HOLI SPECIAL Volume 01 ISSUE 02 MAR 2011 www.iiserpunenewsletter.webs.com this issue Science Fest Organized At IISER Osmania Medical College Wins MIMAMSA 2011 Pune Sixteen undergraduates from Hy- with a gruelling trial of the intellec- Ig Nobel derabad and Pune racked their tual stamina of the participants. Scientists brains in the finals of MIMAMSA 2011 and the group from Osmania The different rounds of Medical College, Hyderabad beat MIMAMSA were rather fascinat- others in the race to win the com- ing for the teams, as this unique 3 petition. Fergusson College (Pune), quiz has just as many unique BITS Pilani (Hyderabad campus) rounds. ‟Deep Thought‟, and University of Hyderabad fin- ‟Analyzer‟, ‟Talk Round‟ stretched „SCIFEST 2011‟- a unique event At the centre of it all was a cricket I Think, ished at second, third and fourth the participants‟ intellectual prow- was organized at IISER Pune on the match with the rules tweaked by Therefore I place respectively. ess to the limits. The arguments put occasion of National Science Day. the players themselves. The forth by the participants were am It was a mega event stretching over tweaking was based on the famous th th three days from 26 -28 February Cake Cutting Algorithm which 4 2011. It featured games, competi- ensures that nobody can make an tions, seminars, workshops, talks, a unfair rule all by themselves. book fair, experiment demonstra- tions and much more. It was a Eco-friendly painting saw huge HOLI SPECIAL: novel concept, conceived and en- crowds with many paintings C h r o m e n tirely organized by the students of adorning the beauty of the Earth; C a n v a s... IISER Pune. More than 120 volun- the use of eco-friendly materials teers worked hard for about 2 telling the need to conserve it. months to make the event happen. Godel Combat was an innovative 5 The fest was sponsored by Ariel idea in which the participants had Outdoors, Red FM, Next Genera- to check the logical consistency of Look Be- tion News, Invitrogen, Eppendorf their answers. Some other events apart from IISER Pune and NCL. like Maapana-Instrument Design, fore You Neumannics, Space City, Cricket Taste The idea was to start a Science fest Auction and many others also saw The Osmania Medical College Team, pondering over a question in the on the lines of Techfests organized good participation. There were MIMAMSA Finals. by various engineering institutes in also paper and poster presentation MIMAMSA 2011 saw participa- judged by 18 eminent scientists of India. The target audience and par- competitions. tion from all over Maharashtra and Pune, who not only critiqued every ticipants of the fest were under- Opposites Hyderabad. The preliminary round answer but also provided correct graduate and graduate students SCIFEST 2011 also celebrated Do Not At- was held at Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur solutions at the end. from colleges and universities „CHEMFEST‟ as UNESCO and and Hyderabad. One hundred and tract! around the country. The fest saw IUPAC have declared 2011 as the eight teams registered for a grand A tough battle fought very bravely around 600 visitors over three days. international year of Chemistry. preliminary round, totalling the by the four teams over a 14-hour Most of them were undergraduate CHEMFEST had a lot of events participation to 432 participants - period left everyone thoroughly and school students from Pune. based on Chemistry. Moreover, over four times the crowd from exhausted but high on adrenaline. There was also a participation of each and everything used in the Hide And MIMAMSA 2010 . Finally, it was the team from Os- the general public in the event, CHEMFEST was natural and eco- Seek mania Medical College that made which added variety to the crowd. friendly as the motto of the fest The top 4 teams from the prelimi- the final mark by collecting the was „Green Chemistry, Clean nary round were then selected for MIMAMSA rolling trophy. There were more than 30 talks and Chemistry‟. The „smoke bomb‟ - the final round which was held 20 different events and competi- made using sugar and Potassium over two days on 5th and 6th Febru- The entire event was video- tions in the fest. The fest venue was Nitrate became an instant hit and ary 2011 at IISER Pune. It was documented. It was also blogged divided into different clusters viz., was used to inaugurate the event. ScienArt- divided into four subject sessions, live on Facebook, a first for an Chemie cluster, for chemistry re- There was Home Science, which namely, physics, biology, mathe- Indian quiz, with active participa- The Science lated events, a Physics cluster, had manufacture of soap, perfume matics and chemistry. Each session tion