Category: Science

On November 12, Delhi’s air became distinctly unbreathable. A thick blanket of smog enveloped the capital, which recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 400, and the pollution was categorised as “severe”. On November 9, Delhiites, aware of the possible respiratory ailments this relapsing crisis could lead to, protested at India Gate. Many…

Read More “Attribution science: the tricky task of linking climate disasters to emitters” »

Smoke from wood, cigarettes, and garbage contains many irritating gases. | Photo Credit: Vadim Sadovski/Unsplash Question from Sahad Chembra A: When smoke gets in your eyes, it is not really the small pieces of the ash that make your eyes water up. Instead, the culprits are mostly the chemicals riding along with them. Smoke from…

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When the U.S. wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was in his prime, his Body Mass Index (BMI) was around 33 kg/m², technically ‘obese’ by World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Yet no one watching him could call him unhealthy. This paradox is one glimpse of how numbers alone can’t be used to define good…

Read More “The myth of the ‘normal’: what does your lab report really mean?” »

At first glance, the photograph looks like a scene from a science-fiction film or one of those viral, digitally altered images. A woman lies calm on an operating table under bright white lights, a headset snug over her ears. But it’s real and was taken inside a hospital in New Delhi more than a year…

Read More “In Delhi study, ragas in the operation theatre cut anaesthesia use” »