The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2019 were announced on June 6th 2018, which ranked 1000 of the world’s best universities from 85 countries. 24 Indian universities made it into the list, among which Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay , Mumbai emerged as the leader  ranking 162 in the world, with an overall score of 48.2/ 100.

On World Environment Day, June 5th the Hon'ble Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, pledged to do away with single-use plastics in his life. He also urged the citizens to take up green initiatives, while avoiding the use of plastics.

Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai and Cornell University have been reviewing the models and simulations used to study interactions between humans and natural systems. Their study reveals the reason why early prediction of an approaching tipping point of an ecosystem still remains challenging.

The clamour about the warming planet and the changing climate is growing louder by the day as we worry about the implications of greenhouse gases on the earth. But, did you know that our planet has seen many such ‘greenhouse periods’ in the past where the concentrations of greenhouse gases were significantly higher, resulting in higher temperatures? Yes, you read that right, and one such period was about 56 to 34 million years ago, called the Eocene epoch.

Researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh have developed a novel method to synthesize 2 dimensional nanosheets decorated with DNA molecule. The design strategy allows for an ultra dense array of DNA molecules to be grown on 2 D crystalline nanosheets.

Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai are studying the strange phenomenon known as urban heat islands, which leads to a sharp temperature difference between urban and metropolitan areas and the surrounding rural areas, due to human activities. The study also proposes measures to reduce the dire effects of the phenomenon.

Researchers from Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh-Ladakh and Defence Institute of Physiology and Applied Sciences (DIPAS), New Delhi, under Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), are studying the benefits of Hippophae rhamnoides, generally known as common sea buckthorn, in improving the health of chicken reared in high altitude cold deserts.

Researchers at Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, are exploring the properties of single walled carbon nanotube (CNT) immersed in aqueous triblock copolymer solution. The newly formed CNT-polymer hybrid could replace the use of carbon nanotubes by itself, thanks to its remarkable mechanical, thermal and electrical properties.

Dr Kamaljit Bawa, President, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, has been awarded the Linnean Medal in Botany by the Linnean Society of London at its annual meeting.

Every passing day we are exposed to a cocktail of chemicals through medicines, cosmetics, pesticides, aerosols, gaseous emissions, pollens, etc. Many of these affect our health; some are allergens, while others could be carcinogens or cause fatal diseases. Although some products are tested to ascertain their safety for human use, the process is tedious, time-consuming and involve testing on animals.