Page 199 - Environment

IAF airlift materials for construction of bridge in Arunachal

Indian Air Force helicopters have airlifted more than 80 tonne materials for construction of a vital bridge over Kumney river in Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China, Defence sources said Tuesday. IAF MI-17 helicopters airlifted the materials on Monday, Shillong-based IAF PRO Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said Tuesday. The bridge which is being executed by the Border Roads Organisation, would connect the settlements of Huri outpost with Damin circle of the district bordering China. Owing to its strategic importance, the bridge would play a crucial role in easing out inconvenience caused to local people and troops deployed in this remote part of the state. The IAF is assisting the BRO in carrying the load to expedite the process. With the aim to connect inaccessible areas of Arunachal Pradesh, the Border Roads Organisation is undertaking massive construction of roads and bridges in such areas of the state.

2,000 unknown bacteria species found in human gut

Researchers have identified almost 2,000 unknown bacterial species in the human gut, an advance that could help understand human health better and even guide diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The bacterial species discovered by researchers at European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK are yet to be cultured in the lab. The team used a range of computational methods to analyse samples from individuals worldwide. The results, published in the journal Nature, demonstrate that although researchers are possibly getting closer to creating a comprehensive list of microbes common in the microbiomes of North American and European people, there is a significant lack of data from other regions of the world. The human gut is home to many species of microbes, collectively referred to as the gut microbiota. Despite extensive studies in the field, researchers are still working on identifying the individual microbial species that live in the .

NASA turns Mars sniffer into data-relay satellite for rovers

NASA's atmosphere-sniffing Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission has embarked on a new campaign to tighten its orbit around the red planet to become a data-relay satellite for the US space agency's Mars 2020 rover.

Tiger spotted in Guj after 3 decades, govt confirms presence

The Gujarat government has confirmed the presence of a tiger in the state, days after a man claimed he saw the big cat crossing a road in Mahisagar district. State forest minister Ganpatsinh Vasava said on Tuesday that the carnivore was caught on cameras set up by the forest department in that area. "It has now been confirmed. A tiger in the age-group of 7 to 8 years has been seen in Mahisagar district," Vasava told reporters in Gandhinagar. The striped animal was last seen in Gujarat in 1989. Subsequent surveys carried out every four years by the central government showed no presence of tiger in the state, he said. A local government school teacher had last week claimed that he saw a tiger crossing a road near Boriya village in Mahisagar, around 120 km from here, on February 6. The teacher clicked the animal's picture on his mobile phone and shared it with friends on social media platforms. The photo soon went viral and based on the teacher's claim, the forest department

Special branch: Poignant plea after Japanese bonsai burglary

A Japanese cultivator of bonsai trees appealed on Tuesday for the thieves who made off with his expensive potted plants to take good care of them. Seiji Iimura, a fifth-generation bonsai cultivator who runs a garden in Kawaguchi, north of Tokyo, told AFP the seven tiny trees stolen from his garden were his "family treasure". "It's something I would never sell even if I got 10 million yen (USD 90,000)," he said. "Of course I hate the thief who stole them, but I want to tell him or her: please pour water on them and please take care of them," Iimura said. "I would feel sad if they die." Iimura reported to police last month that seven bonsai trees, worth more than seven million yen in total -- including a 400-year-old gnarled juniper -- had been stolen from his garden. His wife Fuyumi wrote in a recent Facebook entry that the couple had raised the bonsai trees "like our children". "I am filled with sadness and heartache," she wrote. Iimura keeps some 3,000 miniature trees on display at ..

Possible second impact crater under Greenland ice found: NASA

A NASA scientist has discovered a possible second impact crater, with a width of over 36 kilometres (km), buried under ice in northwest Greenland, the US space agency said Tuesday. This follows the discovery of a over 30-km-wide crater beneath Hiawatha Glacier -- the first meteorite impact crater ever discovered under Earth's ice sheets -- announced in November last year. Though the newly found impact sites in northwest Greenland are only 183 km apart, at present they do not appear to have formed at the same time, NASA said in a statement. If the second crater is ultimately confirmed as the result of a meteorite impact, it will be the 22nd largest impact crater found on Earth, according to the findings published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. "We have surveyed the Earth in many different ways, from land, air and space -- it is exciting that discoveries like these are still possible," said Joe MacGregor, a glaciologist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in the US, ...

Adopt Kerala method to boost rubber production: Tripura CM

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday asked all stakeholders to adopt the Kerala method to boost rubber production in Tripura.

Food security most important global issue: Report

Food security is the most important issue as no city or country in the world is completely food secure in view of climate change, population growth, increased urbanisation, changing dietary patterns and decreased arable land, according to a report released here. According to the Oliver Wyman report titled 'Sustainable and Resilient Foods for Future Generation' launched at the World Government summit here all these factors play a significant role in disrupting the food supply chain and availability. The report offers governments around the world the framework to assess the state of their food security and the tools to strengthen it both from regulatory and technological standpoints. The report emphasised that there is no "one size fits all" solution, but highlighted lessons learnt and identified best practices that can be implemented to avert a food crisis. Although efforts have been made, nothing can be done without increased investment in the agriculture sector and enabling ...

Leopard sighted on campus of research institute in Hyderabad

: A leopard has reportedly been sighted on the campus of a crop research institute near here and an effort made to trap and relocate the big cat, forest officials said Tuesday. The security personnel at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) spotted the leopard last week while on patrol, the officials said. On Sunday, the personnel again saw the animal and took photos and video-graphed it before informing the forest department, they said. "We have installed 11 cameras at key locations and set up two traps," a forest official A Shankaran told PTI. In a similar incident reported during August last, a leopard had strayed into the complex of the institute, had been trapped and relocated.