from the online community. Behind Computer Science Cluster and a and mosquito repellent from natu- stretched for three to five hours, Kalamkari BioTech cluster. Nash‟DAQ was an ral oil. There was a fascinating event which caught a lot of atten- display of fluorescence. This is tion. It was a virtual stock market used in photodynamic therapy which had the participants glued, used to cure cancers and tumors. IISER Pune hosts QFT Conference looking at every small change in Then there was Kitchen Science, the prices of the stocks, making which demonstrated various ex- featured IISER Pune in collaboration with The conference mostly had techni- theories to predict the future sway periments involving items found the Max Planck Group, Germany cal talks. But there was one collo- of the market. In the SCIFEST, in the kitchen, like preparation of organized the Quantum Field The- quium by Prof. Spenta Wadia of was a hidden treasure and people toothpaste from baking soda and 2 Academic Buzz rd th looking for clues to find it, and if salt or turning an egg into a rubber ory Conference from 23 -27 Feb- TIFR, Mumbai at IISER Pune and they found one, thinking hard to ball and so on. Then there was ruary in Raman Hall. a public lecture by Prof. Herman 3 For The Stargazer Nicoli at IUCAA on “N=8 Super- decipher it. There was also a digital Insta Quiz, in which you 22 speakers from 7 different coun- gravity and beyond”. treasure with digital leads and clues answer simple chemistry questions tries attended the conference and 4 Off the Rack in the Digi Treasure Hunt, which and get instant cash prizes. gave talks on their research in the The conference was a good plat- tested the Microsoft XP skills of the area. Moreover, there were about form to discuss various aspects of Foodie Corner 6 participants. Then, for the fans of A book fair was also organized, 20 Undergraduate and PhD stu- quantum field theory in the context Sherlock Holmes, there was a mur- which brought out the bibliophile dents who attended the conference. of gravity and high energy physics. der mystery to crack. (contd. on page 2) SENTIENCE 2
Academic Buzz The Rascals Triumph In IPL 2011 UPCOMING SEMINARS AT IISER 1.Mass Spectrometry for analysing chiral compounds, International Year of Chemistry (IYC) 2011 Lecture Series by Dr. M. Vaira- mani, National Centre for Mass Spectrometry Indian Institute of Chemical Technology [IICT] -March 14, 10:30 am at Raman Hall. 2.Approximability of subspace approxima- tion by Amit Deshpande, Microsoft Re- search, Bangalore – March 15, 04:00 pm at W303. IPL 2011 Winners - The Rascals 3.The critical Casimir force in the superfluid Clockwise (from upper left): Zoheb Sheikh, Abhishek Meena, Vasu Singh, Ankur Paliwal, Nikhil Y L K, Jeeten Patel, phase: effect of fluctuations by Dr. Shyamal Mohit Dixit, Amit Kumar, Pravu Dhal, Abhishek Kumar, Upendra Singh, Gaurav Arya, Nishant Singh, Dinesh Kumar Biswas, Calcutta University-March 17, 04:00 Like every year, this year‟s IPL also loss of 7 wickets in 15 overs. Physics ‟07. Over to the final over, it was a pm at Board room. brought along a lot of excitement and PhD. in answer played a very challeng- fuddled packet of thrill and excitement 4.Nonperturbative Predictions for Cold Atom enthusiasm. It saw the participation of ing game but lost the match by 2 runs as 11 runs were needed off the last over Bose Gases with Tunable Interactions by Dr. 10 teams, 2 more than last year. The in the very last over. with only one wicket in hand. Karan Frederick Cooper, Los Alamos National spirits were quite high this time as the Kapoor bowled the deciding over and Laboratory, US– March 18, 04:00 pm at Ra- tournament not only saw immense par- The most exciting one was undoubtedly Mohit Dixit and Ankur Paliwal were at manujan Hall. ticipation from the undergraduate and the finals between Slayers ‟07 and The the crease. No doubt it had to get a bit PhD. students but even the faculty and Rascals. Both the teams lived up to the filmy-single on the first ball, a wide, a 5.International Symposium on Materials administration could not restrict them- expectation of spectators and played double along with an injury to Ankur Education (ISME – 2011)-March 26 – 28. selves to just being spectators. amazing cricket. The game had many (due to his extra efforts to finish off the Website:-http://www.iiserpune.ac.in/isme/ twists and turns and ultimately had a 2nd run) and then ... a dot ball. 3 balls 6.Exploring New Chemical Space to Under- The tournament saw a number of excit- nail-biting finish and the Rascals remaining and 7 runs to score. Slayers take "Undruggable" Targets: Small Molecule ing matches. One of them was the emerged victorious. „07 were quite sure