Latest news with #Nicobar
News18
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- News18
World Environment Day 2025: Sustainable Brands That Redefine Daily Living
Last Updated: Choosing sustainable brands isn't just about eco-friendly packaging; it's about supporting businesses that prioritize ethical production, low-impact design, and better practices. As we celebrate World Environment Day each year, it's a timely reminder that every choice we make—big or small—has an impact on our planet. From the clothes we wear to the food and beverages we indulge in, conscious consumption is no longer a trend; it's a responsibility. Choosing sustainable brands isn't just about eco-friendly packaging or materials; it's about supporting businesses that prioritize ethical production, low-impact design, and better practices. This World Environment Day, make choices that reflect your commitment to the planet and explore these five standout brands that are redefining everyday essentials with sustainability at their core. Whether you're refreshing your wardrobe, enjoying a mindful drink, or seeking alternatives to plastic, these eco-conscious labels are paving the way toward a greener tomorrow. Blending the elegance of tea with the celebratory fizz of sparkling drinks, Copenhagen Sparkling Tea offers a refined, non-alcoholic pour crafted from organic ingredients. Whether you're hosting an intimate gathering, planning a wellness-focused celebration, or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home, this beautifully crafted, alcohol-free sparkling tea adds elegance and sophistication to any occasion. Copenhagen Sparkling Tea is the result of an innovative fusion between Nordic craftsmanship and Asian tea traditions. Each bottle is brewed from up to 13 organic teas, ranging from white and green to black and oolong. With sustainability woven into its sourcing and production, this is the perfect guilt-free indulgence for the environmentally aware. Delhi: The Oberoi, The Leela, Taj Palace, Taj Mansingh, Inja, Bo-Tai, Swan Nicobar – Timeless Fashion, Responsibly Made Nicobar creates thoughtfully designed clothing and lifestyle pieces that marry contemporary aesthetics with ethical practices. With an emphasis on natural fabrics, low-waste production, and enduring style, Nicobar proves that fashion can be both beautiful and sustainable. From totes and pouches to lunch bags and more, EcoRight combines function, flair, and environmental responsibility. Made from organic cotton and recycled materials, their bags are crafted in ethical facilities with a strong focus on reducing carbon footprint. Perfect for those who want their accessories to speak louder than words. Neemans – Comfort Meets Conscious Footwear Redefining comfort and style through eco-innovation, Neemans creates shoes from sustainable materials like recycled PET bottles, natural wool, and castor beans. Lightweight, breathable, and responsibly made, these shoes are designed to leave a lasting impression—without leaving a mark on the planet. Almitra Sustainables – Daily Essentials, Reimagined in Bamboo From toothbrushes and cutlery to home essentials, Almitra Sustainables crafts everyday alternatives using biodegradable bamboo. Durable, stylish, and planet-friendly, each product replaces plastic with purpose—one sustainable swap at a time.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Review of The Search for India's Rarest Birds
Rarity is a magnet,' writes ornithologist Aasheesh Pittie in The Search for India's Rarest Birds, 'for both charlatans and connoisseurs.' What makes a bird rare? Why do we covet the thing that is rare? These are some of the questions this engaging book tries to unpack as it draws portraits of birds that are rare and possibly extinct (such as the bird on the cover, the Jerdon's courser, and the Pink-headed duck), or are rare but relatively abundant in their habitats (Nicobar scops owl, Mrs. Hume's pheasant). What makes this book, edited by Shashank Dalvi and Anita Mani, different is that it approaches the subject of rarity and vulnerability not through tedium and doom, but through a sense of wonder and exploration. The 12 chapters have a selection of birds that have been chosen through different forms of observation: the Pink-headed duck chapter by Pittie talks about how the bird was formally described based on a painting of Indian specimens; art led to science. Ornithologist Pamela Rasmussen studiedtaxidermiedforest owletsin the U.K. and the U.S.;shepursuedthe birdin the forests of Maharashtra; and a strangetaxidermiedmodel led tothe rediscovery ofthe real bird. End is priceless 'Twitchers [birdwatchers who collect sightings of rare birds] are a possessed soul – we act first and think later,' writes birder Atul Jain. 'Having an understanding partner who gives you a hard time for every single crazy, last-minute trip but always relents in the end is priceless,' he writes. Jain's chapter is like a manual for how to set about a network for birding — how to prepare logistically and mentally for finding a rarity. 'Waiting, sweating' In his chapter on Nicobar scops owl, wildlife biologist Dalvi introduces the reader to a similar premise – a lot of the work for birding starts before the actual fact. 