Opinion Pieces

At first glance, deserts seem featureless and inert. The never-ending vastness of parched earth, sprinkled with shrivelled life forms, comes across as a mysterious terrain that induces dread. Look a little closer and you can see how dynamic and ever-changing their fringes are. As rainfall varies, it redraws the borders. When there is good rain, the edges come alive with vegetation in all shades of green; when precipitation is sparse, they turn brown and dry.

But as human-induced activities such

In the past few weeks, news of scientific malpractice at one of India’s premier research institutes, the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, has stirred up a storm in academic circles. Social media is awash with reports of malpractice, forgery, academic bullying, harassment and toxic work cultures in institutes and labs across the country. For many researchers, this incident has brought back memories of their own struggles, either as witnesses or victims of such practices.

A glimpse at the vanishing academic freedom in India

This week, conservationists and bird enthusiasts from all over the world are meeting in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar for the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP 13). The week-long conference hosts an array of meetings, discussions and activities focused on addressing the threats and challenges faced by migrating species of wild animals. During this event, a first-of-its-kind report, titled State of India’s Birds,