about the victory, Modulators of Protein-Protein Interactions, match between Faculty and Physics spectators along with The Rascals International Year of Chemistry (IYC) 2011 PhD. Dr. G V Pavan Kumar and Dr. S Slayers ‟07 who are well known for standing restless with fingers crossed, Lecture Series by Professor Prabhat Arya, G Srivatsan set a tremendous opening their extraordinary bowling lineup and praying for some superhuman perform- partnership contributing 29(27) and 44 outstanding fielding for the first time ance by the batsmen on the field. Then Institute of Life Sciences, Hyderabad –March (27) runs respectively. The team finally were facing The Rascals who had al- came the unexpected - a wide, followed 29, 04:00 pm at Ramanujan Hall. presented a target of 95 runs for the ready gained an emphatic victory in by a blistering four by Mohit and all the semi-finals over the last year‟s equations were revised. Next, a fierce champions, The Alchemists. Ankur bowl by Karan and Mohit was no way A Chat With Padmashri Gurappa Chetty J SREEVANI Paliwal, captain of The Rascals, won even near to touch the ball. 2 runs more the toss (unexpected, as it was for the were needed off the last ball. The The colours we use in Kalamkari are all first time in the tournament) and crowd was unable to hold their excite- the colours found in the rainbow.” elected to bowl. With a major contribu- ment... tion by Sandeep Gupta- 31(35), Slayers His views on art ‟07 set a target of 87 runs. Then, wham! Mohit smashed the ball straight through long-off for four. The “Art is enlightenment. There are many In spite of a good start by the openers, bowler was left shocked, the fielders things, many different viewpoints you can The Rascals‟ middle order suddenly shattered, and stumps in the hands of learn from an old art like Kalamkari. For collapsed owing to the extraordinary Mohit claiming sweet victory for The example, in one of the paintings it is bowling performance by the Slayers Rascals with pride. depicted as Sita scolding Ram for not taking her along with him to the forests Scifest(contd.) because she wanted to remind him of his Padmashri Jonnalagadda Gurappa Chetty, duty to protect his wife under all one of the leading Kalamkari artists in the circumstances.” country, was invited by SPIC MACAY to conduct a workshop at IISER Pune. The About his Kalamkari works th workshop was held from 13 February to th 17 February during which we got an A lifelong proponent of kalamkari art, he opportunity to talk to him. Here‟s what he has depicted epics like Ramayan and shared with us, while showing us some of Mahabharat on cloth. He also depicts his world-renowned works of art . traditional Indian practices like Ayurveda etc. Currently, he is working on a tapestry About him showcasing the games played in ancient India. Though he lives in Srikalahasti, Andhra The Home Science stall organized as part of CHEMFEST Pradesh, he is originally from the small About his books town of Jonnalagadda, Guntur District, (contd. from page 1) ory‟ by Prof. Ramanujam and many Andhra Pradesh. The ancient art of He has published three books. All his in everybody as they were seen brows- others. These talks enthralled the audi- Kalamkari was passed on to him by his books are taken from parts of epics like ing through the book stalls. ence and hugely benefited the students. father. He started practicing Kalamkari at „Bharata Ratnamala‟ from Mahabharata, There were also public lectures by Prof. the early age of 11 and shows no sign of „Bhagavata Manimala‟ from Bhagavata. The highlight of the SCIFEST was the Jayant Narlikar on „Why study Astro- stopping. At the age of 63, when most of „Kalamkari‟ which was written in English various seminars, workshops and talks physics‟ and Dr. Vijay Bhatkar on his contemporaries have retired, he is yet to be published in Telugu. given by eminent people from all over „Socio-Scientific issues and Supercom- actively continues to this day. India on various different topics. There puting‟. Interacting with such great His words for youngsters were technical talks on „Analytical minds was a great experience for all the About colours “I give this message wherever I go. Do Reasoning‟ by Prof. Jayant Narlikar, students. In his unique philosophy, where colours not sacrifice your life under any „Industrial Mathematics‟ by Prof. K play a pivotal role in life, he says, “Life is circumstances. Think about your parents Balaji, „Careers in industry‟ by Dr. C V Overall the SCIFEST was a unique full of colours. For example, when you before doing anything stupid.” Natraj, „Rational Inquiry‟ by Prof. K.P. event and a novel attempt to spread and are angry, your face turns red. When you Mohanan, „Quantum Computing‟ by popularize science. are happy, your face glows, this is white. Prof. Prasantha Panigrahi, „Game the- SENTIENCE 3
