China’s new hybrid rice can preserve its high-yield traits across generations, potentially allowing farmers to replant seeds instead of buying new ones every year

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China’s new hybrid rice can preserve its high-yield traits across generations, potentially allowing farmers to replant seeds instead of buying new ones every year

China achieves 99% hybrid rice seed cloning with HUAXU gene, cuts annual seed costs China’s new hybrid rice can preserve its high-yield traits across generations, potentially allowing farmers to replant seeds instead of buying new ones every year.Scientists at the China National Rice Research Institute in Hangzhou have developed a self-cloning hybrid rice system that … Read more

Conservationists filled in 1.2km of a man-made river channel and allowed the water to spread naturally; the new Somerset wetland is now attracting rare wildlife

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Conservationists filled in 1.2km of a man-made river channel and allowed the water to spread naturally; the new Somerset wetland is now attracting rare wildlife

A new waterscape has been created on the Holnicote Estate in Somerset (National Trust photos) Just one year after work completing a river restoration project in south-west England, researchers say the restored landscape has reduced flood peaks downstream, improved water quality and created new habitats for many species.The project took place on the National Trust’s … Read more

Conservationists filled in 1.2km of a man-made river channel and allowed the water to spread naturally; the new Somerset wetland is now attracting rare wildlife

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Conservationists filled in 1.2km of a man-made river channel and allowed the water to spread naturally; the new Somerset wetland is now attracting rare wildlife

A new waterscape has been created on the Holnicote Estate in Somerset (National Trust photos) Just one year after work completing a river restoration project in south-west England, researchers say the restored landscape has reduced flood peaks downstream, improved water quality and created new habitats for many species.The project took place on the National Trust’s … Read more

‘Don’t make them run from pillar to post’: FM Sitharaman asks income tax dept to work for common people

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‘Don’t make them run from pillar to post’: FM Sitharaman asks income tax dept to work for common people

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged income tax officials to make it easier for people to access government services, saying citizens should not have to “run from pillar to post” to get work done that is within the department’s authority.Speaking after inaugurating Aaykar Sindhu, a 13-floor, 1.13 lakh sq ft income tax office … Read more

Slash-and-burn farming was blamed for destroying rainforests, but a study of 18,000 forest patches found community rules can limit clearing and allow trees to return

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Slash-and-burn farming was blamed for destroying rainforests, but a study of 18,000 forest patches found community rules can limit clearing and allow trees to return

Unwritten social rules, not government oversight, help keep forest land sustainable Slash-and-burn farming was blamed for destroying rainforests, but a study of 18,000 forest patches found community rules can limit clearing and allow trees to return.Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research shows that unwritten social rules in small communities … Read more

NEET SS counselling stalemate enters fifth month; FAIMA urges Supreme Court, Centre to fast-track admissions

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NEET SS counselling stalemate enters fifth month; FAIMA urges Supreme Court, Centre to fast-track admissions

FAIMA has called for urgent action to restart the stalled NEET SS counselling process, citing the growing impact of the prolonged legal dispute over Tamil Nadu’s in-service quota. The association said the delay has left aspiring super-speciality doctors without training opportunities, increased financial hardship, and intensified staffing shortages across critical hospital departments. The Federation of … Read more

Tariffs on trial: Small businesses take Trump’s latest trade levies back to court

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Tariffs on trial: Small businesses take Trump’s latest trade levies back to court

Donald Trump‘s tariff strategy is once again under legal scrutiny.Just as temporary 10% worldwide tariffs expired, two groups of small businesses headed to court to challenge the administration’s latest trade measures. The lawsuits target the sweeping tariffs announced earlier this week, which impose double-digit levies on goods from 60 trading partners and cover 99% of … Read more

In 1988, zebra mussels arrived in North America through a ship’s ballast water; within 10 years, they had spread across all five Great Lakes

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In 1988, zebra mussels arrived in North America through a ship’s ballast water; within 10 years, they had spread across all five Great Lakes

zebra mussels (Representative image by Canva) In the late 1980s, an aquatic invader quietly entered North America through an unlikely route: a ship’s ballast water. That species was the zebra mussel, and within a decade it had spread across all five Great Lakes, triggering one of the most notorious invasive-species stories on the continent. More … Read more

Forex schemes: BoB, BoI target over $6bn mop-up

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Forex schemes: BoB, BoI target over bn mop-up

Bank of Baroda and Bank of India are aiming to raise over $6 billion in foreign capital MUMBAI: Bank of Baroda and Bank of India, the two largest public sector banks in terms of overseas branches, are aiming to raise over $6 billion in foreign capital through schemes where RBI undertakes to cover forex risk … Read more