The monotonous expanse of the Great Rann of Kachchh in the Thar Desert is filled with seasonal salt marshes interspersed with vast mudflats that are dry during summer and are swamped during the summer monsoon and winter. Within this harsh, landlocked, shallow, marine basin lies buried a treasure trove of information about the Bronze Age Harappan civilization and the enigma of the Saraswati – a long lost river. Read more.
A large proportion of the population in low- and middle-income countries lives in an environment characterized by poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, which contribute to growth retardation in children. This is due to adverse modification of intestinal processes, which leads to improper absorption of the nutrients necessary for growth and other functions. This disturbance, originally referred to as environmental enteropathy, is now widely called environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) to reflect its multifaceted manifestations and effects. Read more.
Scientists have recently announced a major achievement in ecosystem science. Their research illustrates a powerful new technique to simultaneously measure the growth rates of hundreds of individual bacterial taxa in any given soil sample. Read more.
A group of researchers from Anna University, Chennai and University of Madras, Chennai have studied the influence of seawater intrusion on groundwater in the coastal aquifers of Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu.
Seawater intrusion or the movement of seawater into the freshwater aquifer zone increases groundwater salinity, posing a huge environmental impact in coastal regions globally. Sea level rise and decrease in groundwater levels due to overexploitation can result in seawater intrusion; affecting major ions and nutrients in groundwater. Read more.
The 3-day bed rest study is being carried out in Nottingham in parallel to a 60-day bed rest study by the European Space Agency at the MEDES facility in Toulouse, France. Bed rest is a tried and tested way to measure the effects of weightlessness on the human body which include bone and muscle mass loss, cardiovascular decline and impaired carbohydrate metabolism which could be a risk for type 2 diabetes.
Many astronauts come back to Earth from space showing signs of pre-diabetes because weightlessness can lead to insulin resistance whereby the muscles and liver can't absorb glucose to help regulate blood sugar levels. The Nottingham study is specifically aiming to find out how quickly we develop insulin resistance from prolonged bed rest, and what are the mechanisms driving this harmful effect. Read more.