Dogs likely to bite on hot, sunny, smoggy days: Harvard study

A Harvard study has found that dog bites increase on hot, sunny and smoggy days. The study, which was conducted by three researchers and analysed 69,525 reports of dogs biting humans, found that the incidents “increased with increasing ozone, temperature, and UV irradiation, and decreased on rainy days and on holidays”. The study aimed to “determine potential environmental contributions to the daily prevalence of dog bites in 8 US cities during the years 2009 to 2018 in relation to temperature, the air pollutants PM2.5 and ozone, while controlling for precipitation, UV irradiation, calendar, and seasonal factors”.

India’s forest, tree cover at 25.17% due to large scale plantation works: Govt to UN

India's forest and tree cover reaches 25.17% of geographical area, driven by national initiatives like Aravalli Green Wall and Green India Mission. The country shared ecosystem valuation insights at the UN, emphasizing sustainable forest governance.