Prof-Ashok-Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar by Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh Biofuels are produced from living organisms as metabolic by-products, and have been around as long as cars have. At the start of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to fuel his Model Ts with ethanol, and early diesel engines were shown to run on peanut oil. But discoveries of huge petroleum deposits kept gasoline and diesel cheap for decades, and biofuels were largely forgotten. However, with the recent rise in oil prices, along with growing concern about climate change and global warming caused by carbon dioxide emissions, biofuels... 

Let your Buddha laugh! Sunday Editorial by Ratnakar Tripathy Dear Non-resident Biharis, Next time you come to Bihar, don’t waste your time counting the new flyovers or hanging around in your Bermudas in the new shopping, malls looking your affluent NR best! Talk to people! In particular the oldest and the youngest. Spend some time with a 15 year old niece or a 74 year old uncle if you really wish to get a measure of the change and its ratcheting pace. Avoid intellectuals and their tight-jawed bytes, especially the local substitutes of your metropolitan ones who get their reading lists and... 

Prof Ashok K. Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar Climate Change knows no national boundaries: the need to change how we behave towards earth by Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh With ocean temperature hitting record highs, Arctic sea ice dwindling, and glaciers melting faster than ever, it seems that climate change is knocking on our doors.The urgency is suddenly hitting home for people all around the planet.The problems associated with the climate crisis seem to be far from being solved – in spite of intense International debate that have spurred by scientific studies of the International Panel on Climate Change... 

Prof. Ashok K Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar Biomass Energy – Ideal alternative energy source for rural Bihar By Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh Biomass materials have been in use since man’s cave-dwelling days for meeting various human needs including energy. The main sources of biomass energy are trees, agricultural products and animal waste. Until the middle of 19th century, biomass dominated the global energy supply with about seventy percent share. Biomass remains the primary energy source in the developing countries in Asia even today. Share of biomass in energy varies – from a very high... 

Prof Ashok K Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar The Kosi confusion: First, understand how Kosi behaves and then look for solution! By Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh River Kosi often described as the “Sorrow of Bihar” exhibits many unique characteristics. During the past few hundred years Kosi has shifted its course from east to west to a distanceof 300kms, leaving behind massive devastation and vast tracts of uncultivable land.The Kosi river system is the only Indian River whose hydrology is deeply influenced both by the regional geological complexities and inputs of annual precipitation and Himalayan glacier... 

Prof Ashok K Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar   26th JUNE, International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking By Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh The United Nations General Assembly in 1987 decided to observe the 26 June as “The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking” as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and co–operation to achieve an international society free of drug abuse. Drug abuse is the use of a drug or other substance for a non-medical use, with the aim of producing some type of ‘mind-altering’ effect in the user. This... 

Prof Ashok Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar World Environment Day – 5th June, 2011: save forests and save our future By Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh Editor’s note: Since today is the World Environment Day, Prof Ashok Ghosh’s column is appearing today instead of Monday. Today is The World Environment Day. I started my day with newspapers and a cup of tea .Almost all the newspapers were splashed with substantive coverage of world environment day (WED)-2011.It is good to seethat thelevel of awareness towards our responsibility to mother earth, and proactive role of media is increasing. The theme for this... 

Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar Is Eucalyptus Tree Friend or Foe? Recent research shows no basis for bias! By Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh Eucalyptus tree is one of the exotic trees grown in many parts of world, including India. Tailapatra, Sugandhapatra, Tailaprana, and NilgiriTaila are the other common names used for the Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is a tall evergreen tree. It attains the height of more than 300 feet. Leaves of the tree on juvenile shoots are opposite, sessile, Eucalyptus Leaves cordate-ovate and covered with a bluish white bloom. The adult leaves are alternate, lanceolate and... 

Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh Eco-Scope Bihar An Eco-spiritual experience – A day at Bakhorapur By Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh Last week was hectic for me with a combination of scientific activities and spiritualism. Two scientists Prof. J. Bruining and Dr. M.E. Donselaar, Erasmus Mundus academicians from Technical University, Delft, The Netherlands were with us for a collaborative research related to arsenic contaminated aquifers of Bihar. The study area for this project is Bakhorapur. I often saw many tempos and trucks in Patna carrying the slogan - ‘jai ma bakhorapur wali’, my arsenic... 

Eco-Scope Bihar Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh Har Har Gange… By Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh I go for Gangasnan every year twice – once on Satuani and second on Mahalya for Tarpan to our family members who are no more in this physical world. This ritual is going on continuously since my father expired. Earlier I felt very fresh after Gangasnan, but during past few years, I do not feel as good before because of the clash between the scientist and a follower of Hindu religion within me. Will the River Ganga exist once all these dams will be completed? River Ganga sustains the agro-based economy of...