Hency Thacker

On December 26th 2004, a devastating Tsunami in the Indian ocean created havoc in 14 countries, killing over 230,000 people. The tsunami was a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 with the epicentre in Sumatra in Indonesia. The earthquake wave hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands followed by the Tsunami wave which...

Sophists were the first political philosophers, contemporary to Socrates, who believed that virtue, in general, is the ability to acquire those things that people agree, give them pleasure – wealth, honour and status; and political virtue, in particular, is the ability to acquire these things by the successful use of power. Which is why,...

Veganism is a growing trend among the millennials as well as influencers across the world. With all of its health and environment benefits, it has been among the most acceptable food and lifestyle choice for a large number of people. Considering its role in animal welfare and environment conservation, November 1st of every year is...

Businesses are recognizing the risks associated with climate change. More severe weather patterns are already impacting the economy and making parts of the world more volatile. Such changes damage infrastructure, interrupt supply chains, hurt agricultural productivity and impact human health. The United Nations has estimated that the economic cost of climate-related disasters alone hit $2.245 trillion over the...

On Monday, October 21, at Neuroscience 2019, the Society for Neuroscience’s 49th annual meeting, held in Chicago, U.S., two neuroscientists warned the gathering that fellow scientists are “perilously close” to crossing the ethical red line of growing mini-brains or organoids in the laboratory that can perceive or feel things. Organoids are a group of cells...

Water is the most important resource for the survival of life. In fact, life for the first time was detected not on land, but water. Even today, when our scientists try to explore other planets for the possibility of life there, they look for the existence of water on it. Almost two-thirds of the earth’s...

It has been rightly said that ‘Prevention is better than cure.’  Especially in the context of healthcare. Technological advancement is taking slow but sure steps towards this ideal. Research laboratories working under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has announced the completion of genome sequencing of 1008 Indian individuals representing diverse ethnic groups...

According to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report, about 32 per cent of 78 million tones of annual plastic packaging production is being dumped in our oceans. A New Delhi-based Energy and Resource Institute has estimated that around 43 per cent of plastic manufactured is used for packaging and most of it is single-use. Recognising...

India has jumped 14 places to rank 63 on the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking 2020. The country also figured among the top 10 performers on the list for the third time in a row. This comes at a time when the economists, various national and international agencies are raising questions regarding the...

India is surging ahead in the area of renewable energy. The renewable capacity has reached 73 gigawatt (GW), which is 20 per cent of the country’s total energy capacity. The generation has increased, and solar energy has made tremendous strides. However, owing to several issues including those of policy inconsistencies and problems faced by...

Urban poverty and poor diets are intricately linked with one another. With most of the world’s population living in or considering moving to the urban centres, it is imperative to understand the reasons behind a lack of access to healthy diets. The problems of food insecurity and malnutrition are driven by both the income and...

The increasing access to affordable data service has given rise to cyber-bullying. Across the world, young children, in particular teenagers, being the most vulnerable have been victims of this faceless evil. One in every three young people has reported being a victim of cyberbullying, according to a survey conducted by UNICEF in as many...