Feature Article

The demands of traditional Asian medicine (TAM) don't just pose a threat to the survival of tigers and rhinos (Nature 480, S101–S103; 2011). Numerous smaller species are also at risk, as a result of being traded in large volumes. (Correspondence)

Education centre known for battling creationists aims to help science teachers convey understanding of global warming.

Keeping track of a country’s greenhouse gases is an accounting problem of epic proportions. In the United States, scientists have relied on a mix of methods to build up their national emissions inventory, including monitoring the electricity output of a power plant and assessing the quality of the fuel that powers it.

Buses spew clouds of black exhaust fumes in Mexico City while, in India, wood burnt in rudimentary stoves fills houses with sooty smoke. Methane leaks from gas pipelines in Russia and rice paddies in China, eventually breaking down in sunlight and contributing to the production of smog and ozone. In each of these cases, simple steps to curb air pollution would promote public health; scaled up, they may offer the only realistic way to tame global warming over the next few decades.

Scientists wanting to implement change must collaborate between disciplines. An ambitious Amazon study shows them how, says Paulo Artaxo.

Researchers need to cement the bond between science and the South Pole if the region is to remain one of peace and collaboration. (Editorial)

The RTS,S malaria vaccine may soon be licensed. Models of impact of such vaccines have mainly considered deployment via the World Health Organization's Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in areas of stable endemic transmission of Plasmodium falciparum, and have been calibrated for such settings. Their applicability to low transmission settings is unclear. Evaluations of the efficiency of different deployment strategies in diverse settings should consider uncertainties in model structure.

Pest control is one of the areas in which population dynamic theory has been successfully applied to solve practical problems. However, the links between population dynamic theory and model construction have been less emphasized in the management and control of weed populations. Most management models of weed population dynamics have emphasized the role of the endogenous process, but the role of exogenous variables such as climate have been ignored in the study of weed populations and their management.

Government asks service providers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With an aim to minimise carbon emissions from the fast-growing telecom sector in India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked service providers to frame a Carbon Credit Policy, detailing methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The directions were issued on January 4 after much deliberation over the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its report, Approach towards green telecommunications, submitted last year.