Month: May 2026

    In several villages across India, a government-backed tree plantation scheme is facing growing resistance from local communities who say it is quietly taking away their land and traditional forest access. The programme, known as the Green Credit Programme, allows companies to fund afforestation on forest land and earn “green credits” in return. In Gujarat’s Vyara forest division, villagers say the change became visible only when fences and locked gates appeared in areas they had used for decades. In Mogarbara village, a local farmer named Dattu Valvi discovered that a portion of his cultivated land had been enclosed by the forest department. Inside the fenced area, young saplings had been planted under the scheme, while entry was restricted. Officials say the prog...

Scientists in Switzerland have uncovered a hidden survival mechanism inside plant roots that could help develop crops capable of withstanding drought and extreme heat in the future. The discovery reveals how plants naturally build cork-like barriers in their roots to conserve water during dry conditions. The research, carried out by teams from the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne, focused on a waxy substance called suberin the same material found in cork. Inside plant roots, suberin forms a protective layer that controls water movement and prevents moisture from escaping into dry soil. Using 284 natural varieties of the small flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana, researchers discovered that plants growing in hotter and drier climates developed much thicker suberin ...

    India’s top environmental courts have intensified scrutiny over illegal mining, biomedical waste mismanagement, and tribal rights in a series of major environmental cases heard on May 14 and 15, 2026. The Supreme Court of India took a strong stance against illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary, directing senior officials from both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to personally appear before the court on May 20 with detailed compliance reports. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and Vijay Bishnoi ordered officials from departments including mining, transport, forests, finance, and home affairs to explain measures taken to stop illegal extraction and transportation of sand in the ecologically sensitive sanctuary area. The cour...

Scientists have identified a previously unknown cell type in bean plant roots that could help crops survive drought, nutrient poor soil, and rising temperatures during the most vulnerable stage of growth. The discovery is being viewed as a major breakthrough in plant science and climate resilient agriculture. Researchers from the University of Arizona uncovered the tiny underground structures while studying how young bean seedlings manage to survive in harsh environmental conditions before their root systems fully develop. The findings were recently published in the journal Science Advances. The newly discovered cells, named “hooked hairs,” appear on the roots of bean seedlings just days after germination. Unlike ordinary root hairs, which usually develop five to ten days later, thes...

    A massive mega tsunami triggered by a collapsing mountainside in eastern Greenland sent seismic waves around the world for nine continuous days, according to scientists studying one of the strangest geological events ever recorded. The extraordinary phenomenon began on September 16, 2023, when more than 25 million cubic yards of rock and ice crashed into the narrow Dickson Fjord in Greenland. The impact generated a towering 650-foot wave that surged through the fjord and created a long lasting oscillation in the water, producing rhythmic seismic pulses felt across the planet. Researchers said the mysterious signal initially puzzled scientists worldwide because it did not resemble a normal earthquake. Seismic stations repeatedly detected smooth vibrations every 92 ...

    Every morning before sunrise, thousands of informal waste workers step into streets, alleys and dumping grounds across India to collect discarded plastic, metal, cardboard and glass. Their labour often goes unnoticed, but experts say these workers are silently sustaining India’s recycling economy and helping reduce climate pollution. A recent analysis highlights how informal waste pickers form the backbone of India’s waste management system even as climate and urban policies continue to overlook their contribution. India generates millions of tonnes of solid waste annually, much of which ends up in overflowing landfill sites. Many of these are open dumping grounds rather than scientifically engineered landfills, causing severe environmental damage. As organic wast...

    Scientists in Germany have discovered that microscopic plastic particles now make up a measurable portion of urban air pollution, raising fresh concerns about long-term health risks linked to breathing polluted city air. A new study conducted in Leipzig found that nearly 4 per cent of airborne particulate matter consists of microplastics, with tire wear emerging as the single largest source of contamination. Researchers warned that the findings highlight an overlooked form of pollution that may eventually reshape global air quality regulations. The study, carried out by researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research and Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, was published in Communications Earth & Environment. Scientists estimated tha...

    Residents of Delhi are likely to face an intense spell of heat over the coming week as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave conditions across northwestern India from May 18 to May 22. Temperatures in the national capital are expected to rise steadily and may touch a scorching 44 degrees Celsius in some areas. According to the weather department, maximum temperatures across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh are likely to remain 3-5°C above normal during the next few days. Strong hot winds blowing from Rajasthan and central Pakistan are expected to worsen conditions and increase discomfort levels across the region. On Saturday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8°C, slightly above the seasonal average, while the Ridge area em...

    India is facing a rapidly growing electronic waste crisis as the use of smartphones, computers, televisions, and household appliances continues to rise across the country. With millions of electronic devices becoming outdated every year, the government’s E-Waste Management Rules 2016 have emerged as a major policy framework aimed at promoting scientific recycling, reducing pollution, and improving accountability among manufacturers and consumers. E-waste refers to discarded electrical and electronic equipment such as mobile phones, laptops, printers, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and televisions. Experts warn that improper disposal of these products can release toxic substances like lead, mercury, cadmium, and harmful flame retardants into the en...

    A microscopic fungus discovered inside NASA clean rooms has raised fresh concerns about the possibility of Earth microbes contaminating other planets during space missions. According to a new study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology researchers identified a highly resilient fungus called Aspergillus calidoustus inside spacecraft assembly facilities used during the Mars 2020 mission. Scientists say the organism was able to survive conditions similar to deep space travel and the harsh environment of Mars, exposing potential weaknesses in current planetary protection protocols. The fungus was collected from clean rooms at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, highly controlled environments where spac...