Compiled by: Pallavi Sharma
First human Clone born
Even before cloned dinosaurs terrorized the heroes of Steven Spielberg`s ``Jurassic Park," filmmakers and fiction writers liked to preview a scary future when babies would come not from the stork but from cloning technology. And now are the worst fears about cloning humans are likely to come true, if recent news stories prove true.
There are plenty of serious reasons to hesitate before taking that step. But set aside for the moment the sober scientific and ethical objections. And consider instead this consequence: We would de-fang the modern monster that we most love to hate....a clone, in and of itself, could be decidedly not scary. By the very definition of the technology, this baby should be nothing new. It would, after all, be a genetic copy of someone whose face already was familiar at the supermarket and the car wash. The world`s first cloned baby is born.The baby, a girl, was born on December 26 by cesarean section. The birth "went very well," said Boisselier, president of the human cloning society Clonaid.
As the effort by the Raelians to achieve the first human birth by cloning was carried out in the secrecy, it was not immediately possible to obtain any independent scientific confirmation that the baby was in fact a clone.

The baby born was the first of five the Raelians have said were due.
The Raelians, who claim 55,000 followers worldwide, believe that life on earth was established by extra-terrestrials who arrived in flying saucers 25,000 years ago, and that humans themselves were created by cloning.

The movement`s founder, Rael -- the former French journalist Claude Vorilhon -- lives in Quebec. He describes himself as a prophet and claims that cloning will enable humanity to attain eternal life. Tasmanian tiger cloning breakthrough
After more than two years of ongoing cloning research, the Australian Museum has overcome a crucial obstacle in its continuing efforts to bring back to life the extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
In May 2002 the Evolutionary Biology Unit at the Australian Museum in Sydney successfully replicated individual Tasmanian Tiger genes using a process known as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).
The last known Tasmanian Tiger, or Thylacine, died in captivity in 1936, but a team of biologists believe the animal’s extinction may simply be a 70-year hiccup.
The most significant breakthrough to date has been the replication of individual Tasmanian Tiger genes using the PCR process. These PCRs show that short fragments of the DNA are undamaged and undoubtedly Tasmanian Tiger DNA, and that there is no reason why these should not work in a living cell.
A great year for Indian scientists:

It was a proud moment for Indian scientists when Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, from their fraternity, became the country`s President. The year also witnessed crossing of major milestones like launch of the country`s first weather satellite, another communication satellite and progress towards the goal of India on the moon.
The year witnessed a glorious moment when Massachusetts Institute of Technology named a recently discovered planet, spotted between Mars and Jupiter, after a 15-year-old boy from Jabalpur, as "12509 Pathak". The honour came in recognition of Madhav Pathak`s invention of a Braille writer to help the blind read and write. Pathak`s invention was the result of his sensitivity towards his blind uncle`s plight. Giving a succinct message that the country`s space technology has come of age, scientists for the first time used Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C4) to launch a satellite, Metsat, into the Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The previous five PSLV flights had launched remote sensing satellites in polar sun-synchronous orbits.
Metsat is the country`s first satellite meant exclusively for meteorological purposes. In the future, it can be modified into a small communications satellite, reducing cost. Metsat is expected to enhance capability to predict monsoon and cyclones by beaming information on clouds and vapour content.

It wasn’t that there were some gray areas - doubts were cast on scientists` capabilities when monsoons failed to come up to their expectations, underscoring the need to have adequate capability for long range weather forecast. Environment is the year’s hottest topic

Environment became one of the hottest issues this year with government grappling with the pressures from the developed world on climate change even as on the domestic front it faced criticism from judiciary on pollution levels and remained undecided on auto fuel policy and commercial cultivation of GM mustard.

Rising pollution levels in the capital and most of the other metros and government’s inaction prompted the Supreme Court to intervene, which was instrumental in converting the entire public transportation in the capital to CNG-run.
The brouhaha on Mashelkar committee report kept the government undecided on whether to stick to its earlier plan of going for Euro-III norms only by 2005 or leapfrog to Euro-IV.
The growing awareness about the adverse effects of climate change and high economic stakes made the west dictate terms on green house gas emissions but the third world, led by India, refused to buckle under pressure.

However, the UN Conference on Climate Change (cop-8) held in the capital in October brought into sharp focus the north-south divide on numerous issues, at the same time bringing to the fore the enormous business opportunities it could offer.

