No. 41 March 2005 Newsletter of the Indian Academy of Sciences Varanasi Annual Meeting The Academy held its 70th Annual Meeting at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, during 25–27 November 2004, signalling a return to this fascinating city after a gap of eighteen years. In addition to about 200 Fellows, Associates and other participants, close to 50 teachers from colleges and universities Inside... from different parts of the country attended as invited guests of the Academy. This has now become a well established feature of the Academy’s meetings. 1. Varanasi Annual Meeting ............ 1 The highlights of this meeting included the Presidential address by TV Ramakrishnan on the opening day; two symposia – ‘A New Look at Traditional 2. 2005 Elections ............................. 3 Medicine’ and ‘Genetics and Health’; the inaugural S Ramaseshan Memorial Public Lecture given by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission; two special lectures by Rajaram Nityananda and SC 3. Raman Professor ......................... 5 Lakhotia; a public lecture by Veer Bhadra Mishra on ‘The Ganga at Varanasi and the travail to stop her abuse’; and presentations by 8 recently elected 4. J. Earth System Science .............. 5 Fellows and Associates. 5. Special issues of journals ............ 5 TV Ramakrishnan’s address on ‘Many electrons together: Strange new quantum worlds’ highlighted the many surprises in the 6. Special Publications .................... 7 field of condensed matter physics over the past quarter century. The phenomena discussed 7. Public Lectures ............................ 8 were the fractional quantum Hall effect, high temperature superconductivity, and colossal 8. Discussion Meeting ..................... 9 magnetoresistance in manganites. All these result from intensive correlations and strong 9. Refresher Courses ...................... 9 interactions among the myriads of electrons in solids, and are completely unintelligible at the individual particle level. In all cases one is 10. Lecture Workshops .................... 13 in the extreme quantum regime. If one identifies the three frontiers of science as the small, the large, and the complex, we are concerned here with the world 11. Obituaries................................... 15 of complex phenomena, which by the way includes also chemistry, life processes and even economics. The level of activity in these areas can be judged by the fact that there have been some hundred thousand papers on high temperature superconductivity alone. Ramakrishnan highlighted some of the work done in India in these areas, including that by his associates and himself, and gave a masterful survey of a technically demanding subject. The symposium on Traditional Medicine was coordinated by EDITOR MS Valiathan. In his historical overview Valiathan recalled the evolution of the Ayurvedic system over several millennia. Textual N. Mukunda references from the time of the Buddha, the works of Charaka, Published by Sushruta and Agnivesha, the later Samhitas, the surgical Indian Academy of Sciences procedures pioneered by Sushruta and the heights reached at Bangalore 560 080, India Takshashila and Varanasi were all eloquently described. After Phone: (080) 2361 2546, 2361 4592 several centuries of stagnation and decline, the current revival email: [email protected] and recognition of Ayurveda is heartening. Other speakers in the symposium, Ashok Vaidya and Bhushan Patwardhan, This newsletter is available on the covered reverse pharmacology of herbal and Ayurvedic products, Academy website at : www.ias.ac.in/patrika/ and the possibility of combining Ayurvedic knowledge with the To receive a regular copy of the strengths of science and technology. R Kumar described the Newsletter, please write to the basic principles governing the search for effective drugs from Executive Secretary of the Academy Indian medicinal plants, including protocols for validation and ([email protected]) standardization. The second symposium on Genetics and Health was put together Forthcoming Events– by N Appaji Rao. In his own presentation on ‘Consanguinity, endogamy and community genetics’ he pointed out that, contrary 2005 to naïve expectation, fertility, fecundity and post-natal fatality were not much affected by the social practice of marriages among 16th Mid Year Meeting, Bangalore (7–9 July 2005) close relatives. Other speakers covered ‘Genomics, immunology and infectious diseases’ (RM Pitchappan), gene mutations in 71st Annual Meeting, Bharathidasan corneal dystrophies (Chitra Kannabiran), and the case of viral University, Tiruchirappalli proteins which equip themselves to perform multiple tasks in (11–13 November 2005) the infected cell (Shahid Jammel). The Ramaseshan Memorial Refresher Courses Lecture, the first in a new Instructional workshop on