth’s Madhya Pradesh …

Translocation can stop extinction: new salamander study

A Purdue University research tracked 41 Hellbenders, a type of salamander found in the midwestern US

Scientists develop transgenic rice that can grow under high salinity, drought

A team of Indian and international scientists hit upon the idea while studying a wild rice variety, Pokkali, grown in coastal regions of Kerala

Smart device developed for precise use of herbicides

Indian and American researchers have developed a weed removal device for precise application of herbicide that can reduce crop damage and …

In a first, researchers create framework to eradicate invasive weeds

Invasive species threaten our biodiversity. With this framework, scientists hope to ensure benefits for both environment and rural communities

How plants breathe and how that can help humans

Scientists find how humans shaped plants’ breathing mechanism, which could help develop more drought-resistant crops

Waste-to-hip ratio affects the brain too

Study finds that those with higher ratios of obesity and waist-to-hip ratio had the lowest brain volume

Scientists may have found a way to restore memory in dementia patients

After successful tests on animals, Australian researchers get $10 million federal funding to conduct human trials of a breakthrough …

New study adds to calls for formal recognition of Himalayan wolf

The research, conducted by British and Nepalese researchers, confirms that the proposed Himalayan wolf is an ancient wolf lineage, has developed …

Preterm infants should be given fresh breast milk, not expressed one

Breast milk contains hydrogen peroxide, which works like an antibiotic, and degrades if not fed to the infant immediately, says a study

Droughts raise diarrhoea risk in children: Yale study

Exposure to six-month-long mild or severe drought is associated with an increased diarrhoea risk of 5 or 8 per cent respectively