Monthly Archives: August 2006
Different meanings of the word ‘replicate’
In the rough-and-tumble world of science, disputes are usually settled in time, as a convergence of evidence accumulates in favor of one hypothesis over another. Until now. On April 10 economist John R. Lott, Jr., formerly of the American Enterprise … Continue reading
The Oscars of Indian Science: 2006 Edition
Yes, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prizes have been announced for the year 2006. As I said in my post last year, the SSB Prizes are the most prestigeous in India because (a) they represent peer recognition, and (b) they … Continue reading
Ranking of universities across the world
Let’s face it: global rankings of universities are here to stay, despite their poor methodologies. Among them, the ranking by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University University probably deserves the award for the worst methodology. It gives a huge weight — … Continue reading
The Fame Motive
People with an overriding desire to be widely known to strangers are different from those who primarily covet wealth and influence. Their fame-seeking behavior appears rooted in a desire for social acceptance, a longing for the existential reassurance promised by … Continue reading
BMQ
A quick note to tell you — particularly those of you in Bangalore — about the Bangalore Materials Quiz (BMQ), an annual event organized by us for the students of Classes XI and XII. As the name suggests, BMQ covers … Continue reading
What is so great about the proof of the Poincaré conjecture?
Jordan Ellenberg has a truly wonderful article in Slate. The entities we study in science fall into two categories: those which can be classified in a way a human can understand, and those which are unclassifiably wild. Numbers are in … Continue reading
Manhattan Project in energy saving technologies
Wired has an article (with links) about on-going research in energy-saving technologies in MIT. Check this one out! The research is applying new materials, new technologies and new ideas to radically improve an old concept — thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion of … Continue reading
What they don’t teach you in graduate school
Here are the links to the complete series by Paul Gray and David E. Drew: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Ben Barres’ Commentary: The Aftermath
Following Ben Barres’ explosive commentary in Nature, reactions are pouring in. First, there was media coverage (AP, SFChronicle, WaPo, WSJ, Science Daily) including a NYTimes interview. There are at least two blog reactions that are a must read. The first … Continue reading
Revenge and retribution: Beware the tricks our minds play
In his NYTimes op-ed, Harvard psychologist and author of the recently published Stumbling on Happiness Daniel Gilbert says: … In virtually every human society, “He hit me first” provides an acceptable rationale for doing that which is otherwise forbidden. Both … Continue reading
Depression, migraines and conflicts of interest
July 13: The latest incident, disclosed in letters to the editor and a correction in Wednesday’s journal, involves a study showing that pregnant women who stop taking antidepressants risk slipping back into depression. Most of the 13 authors have financial … Continue reading
