Indian cobra genome sequence can pave the way for new antivenoms
Researchers have for the first time mapped the Indian cobra’s genome and identified 19 important toxin genes that together form the recipe for the lethal venom brewed in its venom…
Leopards fall into deep open wells in Karnataka
The tiny village of Doddamargonahalli in south Karnataka's Tumkur district, less than a three-hour drive from the state capital of Bengaluru, is a predominantly agricultural landscape. On August 31, 2014,…
Building community networks to save a rare turtle from extinction
In May 2019, hundreds of fish turned up dead in a river in Kasaragod, northern Kerala, reportedly due to low oxygen levels. Among the mass fish graveyard, sightings of an…
Climate change threatens traditional way of life of Brokpa herders in Arunachal Pradesh
From a bird’s eye view, this animal’s extensive presence in the snow-clad alpine and the subalpine Himalayas makes the landscape look like a crumpled white sheet punctuated with shaggy black…
[Analysis] The world’s primates face extinction, fuelled by global consumer demands
A ceaselessly growing human population and an ever-expanding world economy based on the unsustainable demands of a few over-consuming nations, have already caused habitat degradation, forest fragmentation, and forest loss…
A dose of eco-optimism: Stories of hope and inspiration in 2019
Don't lose hope. This is probably not the cliché you want to hear after what the past year has been like. Extreme weather events, wildfires, water crises, rampant deforestation, record…
How the yak rearing system in north Sikkim is coping with climate change
The pastoral yak rearing system in Sikkim in the eastern Himalayas is changing to cope with climatic changes that have led to snowfall getting thinner in the last 15 years,…
Quest for the perfect brush stroke puts the mongoose at risk
On the evening of October 24, law enforcement officials kicked down doors of multiple factories and warehouses across six Indian states. The raids were the result of ‘Operation Clean Art’,…
How the chocolate you’re eating could be harming orangutans in Indonesia
A bite of chocolate may be your guilty pleasure but have you looked at the ingredients on your chocolate bar? Often hidden in the small print is palm oil, an…
Mysore city has a bird atlas to its credit
Mysore city (or Mysuru) in Karnataka sure knows its birds. A lesser-known secret of the city that wears a royal cape is its thriving birding scene. On any given day,…
