Page 587 - Environment
Scientists discover new 'Maghalayan age' in Earth's history
Geologists have classified the last 4,200 years as being a distinct Earth age and are calling it a new chapter -- the "Meghalayan Age" -- the onset of which was marked by a mega-drought that crushed a number of civilisations worldwide.
Roundworms avoid bad bacteria after smelling Nitric oxide
Turns out, nitric oxide gas produced by a type of harmful bacteria lets roundworms know to stay away from it.A new study revealed a set of proteins needed for the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to avoid the pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14) - a microorganism that produces and releases nitric oxide.In particular, the study shows that a protein called thioredoxin determines the time course of the worms' sensory response to the gas.C. elegans interacts with various microbes in its natural habitat, including PA14 which infects the worm. The researchers studied the interactions between both organisms to see if the gas released by the bacteria acting as a sensory cue for the worms to avoid it."Nitric oxide is found in the air, produced by lightning and heat and released by some animals. In many organisms, it regulates important physiological events such as dilating blood vessels or signalling between neurons. But until now, it wasn't known whether animals ...
Iceberg looming over Greenland village spotted from space
An iceberg that drifted perilously close to a remote Greenland village is so big it can be seen from space. The European Space Agency released an image yesterday showing the giant iceberg just off the coast of Innaarsuit. Dozens of village residents were evacuated to higher ground last week due to concerns the 11 million-ton iceberg might break apart and produce waves large enough to wash away low-lying buildings. The image captured July 9 by ESA's Sentinel-2 satellites shows several other large icebergs in the vicinity. Separately, Greenland's broadcaster KNR published video taken by a local resident showing a time lapse of the iceberg drifting past the village. KNR reported that strong winds and elevated tides moved the iceberg northward, away from the harbor, over the weekend.
Delhi Golf Club denies charges of illegal tree axing
The Delhi Golf Club on Tuesday denied charges levelled by the Delhi government, which has filed a police complaint against the Club alleging illegal axing of trees within its premises.
U'khand bans angling in forest areas
The Uttarakhand government today banned angling, a method of catching fish using an rod, line and baited hook, in its forest areas and buffer zones of tiger reserves. The order was issued by Head of Forest Force Jai Raj under different sections of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act , 1960. The order comes into immediate effect. A copy of the order available with PTI also cited a landmark order by Uttarakhand High Court earlier this month granting legal and human status to the entire animal kingdom of the state including aquatic wildlife. Even the Wildlife Advisory Board which had met last month was opposed to angling, the order said.
Netherlands to establish flower mandi in Gurgaon: Minister
The Netherlands will set up a flower market yard in Gurgaon under an MoU signd with the Haryana government, a state minister said. The flower market yard would be established at Sector 52A of the city, the minister said. The Netherlands Ambassador to India, Alphonsus Stoelinga, today called on Haryana Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar and held discussion towards growing further mutual assistance. The minister directed the officers to complete the construction process of proposed flower mandi latest byAugust 15. Dhankar said that Haryana is rapidly moving towards the peri-agriculture concept in National Capital Region. This flower mandi would be part of this project, he said, according to an official release. Vice-Chancellor, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, K P Singh apprised the minister that the university has worked on an integrated project of crop residue management under pilot project and it is expected to start by September 2018. Under this project, .
19 fishermen missing after boats capsize in Bay of Bengal
At least 19 fishermen have gone missing after their boats capsized in the Bay of Bengal near the coastline of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, a state Minister said on Tuesday.
Chhattisgarh: Elephant dies after consuming toxic substance
An elephant was found dead in the Daharamjaigarh forest division of Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district with the post mortem revealing that it had consumed a "toxic chemical substance", a forest official said today. The pachyderm was found dead yesterday evening near Saskoba village near Maand River, Divisional Forest Officer (Dharamjaigarh) Pranay Mishra said. "No injury mark was found on the body of the elephant. The post mortem, done today, revealed that the death was due to intake of a toxic chemical substance. We are probing the incident," Mishra said. He said that the movement of this elephant was earlier being reported regularly for the past few days from the borders of Dharamjaigarh division and neighbouring Jashpur district.
Trawlers capsize in Bay of Bengal, 19 fishermen missing
At least 19 fishermen have gone missing after their trawlers capsized in the Bay of Bengal, off Frazerganj in the Sundarban area of south Bengal, officials said today. Three trawlers capsized in the rough seas around 4 pm yesterday and 47 fishermen fell into the water, they said. Of them, 28 were rescued by other trawlers, while there has been no trace of the 19 others despite a day long search, the officials said. A hovercraft and an airplane of the Coast Guard have been pressed into service to look for the missing persons. A motor launch of the police and trawlers of a fishermen's association have also gone out into the sea for the rescue operation, Sunderban Superintendent of Police Tathagata Basu said. However, none of the 19 missing persons was found, though the rescuers spotted the wreckage of one of the capsized vessels, MV Malleshwar, near Kendo island, officials said. The rescue operation has been suspended after sundown and it would be resumed tomorrow, they said. Secretary .
Safeguard duty of 25pc on solar projects to raise tariff: ICRA
Ongoing solar power projects in the country are expected to come under some stress if the DGTR recommendation on imposition of safeguard duty of 25 per cent is approved by the Union Power Ministry, rating agency ICRA said. The capital cost for a solar power project will escalate by 15 per cent, and in turn, the tariff must be increased by about 30-35 paise per unit, to maintain a similar level of returns for the project developers, ICRA said in a note. The DGTR has recommended imposition of a 25 per cent safeguard duty on solar cells (assembled into modules or not) imported into India from China and Malaysia in the first year. This would be followed by a gradual reduction to 20 per cent in the first six months of the second year, and further to 15 per cent in the latter half of the second year. However, this is lower than the 70 per cent duty recommended by the Directorate General of Safeguards in January 2018, with a view to balance the interests of domestic ...
