GyaanSamadhaan

Kerala  has been on high alert due to mysterious deaths of eight people because of an unidentified viral attack. Out of these, three were reported to be caused by  Nipah Virus  (NiV). As per the National Institute of Virology, Pune,  Nipah Virus  is the sole cause of these three deaths. Rajiv Sadanandan, Kerala’s health secretary, has assured that the government has started its preparation towards fewer deaths and that people should not panic. An unheard virus, NiV is yet to be understood by many. Here is what the virus is all about. What is NiV? As per the  World Health Organisation (WHO),  Nipah Virus  is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes a severe disease in both animals and humans. This virus was first identified in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998. At that time, it was primarily caused in pigs and through them got transferred to humans. Nipah Virus infected as many as 265 people then, out of which 40 per cent were taken under intensive ca...

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are  hotly debated  all around the world. Many people are very concerned about engineering crops and animals because of the long-term effect this might have on our planet and our bodies. It’s no wonder then that the opinions people have about GMOs are so polarizing. The majority of foods in the United States can be classed as genetically modified food because they contain at least one genetically modified ingredient. The genetic modification   most often   involves introducing a desirable trait to a plant, such as increased resistance to pests, by inserting genes from a foreign organism, such as a bacteria. Many crops grown in the U.S., like most of the soybean, corn, cotton, and canola, are grown   from genetically engineered seeds. According to  a 2016 survey  conducted by the Pew Research Center, “about half of Americans (48%) say the health effects of GM foods are no different than other foods, 39% say GM ...

India Climate Change Impacts India’s energy future could tip the scales of global climate change, but the extreme weather is already here. Grieving family members set fire to shrouded bodies on terrace rooftops in the holy city of Varanasi as a tide of polluted water from the Ganges rolled in around them. Flooded temples could only be reached by boat, and orange Hindu flags were dampened with the rising gray water that filled the city’s streets. The Varanasi floods in August killed at least 40 people, and tens of thousands more were displaced. Western media barely covered the crisis; flooding can feel commonplace during India’s monsoon season, and perhaps the number of dead didn’t turn many heads in a country of 1.2 billion. The larger story, however, almost certainly warrants attention, if not a degree of panic: India’s changing climate. To avert death and displacement in the years ahead, a rapidly developing country dependent on coal is trying to slash its carb...

At the heart of the controversy over the sale of herbicide-tolerant (HT) Bt cottonseeds is the use of the weedicide glyphosate. The use of glyphosate on the HT (herbicide tolerant) cotton crop kills the weeds, while allowing the resistant plants to grow. For the beleaguered Indian farmers, who are battling rising costs and shortage of labour, HT cotton is the latest attraction. The perception is that it would help them to cut costs on weeding, which account for a third of the cultivation costs. In fact, a ban on glyphosate will contain the use of these unapproved HT seeds, feel experts. The consumption of glyphosate has been rising in recent years, according to agriculture ministry data. Responding to a question in Parliament on the use of glyphosate for cotton, Minister of State for Agriculture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, recently said, “glyphosate is registered for use in the country on tea and non-crop area.” He also said: “The Anupam Verma Committee constituted by the Mi...

Cape Town is suffering through an extreme water crisis," the pilot explains on approach, imploring tourists and travelers to save water. Hotel televisions blare out messages to guests: "90 second showers only!" Washroom taps are shut in restaurants and bars, and "If it is yellow, let it mellow" signs are plastered across bathroom stalls. Giant borehole-drilling rigs and water tankers fight through the city's notorious traffic.For months, Cape Town, a city of four million people, has been facing the doomsday scenario of the taps running dry. With dam levels drastically low, life-altering emergency water restrictions have been implemented in a desperate bid to prevent the catastrophe. Residents have been living off a daily allowance of just 50 liters (a little over 13 gallons) a day. Anxious Capetonians have been stockpiling water and installing tanks. For many, the day now starts standing in line at a natural spring to collect water for the family. T...

किसी नदी का एक प्राकृतिक प्रवाह होता है, एवं वह उसका कई  वर्षों से अनुसरण कर रही होती है |नदी का अपना एक तंत्र होता है जो मात्र उसके प्राकृतिक प्रवाह के लिए अनुकूलित होता है| हम कैसे नदियों को आपस में जोड़कर वर्षा जल संग्रहण ,बाढ़ नियंत्रण जैसी समस्याओं पर नियंत्रण कर सकते हैं | यदि नदियों एवं नहरों को आपस में जोड़ा गया तो इससे पूरा नदी तंत्र हिल जायेगा और पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र खतरे में पढ़ जायेगा |इससे जलीय जीवन पर प्रतिकूल प्रभाव पढ़ेगा, उनके भोजन का विस्थापन हो जायेगा  एवं उन पर निर्भर रहने वाला मानव जीवन खतरे में पढ़ जायेगा |आज हमें इसके सकारात्मक पक्ष दिख रहे हैं परन्तु भविष्य में हमें पश्चाताप से ही संतुष्ठ होना पढ़ेगा | एक नदी तंत्र की विशेषताएं अन्य नदी तंत्र के सामान नहीं होती हैं जब इनको आपस में जोड़ेंगे तो इसका परिणाम भयावह होगा जिसकी कल्पना आज ही कर लें तो अच्छा रहेगा |  ग्लेशियर से उद्गमित होने वाली नदियों में वर्ष भर प्रवाह रहता है एवं प्रायद्वीपीय तथा पठारी नदियां वर्ष की एक लम्बी अवधी तक सुखी रहतीं हैं | अब यदि इन नदियों से नहरों को जोड़ दें तो क्या सूखा वाली अवधी ...