'For years I had been chatting about my birding plans with one of my close friends James Eaton, because quite simply, that is what birders do.' He adds: one has to do homework, hard work and have a good prediction of habitat and timing. In another chapter set in the Nicobar islands, journalist Radhika Raj writes evocatively on the Nicobar megapode, an endangered bird that builds huge mounds where it lays eggs. Found only in India, the megapode has huge feet that check the temperature of the mound. This wasn't an easy bird to see, especially as the group got attacked by sandflies. There was lots of 'waiting, sweating and nothing'. Things changed though, as she saw it on the very last day of a three-week wait. 'The seemingly ordinaryjungli murgi… won us over.' When I opened this book, I expected to find historical records of white men and their shikar in South Asia. It is enriching to find instead a book that is modern. Most importantly, though the birds are coveted, they are not trophies — each piece wraps fondness and field work for the avian object of affection in a manner that suggests care, not conquest. This gives hope that we are a long way away from the days of hunting birds so they could be stuffed and laid in drawing rooms. You might come away learning some bird and birder idiosyncrasies in this book; you may even come away fledging from a reader to a birder. The Search for India's Rarest Birds Edited by Shashank Dalvi, Anita Mani Indian Pitta/Juggernaut ₹499 The reviewer is a conservation biologist and author of Wild and Wilful-Tales of 15 Iconic Indian species
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Can Dire Wolf Scientists Bring Back the Dinosaurs, Woolly Mammoth & Dodo Bird?
Now that a "de-extinction" company says it has revived the dire wolf species that was extinct for over 10,000 years, could dinosaurs and the woolly mammoth be next? What about the dodo bird? The answer may be found in the methods that Colossal Biosciences used to bring back the dire wolf and whether there is genetic material available for the other extinct species. In fact, according to CNN, the company is trying to resurrect other extinct species. Colossal Biosciences has been "working toward resurrecting the mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger since 2021," wrote CNN. The company confirmed this on its website, writing, "The dire wolf isn't the only animal that Colossal, which was founded in 2021 and currently employs 130 scientists, wants to bring back. Also on their de-extinction wish list is the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. Already, in March, the company surprised the science community with the news that it had copied mammoth DNA to create a woolly mouse, a chimeric critter with the long, golden coat and the accelerated fat metabolism of the mammoth." Colossal Biosciences has an entire page devoted to its efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth. "Colossal's landmark de-extinction project will be the resurrection of the woolly mammoth - or more specifically a cold-resistant elephant with all of the core biological traits of the woolly mammoth," the website notes. "It will walk like a woolly mammoth, look like one, sound like one, but most importantly it will be able to inhabit the same ecosystem previously abandoned by the mammoth's extinction." In January, The Washington Post reported that a scientist was trying to bring back the dodo bird. A 2024 article by BBC Wildlife noted that, in 2022, a geneticist "decoded the dodo's genome. Scientists at Colossal are now determining the sequences which they will edit into cells collected from the dodo's closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon. Then, just as for the passenger pigeon, the edited cells will be used to create adult birds that create dodo sperm and eggs." As for dinosaurs, according to Listverse, "The consensus is that dinosaurs cannot be resurrected because their fossils are simply too old to provide any useful tissue." But who knows? Listverse lists saber-tooth tigers and woolly mammoths as other species scientists want to resurrect. The Natural History Museum described the difficulties in bringing back dinosaurs in depth. For starters, dinosaur DNA would have to be obtained. "We do have mosquitos and biting flies from the time of the dinosaurs and they do preserve in amber. But when amber preserves things, it tends to preserve the husk, not the soft tissues. So you don't get blood preserved inside mosquitos in amber," Dr. Susie Maidment, a dinosaur researcher, said in that article. "DNA breaks down over time. The dinosaurs went extinct around 66 million years ago and with so much time having passed, it is very unlikely that any dinosaur DNA would remain today," The Natural History Museum concluded. "While dinosaur bones can survive for millions of years, dinosaur DNA almost certainly does not." But the site added: "Some scientists continue to search for it - just in case." But Colossal Biosciences says the dire wolf is back. "These two wolves were brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils dating back 11,500 and 72,000 years," the company wrote on X. "This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: 'To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species,'' the company added. "By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity's duty to restore Earth to a healthier state. But this isn't just our moment—it's one for science, our planet, and humankind. All of which we love and are passionate about. Now, close your eyes and listen to that howl once more. Think about what this means for all of us," Colossal Biosciences wrote. "Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies," the company noted.
