Arid and semi-arid regions : Arid and semi arid lands occupy one third of the earth's surface. Indian arid zone occupies an area of about 0.3 million sq. km. 90 percent of which about 2,70,000 sq.…

Food vs. fuel But critics of biofuels are as vocal as their advocates. One concern is that, globally, there will be a trade-off between using land to grow food and using it to grow fuel. "If biofuels…

This is a little old, but Thomas Mailund, who writes on of my favorite blogs, has posted a video interview with Svante Pääbo, the scientist leading the neanderthal genome project. At one point Pääbo…

All you need is a pic-a-nic basket and wine in Erlenmeyer flasks.

You're toxic, I'm slipping under . . . The music video for Britney Spears' hit Toxic would have been so much better with truly toxic creatures in starring roles. Can you imagine the pop star serving…

BIO-ENERGY POTENTIAL OF SEMI-ARID REGIONS OF RAJASTHAN Ashwani Kumar and Vijay Rani Kumar Energy Plantation Demonstration Project Centre Department of Biotechnology Project Department of Botany,…

BIOREMEDIATION OF SALINE SOILS USING HALOPHYTES. IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS OF RAJASTHAN INDIA. Ashwani Kumar, Departemnt of Botany , University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. 302004.…

Yay! "Squid Says: What's For Dinner?" made it into the finalists*. To celebrate, here is one of my all-time favorite cephalopod pix. I know, I know, it's a not a squid! But isn't it the cutest? The…

Ethnobotanical uses of some of the plants of family Fabaceae :- It is estimated that nearly one third of about 15,000 higher plant species in India are used by the tribals and poor people. These…

While it lacks the subtle charm of Alberto Tomba, this robot is just as much at ease flying down a slalom course. Designed by Bojan Nemec of the the Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, the robot…

Autopsies, for all the useful information they provide, have significant downsides. They are often upsetting to the deceased's family, they prevent people from receiving certain kinds of…

Folk songs : References to the trees and flowers are found profusely in folk song, particularly in songs of worship of plants. Folk songs in praise of Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schard. ex. J.C.Wendl),…

Korea's First Humanoid Robot Capable to Walk: Hubo!!!  Hey Guys? Hope you are interested in humanoid robots. Hubo can't climb the stairs but its movement of its fingers, the physical…

Sprit and Opportunity: The U.S's Robot on Mars!! You've Had heard about 'Sprit and Opportunity' the twin robots that landed on Mars in 2004 by the Delta-2 Rocket. Sprit and Opportunity helped…

Today I was dewildered (or belighted) to discover that visits to my blog had skyrocketed overnight. But why? What could thirteen hundred and forty-one visitors have found so riveting about…

Gender is socially mediated, and constructed, as well as neurologically predisposed.  Innate qualities have to be qualities that do not depend on social interaction.  Consider the so called…

Scientific Name  Amomum subulatum Roxb.  Family   Zingiberaceae Used Part Fruit         Distribution Area A tall, perennial herb, with leafy stems, up…

Though Cassia consists of large number of plants but during present investigation Cassia senna and Cassia occidentalis were examined.    Cassia senna :- It is known by…

Plants in folk medicines :- Herbs have been used in India since the time immemorial for curing diseases of man and his cattle . During the Vedic period ( 2000 B.C. – 800 B.C. ) ‘ Vrikshayurveda’…

Medicinal plants used in traditional medicinal system India due to its unique variety of geographical and climatic factors had a rich and varied flora of medicinal plants. No wonder that out of a…