Ig Nobel Scientists KSHITI MISHRA Is Your Anti-Virus Reliable? AVANI GOWARDHAN The Ig Nobel Prizes were first awarded same results could not be observed in The European Institute for Computer Anti in 1991 as a spoof of the Nobel Prizes. them or any of the subsequent experi- -Virus Research is unique, to say the least. They are given each year in October for ments. Benveniste had to settle with a Though it specializes in IT security for all achievements that “first make people failed experiment and his first Ig Nobel. laugh, and then make them think”. The Research published in 2005 on hydrogen fields, it is unlike others since it has come name is a play on the word -bond network dynamics in water up with a new virus, as contrasted to anti- „ignobel‟ (Nobel comes from Alfred showed that “liquid water essentially viruses. Nobel) and everything from the name to loses the memory of persistent correla- It has developed an Anti-Malware Test the inventions/discoveries given the tions in its structure” within fifty femto- File. This can be created in Notepad on award mock the Nobel Prize. For in- seconds! your PC, by simply typing in:- stance, the 1991 peace prize was given to Edward Teller – father of the hydro- single molecule remained. Then basophil References: X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7} gen bomb – for his lifelong efforts to granulocytes were subjected to this solu- 1. J. Benveniste, et al. (30 June 1988). $EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST- change the meaning of peace as we tion. Surprisingly, they reacted "Human basophil degranulation FILE!$H+H* triggered by very dilute antiserum know it! (underwent degranulation) just as though against IgE" (PDF). Nature 333 Now, this is actually a malware, though a they had encountered the original anti- (6176): 816–818. strictly non-malicious one by itself. It is Consider the case of the first Chemistry body. In Benveniste‟s words, “It is like 2. Cowan ML, Bruner BD, Huse N, et used for determining the effectiveness and Ig Nobel – it was awarded to Jacques agitating a car key in the river, going al. (2005). "Ultrafast memory loss quality of an anti-virus software. A good Benveniste for his discovery that water miles downstream, extracting a few and energy redistribution in the one will not let the text file be saved & is an intelligent liquid (yes, you read it drops of water and then starting one‟s hydrogen bond network of liquid immediately deletes or quarantines it. A right!) and for demonstrating, to his sat- car with the water.” He didn‟t offer any H2O". Nature 434 (7030): 199–202. isfaction, that water is able to remember theoretical explanation though. large number of others simply let it lie, events long after all trace of those events (Surprised, anyone?) Weblinks: and detect it as a malware only on manual has vanished. And how did he come to 1. Ig Nobel home page: scanning. If, as in a few unfortunate cases, http://www.improb.com/ig it does not even do that, then it is time for this incredible conclusion? His team Considering the nature of the highly un- 2. List of past winners: diluted a solution of Immunoglobulin E convincing predictions, Benveniste‟s http://www.improb.com/ig/ig- you to get another antivirus. (a human antibody) to such a degree that team was asked to repeat the experi- pastwinners.html Check out: www.eicar.org/ there was virtually no possibility that a ments under rigorous scrutiny. But the anti_virus_test_file.htm
For The Stargazer AMEY APTE
Observing the skies at night, one finds many intricate patterns woven through the countless twinkling stars above. Add to it the subtle movements of the planets. For those who appreciate it, the heavens are filled with vistas of beauty. Let us kick off this month by seeing what is placed for viewing in the skies, this March.
The stars & constellations
Get out in the open air at around 10-11pm, and start from the north. Low in the north-east, the familiar shape of the Plough (Saptarshi) in the constellation Ursa Major, with its seven stars is clearly visible. The second star from the tip of the tail is actually an optical binary (See if you can spot it with the naked eye!). The Plough is a key asterism useful in locating other impor- tant stars. The two brightest stars (Dubhe and Merak), Orion, Taurus, Canis Major & Canis Minor point straight downward to Polaris (in Ursa Minor), while the 'handle', upon extension, points south toward Arcturus (an orange giant star in the constellation Bootes), and further south to Spica (a bluish white star in the constellation Virgo).
