POPULAR SCIENCE

12 November 2023 marks ninety years of the first blurry photo of the Loch Ness monster, fondly known as Nessie. When did the Nessie myth originate, and why has it survived over the years?

On occasion of International Archaeology Day coming up this 21st October, I’d like to reflect upon another stereotype rooted in archaeology that has real repercussions in today’s charged global geopolitical landscape — migration.

In Rajasthan, Jhamarkotra hosts a 1.8-billion-year-old fossil park and Zawar is the world’s oldest zinc-smelting site — and these sites are in need of better protection. Read on to know how we can acknowledge and conserve these geoheritage sites.

The Ganges is among the top contributors of land-based plastic pollution into global oceans – the river serves as a conduit for terrestrial waste ending up in marine ecosystems. Here's an illustrated look at the river pollution along the sacred Ganges.

Plastics were once considered a revolutionary material that would replace natural, scarce products. The very advantages of plastic have made it difficult to recycle plastics today. Here's what works, what doesn't work in recycling.

Grassroots organisations that work at the intersection between the formal and informal sectors are important. Here are some lessons we can learn for a decentralised, cost-efficient blueprint for waste management in India.

Plastic pollution plays a significant role in global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. As India’s petrochemical industry expands, experts question how the 2070 net-zero target would be met?

Can a pipeline that runs through an urban landscape weave narratives of water usage through space and time? Read more about the urban and rural divide, the urban sprawl, the pre-colonial water management & the scarcity faced today.

This article covers how plastics are poised to be the most perceivable, persistent, and pervasive indicators of the Anthropocene, and how it affects ecosystems.

This article delves into the disproportionate effect of plastic pollution on migratory species, and how plastics travel up the trophic chains.

This summary looks at a pilot study done on the Nepal-China highway to understand how technology can help in the early detection of landslides.

This is a part travelogue, part-research based piece on the Sundarbans mangrove delta that straddles India and Bangladesh.

This archaeoseismology study documents past earthquakes through damage to 3 UNESCO world heritage sites.

When did Homo sapiens disperse from Africa across India, into Asia? Can stone tools spanning the Toba eruption ~74,000 years ago, hold clues to human migration & early settlements?

If corals provide clues to their physical and chemical environment, can they be used to study paleoclimate? Can Indian Ocean corals be proxies for past Indian monsoons?

How exactly can rivers meet ecological & human needs? This article talks about the eco-hydrological footprint of 4 rivers of Uttara Kannada, South India, and how an integrated river basin management programme can help mitigate water crises across India.

Ever wondered if rivers have memories? In geomorphology, rivers are considered to bear an imprint of the past, still discernible in the landscape. This article  talks about six types of river basin in India, and the clues they offer to the past, and present.

Based on a study published by a theoretical physicist and an experimental biologist - this article explores how cells divide, and the communication that occurs within cells to do so.

The lesser-studied, yet biogeographically significant portion of the Western Ghats hotspot—the northern Western Ghats have been throwing up a fair few surprises for researchers. This article focuses on the discoveries and efforts, and future research potential of the region.