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

Posted in Popular Science, Science, Social Science, Society | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Awards, Science, Society | 3 Comments

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

Posted in Higher Ed, Society | 17 Comments

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

Posted in Psychology | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Materials Science, Science | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Math, Popular Science | 1 Comment

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

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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

Posted in Higher Ed | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Gender | 1 Comment

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

Posted in Psychology, Society | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Ethics, Nasty people, Publish/Perish | Leave a comment