COVID-19 raised to goddess status, thanks to superstition in India

16 Jun 202016 Jun 2020

SEEN under a microscope, the coronavirus is kinda pretty. If it were a plant and with flowers growing to the size of an orange I’d love having clusters of it…

Paving Over the Fossil Record

25 Nov 201824 Nov 2018

Why isn’t India doing more to protect its rare evolutionary record? By Shruti Ravindran | NAUTILUS Every winter for the past decade, paleontologist Kenneth D. Rose returns to Vastan, one…

Conspiracy Theories Are the Reason We Still Have Polio

18 Mrz 201717 Mrz 2017

The Taliban, Boko Haram and antivaxxers have this one thing in common. By Ankita Rao | MOTHERBOARD At a train station in Bareilly, a dusty mid-sized city in the Indian…

A 13-Year-Old Follower of Jainism is Dead After Fasting for 68 Straight Days

9 Okt 20168 Okt 2016

While the religion of Jainism has a reputation for being non-violent and generally harmless, I can tell you from experience (former Jain here) there are serious problems with their beliefs.…

Water Wars: Two Indian States Are Fighting for This River’s Water

6 Okt 20165 Okt 2016

As the world gets hotter, we’ve been warned that the next wars will be over water. In India, that future is here, and the latest proof is a battle between…

Indian Man May Be First Ever Confirmed Meteorite Death

8 Feb 2016

On Saturday, a mysterious explosion at the Bharathidasan Engineering College in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu left one dead and three injured. According to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister…

Top Climate Scientist Calls Obama’s Climate Initiative ‘Pure Bullshit’

30 Nov 201529 Nov 2015

On Monday, world leaders representing 190 nations (along with tens of thousands of journalists, protesters and conference attendees) will convene in Paris to kick off the 21st annual United Nations…

Holy Hymen: If You Want To Be a Police Woman in Indonesia, Be Prepared For the Two-Finger Virginity Test

20 Nov 201419 Nov 2014

A two-finger virginity test for female cops? It’s just as ridiculous, degrading, and unnecessary as it sounds, but in Indonesia, it’s a reality. By Terry Firma|Friendly Atheist The “virginity tests” are…

‚Last Dalai Lama‘ Report in German Newspaper Misleading

10 Sep 2014

The offices of Ganden Phodrang, the official institution of His Holiness the Dalai Lama based in Dharamsala, India , have been beseeched with inquiries from media over the last 24…

Dying to Save the World

11 Jul 2014

Reports of growing violence against environmental activists lead to a search for solutions. By Mike Shanahan—ensia Jeannette Kawas was an accountant whose concept of value was broader than any balance…

Premarital sex „immoral“, says Indian judge

7 Jan 20147 Jan 2014

A Delhi court has acquitted a man accused of entering into a sexual relationship with a woman on the “false promise” of marrying her, saying pre-marital sex is “immoral” and…