evolution Wolves from dogs Human beings can enrich biodiversity without doing much. Take raising dogs as pets, for example. A study says dogs have helped in the evolution of black colour in wolves. This bodes well for wolves inhabiting fast depleting snow-covered northern environments like the Arctic tundra. While hunting, the dark colour helps them merge with surroundings. Using
Rising temperatures push North American birds to the far north BIRDS usually fly south to warmer regions in winter. But birds in North America were found moving north to colder climes in early winter. Audubon Society, a leading US-based advocacy group for conserving wildlife and ecology, reported this unusual change in migratory patterns in February 2009 after a study over four decades.
Privatizing power: The Sri Lankan parliament passed the controversial new electricity bill, with amendments, on March 3. The Act will curb the monopoly of the Ceylon Electricity Board (ceb) over generation, transmission and supply of electricity in the country. It was passed by 109 to 40 votes. ceb was incurring huge losses and not able to provide reasonable service. Though some ceb unions
It could have come from plants, thinks Karnataka Four wild elephants, found dead in Nanjangud, 25 km from Mysore, in November 2008, died of cyanide poisoning. Chemical analysis ordered by the Karnataka forest department has confirmed this. The deaths made the high court take notice for the first time of the increasing number of unnatural deaths among elephants in the state. In December it
mauritius Outsourcing agriculture Soaring food prices and lack of land have forced Mauritius, a food-importing country, to launch an ambitious initiative. The island nation is growing its food in other African countries where land remains fallow and labour cheap.
Aurangabad municipal corporation sets an example aurangabad municipal corporation is the first municipal body in Maharashtra to adopt e-tendering for clearing and commissioning projects. All projects costing more than Rs 25,000 are cleared through e-tendering. The project, launched in May 2007, has saved the corporation close to Rs 2.50 crore.
Company begins operations, without clearances, in an elephant corridor A PUBLIC mineral exploration company is setting up office to explore silica in the Swang reserve forest in Assam. Over 800 elephants use the area as a corridor. The company had done a preliminary survey on the forestland three years back and found the area suitable to mine. The company has started making a road, set up a
Global treaty to control neurotoxin OVER 120 nations have agreed to have legally binding measures to control the pollution by mercury, a neurotoxin. Formal negotiations for the treaty will begin in 2010. The agreement, reached at the 25th session of the Governing Council of the UN Environment Programme (unep) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, is a change from previous years, when major
