Can animal studies be truly objective? In the early 20th century, a horse in Berlin captured the world’s attention with its mathematical proficiency. When asked an arithmetic question, Hans, the horse, would start tapping his hooves and stop when he arrived at the correct number. This remarkable feat elevated Hans’ status to genius. […]
Thresiamma Varghese shares the joys of discovering and preserving critters It was a rainy day and piercing cold winds swept through the third floor of the new Biological Sciences building. I pushed open the creaky museum door, stepping into the big, dimly lit room. It was warm inside, and I could smell the […]
Using IISc’s biodiversity for undergraduate education “How many of you noticed the beautiful, white-coloured, fragrant tree just outside the stairs that lead us here to the lecture hall?” I asked the first year UG students in my first class of organismal biology at IISc. Barely two or three uncertain hands were raised out of 120. […]
When we read research papers, there’s much that we do not know about the studies and their authors. An ecologist sets out to fill the gaps In 2016, I began a series of interviews with scientists about the backstory of papers they had written. Scientific papers often present a cleaned up version of science even […]
Students working on ecology, evolution, and conservation from IISc and other institutions in Bangalore came together for a competition to promote student interaction PhD students are accustomed to giving long presentations. But there are occasions when one is expected to sum up years of work in a short span, sometimes in just a few […]
A peek into the challenges of working in the wild “Field stations are absolutely crucial to the success of ecological research,” says Professor Rohini Balakrishnan, head of the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES). They form so vital a part of ecologists’ work that Kartik Shanker, Associate Professor at CES, says they’ve “internalised it”. “They are […]
