Mythology and science

The 102nd Indian Science Congress being held in Mumbai will be remembered for a very long time to come, but for all the wrong reasons. For the first time, the science congress had a session on “Ancient Sciences through Sanskrit”. If the Indian Science Congress had long lost its eminence as a forum where results of serious science being done in the country are presented and discussed in most sessions, the inclusion of Ancient Sciences through Sanskrit has only lowered its standing further. Even as a public session, there is no real reason whatsoever for it to have been included in the proceedings. At best, a session could have been devoted to the history of Indian science which has real and substantial achievements to celebrate, with serious scholars working on the subject presenting papers. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi setting the tone for this antiquity frenzy with his implausible claims that cosmetic surgery was practised thousands of years ago and in-vitro fertilisation-like procedure was resorted to long back, and different political leaders following it up with several other incredulous claims well before the start of the national event, the reason for the inclusion of the session becomes supremely clear. Instead of fostering scientific temper, the congress has provided a forum to seed the minds of young people with pseudoscience. Some of the papers presented were about Indians’ “knowledge of making aeroplanes” that could undertake interplanetary travel, between 7000 and 6000 BC, and “radars” that worked on the principle of detecting energy given out by animate and inanimate objects and finding out if a body was dead or alive.

Science is grounded on the principle of reproducibility of results. The claims of advanced science and technology in the ancient world are based on some references in ancient scripts that may be wholly imaginary. Flying, for instance, has caught humankind’s imagination across cultures right from ancient times. Such references should be taken for the myths they are, not as scientific facts. Scientists have been able to create animal chimeras that have cells/organs of different species, much as what Greek mythology describes. Should the Greeks then be taken as pioneers in the science of chimera production? Thanks to our understanding of genetics and the ability to fertilise eggs outside the body, producing designer babies is no longer in the realm of science fiction. Should the creators of the science fiction then be credited with devising the procedures? Compare this with how Sir Arthur C. Clarke documented his idea of communications satellites in a concept paper published in 1945. Dozens of geosynchronous satellites launched each year do precisely what Sir Arthur had visualised there.

Jan 06 2015 : Mirror (Pune)

Special scholarships for NE students announced

Pallavi Smart TWEET @ThePuneMirror





Another step byy UGC to encourage higher education in the Seven Sisters, provide equal opportunities, encourage students to study across the nation

After asking universities to include history, culture and literature in the curriculum; the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced special scholarships for economically backward classes of North East (NE). The objective is to encourage higher education in that region and provide equal opportunities and encourage them to study across the nation.However, organisations of northeastern Indian communities active in the city feel that more needs to be done by the government apart from financial help.
Last week, a UGC-issued circular declared fellowships for needy students from the NE region.
“The special scholarship scheme is titled Ishan Uday and will begin from the next academic year,“ stated the circular. “10,000 fresh scholarships will be given every year for general degree courses and professional courses -including medical and paramedical -and if the applications are more than the available scholarships, students will be chosen on the basis of merit.“
Dr Niraj Meitram, secretary of the Association of Manipuri Diaspora, Pune, said, “Financial support for needy students is a good gesture.But this is just one part. There are other more important aspects to be looked into to help youngsters from the NE. Their security is of utmost importance which can be achieved by encouraging the feeling of inclusiveness in them by changing the attitude of others. However, if this first step is taken, we can hope that further steps of our welfare will also be taken soon.“
Anthony Moirangthem, executive member of the North East Community Organisa tion, Pune (NECOP), said, “Relationship building between youngsters from North East India and those from the rest of the country is more important. There should be students' exchange programmes especially designed to encourage students from different parts of the country to visit the North East to understand their culture, livelihood, etc. It is important to make the rest of India believe that North East is part of India.“
Rip Bagra, convener of Arunachal Pradesh Students Welfare Association, said, “There are so many things that we need to be prepared for when we leave our rooms, starting from questioning our nationality to our dressing and ways of lifestyle. I blame the system for this. We study history of so many different parts of the country; we know historical personalities from different states but nothing about North East India. Why were there no efforts made by the system to include this in the school curriculum?“

