Kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis is the second most deadliest tropical diseases after malaria and is spread by the bite of infected sandflies. India is one of the few countries still affected by this disease and has launched many programmes to eliminate the spread of the disease. Now, a new study has proposed a mathematical model that can help control the disease by monitoring the numbers of infected individuals and sandfly population, and has suggested that a combination of the drug based treatment and the use of insecticides to control sandflies could be our best strategy to eliminate the disease from the country.

The oceans make up 75% of our Earth and is home to a wide range of plants and animals that thrive in marine ecosystems around the world. Thanks to human actions, these ecosystems face a mounting threat, far too inconspicuous, for us to observe. Ocean pollution, raise in its temperature and rampant overfishing have threatened many species and have pushed them to the brink of extinction. On World Oceans Day, perhaps it is time to reflect what roles these oceans play in helping life on the land and think about how our activities have disturbed the fragile balance nature maintains in the deep blue seas.

Dogs are long considered our best friends. Since the days of our civilizations, it is thought that dogs have started to share the cities that we build and have lived in them - eating up our wastes, protecting our livestocks, guarding us and sometimes irking us with their behaviour. Stray dogs are now seen as a menace more than as loving inhabitants of our cities. An increasing number of huma-dog conflicts are a testimony to that. A new research has thrown some insights into the behavioural aspects of stray dogs and has identified factors and measures that can help us make peace with the strays. By being aware and understanding of the behaviours of strays, a lot of such conflicts can be avoided, say the researchers.

The 5th of June every year is celebrated across the world as ‘World Environment Day’. People mark this event by planting saplings, spreading awareness about the importance of the environment to our survival and ways we can conserve this gift of nature for the future generations to come. But, have you ever wondered how we go about our lives on the rest of the days? What if we stopped a moment to think of the change it would bring about if we chose to walk to work instead of the car or take the bus? Of course it would change the climate for the good. Find out some tales of inspiration and alarming facts in this special on World Environment Day.

In you childhood days, you might have killed an ant by squeezing or poking it. Or may be smashed a pest like cockroach. But how about killing bacteria by poking them? What if that means a bacteria-free world? A new study by scientists has tried to exactly that using nanoscale surface undulations on titanium surface to kill bacteria by rupturing their cells. This innovation, the scientists say, serves as a great alternative to getting rid of bacteria instead of using antibacterial drugs.

Bengaluru is today famous for the number of technology companies that have sprung up, be it domestic or multinational. A new addition to this list are the home-grown technology start-ups who have transformed Bengaluru into a hub of technology start-ups. But what factors led to this transformation of a city that was once a ‘pensioner’s paradise’ into one that is bustling with the energy of the youth? A new study has now tried to identify those factors and analyse how each of them helped Bengaluru transform into what it is today. Read on to learn about this exciting journey.

Tobacco is one of the five most addictive substances in the world. No wonder, there are so many people around the globe who use tobacco in various forms. Nicotine, the chemical in tobacco leaves soon takes its toll by causing various health complications, sometimes fatal too. Apart from affecting health, unabated tobacco use can cripple a country’s economy and cause a dent to its productivity. Today, on World No Tobacco Day, read more to know how tobacco harms an individual and a society and what steps countries around the world have taken to curb this menace.

If you believe herbal medicines are your panacea for every ailment, you might want to think again! A new study has pointed out rampant adulteration and mix-up of plants being traded for the preparation of herbal medicines in India. This trend, the researchers say, might make the medicines unsafe and inefficient for the purposes they are taken for. Lack of quality assurance and regulations in the trade are the reasons behind this, say the researchers.

The ozone layer around our Earth protects us from the Sun’s harmful radiations. But who should protect this layer which is in distress due to the use of ozone depleting substances? Since this is a man-made disaster, the responsibility of fixing it lies on us.Have we been successful in restoring the ozone layer?  Yes, to an extent, say researchers of a new study that has studies the dynamics of the ozone layer in Antarctica.  The study shows that there has been a reasonable recovery of healing of the ozone hole, since the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, where the world took action to save the ozone layer.

If there is one thing that is rapidly disappearing from today’s urban landscape, it is the trees -- many of them being cut down relentlessly to make way for roads, buildings, dams and the likes. But what can we do about those that have miraculously escaped the axe, apart from hugging them? Mapping them! Yes, you read that right. Today, various tree mapping campaigns are on that is calling on everyone to help map the trees in your neighbourhood. This data is of immense importance for further studies on urban ecology. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your phone and get mapping...