In the south-west is the magnificent constellation Orion (depicting a hunter), easily recognizable due to its two bright stars- Betelgeuse, a red giant (Orion's shoulder) and Rigel, a blue giant (Orion's foot). A line of three clearly visible stars make up Orion's belt, through which hangs Orion's 'sword' (a complex of stars called 'Trapezium' and the famous Orion nebula, or M42). The stars making Orion's arms, and the spear are fainter and hence usually challenging to see. Trace a line, first, down from Orion's belt toward Sirius, the brightest star Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Bootes, Corona Borealis, Canes Venatici in the night sky (in the constellation Canis Major), and then up towards Aldebaran, a red giant star in the con- baran), are a great sight through medium-powered bin- placed for sighting throughout March, and its rings are stellation Taurus (the bull). A bright star named Pro- oculars. Another object of interest through the binocu- a treat to watch through high-power binoculars. cyon (in Canis Minor) above Orion and Canis Major, lars is M81, a large spiral galaxy located in the constel- Mercury is always a little hard to spot, as its proximity completes a large equilateral triangular shape with Be- lation Ursa Major. to the Sun means that it won't linger around far apart telgeuse and Sirius. This is known as the Winter Trian- from the Sun in the sky. However, Mercury achieves its gle, and is easily identifiable with the naked eyes. The planets greatest western elongation on 23rd March and will be visible on the western horizon, in the constellation Pi- In the north-west, we have the setting constellations of Venus rises at around 4:30 am and shines brightly in sces (the Fish), quite a while, after sunset. Auriga (the Charioteer) and Gemini (the Twins). the constellation Capricornus (the Goat), above the Capella in Auriga, and Castor, Pollux in Gemini are south-eastern horizon till sunrise, and can be seen Jupiter and Mars are very close to the Sun (also in Pi- readily visible stars northward of Orion. High up, near straightaway since it is the brightest object in the night sces), and are not observable almost entirely through- the zenith is a beautiful star cluster M44 (the Beehive) sky. out March. However Jupiter can be seen low on the in the constellation Cancer. This, along with M42 in Saturn rises in the evenings at around 8:30 pm, and is western horizon after sunset, though it will go on set- Orion and the Hyades cluster in Taurus (near Alde- in the constellation Virgo. This yellowish planet is well ting early, as the month progresses. SENTIENCE 4
Off the Rack…
Catch-22 KRISHNA ANUJAN The Double Helix SURABHI JIRAPURE Catch-22 is an extremely satirical ac- leave the force, which prohibits him The Double Helix by Dr. James D. Wat- It is nothing like your conventional sci- count on life in the U.S Air Force. It from leaving it! This catch and its son is a good read for anyone and every- ence book which tends to slow down its revolves around the lives of a few main „extreme simplicity‟ form the basis of one interested in the field of genetics and pace sometimes (before getting interest- characters - pilots, com- the troubles of the pilots wanting to know how ing again), but a bare ac- manders, medics - who in this fascinating tale. the secret of life came count by Dr. Watson with- are driven crazy seeing about. out mincing words which Trust Heller to break the their comrades die brutal makes it difficult to put the reader into uncontrolla- Written in extremely deaths. They are por- book down. ble spasms of laughter simple language, easy to trayed as lunatics who by narrating pages of understand and easy to The portrayal of Rosalind speak absurdities and confusing and paradoxi- relate to for anyone with Franklin might seem unfair who are reckless adven- cal yarn or penning basic knowledge of to some but well... that is turers. It shatters any down bizarre construc- chemistry, it is a race the way the young James conventional thoughts of tions like “Why Hitler? against time, an intense Watson saw her. “The valour and nobility asso- Who Spain?”. But even rivalry among Linus Double Helix” often takes ciated with the armed this (Wodehouse - Pauling, Maurice Wil- a peek at the social lives of forces, offering a peek inspired?) humour of his kins and Watson & the scientists which are at into the grim, sad reali- has an undertone of trag- Crick to decode the times amusing, to say the ties of a servant of the nation. edy through the random ravings of the structure of the DNA to reach the ulti- least. As the title suggests, the book talks loony protagonist, Yossarian. The plot is mate goal: The Nobel Prize. A story full To quote Dr Watson, “there was always about a catch in the army propaganda - not fast paced like a thriller but it is easy of drama fuelled by the desire of Watson time - even during the stomach- the extremely confusing Catch-22. This -going and casual. to win the Nobel at any cost, even if that crunching final stretch - for a game of military rule allows retirement only on meant getting hold of the X-ray photo- The unconventional style of writing, the tennis, an afternoon at the movies, or a the grounds of insanity. Anyone unwill- graph (which was the key to their suc- absurd names of characters (which are bottle of burgundy, anything at all to ing to fly more missions would apply for cess) without the knowledge of its pho- also chapter names, by the way) and the avoid narrow-mindedness and dullness.” retirement on the grounds of insanity. tographer, Rosalind Franklin. constant nagging impatience, as if you However, the fact that he is sane is evi- live the story, keep the pages turning. dent from his very act of wanting to
I Think, Therefore I Am G AKASH
