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Indian Desert School's Unique Design Offers Respite from Heat

Temperatures inside the school can be as much as 20 percent lower than those outside. Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP
Temperatures inside the school can be as much as 20 percent lower than those outside. Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP
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Indian Desert School's Unique Design Offers Respite from Heat

Temperatures inside the school can be as much as 20 percent lower than those outside. Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP
Temperatures inside the school can be as much as 20 percent lower than those outside. Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP

In the sweltering heat of India's Thar desert, where summer highs soar above 50 degrees Celsius, an architecturally striking school is an oasis of cool thanks to a combination of age-old techniques and modern design.
The Rajkumari Ratnavati girls' school uses the same yellow sandstone as the 12th-century fort in nearby Jaisalmer, in India's western state of Rajasthan, dubbed the "golden city" due to the color of the rock, AFP said.
Like the fort, the school has thick rubble walls that help bounce back the heat, while the interior is plastered with lime, a porous material that regulates humidity and aids natural cooling.
Unlike the ancient fort, its roof is lined with solar panels, which provide all the school's power in an area with frequent electricity cuts.
Temperatures inside the school, designed by US-based architect Diana Kellogg and built by local artisans -- many of them parents of pupils -- can be as much as 20 percent lower than those outside.
"I love going to the school," said eight-year-old Khushboo Kumari, one of the 170 students.
"The air feels as if it is coming from an AC."
The school's classrooms are arranged around an open elliptical courtyard resembling a Roman coliseum, and walls with grids of vents create shade while allowing for cooling airflow.
Elevated windows allow hot air to escape as it rises. Rainwater is harvested from the flat roof.
In some places, the walls are dotted with perforations -- a technique known as "jali" that was traditionally used for modesty, shielding women from view in the conservative society.
At the school, it is used to promote ventilation, creating a breeze channeled by the building's oval shape.
"There is cross-ventilation," said school supervisor Rajinder Singh Bhati, aged 29. "The white tiles on the terrace reflect the sunlight."
"It is totally eco-friendly."
'Airy and cool'
India this year baked in its longest-ever heatwave, according to government weather experts.
Temperatures surged above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), with warnings people will face increasingly oppressive heat in the future.
Manohar Lal, 32, the father of pupil Khushboo, said students looked forward to class thanks to the relative cool.
"There are frequent power cuts in Rajasthan, and children have to suffer as temperatures touch almost 50 degrees Celsius in summer," Lal said outside his modest home of mud and brick, which does not have a ceiling fan.
"But there are no such worries in the school because it is powered by solar energy," he added.
"It is airy and cool, and that is why the children enjoy going to school".
'Feels like heaven'
The school is supported by the US-based CITTA Education Foundation, meaning pupils attend for free in a state where the literacy rate for women is about 52 percent.
Uniforms, school materials and lunch for pupils are also provided.
"It's a big thing that they are getting quality education free of cost, considering they can't even afford proper meals or clothing," said Hindi teacher Priyanka Chhangani, 40.
Kellogg, the architect, said combining tradition with modern design and sustainable techniques was key.
"Because the craftsmen were so familiar with the stone, we were able to integrate traditional architectural details along with indigenous heritage details, so that the structure felt authentic to the region", she said.
Her oval design was inspired by "feminine symbols of strength", she added.
But while her design focused on tackling baking heat, it also faces an unexpected, climate change-driven problem -- floods.
Intense rainfall during the annual monsoon is common from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing its frequency and severity.
That increased rainfall has begun to impact the school, which was designed for a drier climate.
This year, a long-dormant river was overflowing, washing away soil at one side of the school.
Rajan Rawal, a professor at India's Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University, said the increasing intensity of rain was impacting buildings designed for other weather.
"Disasters like heat waves and floods impact the structural stability," Rawal said.
They also affect the thermal performance of the building, he added.
But teacher Chhangani said the school was still changing the lives of the pupils.
"These children don't even have fans at home," she said. "When they come to school, it feels like heaven to them."

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Varieties

Why Do Some Tropical Butterflies Live 25 Times Longer Than Their Relatives?

A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)
A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)
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Why Do Some Tropical Butterflies Live 25 Times Longer Than Their Relatives?

A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)
A Heliconius melpomene butterfly feeds on pollen. (Nature Communications)

Most butterflies have short lifespans, fluttering between colorful flowers for a few weeks before dying, but a few rare exceptions have stumped scientists. Now, some long-lived tropical butterfly species are shedding light on the secrets of longevity.

Butterflies belonging to the Heliconius genus, which inhabit the tropical rainforests of South and Central America, have lifespans that vary wildly. The Dione juno butterfly lives for 14 days after reaching adulthood, while Heliconius hewitsoni lives for 348 days — nearly 25 times longer.

Other Heliconius species also have impressively lengthy lives, enduring between 106 to 277 days, according to a study on the phenomenon published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Some scientists have speculated that Heliconius’ extended adulthood is due to the insects consuming an enhanced diet, rather than relying purely on carbohydrates like other butterflies.

But the exact reasons behind this unexpected longevity have been unclear, which is what inspired Dr. Jessica Foley, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, to take an in-depth look at the intriguing butterfly genus.

“We see vast differences in lifespan across the animal kingdom — adult mayflies famously live only for a day, whereas some whales and sharks can live for hundreds of years,” Foley wrote in an email.

“I’m interested in the evolutionary basis of these kinds of lifespan differences because they might hold insights relevant for healthy ageing in humans,” she added.

