Latest Publications

May 4th is Coal Miner’s Day in India.  Mining is a challenging job, and so is coal mining. The immense effort and dedication of these workers who endure challenging conditions provide us with this precious resource. Coal mining is a centuries-old industry. A large number of people work in the mines. The process of mining has several dangers. When it comes to coal mining, the methane that accumulates leads to explosions, making safety in coal mining a challenge. It’s essential to continue prioritising safety to prevent loss of life in the industry.

Laughter has no language and is a great way to bring everybody together without bias. World Laughter Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of May. Laughing results in a general sense of well-being. Endorphins (natural painkillers) are triggered to improve cardiac health, reduce stress hormone levels, and lower blood pressure. In the race to achieve materialistic comforts, humans have forgotten the purpose of the same. Forgot to contemplate and introspect whether the path taken is worth the troubles it brings.

Observation of World Asthma Day is on the first Tuesday in May, and this year, it is on 7 May. Asthma is one of the common chronic non-communicable diseases. It affects over 260 million people and is responsible for over 450000 deaths each year worldwide. Worryingly, the death rate due to asthma has nearly doubled since the 1980s. In India, approximately 35 million people have asthma. The exact cause of asthma remains unknown, and there is no cure. It runs in the families, suggesting a genetic component. An inhaler is the most common treatment.

The UN designated May 12 as the International Day of Plant Health. Humans owe plants for the air they breathe and most of their food. Often, we do not think about contributing to the efforts to keep them healthy. Plant health is increasingly under threat. Climate change is resulting in altered ecosystems. Human actions are not helping either, resulting in the reduction of biodiversity. Another challenge to keeping plants healthy is the presence of plant pests. Prevention is the way. There is a need to transform agricultural systems to become efficient, resilient, and sustainable.

We hereby present the variability of fine particles (PM1 ≤ 1 micron) that has not yet been investigated under the influence of COVID-19-induced lockdown in three major cities of different climatic zones in India. We unfold the baseline level of PM1, a level to which the population is chronically exposed and extremely critical for epidemiologists for fixing health markers. This has been achieved using the saturation point methodology under fair weather conditions. The baseline level of PM1 for Delhi and Mumbai is found to be 13 µg m− 3 and 9 µg m− 3, respectively.

Malaria is one of the most ubiquitous diseases known to affect all species. World Malaria Day is observed on 25 April every year, highlighting the global efforts to control malaria and celebrating the gains made. The word "malaria" derives from the Italian for "bad air". WHO's statistics for 2022 indicated that there were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria worldwide, with 0.2% being fatal. These are the early days of the vaccine against malaria. India remained a significant contributor to the global malaria burden.

Penguins are aquatic and are birds that cannot fly. 25 April is World Penguin Day. Having dense bones makes them flightless. Endangered they are, the Penguins and their numbers in the wild are decreasing. Of the 17 penguin species living in the wild, 10 of them. Some of the main threats they face are climate change, poaching, industrial fishing practices, oil spills, and disease. We need to preserve penguins and other wild sea creatures for the sake of our planet and the sake of future generations.

From the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation to contemporary times, Sculpture has played an essential role in shaping the cultural landscape of India. A sculpture is a realistic three-dimensional visual art that makes it easy to connect. International Sculpture Day is observed every year on the last Saturday of April. This year, it falls on April 27. The origin of Indian Sculpture goes back to the Indus Valley civilisation. What is the future of Sculpture in India? The challenge is to attract good students and provide avenues for them to make a reasonable living once they graduate.

 This book not only covers the "tools of the trade" (mentoring how-to), it also examines mentoring's ancient origins since Homer's Odyssey, and peers into its future in virtual and outer space. Mentors are not born; they are mentees first and they evolve through trials and tribulations to success, to pass on their accumulated knowledge so the next generation can carry the torch yet farther. Such has been the experience of every known brilliant scientist in history.