cryptology series, was given by Montek CUSAT, Cochin (2–14 May 2005) Singh Ahluwalia on the subject of ‘Globalization and Science in Experimental physics India’, It was a beautifully IIT, Guwahati (9–22 May 2005) delivered and lucid exposition to Interdisciplinary approaches in biology a packed hall. The speaker CCMB, Hyderabad recalled the economic scene in (25 May–8 June 2005) the industrial and colonial Earth system science periods, and the revolutionary Bangalore (25 June–6 July 2005) changes that have taken place M S Ahluwalia in more recent times in international trade and manufacturing Chemistry Bangalore (8–12 August 2005) practices. He pointed out that the quality and quantity of Indian scientific research is not quite as encouraging as it should be, Theoretical physics and is restricted to a rather small number of institutions. During SB College, Changanassery discussion he invited the Academy to send specific proposals (19–30 September 2005) to the Planning Commission on Probability, stochastic processes the topic of science education, and applications, Cochin for its consideration as part of (26 September–7 October 2005) its mid-term Tenth Five Year Applied stochastic processes Plan review. This has been ISI, New Delhi (5–17 December 2005) done, and the Academy’s recommendations are currently Lecture Workshop with the Commission. Foundations of mechanics Rajaram Nityananda’s special CMERI, Durgapur (16-21 May 2005) lecture ‘High ambitions at low R Nityananda frequencies: the GMRT and beyond’ was devoted to the 2 creation of and work being done at the Giant Metre ‘Fractional exclusion statistics: A generalized Pauli Wave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at Narayangaon near principle’ (MVN Murthy). Pune. This is a niche area in radio astronomy, and the GMRT is currently the world’s largest instrument in its The souvenir brought out by the host institution includes wavelength range. Its completion is a tribute to basic a very interesting collection of articles describing the science and engineering challenges met by the Indian history and cultural continuity of Varanasi, and youthful radio astronomy community. Both practical engineering reminiscences of growing up at Banaras Hindu University aspects and the basic scientific questions being written by several distinguished alumni. addressed by GMRT were highlighted in a packed and perfect presentation. The special lecture by 2005 ELECTIONS SC Lakhotia was on ‘Non-coding DNA: junk Fellows: or a necessity for origin Ali, Sher and evolution of National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi biological complexity?’ Areas of interest: Molecular genetics of The question was human and animals, gene expression and viewed against the genome organization, and genomics of background of the endangered species central dogma of molecular biology which Arora, Baldev Raj S C Lakhotia implies that ‘any Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, sequence of DNA ... is of relevance only if it has a Dehra Dun Electromagnetic geophysics, seismotectonics, protein-coding function’. Lakhotia reminded the audience and geomagnetism that unlike in bacteria where non-coding DNA is almost non-existent, in mammals it can be as much as 90%. This is what leads to the question – do we have here a Batra, Janendra K failure of natural selection, or a necessary feature to National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi accompany biological complexity? That such DNA may Molecular biology, biochemistry, and protein be involved in the appearance of more complex chemistry regulatory circuits, making possible more complex structures and organizations, was suggested. Budhani, Ramesh Chandra Veer Bhadra Mishra’s Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur public lecture Experimental condensed matter physics, emphasized the superconductivity, and magnetism importance of Ganga as the ‘eternal source of Indian culture’. Such Chandra, Amalendu a role is unparalleled in Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur the history of human Statistical mechanics of liquids and interfaces, civilizations. Today the classical and quantum simulations, and human population molecular modelling pressures, and industrial V B Mishra pollution, have endangered this sacred river to unbelievable Chaudhuri, Subhasis Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai degrees. A Foundation at Varanasi and the Image processing, and computer vision municipal corporation are trying together to salvage the situation. In his words, ‘The travail to stop the abuse of the river in Varanasi needs national attention and support’. Chokshi, Atul H Some of the presentations by Fellows and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore Associates were ‘Capturing molecules in action by High temperature deformation and