New species remain hidden in the myristica swamps of the Western Ghats
It was a bright afternoon after two days of heavy rain in Kerala and Professor P. Manimohan’s two Ph.D. students K. P. Deepna Latha and K. N. Anil Raj were…
Articles by Neha Jain
Neha is a freelance science writer based in Hong Kong who has a passion for sharing science and sustainability stories with everyone. She writes about biology, conservation, and the environment. Before turning to writing, she worked in a cancer research lab and facilitated science learning among elementary school children through fun, hands-on experiments. Her science blog Life Science Exploration covers intriguing posts on unusual creatures and our shared habitat.
Tigers highly stressed during the tourist season in central Indian reserves
Ever wondered how tigers feel in response to hordes of vehicles ferrying tourists eager for the thrill of a perfect close-up encounter? Now, a study examining stress hormones in tiger…
Tree frog rapidly changes colour in Arunachal Pradesh
Reptiles such as chameleons are famed for changing their colour and amphibians such as frogs often escape the radar. Not this time though. Researchers at a tiger reserve in the…
Insect-eating bird population drops in heavily extracted Himalayan oak forests
Long-term rural extraction of biomass in oak-dominated Himalayan forests disturbs the forest structure. This, in turn, affects diversity and composition of insect-eating birds and oak forest specialists, which were the…
Machine learning flags four bat species in India capable of hosting the deadly Nipah virus
Researchers have harnessed machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to identify four species of bats in India that could be the additional hosts of the deadly Nipah virus, in…
Snowmelt is a major driver of runoff in the Chhota Shigri catchment
Snowmelt is the largest contributor to average annual runoff for the Chhota Shigri glacier catchment in the western Himalayas, finds a team of researchers from India and France in a…
Microplastics and colourants found in mussels from India’s southeast coast
Microscopic plastic particles and colourants have been detected inside the commercially important Asian green mussel Perna viridis from a fishing harbour in Chennai for the first time in a preliminary…
Poor air quality over northern India from dust storms in May 2018
Dust storms of May 2018, in northern India, have contributed to the deteriorating air quality in the region and the capital city of Delhi, with implications for human health, a…
Gharials and mugger crocodiles coexist by separating resources
When one species encounters another, also occupying the same habitat, splitting up the resources available can help avoid competition. This is the strategy adopted by gharials and mugger crocodiles in…
The mysterious karstland forests of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Among the jagged rocks, sinkholes and caves carved out of limestone, Baratang in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands also houses a species-rich, diverse forest that is quite different from the…
Terrain roughness and human disturbance affects tiger dispersal in the Western Ghats and Central India
Roughness of the terrain is an essential factor driving tiger gene flow in the northern Western Ghats as well as in Central India, finds a new study. Additionally, in both…
Community-based ecotourism in Ladakh promotes positive perceptions of snow leopards
Catching a glimpse of the famed, elusive snow leopard while trekking the rugged and remote mountains of Ladakh may be a dream come true for wildlife seekers. However, these predators…
Near-threatened waterbirds roost in disturbed urban sites in south Rajasthan
Waterbirds in southern Rajasthan, such as the black-headed ibis prefer not only to roost in rural and relatively undisturbed areas but also in highly disturbed urban sites that are close…
Reducing India’s agricultural carbon footprint with the least costs
India has the potential to cut 18 percent of its annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arising from agriculture and livestock, reports a team of researchers from the International Maize and…
Unrealistic expectations lead to decline of dolphin tourism in Chilika
The dolphin-watching industry at Odisha’s Chilika lagoon is showing signs of decline. Visiting tourists have high expectations and derive low satisfaction from their dolphin-watching experience, finds a recent study by a team…
Landless farmers in the Indian Himalayas suffer from weakening social bonds
Climate change adaptation policies for farmers in the Himalayas should cater to the differences in their household resources and farming practices, states a study that has conducted a new survey…
Changing monsoonal rainfall patterns over the Western Ghats
Every summer, Indian farmers eagerly await the arrival of the southwest monsoon, which comprises up to 90 percent of the country’s annual rainfall. The Western Ghats (WG), a 1600-km mountain…
Restoring tank irrigation can strengthen rural climate resilience
As Indian farmers grapple with weakening and erratic monsoons over the recent years, combined with the menace of groundwater depletion, conserving and sustainably managing water resources has become all the…
Mapping forest loss in the northern Eastern Ghats
The forests of the northern Eastern Ghats have been experiencing rapid degradation over the past two and a half decades, with degradation levels higher around the villages inside Papikonda National…
Air pollution soars during Diwali in rural Haryana
Residents in metropolitan cities such as Delhi have been concerned about the health hazards associated with a rise in air pollution due to the bursting of firecrackers during Diwali (known…
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
Environment And Health
- Brahmapuram fumes over waste
- Transgender activists highlight the impacts of climate change and environmental issues on the community
- Stubble burning is back, smothering north India with concerns for the upcoming winter
- Humans are contaminating Earth’s waterways with medicines, pharmaceutical ingredients
Almost Famous Species
- Ibisbill, the poorly understood Himalayan waterbird faces threats, finds study
- India garners international support to save two endangered freshwater turtles
- What protecting the slender loris could mean for forest communities in Tamil Nadu
- [Video] Hangul, the shy Kashmiri deer, is facing the threat of extinction as its habitat shrinks
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Ain’t no mountain high enough: alien invasive plants increasing in higher elevations
- Unplanned, faulty buildings tremble under weather events in the fragile Himalayan regions
- Nourishing soils of Kashmir’s karewas crumble under infrastructure
- Shielding hijol, a floodplain tree, from climate impacts
Beyond Protected Areas
- Women take the wheel for safer tourism in Satpura Tiger Reserve
- Habitat preservation in the Western Ghats can help enhance biodiversity in the hotspot
- Climate change and catfight in the Himalayas: tigers, leopards venture into snow leopard land
- Mapping connectivity and human-elephant conflict in Karnataka
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Thirunelly’s seed festival celebrates traditional climate-resilient seeds and farm produce
- [Explainer] Why is 2023 the International Year of Millets? What do we achieve by celebrating such years?
- Nations adopt Global Biodiversity Framework amid concerns over watered-down targets
- [Commentary] A renewed CGIAR can better support South Asia to determine its food future
Just Transitions
- Incentives to boost demand, increase in e-buses in Tamil Nadu’s latest EV policy
- Electricity transition in India’s renewable-rich states needs to accelerate, says study
- [Interview] Ajay Kumar Rastogi on leading India’s first just transition task force
- Helping wildlife navigate road and railway infrastructure