Cop-8 also brought into focus the investment potential Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or carbon trading provided. Going by the response of the third world countries, the future will bring stiff competition to bag these projects.
`Asian Brown Cloud` poses global threat

Indian scientists refuted the international study this year that claimed a dense blanket of pollution, dubbed the "Asian Brown Cloud," is hovering over South Asia. Foreign scientists warned it could kill millions of people in the region, and pose a global threat. Indians however rejected the finding saying the study lacked proof.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) painted an alarming picture of "a vast blanket of pollution stretching across South Asia" damaging agriculture, modifying rainfall patterns including those of the mighty monsoon and putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk. The full report was commissioned by UNEP and carried out by the Centre for Clouds, Chemistry and Climate.

Indian scientists say that during January to March, the emission of soot and other pollutants from Asia reach the Arabian Sea in tandem with the winds that blow from North-East during this season. This haze lasts till April. From May onwards, the wind changes direction, triggering rainfall and hence the largely man-made pollution is washed out. Hence, this haze exists during the period from January to March only.
The January to March period covered by the UNEP team`s computer simulations happens to be the lull period after both the south-west monsoon (June to September) and the north-east monsoon (October to December) spend themselves over. For India, the average nationwide rainfall for the entire January-March period is only about 12 cm, just five per cent of the total annual rainfall. So even if in percentage terms a major shift was to occur, in absolute terms the change would be quite small and its consequences, therefore, less told. There is no evidence that the south-west or north-east monsoons would be affected.
The UNEP reports points out that the aerosol content in the atmosphere over the South Asian region builds up during October, peaks during February and March, decreases in May and June, and decreases even further during July to September because of the monsoon.

The claim that this brown haze will have catastrophic impact on monsoon and agriculture is pure speculation and is not supported by observations. Earth Summit 2002:

The World Summit on Sustainable Development – brought together tens of thousands of participants, including heads of State and Government, national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesses and other major groups to focus the world`s attention and direct action toward meeting difficult challenges, including improving people`s lives and conserving our natural resources in a world that is growing in population, with ever-increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic security.
Unlike earlier summits, which dealt largely with establishing policy, the 2002 United Nations World Summit on sustainable development focused on stimulating action on a number of crucial environmental and health issues.
Several countries announced their intentions to ratify the Kyoto Protocol at the summit, a shift in international opinion that some experts believe may result in changes in US policy on reducing greenhouse gases.
Genetically Modified: Bt Cotton and Mustard

India`s environment panel on March 26, 2002 allowed the production of three genetically modified cotton hybrids by a private company which has US biotechnology giant Monsanto as its partner.
Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has approved the release of BT (bacillus thuringiensis) cotton into the environment of the country with certain conditions.
This is the first genetically engineered hybrid allowed for commercial sowing by the government after over five years of field trials and lab tests by the Bombay-Based Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (MAHYCO).

Monsanto owns a 26 percent stake in MAHYCO. The company started limited field trials of its BT (bacillus thuringiensis) seed in 1996/97 but has faced opposition from environmentalists and farmers worried about its safety.
The BT cotton contains the ``Cry 1 Ac`` gene and is resistant to the cotton bollworm, which can cause heavy damage to crops.
Soon after, ostensibly to escape public pressure, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests has `deferred` its decision to accord approval for commercial planting of Genetically Modified Mustard -- the first genetically engineered food crop that is pending clearance.
The GEAC decision is merely an eyewash and is intended to buy time. No additional research trials can be conducted in the next few weeks nor is there a scientific competence within the country to examine its implication on human health and environment in a month`s time.
The Indian government`s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee has postponed a decision on whether to give permission to pro-agro seed company to grow GM mustard.
The committee, chaired by A M Gokhale, and part of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, says it needs more time to analyse the data from a variety of ministry perspectives.

The transgenic mustard hybrids are MT 95002, MT 95003 and MT 95005, and contain the Barnase, Barstar genes from Bacillus liquifaciens, and Bargene from Streptomyces hygrospicus.
While mustard is essentially a self-pollinating crop, introduction of these genes has created a commercially viable hybridisation system. The `barnase-barstar` technology, is a proprietary of Bayer CropScience. The hybrids are based on `Varuna` and `Kranti`, mustards developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. International Children’s Conference- May 22, 2002:

Over 750 international delegates were in Victoria to attend the fourth International Children`s Conference on the Environment.
Japan-Led Group Decodes Rice Genome-
Dec. 18, 2002:

A Japan-led group of international researchers has effectively decoded the rice genome, a development that could lead to higher-yielding varieties aimed at alleviating hunger. The decoding was completed with 99.99 percent accuracy. The rice genome is composed of about 400 million bases.
Rice is a staple for half the world`s population, and the decoding of its genes is expected to help alleviate world hunger by making it easier for scientists to come up with varieties that are more nutritious and have higher yields.
Japan decoded 55 percent of the sequence, followed by the United States with 18 percent and China with 10 percent, said the agriculture ministry official. Taiwan, France, India, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Brazil also participated.