Jan 06 2015 : Mirror (Pune)

`Science is all about questioning'

Pallavi Smart TWEET @ThePuneMirror





Ada Yonath, first female Nobel laureate from West Asia, on scientific research as a connected whole, rather than different subjects

Beginning research work at a young age is key. Research is all about finding answers and this curiosity is best honed when one is young.“ These were Israeli crystallographer Ada Yonath's enthusiastic words as she took the stage at Bharati Vidyapeeth on Monday. Yonath, the first woman from the West Asia to win the Nobel Prize was chief guest at the institute's 16th convocation ceremony.“Do not chase money, awards or titles. Chase excellence instead and success will come to you,“ she urged.
Yonath won the Nobel for chemistry in 2009, sharing the honour with Indian-born American physicist and molecular biologist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and American biophysi cist and biochemist Thomas Steitz, for her research on the atomic structure and function of cellular particles called ribosomes.
Currently, she serves as director of the Helen and Milton A Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.
In conversation with Mirror after the ceremony, Yonath shared her insights and observations on research work in India, and her firm belief in the inter-connectedness of all scientific fields.
How do you see research work in India progressing?
It is certainly moving forward but I feel a more interdisci plinary approach is needed.
Focused research may reach inconclusive ends be cause the researcher is looking at the subject from a single perspective. Researchers need to be open to questioning from all aspects of science. There could be times when one has to answer questions on biology in the field of chemistry.
What are your thoughts on increasing and improving research work in India?
Start young! I began experiment ing when I was five years old ­ the balcony in our house was my first laboratory. Currently, research projects are for postgraduate or doctoral students. This could change ­ research could be un dertaken by graduate or even un dergraduate students. Science could be made more exciting. On a more practical note, officials need to introspect on whether well-equipped laboratories, supporting infrastructure and qualified teachers are available.
Students in India are often attracted to professional science courses such as bio-tech and engineering rather than pure science courses. Your thoughts on this?
Why does science need to be divid ed? Bio-tech, engineering, a regu lar B Sc -all these are merely differ ent forms of science and they are all connected. What is important is to encourage students to do research work and not limit them.
Any specific field where more research is required?
I suppose research work in biology is a little tepid if compared to phys ics and mathematics. However, in stead of seeing science as separate subjects, it would be far more bene ficial to find questions which are as yet unanswered and start explor ing them. Let's not limit science to subjects which divide.

Jan 06 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

A Good Beginning On Health Policy





The new draft policy covers useful ground

The government has done a good job with the proposed update to the National Health Policy of 2002 vintage. It presses most of the right buttons, has the right priorities, covers a vast ground from the change in the nature of the nation's disease burden (from communicable disease to a preponderance of non-communicable disease) through shortage of human resources in the sector to use of information and communication technology . It seeks to guarantee health for all as an entitlement. This is brave, considering this is very much the approach of the previous UPA government, which the present one has been seeking to badmouth in general. It seeks to increase public expenditure on health to at least 2.5% of GDP, taking note that India ranks low on this score among the major nations of the world. It targets 40% of this expenditure for the Centre, which is quite substantial but has to be prioritised for research, manpower development, regulation and bulk purchases of expensive drugs from multinationals to bring prices down.The draft policy could gain from extending its focus to two areas. One is aligning incentives between insurance and private healthcare provision. Right now, hospitals seek to maximise their take, inflating expenditure, particularly on investigations and avoidable surgery . Insurance seeks to minimise the tab it picks up, leaving the patient in a bad place. If the actuarial exercise of determining the likely cost of keeping a person healthy and treating him in case he falls ill can be performed by the healthcare provider, who then charges the insurance buyer this amount directly , it would obviate a layer of insurance company costs and profit and align incentives better. This system of what is increasingly called Accountable Care needs greater policy attention.
Another area of concern is threats arising from globalisation. People and goods cross borders extensively , bringing in disease that would have been localised in the past. Emergency response systems to epidemic outbreaks must figure in the health policy as well.