Foley and her colleagues discovered that while nutrition has its part to play, some Heliconius have also evolved an anti-aging mechanism the researchers are still unraveling — and how it could be a model for understanding human longevity.

The new research shows that Heliconius can be a potential model insect group for studying increased longevity, including adaptations that could slow aging and have potential applicability to humans, said Dr. Jaret C Daniels, curator and interim associate director for the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Daniels was not involved in the study.

“This study reinforces the utility of many insect groups and important model organisms for various fields of research,” Daniels said in an email.

“Since many insects are often overlooked or underappreciated by humans, studies like this can help change that perspective,” Daniels added.

Varieties

22 Saudi Universities Recognized in QS World University Rankings 2027

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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22 Saudi Universities Recognized in QS World University Rankings 2027

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

Twenty-two Saudi universities have been recognized among the world's leading higher education institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals topped the list of Saudi universities, ranking 63rd globally and securing a place among the world's top 100 universities. King Saud University ranked 107th globally, followed by King Abdulaziz University in 200th place, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in 421st place, and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in 474th place.

The rankings also included several other Saudi universities with a global presence, including Prince Sultan University, King Khalid University, King Faisal University, Umm Al-Qura University, Qassim University, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Alfaisal University, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Taif University, Effat University, Majmaah University, the Islamic University of Madinah, Northern Borders University, University of Hail, University of Tabuk, and Taibah University.

The continued progress reflects advancements made by Saudi universities in education, scientific research, and innovation. It also highlights the Kingdom's growing presence in global higher education and supports Saudi Vision 2030's goal of building a competitive, knowledge-based economy driven by innovation and academic excellence.

Varieties

Plan to Sell Artifacts from Titanic Faces US Government Opposition

FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)
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Plan to Sell Artifacts from Titanic Faces US Government Opposition

FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)

A plan to auction more than 100 artifacts salvaged from the wreckage of the Titanic — including personal belongings, currency, kitchen items and decor — is facing pushback from the US government, according to newly unsealed court documents.

RMS Titanic Inc., the company that owns exclusive salvage rights to the famous wreck in the North Atlantic, wants to sell the artifacts for the first time despite previous agreements to only display them at museums and traveling exhibitions.

Georgia-based RMS Titanic proposed auctioning the artifacts and displaying them on a global tour in four cities, although those locations haven't been publicly revealed. Court documents filed in the US referenced the company's plan to sell artifacts including a bronze cherub, a necklace of gold nuggets and a heart-shaped pendant.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration represents US interests and oversight in the wreck site. The agency contends such a sale would violate RMS Titanic's legal obligations to the site, according to documents a judge ordered unsealed earlier this month.

In arguing that the auction should be prohibited, the government wrote that the company “does not seek the Court’s approval, does not believe that approval is required, and asserts that it is not restricted in its ability to sell” the artifacts.

Representatives for RMS Titanic did not respond to The Associated Press requests for comment Monday. Its attorneys previously said in a federal court filing that the proposed auction arrangement wouldn’t violate existing court orders and agreements about the artifacts.

This is the latest attempt to sell Titanic artifacts Since 1987, salvage operations have retrieved thousands of items and even chunks of the Titanic’s hull. RMS Titanic makes money by exhibiting them.

Over the decades, the company has tried to sell artifacts to fund future explorations and as it faced financial trouble. But those efforts were roundly opposed by US courts along with preservation groups and relatives of the victims. Some of the salvaged items belonged to passengers aboard the ship.

However, items saved by survivors or plucked from the water by rescuers can be sold and often fetch big sums. A life jacket worn by a passenger went for just over $900,000 in April, while a gold pocket watch given to the ship captain who rescued the survivors was sold for nearly $2 million in 2024.

Auctioneers say the unending fascination with the Titanic — which sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Europe to New York, killing more than 1,500 people — and the rarity of artifacts adds up to high demand and exorbitant prices.

A trans-Atlantic dispute over the artifacts RMS Titanic wants to auction some of the first artifacts salvaged from the wreck. Those items were taken to France, which awarded ownership of them to the salvager. French oceanographic institute IFREMER partnered with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the discovery of the wreck.

The rest of the collection was retrieved during subsequent expeditions, and the salvage claim was made in a US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.

NOAA argues that all of the roughly 5,000 items — regardless of whether they were claimed in France or the US — must remain in one collection based on conditions set by the US court. NOAA also maintains on its website that a French court’s conditions required that the artifacts not be sold individually and be kept together as a single collection.

The company has argued, among other things, that the US court lacks jurisdiction over the items claimed in France.

Representatives for the French government did not respond to requests for comment late Monday.

Pieces of history for all to see Some undersea explorers have pushed back at the idea of selling Titanic artifacts, which they argue should be displayed in the public interest.

“I don’t have a problem with people recovering artifacts from the Titanic as long as it’s done careful, with proper archaeological techniques,” said Greg Stone, a veteran ocean explorer and ocean scientist. “I’d feel better if it was a nonprofit enterprise.”

Richard Daynard, a law professor at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston who specializes in public interest advocacy, said rules on the display and sale of Titanic artifacts are intended to preserve the wreckage for the benefit of the public, and so it can't be “picked up by billionaires for further display of their wealth and power.”

“If it’s something where someone can walk through their house and say ‘Yes, I bought this for $5 million and it’s original from the Titanic,’ that’s not a good thing,” he said.