Analysis
Some comments on India's heat
Responses to a few questions from BBC World reporters about the temperature crisis in India's centre and north.
Scicomm
Scicomm
Sci-Hub isn't just for scientists
Quite a few reporters from other countries have reached out to me, directly or indirectly, to ask about scientists to whom they can speak about how important Sci-Hub is to their work. This attention to Sci-Hub is commendable, against the backdrop of the case in Delhi high court,
Scicomm
Middle fingers to the NYT and NYer
American outlets will steal our journalists' ideas and obfuscate memories of their initiative and the Indian government will treat them like they don't exist.
Scicomm
MIT develops thermo-PV cell with 40% efficiency
Researchers at MIT have developed a heat engine that can convert heat to electricity with 40% efficiency. Unlike traditional heat engines – a common example is the internal combustion engine inside a car – this device doesn't have any moving parts. Second, this device has been designed to work with
Scicomm
At last, physicists report finding the 'fourth sign' of superconductivity
Using an advanced investigative technique, researchers at Stanford University have found that cuprate superconductors – which become superconducting at higher temperatures than their better-known conventional counterparts – transition into this exotic state in a different way. The discovery provides new insights into the way cuprate superconductors work and eases the path
Scicomm
Anonymity in journalism and a conflict of ethics
I wrote the following essay at the invitation of a journal in December 2020. (This was the first draft. There were additional drafts that incorporated feedback from a few editors.) It couldn’t be published because I had to back out of the commission owing to limitations of time and
Scicomm
Better nuclear fusion – thanks to math from biology
A new study discusses a way to make nuclear fusion devices more efficient by applying equations used in systems biology.
Scicomm
'Aatmanirbharta through science'
The Week magazine distinguished itself last year by picking Indian Council of Medical Research chief Balram Bhargava as its 'person of the year' for 2021. And now, ahead of National Science Day tomorrow, The Week has conducted an "exclusive" interview with science minister Jitendra Singh. Long
Scicomm
For colours, dunk clay in water
It's not exactly that simple, but it's still a relatively simple way to produce a lovely palette of colours. Researchers from Norway and Germany have reported that when a synthetic clay called Na-fluorohectorite is suspended in water, the material separates out in thin nanosheets – i.
Analysis
PTI, celebrating scientists, and class/caste
PTI's decision to stick Anna Menon's name in a headline about the new SpaceX crew makes no sense.
Culture
'Steps in the right direction' are not enough
To laud "steps in the right direction" is to flout an intentional ignorance of the government's track record.
Scicomm
News coverage in India of open access papers
In a study published in November 2021, Teresa Schultz, of the University of Nevada, Reno, reported that gold, green and hybrid open-access (OA) modes of publishing of scientific papers were correlated with more mentions in the news. Gold OA refers to scientists publishing their paper in an OA journal,