Telegraph
08-03-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Scientists discuss new habitats for mammoth revival
When scientists first mooted the idea of bringing back the mammoth, it was met with raised eyebrows and widespread incredulity among the scientific community. Now, with the creation of the first ' woolly mice ', the unthinkable might soon become a reality. On Tuesday, scientists at Colossal, the US biotech start-up, announced they had engineered mice with golden shaggy fur and the ability to withstand the cold, in a test run to see if the traits could be transferred successfully to mammals. The company is now so confident it can bring back the mammoth in the next few years, that it is already in talks with governments across the world to find a suitable habitat for the creatures to roam. Dr Beth Shapiro, the chief science officer at Colossal, said: 'The ultimate goal is to have these animals live in the wild somewhere. 'We've been talking to several different state governments and national governments about where they might go for the early stages. 'We need to have animals in an environment where we can very carefully watch them, make sure that they're healthy for some time, before they are actually released into the wild. 'We're still early in the stages of figuring out exactly where they will go. They lived throughout the central part of North America, even into Mexico. 'They don't necessarily need to be in the Arctic, although if we make them cold tolerant, then probably they'll be happiest somewhere colder.' Colossal also wants to resurrect the dodo, which it intends to rewild on Mauritius, the original home of the flightless bird that was hunted to extinction in the 17th century. Discussions are ongoing with the Mauritian government. Dr Shapiro, an evolutionary molecular biologist, joined Colossal in 2024 from the University of California, where her team was the first to sequence the dodo from a specimen in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. 'I did my PhD at Oxford, and I would walk by that dodo sample every day when I was going to our ancient DNA lab,' she added. 'Eventually I got permission to take a sample and figured out that a dodo is a type of pigeon and its closest living relative is something called a Nicobar pigeon, which is a really beautiful bird. 'We're trying to identify what DNA sequences we need to change if we're going to take a Nicobar pigeon and turn it into a flightless, big headed, pretty freaking cool dodo. 'But we're also working with government and nonprofit organisations on Mauritius to develop plans for rewilding, because one of the things that we need to do with a dodo is have a safe place for it to be released into the wild.' Birds are trickier to bring back than mammals because they cannot be cloned. Instead, scientists need to come up with a different way of passing edits on to the next generation. The technique they are working on involves using a needle to suck primordial germ cells – which will become sperm or eggs – from a developing Nicobar pigeon embryo so they can edit them with dodo genes in the lab. The edited germ cells can then be put into a surrogate bird which does not make its own germ cells, and so will be then passed on to an embryo. There is no date yet for resurrecting the dodo, but the mammoth may be just a few years away. Mammoths share 99.5 per cent of their genes with Asian elephants, so bringing them back is largely a case of finding missing genetic traits linked to cold adaptation, such as long shaggy coats and fat storage. The idea was first put forward by Harvard geneticist Professor George Church in 2008, who had become interested in attempts to sequence the mammoth genome by Swedish scientists. The genome was finally fully sequenced in 2015 and in the same year Church's team successfully copied some woolly mammoth genes into the genome of an Asian elephant. At the time, Church predicted that the animal could be resurrected by the end of the decade, however progress stalled until he founded Colossal in 2021 with entrepreneur Ben Lamm, which has brought millions of dollars of investment. Dr Shapiro said: 'When the company was launched, they said they hoped to see the first mammoth in 2028, and I think our team is on track to be able to create cells and embryos by 2027 sometime. 'After that, we have a 22 month gestation period, and that's just a lot of stuff that could happen that's completely out of our control. There are a lot of unknowns in there, and some of it is just biology. And biology is hard.' The woolly mice success paves the way for multiple genetic traits to be introduced to Asian elephant DNA, and resurrect the mammoth, which died out around 10,000 years ago. 