MIT develops thermo-PV cell with 40% efficiency
Researchers at MIT have developed a heat engine that can convert heat to electricity with 40% efficiency. Unlike traditional heat engines – a common example is the internal combustion engine inside a…
Scicomm
331 posts
At last, physicists report finding the 'fourth sign' of superconductivity
Using an advanced investigative technique, researchers at Stanford University have found that cuprate superconductors – which become superconducting at higher temperatures than their better-known conv…
Anonymity in journalism and a conflict of ethics
I wrote the following essay at the invitation of a journal in December 2020. (This was the first draft. There were additional drafts that incorporated feedback from a few editors.) It couldn’t be publ…
Better nuclear fusion – thanks to math from biology
A new study discusses a way to make nuclear fusion devices more efficient by applying equations used in systems biology.…
'Aatmanirbharta through science'
The Week magazine distinguished itself last year by picking Indian Council of Medical Research chief Balram Bhargava as its 'person of the year' for 2021. And now, ahead of National Science Da…
For colours, dunk clay in water
It's not exactly that simple, but it's still a relatively simple way to produce a lovely palette of colours. Researchers from Norway and Germany have reported that when a synthetic clay called…
PTI, celebrating scientists, and class/caste
PTI's decision to stick Anna Menon's name in a headline about the new SpaceX crew makes no sense.…
'Steps in the right direction' are not enough
To laud "steps in the right direction" is to flout an intentional ignorance of the government's track record.…
News coverage in India of open access papers
In a study published in November 2021, Teresa Schultz, of the University of Nevada, Reno, reported that gold, green and hybrid open-access (OA) modes of publishing of scientific papers were correlated…
Some facts are bigger than numbers – a story
Some facts are just boring, like 1 + 1 = 2. You already knew them before they were presented as such, and now that you do, it's hard to know what to do with them. Some facts are clearly important,…
Why it's important to address plagiarism
Plagiarism is a tricky issue. If it's straightforward to you, ask yourself if you're assuming that the plagiariser (plagiarist?) is fluent in reading and writing, but especially writing, Engli…
On anticipation and the history of science
In mid-2012, shortly after physicists working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe had announced the discovery of a particle that looked a lot like the Higgs boson, there was some clamour in…