Journalist | Science, Health and Environment | Fellow @TRF | @laadli_pf, @SRFmentalhealth and Project Siren Awardee |
Srinagar, Kashmir
Joined January 2015
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For many generations, Kashmir’s farmers have cultivated traditional varieties of rice. A new study by researchers at SKUAST-Kashmir, Srinagar, has found that these varieties carry a unique genetic history.
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Kashmir’s traditional varieties carry cold-tolerance and other locally adapted genes that modern varieties have partly lost, making them potentially valuable as climate change increases stress on crops, new research has found. The analysis also indicated the varieties are more closely related to those from the Korean Peninsula and Northeast China.
✍️ Hirra Azmat
thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc…
Camouflaged among boulders, the elusive Ibisbill inhabits select Himalayan riverine habitats. A new study finds mean annual temperature is the key climatic factor shaping its distribution in Kashmir and Ladakh.
india.mongabay.com/2026/10/c…
Photo credits : Nilanjan Chatterjee
Hirra Azmat retweeted
A new study finds that mean annual temperature is the most important climatic factor influencing the distribution of the elusive ibisbill within the Kashmir and Ladakh Himalayas. @AzmatHirra reports.
india.mongabay.com/2026/10/c…
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Unbelievable Wasatch Back Colors
A plethora of colors that @utahsight (Trent Sayer) caught from his drone flight over some of the most beautiful Autumn colors I have seen yet this fall. I am surprised at the brilliance of colors this year, because of the hot and dry summer. We expected dull colors, but it turns out the September rain was enough to feed the trees, so they could turn into this spectacular kaleidoscope of brightness.
@dan_pope_meteorologist @weathercaster @UtahWxMetGuy @youtah @dannahyer @cajaaw @Grallon @brianwusa @brian_schnee @adambcarroll @wrighthydromet @UtahWxMan @CVAirportUT10 @stevebaron @SLCScanner @Gman1035ArrowDJ @brianwusa @dannahyer
"Ibisbill is a monotypic species, which means it is so distinct from other birds that it is the only member of its entire taxonomic family, Ibidorhynchidae. Therefore, it is extremely important to conserve the bird," Ornithologist Dr. Asad Rahmani told @MongabayIndia
A new study finds that mean annual temperature is the most important climatic factor influencing the distribution of the elusive ibisbill within the Kashmir and Ladakh Himalayas. @AzmatHirra reports.
india.mongabay.com/2026/10/c…
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Recently had a chance to rewatch Good Will Hunting, and thought Robin Williams's speech to Matt Damon in the park is something we could also recount to AI, and to ourselves so we remember what AI really is, and have it be mostly true. slightlyacidic.com/2026/10/0…
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Another photo of the Kingfisher in berries which I hadn't shared before, a different pose and a different crop. 😀😍🐦
In my latest story for @MongabayIndia India, I write about Kashmir flycatcher that travels thousands of kilometres each year to return home. But its migration route, stopover locations & winter ecology are still a mystery to scientists.
india.mongabay.com/2026/09/l…
Hirra Azmat retweeted
A can of Fanta sold in London contains 63 calories. In India, the same drink contains three times as much sugar. It also has artificial dye — requiring prominent health warnings in Europe — but in India, the colorant’s presence is noted merely in small print on the back of the can reut.rs/4zACBKD
Ladakh's glaciers are slowing due to climate change, impacting water supply in the Indus basin and regional ecosystems, my latest for @the_hindu
thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc…
@iitbombay @EGU_TC
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Ladakh's glaciers are slowing due to climate change, impacting water supply in the Indus basin and regional ecosystems.
✍️ Hirra Azmat
Pheasant species, such as the white-crested kalij pheasant, face mounting threats from habitat degradation, hunting, grazing, and activities that disturbs nesting, my latest for @MongabayIndia
@IUCN @wti_org_india
#Himalayas #Pheasants
india.mongabay.com/2026/08/h…
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Excess aquatic plants removed from Dal lake can be converted into liquid fertilisers, according to a new study. @AzmatHirra reports.
india.mongabay.com/2026/07/s…
Excess aquatic plants removed from Dal lake can be converted into fermented liquid fertilisers, a new study has found.
india.mongabay.com/2026/07/s…
@jkscientists @nitsriofficial
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Rising temperatures and faster glacier melt are intensifying chemical weathering and altering meltwater chemistry in the Ladakh region. @AzmatHirra reports.
india.mongabay.com/2026/06/c…
Hirra Azmat retweeted
Pleased to be featured in this india.mongabay.com/2026/06/c… article on glacier melt and downstream water quality. Important questions remain for ecosystems, agriculture, and drinking water in the Himalayas. @AzmatHirra @MongabayIndia