Jan 06 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Depression is a physical ailment?

London: PTI





Depression may not be a mental or emotional condition but actually a result of inflammation caused by the body's immune system, scientists say .George Slavich, a clinical psychologist at the University of California in Los Angeles, has spent years studying depression, and has come to the conclusion that it has as much to do with the body as the mind.
“I don't even talk about it as a psychiatric condition anymore. It does involve psychology , but it also involves equal parts of biology and physical health,“ he says.
Research has shown that healthy people can be temporarily put into a depressed, anxious state when given a vaccine that causes a spike in inflamma tion, `The Guardian' reported.
A family of proteins called cytokines sets off inflammation in the body, and switches the brain into sickness mode. Both cytokines and inflammation have been shown to rocket during depressive episodes, and in people with bipolar disorder -drop off in periods of remission.
Another researcher Turhan Canli of Stony Brook University in New York believes infections are the most likely culprit behind inflammation and goes as far as to say that we should rebrand depression as an infectious, but not contagious, disease.
However, infection is not the only way to set off inflammation. A diet rich in trans fats and sugar has been shown to promote inflammation. Obesity is another risk factor. Carmine Pariante, a psychiatrist at Kings College London, believes that in five to 10 years, there may be a blood test that can measure inflammation in people with depression.

Jan 06 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

South India beats North in the art of giving

Bengaluru: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Wipro chairman Azim Premji has been crowned the “Most Generous Indian“ for the second year in a row. In a ranking of Indian philanthropists put together by China's Hurun Research Institute, Premji, with a donation of Rs 12,316 crore to the Azim Premji Foundation between April 2013 and October 2014, is way ahead of others in the list.At No. 2 is Anil Agarwal of the London-listed Vedanta Resources, with a donation of Rs 1,796 crore, primarily towards social and rural development.At the third spot is HCL chairman Shiv Nadar, with a donation of Rs 1,316 crore.
Among cities, Mumbai tops the charts with 15 philanthropists in the total of 50, followed by Bengaluru (8) and Delhi (6). Overall, South Indians are more generous, donating Rs 13,300 crore -five times that by North Indians.
Infosys has the highest number of philanthropists in the top 10, with its founders Nandan Nilekani (along with wife Rohini) and Kris Gopalakrishnan ranked sixth and ninth.
This is the second year that Hurun Research Institute has put out a list of those donating at least Rs 10 crore.This year's report shows that 50 philanthropists donated over Rs 10 crore, up from 31 last year. This year's list has 27 new faces.
There are new-generation philanthropists like hedge fund manager Ashish Dhawan and cardiologists Vijay and Khushman Sanghvi, and they are seen to be unleashing a new wave of philanthropy in the country .
The total contribution of the top three philanthropists grew significantly by 29% (Rs 3,508 crore) over the previous year. Indian philanthropists contributed significantly to education (Rs 15,791 crore), followed by social and rural development (Rs 2,333 crore), healthcare (Rs 1,447 crore) and environmental protection (Rs 12 crore) between April 2013 and October 2014, according to a list put together by China's Hurun Research Institute.
Some 11 of the top 50 philanthropists do not live in India. Of these, five made their donations in India. Thirty-seven of the philanthropists are self-made, compared to 21 in the previous year. This year's list has several women, including Anu Aga, Rohini Nilekani, Zarina Screwvala, Yasmin Gupta, and Savitri Jindal.
Premji, with a net worth of $16.4 billion, has since 2010 transferred more than $4 billion to a trust that controls the Azim Premji Foundation, which works to improve the quality and equity in government school education. The foundation has established Azim Premji University, focused on developing talent and research for education and the social sector. Premji is quoted as saying: “I strongly believe that those of us who are privileged to have wealth should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged.“
Vedanta's Agarwal has pledged to donate 75% of his family's wealth to charity . Agarwal is estimated to have a personal fortune of Rs 12,316 crore. Nadar has committed $1 billion to his foundation, which focuses on providing highquality education to children from economically poor backgrounds.He has also started a developmental venture, Samudhay , to accelerate change in rural India.

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