The complexities associated with interactions of various components of environment have not been examined in historical narratives of pre-colonial India.

Soybean is a native of China. The cultivated soybean (Glycine max) originated from its wild ancestor Glycine ussuriensis, which is presently known as Glycine soja. The crop is known for its high food value from centuries. Soybean was migrated from China to neighboring countries with the development of sea and land trades during 7th century.

The cultivation and use of brinjal (eggplant/aubergine) is of great antiquity. It is from India, as philological studies indicate, that brinjal moved to West Asia and Europe. The different regions of India offer a diversity of accounts, documented as part of history, of the availability of brinjal and ancient food preparations of brinjal during medieval times.

Modern facades on Victorian buildings in Chicago and other industrial cities of the American Midwest often hide a secret. Scattered through old drugstores and boarded-up banks from Madison to Fort Wayne, curiously shaped glass tiles known as Luxfer prisms lie just a few centimetres behind the paint and plaster. Luxfers were one of the 19th century's greatest innovations in lighting, and an idea that is beginning to make a comeback in our own energy-conscious times.