Mettur dam receives copious inflows from Karna reservoirs
With heavy discharge of water from two reservoirs in Karnataka, the water level in Mettur dam near Salem is likely to touch the 100 feet mark anytime now, official sources said. The dam's full level is 120 feet. It has been receiving over 1.08 lakh cusecs of water since last night, the sources said. The water level stood at about 91 feet last evening. With heavy inflow of water from Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini, the level will touch the 100 feet mark any time now, which will be after a gap of four years, they said. People living on the banks of Cauvery and low lying areas from Mettur and Edapadi have already been advised to move to safer places. The administration has also asked tourists to avoid taking selfies and also photographs on the banks of the river, which would be in spate anytime. The Tamil Nadu government has already announced that water would be released from the dam for irrigation in Delta districts on July 19.
Maha received 'excess' rainfall since June 1: Met
Maharashtra has received "excess" rainfall at 547.6 mm since June 1 this year which is 41 per cent more than the average rainfall at 387.2 mm, an IMD official said today. Maharashtra generally receives 387.2 mm rainfall but this year it has received 547.6 mm rainfall so far. It is 41% higher and categorised as 'excess' showers, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The south-west monsoon has brought showers to central parts of the state as well, with arid Marathwada region also receiving good spells in the last couple of days. Gadchiroli district in east Maharashtra, around 950 kms away from Mumbai, has been receiving heavy downpour since last evening, leading to water-logging of roads connecting the interior areas. Marooning of roads has led to temporary suspension of communication with villages in areas such as Bhamaragad, said an official from Gadchiroli district collectorate. The IMD data shows that only Nandurbar district has reported 'deficient' ...
Delhi Golf Club charged with illegal tree axing
The Delhi government has filed a police complaint against the Delhi Golf Club for illegally cutting trees inside the club.
Here's how psychological science can reduce climate change
There has been a good deal of consensus among scientific experts that climate change is real, and that it is caused by human behaviour for many years now.However, a recent study has claimed that psychological science may be effective in reducing the impact of climate change.The consequences of climate change are immense, and believed by many experts to be largely irreversible (and exponential), causing threats coming from heat waves, flooding, declines in agriculture, and decreasing biodiversity, to name a few.An interdisciplinary group of professors from the Netherlands, USA, and Germany innovatively answered if psychological science offers evidence-based solutions to climate change.Lead author Paul van Lange said, "For effectively reducing climate change, it is essential to promote a longer-time perspective and a broadened intergroup perspective - in addition to strengthening the belief that climate change is real."One way to convince people about the reality of climate change, they
Origins of pottery traced to Japan: Study
The origins of ceramic production can be traced to Japan and closely linked with intensified fishing at the end of the last Ice Age, finds a study, shedding light on how prehistoric hunter-gatherers processed and consumed foods over this period.
Himachal seeks central funds for natural water management project
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday called on Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan here and sought speedy approval of Rs 1,125 crore for the state's Natural Water Resources Management Project.
Russia, Ukraine start EU-backed talks to avoid new 'gas wars'
Moscow and Kiev envoys met today in Berlin for EU-backed talks on future Russian gas shipments through Ukraine, which fears being left out in the cold by a major new pipeline. Ukraine is anxious that the planned Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany that will bypass it geographically will also leave it politically isolated and deprive it of crucial transit fees. US President Donald Trump has weighed in on the dispute, charging the pipeline would increasingly make Germany a "captive of Russia" while vowing the United States will compete in Europe with tankerloads of liquified natural gas (LNG). Russia's state-controlled gas giant Gazprom has already dramatically cut the volume of gas transiting via Ukraine, where an armed conflict has simmered against pro-Moscow rebels since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Gazprom and its partners plan to complete by late next year Nord Stream 2 -- effectively doubling Russian shipments now flowing through the existing Nord ...
Smelting constraints make zinc's price plunge look overdone
LONDON (Reuters) - Expectations for a rise in zinc concentrate supplies in coming years have driven down the metal price to one-year lows, but smelting capacity constraints suggest the sell-off is premature.
Assam has submitted Rs 6000 cr proposal for devp of
Union minister Radha Mohan Singh today said the Assam government has submitted a Rs 6,000 crore proposal for overall development of various agri-related sectors in the state. "The Assam government has come up with an integrated cooperative development project for the whole state. The project cost is about Rs 6,000 crore," Singh, the union minister for agriculture, said at a press conference here. The project will cover all potential sectors like agriculture, organic farming, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, cold storage, food processing and computerisation of the cooperatives, he said. "The central government is taking all out effort to strengthen the cooperatives in Assam through National Coopeartive Development Corporation. If we do that new avenues for employment will be generated," Singh said. The minister said that the government is to double farmers' income by 2022 and the recent decision to hike the MSP of kharif crops by 1.5 times is a step in that ...
Empower HP to accord forest clearance up to 10 hectares: CM to Union minister
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today requested Union Minister for Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan for enhancing the power of state government to accord forest clearance from the existing one hectare to 10 hectares for non-forestry developmental works. According to a release issued here, Thakur, during a meeting with the Union minister in New Delhi, urged him for speedy approval of Rs 1,125 crore for the state for Natural Water Resources Management Project. The chief minister said if the state government was empowered to give forest clearance up to 10 hectares, it would speed up the pace of development works in the state. Thakur also requested Harsh Vardhan to accord approval for three projects under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change. The union minister agreed to consider the demand of the state government to allow compensatory afforestation on degraded forests for hydro-power projects, the release stated.