“Consciousness” Ooh! It is a “big” asking these questions, then it might word. I don‟t wanna talk about it. This is become a conscious being. how most of the people think. Others There are frequent attacks on conscious- think of it as some unattainable „thing‟ ness from philosophers, scientists and and relate it to all possible things they theists. There are different dimensions can relate it to. with which one tries to get rid of the Do you have consciousness? Does a bac- mystery. Many people consider it as not terium have it ? Does an electron have achievable or understandable but then, it? People usually say that they have by definition we obviously won‟t be consciousness and the other two do not. solving the mystery. The dictionary gives us the meaning of There are many scientific „expeditions‟ consciousness as being „awake and going on to unravel the „thing‟. A mate- aware of one‟s surrounding‟. If you con- rialistic view of consciousness tells us sider this definition, then you have it, the that it is just a complex sophisticated bacterium also has it and the electron synchrony of different neuronal circuits. ...complex neural networks… simulated through computation... also has it. An electron can sense the They also claim that those complex neu- consciousness using instruments. be confused more about yourself. To presence of other electrons and a bacte- ral networks and their sophistication can clear it up or to get even more confused, rium can sense the presence of other People who hunt it the other way have a be achieved through computation/virtual refer to: bacteria, so what is the difference? view that just by computation, all com- machines. One such example is the theo- plex processes in the brain cannot be 1. Shadows of the mind by Roger Pen- What about dreams? Are we conscious retical „Joycean machine‟ by Daniel carried out. Roger Penrose, a distin- rose while we are dreaming? Dogs are also Dennett. He views that all the processes guished mathematical physicist holds known to dream. When we talk about in brain can be done by a computational this view. He believes that mere compu- consciousness, we cannot pass through program using a suitable algorithm. Let tation will not be sufficient for explain- without pausing at artificial intelligence. us ponder upon it. If we consider that a ing consciousness but „something‟ else Take a robot, which reacts when given mere „enaction‟ of appropriate algo- is needed for it. He believes that quan- an input. It can very well behave like a rithms evokes awareness then the printer tum physics might help us to get hold of human in many aspects but it is not which prints this article using an algo- that „something‟. He integrates quantum aware of its own self, it is not aware of rithm is also aware. computation and biology. He expects what it is doing. Consciousness is a long Dr. Tononi, a Distinguished Chair in quantum coherence within microtubules. standing mystery. There were other mys- Consciousness Science in the University He also stresses for the need for new 2. Consciousness explained by Daniel teries also like mystery of space, time, of Wisconsin tells us that consciousness physics to understand mind and con- Dennett gravity, evolution, reproduction etc. is nothing more than integrated informa- sciousness. These mysteries are not vanished but tion. This is indicated by two key phe- Instead of leaving it unquestionable or have been “tamed”, as Daniel Dennett nomenological properties of conscious- explaining with what we know, it will be puts it in his book “Consciousness ex- ness: differentiation - the availability of plained”. But with consciousness we are good to take the view of Roger Penrose, a very large number of conscious experi- still in a terrible muddle. The famous because it may give rise to the discovery ences; and integration - the unity of each of a new science and will thus keep the question “How do I know that I exist?” such experience. He not only proposes quest alive. While you are consciously has an answer that “I ask this question this theory but also aims at measuring thus I exist”. Maybe when a robot starts (hope so) reading this article, you might C h r o m e n C a n v a s... SENTIENCE 5
Look Before You Taste KSHITI MISHRA ScienArt– The Science Have you ever had green strawberry juice sweetness of a particular fruit juice. It was Behind Kalamkari or blue sandwiches? I bet none of us would observed that colour affected the overall NEHA M ever want to. The only people unfortunate perceptibility (how much the subjects enough to have eaten such weird-coloured liked it) and the flavour quality (how food are probably subjects of neuroscience much it tasted like the original fruit juice). experiments which aim to find out the ef- Also, changes in colour made people fect of colour on taste perception. Even think the flavour of the drink was differ- though we have five senses, each sense ent. For instance, people thought orange doing its own specific job, these senses coloured strawberry juice was actually collaborate in some cases to affect our ac- orange juice. Experiments have also re- Which one would you tions. So the flavour of something you eat ported that colours like blue and grey in like on your plate? actually depends on how it looks, smells food repulse people while foods having and feels. This fact seems obvious, but certain shades of yellow and other colours future scientists as we are, we totally un- may attract people more even though they A Kalamkari art derstand why people would want to test might be less tastier than the weird- these results in a scientific way. A lot of coloured food. Have you been wondering about the foul experiments have been conducted in many smell near the multi-purpose hall last So now, think before you say no to blue different ways. One consisted of changing month? If you haven‟t figured it out by food... it