How central Asia became dry

CONTRARY TO existing perceptions, a review of international slums has concluded that living in close proximity could be a boon for alleviating health SUREOHPV &DOOLQJ LW WKH kQHLJKERXUKRRG HIIHFWy WKH\ VD\ a single intervention can simultaneously help improve many lives in densely populated areas. For instance, they cite Victorian London, where shutting off of a water pump DYHUWHG D FKROHUD HSLGHPLF 7KH kQHLJKERXUKRRG HIIHFWy could offer economies of scale and better returns on health investments and create a healthy environment. They recommend that all censuses must record details of slum clusters, as this will enable health experts to strategise effective action.

The Lancet, October 16

was a much greener region 23 million years ago. Climatic shifts due to the rise of new mountain ranges over geologic time may have turned the region into one of the world's most arid zones. The rise of lesser-known mountain ranges such as the Tian Shan and the Altai blocked the moisture from the west and the north. This was compunded by the fact that about 50 million years earlier to this event, the uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayan mountains halted rainfall clouds entering central Asia from the south, wiping out much the region's plant life.

Geology, September 12

GENETICS