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    Even though it arrived later than usual, winter snowfall across Himachal Pradesh has brought much-needed relief to the state’s apple-growing regions, raising hopes of a healthier crop after months of unusual dry conditions. Experts say the snowfall has helped restore soil moisture, provided essential chilling hours, and reduced pest risks at a time when orchards were under visible stress. After a prolonged rain deficit and failed snowfall since November 2025, fruit belts across Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti had been experiencing warm winters and dry soils, conditions considered unfavourable for apple cultivation. Snowfall Restores Soil Moisture and Supports Bud Development The upper reaches of Shimla received two to three spells of snow...

    A new global scientific study has found that invasive alien species are playing a far greater role in the worldwide decline of insects than previously recognised, contributing to sharp losses in both insect numbers and diversity across continents. Published in the journal Nature Communications the research was conducted by scientists from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Cambridge. The findings add a crucial dimension to the ongoing debate on insect decline, which has largely focused on habitat loss, climate change and pollution. Invasive species linked to major global losses According to the study, regions affected by invasive plants and animals recorded an average 31 per cent decline in terrestrial insect abundance and a 26 per ...

    Eight years after the Union environment ministry approved diversion of forest land for the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, there is still no clear public record of how many trees have been planted to compensate for the loss, raising questions about compliance with environmental safeguards. The approval, granted in August 2018, allowed diversion of 51.12 hectares of forest land for the Badshahpur–Sohna stretch of the expressway. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, such clearances are conditional upon compensatory afforestation, requiring trees to be planted to offset forest loss. However, official data detailing where and how this was carried out remains incomplete. RTI Reply Reveals Gaps in Afforestation Details The lack of clarity emerged through a Right to In...

    A rare and intense polar vortex sweeping across North America has transformed Niagara Falls into a dramatic winter wonderland, as temperatures around the iconic site plunged below −20 degrees Celsius. While the waterfalls continued to roar, the surrounding landscape froze almost instantly, coating cliffs, riverbanks and viewing areas in thick layers of ice. Locals and visitors shared videos showing frozen mist suspended in the air, glass-like ice sheets clinging to rocks, and fleeting rainbows forming as sunlight hit the icy spray. The falls themselves never stopped flowing, but the scene appeared eerily still, as if nature had pressed pause around one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls. How the Polar Vortex Triggered Rapid Freezing The polar vortex pushed...

    A chance discovery by rock climbers in Italy has uncovered what scientists believe are 79-million-year-old tracks left by ancient marine reptiles, possibly sea turtles, offering rare insight into how ocean life reacted to seismic events during the Late Cretaceous period. The unusual markings were found in Monte Cònero, a coastal area overlooking the Adriatic Sea, inside the Cònero Regional Park. The grooves were etched into Scaglia Rossa limestone, a geological formation known for preserving deep-sea sediments and marine fossils. Researchers say the tracks may record a moment of sudden chaos on the seafloor, frozen in time by a powerful underwater avalanche triggered by an earthquake. Climbers’ Discovery Reveals Rare Fossil Evidence The tracks were first notice...

    Perched high in the eastern Andes of Peru, La Rinconada stands at nearly 5,000 metres above sea level, making it the world’s highest permanent human settlement. Life here unfolds at the edge of human endurance, where oxygen levels are almost half of what people breathe at sea level and basic services like running water and sewage systems simply do not exist. Despite the harsh environment, nearly 50,000 people continue to live and work in this remote mining town, driven largely by one powerful force: gold. Life at an altitude where breathing itself is a challenge Located on a steep mountainside beneath a retreating glacier known locally as La Bella Durmiente, La Rinconada sits roughly 650 kilometres from the Bolivian border. The thin air at this altitude makes ...

    Global warming is set to redraw the world energy needs, creating a widening gap between rich and poor countries, a new study has found. As temperatures rise, colder and wealthier nations are expected to see a sharp fall in heating demand, while warmer and largely developing countries will face a steep surge in the need for air conditioning. The research published in Nature Sustainability, warns that most of these shifts will happen sooner than expected, even before the planet crosses the critical 1.5°C warming threshold. Richer cold countries to save energy, poorer hot nations to pay more According to the study, countries such as Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway will experience the steepest declines in heating demand as winters become milder. In contr...

    Nearly half of the global population could be exposed to extreme heat conditions by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford. Climate scientists say this warming scenario is increasingly likely, with serious consequences for human health, energy systems and economic stability. Extreme heat exposure likely to double compared to 2010 levels The study estimates that the share of people living under extreme heat will rise sharply from 23 per cent in 2010, about 1.54 billion people, to 41 per cent by 2050, affecting nearly 3.79 billion individuals worldwide. The largest populations exposed to dangerous heat are projected to be in India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Bangla...

    Iran ongoing wave of protests is widely linked to inflation, corruption and political repression. While these factors are central, new analysis suggests they tell only part of the story. Beneath the country’s political unrest lies a deeper and more destabilising crisis the collapse of Iran environmental systems. Across Iran’s largest protest centres, citizens are confronting not a single ecological emergency but a convergence of multiple breakdowns, including chronic water shortages, land subsidence, extreme air pollution and recurring energy failures. Together, these pressures have made daily life increasingly unlivable for millions. Environmental breakdown intensifies daily life struggles Between 2003 and 2019, Iran lost an estimated 211 cubic kilometres of g...

    In a significant boost to India’s botanical record, researchers from Nagaland University have discovered a previously unknown species of flowering plant in a community-protected forest in Nagaland. The discovery highlights both the region’s rich biodiversity and the crucial role local communities play in conserving fragile ecosystems. New species named Hoya nagaensis after Nagaland The newly identified plant has been named Hoya nagaensis and belongs to the Hoya genus, commonly known as the wax plant family. The species was found during systematic botanical surveys in the Kavunhou Community Reserved Forest in Phek district, around 110 kilometres from Kohima. Researchers say the plant produces distinctive star-shaped, waxy flowers and releases a milk-like latex, ...