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Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 Pooja Kashyap

I eventually decided to read this book that I’d been avoiding for quite some time, and believe me, it turned out to be really enjoyable. The book was first published in 1945 in England. George Orwell, under the real name Eric Blair, faced publisher reluctance to release “Animal Farm” due to its daring satire of the Russian Revolution and the rise of communism. While not explicitly mentioned, political connections are evident as we read the book.

Condensing Neutron Pairs: Helium-8’s Exciting Revelation

December 29, 2023December 29, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Scientists at Peking University have successfully uncovered the elusive 02+ state of 8He. The 02+ state of 8He refers to a specific energy state of the helium-8 (8He) nucleus. The “2+” signifies that the state has a positive parity, and the “0” indicates a specific spin value. The observation and understanding of such nuclear states provide valuable insights into the structure and behavior of atomic nuclei.

Firefighters of the Future: The ‘Flying Dragon’ Robot

December 28, 2023December 28, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

How about a dragon flying around, but get this – not spitting out fire, but actually putting out flames with water! Japanese researchers are up with concretizing this cool idea. Thinking of firefighting dragon as blasting water on out-of-control fires, these scientists are working on a dragon buddy, which someday would join firefighting teams worldwide. It’s like a mix of myth and modern-day firefighting.

Transistors Get a Makeover with Sliding Ferroelectricity Power

December 27, 2023December 27, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Lately, tech wizards are aiming to create hardware that combines computation and data storage all in one gadget. These emerging electronics, called as computing-in-memory devices, will be a game-changer for faster speeds and improved data analysis.

Is Algae the Next Green Protein Alternative?

December 26, 2023December 26, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Discover a green protein alternative – algae. Forget meat, researcher says algae is the new and eco-friendly protein that we’ve been ignoring so far. The University of Exeter just dropped a study in The Journal of Nutrition. The research demonstrates that two everyday algal species are protein powerhouses. And so, ingestion of those can help young as well as healthy adults remodel their muscles.

Book Review: 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut

December 22, 2023January 17, 2024 Pooja Kashyap

The book, 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut is about a dystopian world, where society is extremely strict about population control. It was originally published in 1962. Kurt Vonnegut was an American author renowned in the world of satirical fiction. His writings are a wild ride through his unique perspectives on wars, politics, and religion. This happens to be my second read, after Timequake, from the vault of Vonnegut. This book too is equally thought-provoking.

Gut Defense: Microbiome Blocks Pathogens’ Nutrient Access

December 21, 2023December 21, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Deep within our stomach, a lively neighborhood thrives. The community is known as the gut microbiome. It is housing hundreds of bacterial species. The fascinating world of the gut microbiome steps up to shield us from nasty invaders called pathogens. Details of its protective powers have been a bit fuzzy until now. Scientists have been tackling and exploring which bacterial players hold the secret to its protective magic.

Cosmic Recycling: NASA’s Discards Turned into Futuristic Nanomaterials

December 21, 2023December 21, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Sussex researchers just unveiled the game-changing power of Martian nanomaterials! Dr. Conor Boland, the materials physics maestro at Sussex, along with his team investigated the potential of nanomaterials. These materials are smaller than a human hair for Mars’s sustainable future. The same tech rocking the International Space Station and NASA’s playbook might be Mars’s ticket to eco-friendly living.

Galactic Breakthrough: Abell 2108 Reveals Its Second Radio Relic

December 20, 2023December 20, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Indian and Taiwanese astronomers recently upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to snoop around the galaxy cluster Abell 2108. And guess what? They stumbled upon a second, way bigger radio relic that’s like, totally different from the first one they knew about in the same cluster.

Battery Technology: Charging into the Future with Indefinite Causal Order

December 15, 2023December 15, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Whenever we talk about “quantum”, we immediately think about quantum computers. But guess what? There’s more cool stuff in the quantum world, like these things called quantum batteries. Although, it sounds a bit puzzling but once its out of lab, it could totally shake things up especially for sustainable energy. And might even power future electric rides.

PPAP53: A Game-Changer in Tuberculosis Treatment

December 12, 2023December 12, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Recently, Prof. Bernd Plietker and his team at the Organic Chemistry I lab, TUD, came up with this group of natural substances called polyprenylated polycyclic acylphloroglucinols, or simply PPAP. The interesting part is its derivative called PPAP53. Since, it has got some serious potential in the world of medicinal chemistry.

M87 Black Hole Unveils Magnetic Brilliance in Spiraling Light

December 7, 2023December 7, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) unveiled the first-ever images of M87. It was a mind-blowing moment for astronomy. M87 is a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87. The EHT dropped the first snapshots of M87. It was like getting an up-close look at a supermassive black hole for the first time ever!

Book Review: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

December 5, 2023December 5, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Just wrapped up the audio version of “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams” yesterday, and let me tell you, it’s pretty intriguing. Matthew Walker, the neuroscientist and sleep guru behind it, dives deep into the significance of sleep and dreaming. The book was first published in 2017.

Meteorites Unveiled as Earth’s Nitrogen Messengers

December 4, 2023December 4, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Tiny meteorites from the icy outer reaches of the Solar System might be the reason nitrogen ended up near Earth. Yes, we are talking about the early days of our solar system. A team of scientists from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa along with Kyoto University and others from around the globe recently published their discovery in Nature Astronomy.

Book Review: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

December 2, 2023December 2, 2023 Pooja Kashyap

Just wrapped up with “Fever Dream”, the shortest one (120 pages) I’ve picked up in a while. However, it is real rollercoaster ride. The book is written by Samanta Schweblin. Born in 1978, Schweblin is an Argentine author. Through her psychological thriller novel “Fever Dream” (“Distancia de Rescate” in Spanish), she gained global recognition. Additionally, this book was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2017.