Tracking the migratory routes of songbirds is now easy songbird populations have been declining over the last half century. Understanding their annual migration would aid conservation measures. A study has used coin-sized geolocators to track the migration of two species of songbirds. This has thrown up new information: songbirds travel much faster than previously known. Initially
Junk iron from scrap yards to clean polluted water IN 1983 the entire Mianus river bridge in Connecticut, US, collapsed when the bearings rusted internally. Rusting thus proved to be a bane. But a bane can be turned into a boon. A group of researchers from China used scrap iron to treat industrial wastewater. Pollutants of industrial wastewater include toxic materials like
Hub of illicit drug trade: Criminal networks in Africa are setting up fake pharmaceutical companies as a front to trade in substances used to make street methamphetamines, a psychostimulant, the International Narcotics Control Board
Left and right unite to stall twin bills in Parliament THE land acquisition bill and the resettlement and rehabilitation bill, criticized for harming land rights of people living in rural areas, were turned down in the Rajya Sabha on February 26. This was a day after the twin bills were rushed through the Lok Sabha. The bills, that complement each other were the government
Some of the oldest words in the English language were probably used by our ancestors in the stone age. Mark Pagel of the Reading University in the UK believes that words such as
Variations in climate history pinpoint biodiversity hotpots ecologists are yet to discover all the biodiversity-rich areas on this earth. One way is to map out each region after physical observation. But mapping inaccessible mountainous terrains like the Himalayas is a challenge. A scientific team claimed studying the climatic history of a region can help locate species-rich areas.
Stage set for credit sale THE UN appointed last month German consultancy firm tuv sud to verify the authenticity of clean energy projects in developed countries. The firm will certify if the project did indeed reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Once a project is certified by an accredited agency, every tonne of greenhouse gas not emitted becomes an emission reduction unit (eru).
Drastic emission cuts for developed nations ON MARCH 2, the Council of the European Union released the EU position on climate negotiations. This followed the January-end proposals of the European Commission to negotiate a post-2012 global climate deal. The negotiations will take place in December in Copenhagen. Overall the EU position closely aligns itself with the Commission
