The Nobel to work on growth and long-run sustainability frames a crucial priority American economists William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer were jointly awarded the 50th economics Nobel prize this week in recognition of their work on economic growth and its long-run sustainability. The Nobel committee noted that the …
Read More »Monthly Archives: October 2018
Not without her consent
The #MeToo outpouring demands a new, fair system that delivers brisk justice At last count, Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar had been accused of sexual harassment by at least 10 women journalists. These accusations fall in a large spectrum — from inappropriate behaviour to acts of physical …
Read More »Has the SC missed a chance to keep criminals out of polls?
The verdict is a disappointment — what we need are untainted MPs The September 25 verdict of the Supreme Court on criminalisation of politics left much to be desired. The Election Commission (EC), frustrated by its own helplessness in the matter, has been crying hoarse to the government, political parties …
Read More »The great Indian abdication
The judiciary alone cannot take forward the mission of deepening democracy and protecting social freedoms Unless… philosophers become kings in the cities… there can be no cessation of evils… for cities nor, I think, for the human race . — Plato, The Republic After the slew of verdicts by the …
Read More »Record fast radio bursts detected from deep space
Australian researchers on Thursday said they have detected a record number of radio waves from space, including the closest and fastest one that may help understand the matter between galaxies. They said they found 20 fast radio bursts in a year, almost doubling the number detected worldwide since they were …
Read More »‘Ancient pigment can boost energy efficiency’
A colour developed by Egyptians thousands of years ago can boost energy efficiency by cooling rooftops and walls, and could also enable solar generation of electricity via windows, scientists say. Egyptian blue, derived from calcium copper silicate, was routinely used on ancient depictions of gods and royalty, according to the …
Read More »Hawking’s final paper on blackholes released
Stephen Hawking’s final scientific paper — which was completed days before the British physicist’s death — has been written and posted online by his colleagues at Cambridge and Harvard universities. The paper named Black Hole Entropy and Soft Hair, tackles with what happens to information when it falls into a …
Read More »Of mice and men: scientists develop babies from same-sex mice pairs
A team of researchers has produced viable offspring from same-sex pairs of mice, using a novel technology that involves stem cells altered to remove certain genes. While the applications of the research are largely theoretical for now, they could include improving existing cloning methods for mammals and even eventually fertility …
Read More »Study tries to find heading-dementia link
Research team is comparing the medical histories of 10,000 former football players with nonplayers Does heading a football give you dementia? That’s the question neuropathologist Willie Stewart is attempting to answer by comparing the health of thousands of former footballers with non-players. Football authorities have been accused of dragging their …
Read More »Durga Puja diplomacy plays out in Bengal
Most Consulates are participating in the celebration and see it as an opportunity to enhance ‘cultural ties with eastern India’ The participation of foreign envoys in Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata saw a new upsurge on Thursday with the arrival of U.S. Ambassador to India Keneth I. Juster in Kolkata …
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