might just be tastier than your the amount of food colouring and the now… it was the paints from the Kalam- everyday yellow mess food. kari workshop. For those who don‟t know about it, it is a traditional art from Hide And Seek KRISHNA ANUJAN Andhra Pradesh which uses natural and organic dyes (which unfortunately Long touted as an example of cryptic son for camouflage in this species. It has stink). colouring, the female Misumena vatias- been pointed out by Lars Chittka of Queen pider switches her body colour over the Mary that these spiders can see ultraviolet Padmashri Gurappa Chetty was present course of days depending on the flower wavelengths. However, non-UV-reflecting at IISER Pune to conduct the workshop where she lurks. Sitting on a bloom spiders have been observed to sit on UV- (For more info on him, read his inter- ready to pounce on pollinators, the spi- reflecting flowers as well. view on Page 2). Creating a piece of this der supposedly shifts to match her traditional art involves a long procedure On a different line of thought, ecologists, and even the smallest piece of art takes background by switching between like Thomas C. Ings, are trying to correlate about 18 days to complete. What is even white and yellow. To human eyes, she the sex of the spiders with the colour more amazing is that its a highly precise looks as if she‟s becoming harder for A crab spider hidden on a Geranium Flower change since only the adult females change scientific process, where each step has is her prey to see. colour. It has been speculated that the a vital one. videotaping some 2,000 occasions when Contrary to the textbook scenario, cryptic colour coding might even have a an insect buzzed over to a flower that Every step in the procedure can be ex- though, a white spider on a white direct advantage in the egg-laying process! held a spider. After this research break- plained analytically. The cloth is made flower doesn‟t catch more prey than a It could also be the case that it had a preda- through, I‟m afraid textbooks may have by treating it with milk and myrobalan. white spider moved to a yellow flower, tion advantage in the past and it just stuck! to be rewritten. Myrobalan is high in tannin contents and researchers report. Nor does a yellow So, till researchers figure out the why and acts as a mordant for the ferrous content spider on a yellow flower get a color- Researchers are now putting thought into the how, keep trying to spot them! present in the paint called the kasami coordination bonus, says study coau- the fact that we may be searching for used for the outline. The fat in the milk thor Rolf Brechbühl of the University answers in the wrong direction and pro- prevent the spreading of the paints on the of Fribourg in Switzerland. He and his tection from predators or advantage in Check out: http://goo.gl/R8ATf cloth. The paint is prepared by ferment- colleagues reached this conclusion after trapping prey may not be the major rea- ing jaggery with iron. It looks brown- yellow in colour and when put on the cloth almost instantly turned dark brown Opposites Do Not Attract! KSHITI MISHRA or black and the compound which gives the colour is the reaction between fer- At the US Air Force Research Labora- minus-green channel and a yellow-minus- rous acetate and tannins. This is the 1st tory, Vincent A. Billock and Brian H. blue channel. These channels operate step, where outlines or shapes are filled Tsou explore “disastrous visual failures such that positive signals show the level in. The next colour to be filled in is red, that they can arrange”. They have stud- of redness, negative ones- the level of with alum as its mordant. Fixing the ied an intriguing phenomenon which greenness and zero signals, neither. The mordant for a day, the red colour was they call „forbidden colours‟. But what same goes for yellow-minus-blue chan- added by boiling with the dye. The com- are forbidden colours and why are they nels. This wiring ensures colour oppo- plete process takes around 3 weeks. Due called so? nency. to time constraints, the students did only 2 colours. Have you seen the colour bluish yellow? But work done by these two scientists No, not green. Some shades of green can (one of them actually being colour blind This old Indian tradition is a beacon of appear bluish and some can appear yel- himself) has shown that under special hope in these days of synthetic colours, lowish. But no shade can appear bluish circumstances, people can see opponent as it obstinately sticks to the age-old signals originate in the cone cells of the natural & environmentally healthy meth- and yellowish at the same time. Simi- colours, implying that colour opponency retina. Other cells add and subtract out- ods developed in ancient India & passed larly there is no single colour that ap- in the brain might have a soft-wired stage puts from the three types of cone cells, on since time unknown. pears reddish and greenish at the same that could be disabled. producing signals related to four col- time, in the same place. This is called ours: red, blue, green and yellow. But it Colour Opponency. According to recent seems that our visual system is wired research, colour opponency has its basis with two data channels for colour: a red- in the retina and mid-brain. Raw colour
Have you ever heard about these colours before? Weird, aren’t they? KRISHNA ANUJAN Weblink
http://goo.gl/5ejvm
Falu Red Razzmatazz Caput Mortuum Feldgrau Gamboge
the students’ corner