'We put all the genetic edits together for the first time which is something that we're going to have to do if we want to change an elephant genome into a mammoth genome, or a Nicobar pigeon genome into a dodo genome,' said Dr Shapiro. 'We've confirmed our hypotheses that these are the genes that we want to target for the mammoth project.' Elephants have a 22 month gestation, and it takes another more than a decade to reach sexual maturity, so it is not feasible to test genetic edits out on real animals until scientists are sure they will work. They are also an endangered species. Mice, on the other hand, have a 20 days gestation, so researchers can tell quickly if their work has been a success. But the mice are still well looked after. 'We didn't just go ahead and shove mammoth genes into a mouse,' added Dr Shapiro. 'We know these genes have been studied in the past and are associated with healthy mice that can live and thrive in a normal environment. 'They're well treated. At Colossal, they have these cute little runs and wooden houses that they can hide in and things like that. Ben really likes them, so they get superstar treatment.' While the mammoth and dodo might get all the attention, the team is also working on resurrecting the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) and has future plans to bring back a giant bear from the Ice Age and a five foot tall beaver. Although bringing back animals from extinction has echoes of Jurassic Park, the team at Colossal hope that the techniques they are pioneering could uncover lost genetic traits from the past and ensure that no species alive today need ever go permanently extinct. The company has also been focusing on endangered animals such as the vaquita, a porpoise which is also one of the most threatened marine species on the planet, the northern white rhino, which is on the brink of extinction, and the pink pigeon, a rare species found in Mauritius. And resurrecting the mammoth might also save the elephant. Dr Shapiro added: 'If we create elephants that are able to live in habitats outside of their natural zone, by making them better adapted to living in cold places, then this means that we can have more habitats that we might be able to protect, that are available to elephants as well.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists discuss new habitats for mammoth revival
When scientists first mooted the idea of bringing back the mammoth, it was met with raised eyebrows and widespread incredulity among the scientific community. Now, with the creation of the first 'woolly mice', the unthinkable might soon become a reality. On Tuesday, scientists at Colossal, the US biotech start-up, announced they had engineered mice with golden shaggy fur and the ability to withstand the cold, in a test run to see if the traits could be transferred successfully to mammals. The company is now so confident it can bring back the mammoth in the next few years, that it is already in talks with governments across the world to find a suitable habitat for the creatures to roam. Dr Beth Shapiro, the chief science officer at Colossal, said: 'The ultimate goal is to have these animals live in the wild somewhere. 'We've been talking to several different state governments and national governments about where they might go for the early stages. 'We need to have animals in an environment where we can very carefully watch them, make sure that they're healthy for some time, before they are actually released into the wild. 'We're still early in the stages of figuring out exactly where they will go. They lived throughout the central part of North America, even into Mexico. 'They don't necessarily need to be in the Arctic, although if we make them cold tolerant, then probably they'll be happiest somewhere colder.' Colossal also wants to resurrect the dodo, which it intends to rewild on Mauritius, the original home of the flightless bird that was hunted to extinction in the 17th century. Discussions are ongoing with the Mauritian government. Dr Shapiro, an evolutionary molecular biologist, joined Colossal in 2024 from the University of California, where her team was the first to sequence the dodo from a specimen in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. 'I did my PhD at Oxford, and I would walk by that dodo sample every day when I was going to our ancient DNA lab,' she added. 'Eventually I got permission to take a sample and figured out that a dodo is a type of pigeon and its closest living relative is something called a Nicobar pigeon, which is a really beautiful bird. 