Is this a social experiment or a self-experiment? I am not really sure. Maybe I will function under the pretence that it is a social one, so that I can live with myself. But deep down, I know I am mortified of doing this. In fact, my fingers are trembling nervously as I type, betraying…
Imagine being a brain scientist, or a pothead (or both) in the 1990’s, and waking up to this headline1: That is exactly what happened in December 1992, when the field reported two ground-breaking discoveries in a single issue of Science2 (the NY Times of modern scientific research). Scientists had finally identified a specific receptor–the…
I still find it hard (read impossible) to look at myself in the mirror in presence of another person. A part of me feels too ashamed to indulge in “self-admiration” (as if looking in a mirror meant that I was Narcissus himself). A more critical part of me has this convoluted idea that if I…
This article comes to you from ward 2A of Lok Nayak Hospital, as I sit idly at the nursing station, having ticked off all the tasks I needed to complete in the ward- the umpteen samples drawn and reports entered and foley’s catheters inserted. Earlier today, I was listening to one very interesting podcast episode…
The idea for this article comes from a random morning where for some reason, instead of going through my morning routine mindlessly as usual, I actually decided to think about it. I reached out to pick up my toothbrush from amongst a handful that belonged to my family, and I could not, for the life…
Are you conscious? Is an ant? Is a grain of salt? Why does it matter what consciousness is? Well, for me, it is so fundamental to my existence that I feel I cannot know myself without first having thought about what consciousness is- and where does it come from, and why does it exist, and…
I was sitting in the back of my car today, travelling on my regular route, and I couldn’t help but terribly miss the feeling of being behind the wheel. I recently suffered an ankle injury that has left me unable to do so much as walk straight, much less drive safely (we’re recovering quick though!)….
Before my ankle broke earlier this week, I had gotten into a pretty decent routine of getting up at 4:30 AM in the morning and going to the gym. It was by far one of the most fulfilling things I did in the day, and naturally I was super proud of myself. I possibly cannot…
(T- 57 mins) As I type this, 4 astronauts are preparing to be launched into space (if interested, look up the NASA SpaceX Crew-5 Mission). Times like these, you wonder at the beauty that is science. I’ve spent my life being fascinated by stuff like this, but that is not what I want to talk…
Your body can encode about 25,ooo genes. But there’s another 5 million genes that are produced by the bacteria that live in your gut. That’s more than 99% of the total genetic material of your body! (1) The gut is very commonly referred to as the ‘second brain’ of our body, and for very…
I got my first 3-pointer ever! (In case you don’t play or follow basketball, a 3-pointer is a shot taken from this D area, and it requires considerable strength to get the ball that far :P) I have played basketball most of my childhood, was on the school team and we played some interschool competitions,…