ONGC top pick despite subsidy sharing risk

Rising crude oil prices are positive for ONGC. As this would compel the use of Natural gas which would indirectly help in preserving the crude and will help to reduce air pollution too. In accordance with the same the price of petrol and diesel may also arise. From an environmental point of view this will help the fuels from degradation and will lessen the air pollution.

As climate risks rise, scientists call for rules on solar engineering.

London: The experts, scientists are says that the technology reflects that suns's rays are away from the earth and the ways to cool future, the climate changes are moving closer from reality and the rules are needed for governing them. There is no risk free path at this point in dealing with climate change. The researches are pushing forward for potential cooling techniques such as spraying particles into upper atmosphere to mimic volcanic eruptions.

Two more Gir lions die, pride under threat.

Ahmedabad: two more Gir lions have died, taking the death toll of canine distembervirus(cdv) in Amreli district to 23. two more died on monday and the report of 21 death, four lions are confirmed to have died. The infection has nearly wiped out 26 member pride in 20 days. The three lions were survived for battling their lives.









timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Turbocharging photosynthesis in corn hikes yield.

Scientists from the Boyce Thompson Institute BTI and Cornell University have boosted a carbon-craving enzyme called RuBisCO to turbocharge photosynthesis in corn. The discovery promises to be a key step in improving agricultural efficiency and yield. Increased RuBisCO assists corn's biological machinery used during photosynthesis to incorporate atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. 

Every metabolic process like photosynthesis has the equivalent of traffic lights or speed bumps, RuBisCO is often the limiting factor in photosynthesis. With increased RuBisCO, though, this well-known speed bump is lowered, leading to improved photosynthetic efficiency."RuBisCO does have a formal, scientific name. It's Ribulose-1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase an enzyme that helps convert carbon dioxide into sugar. 

But for the world of commercial agriculture and corn's C4 photosynthesis system, RuBisCO works slowly. BTI researchers found a way to over-express a key chaperone enzyme called RuBisCO Assembly Factor 1, or RAF1, to help make more RuBisCO.

And the world's largest bird is... Voromobe titan

After more than a century of conflicting evidence, scientists said on Wednesday they have finally solved the riddle of the world's largest bird. 


For 60 million years the colossal, flightless elephant bird — Aepyornis maximus — stalked the savannah and rainforests of Madagascar until it was hunted to extinction around 1,000 years ago. In the 19th century, a new breed of European zoologist obsessed over the creature, pillaging skeletons and fossilised eggs to prove they had discovered the biggest bird on Earth. 

But a study released on Wednesday by British scientists suggests that one species of elephant bird was even larger than previously thought, with a specimen weighing an estimated 860 kg — about the same as a fully grown giraffe. "They would have towered over people," James Hansford, lead author at the Zoological Society of London, said. "They definitely couldn't fly." 

Narendra Modi, Emmanuel Macron selected for UN's highest environmental award

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron are selected for this year's 'Champions of the Earth' award - UN's highest environmental honour. 


Both of them are selected in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, said the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 

India and France had together launched the ISA on sidelines of the UN climate conference (COP21) in Paris in 2015. The ISA is an inter-governmental body of solar rich nations whose objective is to galvanise actions for increasing solar power footprints in 121 potential member countries across the globe. The ISA is headquartered in Gurugram near New Delhi in India. 

India's Cochin International Airport - the world's first fully solar-powered airport - is also selected for the award. It is selected in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. 

10 more Gir lions die one by one in 10 days, total toll up to 21

All 10 Asiatic lions, rescued from Gir’s Dalkhaniya Range in Gujarat’s Amreli district following the death of 11 big cats, have died at the Jasadhar animal care center, the Gujarat forest department confirmed on Monday.

The lions succumbed one after another between September 20 and September 30, sending shock waves through Asia’s only abode for lions. The death toll since September 12 has increased to 21. Earlier,11 lions, including cubs, were found dead in Dalkhaniya between September 12 and September 19. 

However, a scarier revelation is that four of 11 lions that died between September 12 and September 16 were infected with canine distemper virus (CDV). This lethal virus spreads from dogs in the wild. This is the same virus which had wiped out nearly 1,000 lions from Tanzania’s Serengeti Reserve in 1994.