'We're trying to identify what DNA sequences we need to change if we're going to take a Nicobar pigeon and turn it into a flightless, big headed, pretty freaking cool dodo. 'But we're also working with government and nonprofit organisations on Mauritius to develop plans for rewilding, because one of the things that we need to do with a dodo is have a safe place for it to be released into the wild.' Birds are trickier to bring back than mammals because they cannot be cloned. Instead, scientists need to come up with a different way of passing edits on to the next generation. The technique they are working on involves using a needle to suck primordial germ cells – which will become sperm or eggs – from a developing Nicobar pigeon embryo so they can edit them with dodo genes in the lab. The edited germ cells can then be put into a surrogate bird which does not make its own germ cells, and so will be then passed on to an embryo. There is no date yet for resurrecting the dodo, but the mammoth may be just a few years away. Mammoths share 99.5 per cent of their genes with Asian elephants, so bringing them back is largely a case of finding missing genetic traits linked to cold adaptation, such as long shaggy coats and fat storage. The idea was first put forward by Harvard geneticist Professor George Church in 2008, who had become interested in attempts to sequence the mammoth genome by Swedish scientists. The genome was finally fully sequenced in 2015 and in the same year Church's team successfully copied some woolly mammoth genes into the genome of an Asian elephant. At the time, Church predicted that the animal could be resurrected by the end of the decade, however progress stalled until he founded Colossal in 2021 with entrepreneur Ben Lamm, which has brought millions of dollars of investment. Dr Shapiro said: 'When the company was launched, they said they hoped to see the first mammoth in 2028, and I think our team is on track to be able to create cells and embryos by 2027 sometime. 'After that, we have a 22 month gestation period, and that's just a lot of stuff that could happen that's completely out of our control. There are a lot of unknowns in there, and some of it is just biology. And biology is hard.' The woolly mice success paves the way for multiple genetic traits to be introduced to Asian elephant DNA, and resurrect the mammoth, which died out around 10,000 years ago. 'We put all the genetic edits together for the first time which is something that we're going to have to do if we want to change an elephant genome into a mammoth genome, or a Nicobar pigeon genome into a dodo genome,' said Dr Shapiro. 'We've confirmed our hypotheses that these are the genes that we want to target for the mammoth project.' Elephants have a 22 month gestation, and it takes another more than a decade to reach sexual maturity, so it is not feasible to test genetic edits out on real animals until scientists are sure they will work. They are also an endangered species. Mice, on the other hand, have a 20 days gestation, so researchers can tell quickly if their work has been a success. But the mice are still well looked after. 'We didn't just go ahead and shove mammoth genes into a mouse,' added Dr Shapiro. 'We know these genes have been studied in the past and are associated with healthy mice that can live and thrive in a normal environment. 'They're well treated. At Colossal, they have these cute little runs and wooden houses that they can hide in and things like that. Ben really likes them, so they get superstar treatment.' While the mammoth and dodo might get all the attention, the team is also working on resurrecting the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) and has future plans to bring back a giant bear from the Ice Age and a five foot tall beaver. Although bringing back animals from extinction has echoes of Jurassic Park, the team at Colossal hope that the techniques they are pioneering could uncover lost genetic traits from the past and ensure that no species alive today need ever go permanently extinct. The company has also been focusing on endangered animals such as the vaquita, a porpoise which is also one of the most threatened marine species on the planet, the northern white rhino, which is on the brink of extinction, and the pink pigeon, a rare species found in Mauritius. And resurrecting the mammoth might also save the elephant. Dr Shapiro added: 'If we create elephants that are able to live in habitats outside of their natural zone, by making them better adapted to living in cold places, then this means that we can have more habitats that we might be able to protect, that are available to elephants as well.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
