Scientific stutter

Do animals have a language, and hence a mind, of their own?

Octopuses are super-smart ... but are they conscious?

The idea of non-human consciousness raises a host of philosophical questions

This week in environment and science

Environment and science related updates from across the world

Green Climate Fund approves eight projects at Zambia meet

Approved projects worth US$ 168 million

‘Food was grown to keep community healthy’

The local system of agriculture produces more healthy and useful food, says Miller

Yaounde Declaration: Health ministers of 11 African countries commit to end malaria deaths

But experts insist that such expressed political will must be accompanied by action on the ground  

AI can see you

A sophisticated and frightening face-recognition algorithm being employed by technology firms could be the end of privacy as we know it

As the world heats up, solar panels will degrade faster – especially in hot, humid areas. What can we do?

We’ll need to incorporate new ways of cooling panels and improve the materials used. We also need to improve manufacturing processes and …

Book Excerpt: Have you ever tried a sustainable safari in Africa?

In safari tourism, the balance between humans, development, and wildlife is a difficult one to strike; but there are safari companies trying to …

A new virus-like entity has just been discovered – ‘obelisks’ explained

Obelisks have a circular single-stranded RNA genome and no protein coat but, like viruses, their genomes contain genes that are predicted to code …

Simply Put: Alone

IPCC Special Report: Climate risks require India to rethink its approach

The report warns of increased risk of coastal flooding, heatwaves, food scarcity and vector-borne diseases

COVER STORY: Why are governments across Africa on a legislation spree to regulate seeds market

Countries and economic blocs across Africa are on a legislating spree to regulate the continent’s seed markets, ostensibly to overcome …

Megadrought along border strains US - Mexico water relations

A landmark 1944 US-Mexico treaty that governs water relations between the two countries, is buckling under the enormous strain of climate change

World seeing signs of climate breakdown: Antonio Guterres

UN Pact for Future must prioritise communities bearing brunt of climate emergency, says UN secretary-general 

Robots develop new semiconductor materials in tests that are 10 times faster & greener

With the technology, scientists have been able to develop alloys with perovskites materials that can improve solar cells

Loss and damage: Displacements

Globally, disasters, mostly cyclones and floods, triggered most internal displacements, or movements, in 2021.

Opinion: Earthquakes are a boon for Earth

Earthquakes are natural but huge losses of life and property during the incidence of an earthquake are anthropogenic

Road to COP15: DTE’s coverage in the run-up to Montreal

The 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity will be held from December 7-19, 2022

James Webb Telescope captures clearest view of Neptune’s rings after 3 decades

Webb images vividly display Neptune’s fainter dust bands in addition to many brilliant, narrow rings

We’ve been tracking birds in a small Nigerian forest for 18 years: What we found & why it matters

Population changes locally for both migrant and resident bird species were similar, being reasonably stable or increasing

Basic water services in South Africa are in decay after years of progress

In South Africa, the right to water is enshrined in the constitution

Single-use plastic ban: Environment lessons India can learn from East Africa

Import, manufacturing or sale of single-use plastic bags in Kenya could earn a fine of $40,000 for companies and $500 for individuals

COVID-19: The poor must wait years for the jab

Intellectual property rights can act as a barrier against wide access to vaccines, treatments for the novel coronavirus disease  

All that happened at UNCCD COP14

The 14th Conference of Parties in New Delhi saw delegates discuss desertification in detail. Here are the discussions they did and decisions they made