Something is changing:Health officials in the U.S. are looking into a possible link between prescription opioids and a birth defect called gastroschisis — a condition when a baby is born with its intestines hanging outside the stomach, due to a hole in the abdominal wall. Most are repaired through surgery. …

India’s position as far as many health-care metrics is disappointing. By 2020, non-communicable diseases will be the cause of 73% of deaths. With diabetes emerging as the fastest growing disease, India will have 49% of the global burden of diabetes. Not far behind will be cancer as the second most …

There is more evidence now that a diet high on roughage cuts health risks A study commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided “convincing evidence” that consuming fibre and whole grains can reduce health risks from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease. In a series of systematic …

As a true patriot, you should donate it to the cause of national security The problem with people like Rahul Gandhi is that they keep making completely false allegations against our Prime Minister. For instance, take his pet grouse that the Prime Minister doesn’t listen to the heartbeat of the …

A walk through Lothal takes you back 4,500 years to the Harappan Civilisation No child growing up in India fails to study the Indus Valley Civilisation, which is now more popularly referred to as the Harappan Civilisation after Harappa, the first of its sites to be excavated in the 1920s …

If we want to cut down on corruption, we will have to start working more seriously on reducing the huge chasm between the rich and the poor Transparency International, a global anti-corruption coalition, ranked India 81 out of 180 countries in its corruption index of 2017. The least corrupt nations …

Taxi rides can provide a few minutes of social intimacy among strangers. Occasionally, they can also be reminders of disappearing folk wisdom Taxis are mobile spaces that enable strangers to be physically proximate for a short duration. In an enclosed metallic 6×6 ft box on wheels, two individuals or a …

A new generation of devices aims to use perspiration to give a real-time snapshot of a person’s well-being or fitness Someday soon, perhaps within a year, you’ll be able to slap a soft, stretchy patch on to your arm that tells you if you’re dehydrated. Or that your electrolytes are …

Reactions to bitter and sweet taste differ widely Deciphering how the fruit fly brain works has been a significant branch of study in the biological sciences for several decades now. In this, a team of researchers from National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Bengaluru (NCBS-TIFR), have …

Researchers deduced this from a small fragmented tooth unearthed in Madhya Pradesh Nearly 5.9 million to 9,000 years ago, India was home to the hippopotamus. These entered Eurasia from Africa, then diversified in South Asia before going extinct. Now, studying a small fragmented tooth unearthed in Madhya Pradesh, an international …