Tag Archives: Himalayas

Research Preview: Nature Magazine Dec 21, 2023

Volume 624 Issue 7992

Nature Magazine – December 20, 2023: The latest issue cover features ten people who helped to shape science during the year. The cover takes its inspiration from one of the developments that dominated the year: artificial intelligence. 

From Einstein to AI: how 100 years have shaped science

Looking back a century reveals how much the research landscape has changed 

Earth is warming but Mount Everest is getting chillier

Winds triggered by climate change sweep cold air down from the summit of Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks, leading to a cooling trend.

ChatGPT and science: the AI system was a force in 2023 — for good and bad

The poster child for generative AI software is a startling human mimic. It represents a potential new era in research, but brings risks.

Artisans: Metalwork In Ladakh, Northern India

NOWNESS Films (December 11, 2023) – Travelling to India’s northernmost point, at the western tip of the Himalayas, the Ladakh region stands in a remote corner of the planet, flanked by towering peaks.

Deeply entwined with its cultural heritage, the mountainous territory carries a historic tradition of craft metalwork – as a center for the production of hand-crafted ornaments, teapots and spiritual artefacts, destined for temples, and held in high regard by India’s king dynasties.

But the craft has entered a point of decline, continued by just a handful of artisanal metalworkers who fight for its preservation.…

Travel Tour: The People And Cultures Of Bhutan

Jits into the Sunset Films (August 6, 2023) – Sitting on the western side of the Himalayas, Bhutan is a Buddhist Kingdom that famously prioritises the happiness of its citizens over national wealth. It is also famous for prioritising its citizens’ happiness over national wealth (GDP).

We were lucky enough to be invited to explore this unique country steeped in history and culture, where a traditional way of life reigns supreme and we were given access to film places cameras have never been before. Join us as we explore a remote indigenous mountain village, meditate with monks, and are welcomed into the homes of locals.

Himalaya Hikes: 100 Miles On Mount Manaslu, Nepal

Kraig Adams – Manaslu is the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres above sea level. It is in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. The name Manaslu means “mountain of the spirit” and is derived from the Sanskrit word manasa, meaning “intellect” or “soul”.

Video timeline: 00:00 Introduction 3:53 Kathmandu sightseeing tour and trek preparation day 7:23 9 hour drive to Machha Khola 930 m / 3,051 ft 9:28 Day 1 – 15 km / 9.3 mi to Jagat 1,410 m / 4,625ft 14:02 Day 2 – 19 km / 11.8 mi to Deng 1,800 m /5,905 ft 18:26 Day 3 – 9.5 km / 6 mi to Ghap 2,160 m/ 7,086 ft 22:30 Day 4 – 16 km / 10 mi to Lho 2630 m / 8626ft 26:47 Day 5 – 7 km / 4.3 mi to Samagaon 3,530 m / 11,581ft 31:08 Day 6 – Acclimatization day hike to Manaslu Basecamp 4,800 m / 15,748ft 34:33 Day 7 – 8 km / 5 mi to Samdo 3,690m / 12,106ft 37:36 Day 8 – 6 km / 3.7 mi to Larkya Rest House 4,470 m / 14,665 ft 41:42 Day 9 – 15 km / 9.3 mi to Bimthang over Larkya Pass 5,160 m/ 16,929 ft 46:16 Day 10 – 21 km / 13 mi to Dharapani 1,860 m / 6,102 ft 50:05 5 hour drive to Besisahar 1,881 m / 6171 ft 52:19 Behind the scenes and hiking guide

Photography: Stunning Views Of Mount Everest

Never seen before images of the detailed Everest Summit, C1, C2, C3 and C4. The Khumbu Icefall to the Western Cwm, all captured in stunning detail by the DJI Mavic 3.

Mount Everest is Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation of 8,848.86 m was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities. 

Himalaya Hikes: Langtang Trek In North Nepal (4K)

The Langtang trek is one of the shorter hiking routes in Nepal. It offers fantastic scenery from the jungle with banana trees and monkeys at lower altitudes to glaciers and ice peaks at higher elevations.

Langtang was a village development committee in Rasuwa District in the Bagmati Zone of northern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 468 people living in 100 individual households. 

Travel Views: Bhutan In The Eastern Himalayas

Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, is known for its monasteries, fortresses (or dzongs) and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys. In the High Himalayas, peaks such as 7,326m Jomolhari are popular trekking destinations. Paro Taktsang monastery (also known as Tiger’s Nest) clings to cliffs above the forested Paro Valley. 

Cultural Views: Tattooed Freight Trucks Of Nepal

Throughout Nepal, large freight trucks painted by artists provide special visual entertainment for travelers along the highways and dangerous mountain roads of the Himalayas. These creatively painted scenes and sayings can be clever, witty and even profound – offering food for thought to the viewer. Former Peace Corps volunteer and UC San Diego lecturer emeritus Ron Ranson, along with filmmaker Sudarson Karki, document the Nepali custom of painting trucks with icons of their country, spiritual life, European sports teams and even major movies like “Titanic.”

Travel, Food & Culture: Lhasa – Capital Of Tibet

Do you know why we Tibetans are so obsessed with eating dried Yak meat, how and when we make the dried yak meat? Today, I will take you to explore about this unique diet culture, and you will see our Yak meat market and more.

Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies on the Lhasa River’s north bank in a valley of the Himalayas. Rising atop Red Mountain at an altitude of 3,700m, the red-and-white Potala Palace once served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama. The palace’s rooms, numbering around 1,000, include the Dalai Lama’s living quarters, as well as murals, chapels and tombs.

Tibet, on the lofty Tibetan Plateau on the northern side of the Himalayas, is an autonomous region of China. It’s nicknamed the “Roof of the World” for its towering peaks. It shares Mt. Everest with Nepal. Its capital, Lhasa, is site of hilltop Potala Palace, once the Dalai Lama’s winter home, and Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s spiritual heart, revered for its golden statue of the young Buddha.

Climate Change: Flooding Rivers Ravage Bangladesh

Bangladesh is struggling just to stay afloat. Literally: By 2050, it’s estimated that climate issues will displace one in seven of the country’s inhabitants.

This film takes the viewer on a journey through Bangladesh, exploring why overflowing rivers flood three-quarters of the country every year. We see how flooding threatens the country’s food security, how soil erosion thrusts thousands into homelessness, and how climate refugees are forced to flee their homes in a desperate act of survival.

Along the way, we meet communities adapting to rising sea climate change by growing food on water. This is a strategy which could prove very useful in the near future, as rising sea levels threaten to inundate 11% of the country’s land in the next 30 years.

This documentary brings us to the front lines of the battle against catastrophic climate change in Bangladesh. It also tells the stories of activists who are bringing the dangers posed by man-made threats to light.