NASA spacecraft shrinking orbit to prepare for Mars 2020 Rover

NASA's atmosphere-sniffing MAVEN Mars mission is tightening its orbit around the Red Planet to prepare for the US space agency's rover which is scheduled to launch next year. The operation will reduce the highest point of the MAVEN spacecraft's elliptical orbit from 6,200 to 4,500 kilometres above the surface and prepare it to take on additional responsibility as a data-relay satellite for the Mars 2020 rover. "The MAVEN spacecraft has done a phenomenal job teaching us how Mars lost its atmosphere and providing other important scientific insights on the evolution of the Martian climate," said Jim Watzin, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Programme. "Now we're recruiting it to help NASA communicate with our forthcoming Mars rover and its successors," said Watzin. While MAVEN's new orbit will not be drastically shorter than its present orbit, even this small change will significantly improve its communications capabilities. "It is like using your cell phone. The closer you are to a ...

Japanese couple robbed of 400-year-old bonsai tree

A rare 400-year-old bonsai tree and seven other tiny trees worth 13 million yen ($118,000) have been stolen from a garden space in Saitama prefecture near Tokyo.

Almost 2,000 bacteria discovered in human gut

Researchers have now identified almost 2,000 bacterial species living the human gut. The team from EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Sanger Institute used a range of computational methods to analyse samples from individuals worldwide.The results, published in the journal Nature, highlight that although researchers are possibly getting closer to creating a comprehensive list of the commonly found microbes in the North American and European gut, there is a significant lack of data from other regions of the world.The human gut is home to many species of microbes, collectively referred to as the gut microbiota. Despite extensive studies in the field, researchers are still working on identifying the individual microbial species that live in our guts and understanding what roles they play in human health.There are many reasons why some microbial species that are part of the gut microbiota have remained unknown for so long, such as a low abundance in the gut or an ...

Jim Sarbh to debut on TV

Actor Jim Sarbh is set to foray into the television space with a four-part series "Planet Healers", which features start-ups who are seeking innovative solutions to environmental hazards.

Focus: How a Philippines regulator stymied DowDuPont's global seed launch

WINNIPEG, Manitoba/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Philippines regulator poses an unexpected obstacle to DowDuPont's launch of a new line of genetically engineered soybeans in the United States as the company challenges Bayer AG's decades-long dominance of the U.S. seed market.

Growatt Donates Inverter to Indore Cancer Foundation's Rooftop Solar Plant Project

/ -- Growatt, a Shenzhen, China-based manufacturer of PV inverters, announced that it donated one unit of its inverter, Growatt 20KTL3-S, to the Indore Cancer Foundation Charitable Trust (ICF), a not-for-profit charitable organization in central India, for its rooftop solar power plant project. The ICF was established in 1988, with its focus on head & neck cancers, the most common cancers among Indian male adults, promoting medical education to the public and conducting clinical researches. To reduce carbon footprint and power the facility with clean solar energy, the ICF initiated the installation of a 20kW solar power plant on the rooftop. After learning about the initiative, Growatt donated a 20kW inverter and worked with other parties to finish the project. Growatt has been committed to corporate social responsibility ever since its foundation. It applies responsible practices in the workplace and has been awarded the SA8000 certification. Growatt supports social and ...

World is getting greener, India and China leading efforts: NASA study

China alone accounts for 25 per cent of the global net increase in leaf area with only 6.6 per cent of global vegetated area

Russian, Chinese lasers threaten US satellites: Pentagon

A new Pentagon report has warned that China and Russia were both developing space capabilities to threaten the US, including lasers that could target and destroy American satellites.

Wildlife group: Malaysia seizes record 30-ton pangolin haul

A wildlife monitoring group says Malaysian authorities have seized a record 30 tons of pangolin and pangolin products in eastern Sabah state, the biggest such bust in the country. The monitoring network Traffic says Sabah police this month uncovered two major pangolin processing facilities, throwing a spotlight on Sabah's role in the sourcing and trafficking of the endangered scaly mammal. Sabah police said over the weekend they had seized three refrigerated containers containing 1,800 boxes filled with frozen pangolins, another 572 frozen pangolins in separate freezers, 61 live pangolins and 361 kilograms of pangolin scales. A 35-year-old Malaysian has been detained. Traffic said in a statement received Tuesday that in total, Sabah has been implicated in over 40 tons of pangolin smuggling since August 2017.

China, Russia pose challenge to US space capabilities: Pentagon

China and Russia have developed robust and capable space services and the two countries pose a challenge and threat to the space capabilities of the US, the Pentagon has said. Chinese and Russian military doctrines indicate they view space as important to modern warfare and counterspace capabilities as a means to reduce US and allied military effectiveness, the Pentagon said in a report released by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The report "Challenges to Security in Space" examines the space and counterspace programmes that could challenge the US or partner interests in the space domain. Noting that both countries have developed robust and capable space services, including space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the report said China and Russia were making improvements to existing systems including space launch vehicles and satellite navigation constellations. "These capabilities provide their militaries with the ability to command and control their forces ...

Shell, Mitsubishi and Brazil's Pátria in $700 million power JV in Rio

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Brazil's private equity group Pátria Investimentos and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, on Monday said they would invest $700 million to build and operate a gas-fired power plant in the state of Rio de Janeiro.