Mayan Diary KRISHNA ANUJAN I hate waking up with the Sun God. gems from the treasury that the white finding our way through a bustling Foodie Corner Not because I like sleeping, but the bipeds call „El Dorado‟. city crowd of jewellers, cloth vendors, days around here are generally boring cattle (on sale, again), sacks of corn AASHAY PATIL I had to fetch water from the river, so and I am stuck looking after my imp and kidney beans. I could hear the For those foodies who are interested in French food, off I went happily with my new clay of a little brother. My father and elder beating of the drums and the dance Arthur‟s Theme in Koregaon Park is one of the best pot (I broke the old one when I tripped brother leave for our corn fields as had begun when we reached there. A places to visit. In fact, it is the only restaurant in over a root last week). On the way, I Pune that serves authentic French cuisine. It was soon as the cock crows. Today, how- group of dancers, dressed in colourful stopped to stare at the potter‟s yard. I started by Chef Navtej Sawhney, who was the win- ever, I jumped out from underneath head-dresses of feathers and bells don‟t know if he uses magic on the ner of the “King Chef” title in 2004. The restaurant my blanket because it is the day of my were performing at the foot of the serves delicious speciality French cuisines made out pots or if it is as they say - a unique favourite festival. The Mayan city pyramid, their bells jangling in unison, of vegetables, pasta, & an exotic range of dishes formula that our ancestors invented including those of fish, beef tenderloin, duck and comes alive every 20th day with a fes- both amazing and frightening me! I that gives the sculptures that he carves turkey. In addition, it has a variety of salads, start- tival in adoration of a different God watched, with wonder, the high priest a brilliant azure blue, like a reflection ers, soups and desserts. For those with a sweet tooth, when the citizens gather at the central climb up the steps of the pyramid to- of the great plate over our heads. Our I recommend the Crepe Suzette . The expenditure pyramid and worship as the High wards the man who was to please the per person for a 3-course meal will be around clay sculptor has created a fascinating priest performs a sacrifice to please Water God today. I couldn‟t see what Rs.400. For the detailed menu and prices, visit the Stela* at the Temple of the Hero website. the God. happened but my father told me at Twins, the valiant ancestor of all May- night that the noble man pricked him- So, if you are a fan of French food or want to try it I performed my daily cleansing ritual ans, at the last K‟atun, the major festi- out once, then do visit Arthur‟s Theme. self and let his blood onto a bark, and my mother tied a ball of resin val which comes every 20 years. which was burned so the fumes reach CONTACT above my eyes. My head was nice and I hurried back to my hut, hoping the heavens to the Gods above. I bet Address: 2, Vrindavan Apartments, Lane 6, Kore- flat because my mother had tied a Mother wouldn‟t be angry for leaving the Water God was extremely pleased gaon Park, Pune-411001 wooden board to it when I was a child. the little one unattended for so long. with us, but who can tell until the next Web: www.arthurstheme.com I have a perfect flat head and all the All through the day, I waited impa- rains? girls my age envy my beauty! Mother Tel: (020)26152710, 66032710 tiently for my kin to return so that we wants my eyes to be the most cross- *(an etching in Mayan glyph) Mo.: 9822032710, 9158828020 could go watch the games and the eyed as well so that I would definitely dances at the Great Pyramid. As the E-mail: marry the best suitor. Mother tells me shadows began growing longer, they 1. [email protected] that then I can have new clothes and returned and before I knew it, we were 2. [email protected] shiny gold jewellery and the rarest of
Vigenère Cipher KSHITI MISHRA The Vigenère cipher is this new, about-to-become- frustratingly unrelated letters to anyone who hasn‟t heard happening code to pass on your secret messages without about the Vigenère cipher (see, that‟s why you should being intercepted. The method was described by Giovan read the newsletter!).You somehow let the intended re- Battista Bellaso but unfortunately he was one genius who ceiver know your key so that they can write the code and didn‟t get his due as the cipher was later misattributed to the key as: Blaise Vigenère. E T G V D K Z J X To encrypt your message, you use this scary-sounding S L E E P S L E E but very simple table called the tabula recta or Vigenère table. This is a grid of all alphabets and looks like the Now the receiver takes the first letter of the key (here, S) figure on the right. and moves along that letter row till he/she finds the first letter of the code-word (being E here). They then go up Next, you choose a key, a word that will help you decode that column. The first letter of the column is the first let- whatever word/phrase you have encoded. For instance, ter of the original message, being M here. They proceed let the key be „sleep‟. Now we encode our message using till they find the whole message. For those of you who the table. For the sake of simplicity, let‟s take our mes- are willing to waste a lot of time to pass around total in- sage to be a single word-Microsoft. First I repeat my key- The Vigenere Table tercept-proof chits, this is THE cipher. Those who under- word till it matches the length of our message: (M). So here, the first letter of our code-word is the letter stood all the gibberish written above can proceed to solve M I C R O S O F T in the Sth row and Mth column i.e. E. Proceeding in a the following code: similar way for all letters, we get our code word as: S L E E P S L E E ETGVDKZJX. Now, the first letter of our coded message will be the (Key = trap) letter in the row having the first letter of the key (S) and For decoding, we follow the reverse process. Now, our AR HP ULSIXU!!!
the column having the first letter of our original word word is ETGVDKZJX which looks like this bunch of
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