Researchers, doctors and communities work together to manage a neglected disease The first time Nagendra Kumar P started experiencing extreme pain was when he was a toddler. “He had severe headaches,” says his father, B Pandegowda. “We showed him to small hospitals nearby. He would become better for a few days, but the headaches […]
The influence of wind currents on humans and non-humans Chennai. 13 December 2016. I woke up in the morning and headed to the tea stall nearby for my daily dose of morning chai. It was windier than usual: my outfit ruffled heavily, and the umbrella I was carrying to protect me from the drizzle […]
The perils and pitfalls of making AI speak like humans In June this year, a Google engineer made a bombshell claim: the Artificial Intelligence (AI) system he had been working on had become sentient – it had become aware of its own existence and begun expressing emotions and feelings. Google summarily dismissed his claims […]
Cells can apply and sense forces to communicate and coordinate with each other. Scientists and engineers have teamed up under the mechanobiology banner to study these cellular forces The outermost and the innermost surfaces of any organ are lined by the ‘epithelium’, a tissue composed of cells arranged in a sheet. For instance, the […]
With each passing year, floods in Assam have become increasingly catastrophic, driven by a combination of socio-political factors and climate change The Udalguri district in Assam, which shares an international border with Bhutan, has historically been an area largely unaffected by extreme climate. But in recent times, this district, like many others across the […]
How pollutants like microplastics and fertilisers are damaging riverine ecosystems It’s 2022, which means that if the word “river” crops up in a conversation among college students, it would most likely be in the context of a Buzzfeed quiz that seeks to categorise them into a type of river. With the vast number of […]
Researchers at IISc are working on innovative solutions to improve water quality In August 2011, K Kesava Rao, Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, visited the village of Yellampalli, about 100 km north of Bangalore. The residents of the village were faced with a huge problem: water scarcity. To make matters worse, the […]
The tiny molecule that wears many hats inside our body A memory brings a smile as I gulp down water to quench my thirst. School, science class, and tiny desks. Our teacher was explaining to us that “water is colourless, odourless, and tasteless.” “But miss, I can taste water!” one of my classmates piped […]
What it takes to recycle sewage and rejuvenate the city’s lakes In 1993, when I first visited Bangalore, it felt like a different country to me. I was coming from dry and hot Nagpur, where the sky fades to almost white in summer, and the colour of the Gulmohar flowers is yellowish orange. Here, […]
The soil under our feet is teeming with life, and understanding and nurturing it has a positive impact on our lives A memory. My friend and I followed the ball as it bounced towards the pit in the backyard. Heat wafted up, and the air was saturated with a warm, earthy smell that wasn’t […]
