Science journalism, expertise and common sense
On March 27, the Johns Hopkins University said an article published on the website of the Centre For Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), a Washington-based think tank, had used its logo wi…
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1664 posts
For coronavirus claims, there is a world between true and false
2 min read
In high school, you must have learnt about Boolean algebra, possibly the most fascinating kind of algebra for its deceptive ease and simplicity. But thanks to its foundations in computer science, Bool…
Lord of the Rings Day
3 min read
A happy Lord of the Rings Day to you! (Previous editions: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014) Every year I pen a commemorative piece about Lord of the Rings, and share something about the books and films t…
On India's path to community transmission
7 min read
There's a virus out there among many, many viruses that's caught the world's attention. This virus came into existence somewhere else, it doesn't matter where, and developed a mutation…
The sea of metal
3 min read
Two of the most decisive moments of the Second World War that I can’t get enough of are the Battle of Stalingrad and the D-Day landings. In the Battle of Stalingrad, Adolf Hitler’s army suffered its f…
'Hunters', sci-fi and pseudoscience
3 min read
One of the ways in which pseudoscience is connected to authoritarian governments is through its newfound purpose and duty to supply an alternate intellectual tradition that subsumes science as well as…
Review: 'Hunters' (2020)
1 min read
Just binge-watched the first season of Hunters, the bizarre Amazon Prime original about a covert group of Jews in 1970s' New York city tracking down and killing Nazis who were integrated by the US…
A great discussion on the history of India's tech.
9 min read
Analysis
Science
appropriate technology
Arun Mohan Sukumar
brain drain
CSIR
Emergency
Five Year Plan
history of science
history of technology
Human Genome Project
Indian Institutes of Technology
ISRO
Jahnavi Phalkey
Jawaharlal Nehru
Midnights Machines
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Morarji Desai
Nandan Nilekani
Planning Commission
solar cooker
UIDAI
Vikram Sarabhai
On February 27, the Bangalore International Centre and Carnegie India hosted a panel discussion around Midnight Machines, the new book by Arun Mohan Sukumar that traces the interplay of technology and…
The Nobel intent
1 min read
You've probably tired of this but I can't. The Nobel Prize folks just sent out a newsletter ahead of Women's Day, on March 8, describing the achievements of female laureates of each of the…
Dehumanising language during an outbreak
5 min read
Op-eds
Scicomm
Science
Amit Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party
COVID-19
dehumanisation
Eman Ahmed
epidemic
Harsh Vardhan
infection
infectious diseases
local transmission
private healthcare
public healthcare system
Saifee Hospital
SARS-CoV-2
science communication
science journalism
The Guardian
Washington Post
Wuhan coronavirus
It appears the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has begun local transmission in India, i.e. infecting more people within the country instead of each new patient having recently travelled to an already affected…
Writing itself is fantasy
3 min read
The symbols may have been laid down on paper or the screen in whatever order but when we read, we read the words one at a time, one after another – linearly. Writing, especially of fiction, is an act…
A new beginning
1 min read
When The Wire was launched on May 11, 2015, we (the editors) decided to organise the site’s content within six principal categories: politics, political economy, foreign affairs, science, culture and…