Category: Science & Tech

A: Most believers of this idea follow an argument made by the philosopher Nick Bostrom. In half a century, video games have gone from dots on a screen to lifelike 3D worlds. Believers argue that in future, we will eventually create simulations indistinguishable from reality. If an advanced civilisation creates millions of such simulations, simulated...

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on March 4 launched a moonshot project to develop brain co-processors that combine neuromorphic hardware and AI algorithms to enhance or restore brain function. The project is funded by the Pratiksha Trust, founded by Senapathy ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan and Sudha Gopalakrishnan. “India is emerging as a global leader in neuroscience...

In India, urban noise is relentless yet it is largely under-recognised as a public health concern. The average Indian urban traffic reportedly routinely reaches 80-100 dB, exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended 70 dB limit, creating a recognised risk of hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) has long been viewed as an occupational disease of...

The recent announcement that China awarded its first “practical PhDs”, doctoral degrees conferred for tangible products rather than traditional research papers, is a timely catalyst for a long-overdue conversation on the relevance, design, and culture of PhD education in India.  In China’s new model, doctoral candidates are evaluated on working prototypes and real-world applications instead...

The recent announcement that China awarded its first “practical PhDs”, doctoral degrees conferred for tangible products rather than traditional research papers, is a timely catalyst for a long-overdue conversation on the relevance, design, and culture of PhD education in India.  In China’s new model, doctoral candidates are evaluated on working prototypes and real-world applications instead...

A: Last, astronomers reported finding the most distant hydroxyl maser yet using the MeerKAT telescope. A hydroxyl megamaser is a giant and naturally occurring laser found in deep space. Just as a regular laser focuses visible light into a concentrated beam, a maser focuses microwave or radio waves. The ‘hydroxyl’ part refers to a simple...

From the lapis-laden trade routes of the Bronze Age, blue travelled east and west, carrying with it power, devotion, and value. By the Kushan period, between the 2nd and 4th centuries CE, ultramarine pigment was extracted from Afghan lapis lazuli through a complex and painstaking process of crushing it carefully and treating it with beeswax...