In the future, we could snuff out cyclones. But weather control comes with new risks

If cyclone control is perfected, what would stop a country trying to redirect cyclones towards a rival?

Book excerpt: How the Suez canal was built

Bob Brier’s 2022 book sheds light on the role played by Bonaparte and his rivals, the British in one of the most important human-made …

More robust measures needed to minimise disaster impact in Lake Victoria Basin: Study

There must be adequate monitoring along with appropriate conservation actions in order to minimise impacts of climate change on the lake’s …

How a cyclone created a new nation

The discontent of the millions displaced was politicised, eventually leading to a civil war and the birth of a new republic named Bangladesh

Where are the world’s water stresses?

Around the world, significant issues are negatively impacting water security. While the situation appears dire, cooperation initiatives show some …

New DNA testing shatters ‘wild dog’ myth: Most dingoes are pure

While dingoes can pose a threat to some livestock, as apex predators, they play an essential role in maintaining healthy ecosystems

Climate change will cause disputes such as the Helmand to continue for years: Fatemeh Aman

Down To Earth speaks to Senior Fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute on the dispute between Kabul and Tehran over the Helmand …

Ageing, the real population bomb

The most formidable demographic challenge facing the world is no longer rapid population growth, but population ageing

New wrist-worn device can quickly tell if you’re having a heart attack — it could save many lives

Testing for a protein in the heart cells called troponin can help show changes in heart rhythm

We hope to see Amur leopards back across their historic range in two decades: Taisiia Marchenkova

Down To Earth speaks to Taisiia Marchenkova, a researcher in the Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia, on the Amur leopard, the ‘…

Cyclone Gabrielle: how microgrids could help keep the power on during extreme weather events

Microgrids are self-sufficient and can operate independently or in conjunction with the larger grid. They can run on different types of renewable …

Love Thy Planet: That is the key takeaway from the news that Earth’s inner core has stopped turning

This might be the planet’s way of telling us that it is our only home in the vast universe

Climate crisis in Africa exposes real cause of hunger – colonial food systems that leave people more vulnerable

The main objective for colonial powers was to transform local food systems. This pushed many African households away from subsistence farming and …

India’s poverty reduction slowing down since a decade

The world finally has an assessment of India’s poverty level in absence of an official one for the last 10 years. It increases global …

Model shift: Climate change forces Zimbabwe to finally take up irrigation

Irrigation has remained largely alien to Zimbabwe since rains were dependable; but that is no longer the case

Digital nomads have rejected the office and now want to replace the nation state. But there is a darker side to this quest for global freedom

For the moment at least, digital nomadism is a privilege which largely depends on your place of birth, long-term place of residence, and economic …

Sulphuric acid: The next resource crisis that could stifle green tech and threaten food security

Rapid growth in the green economy and intensive agriculture could see demand rise to over 400 million tonnes by 2040

The pesky problem of offshoring pollution

A turn to sustainable development could help stop rich countries offshoring their pollution to poorer countries

Record coral cover doesn’t necessarily mean the Great Barrier Reef is in good health

Without more information at the level of individual species, it is impossible to understand how much of the Great Barrier Reef has been lost, or …

Plastic Pollution: Birds on every continent except Antarctica live amid human rubbish

While the blanket term of ‘plastic’ is used to refer to such pollution, many different materials litter the environment, like disposable masks

Tonga volcano spews enough water to fill 58,000 pools into stratosphere, likely to add to global warming

Excess stratospheric H2O will persist for years, could affect stratospheric chemistry and dynamics and may lead to surface warming

Mystery solved: When mammals’ ancestors became warm-blooded

Endothermy developed in mammalian ancestors about 233 million years ago during the Late Triassic period

Monsoon Session: Here's a list of green bills likely to be tabled in Parliament

Indian Antarctic bill seeks to protect the Antarctic environment and regulate activities in the region, including governance of the stations

COVID vaccines and pregnancy: a review of the evidence shows they are safe

Pregnant women’s immune response to the vaccine is similar to the response of women who are not pregnant, research suggests

Gadgets not lasting as long as you would like them to? Welcome to planned obsolescence

Intentionally manufacturing products with short lifespan is dangerous amid rapid growth for the electronics industry