Number of words: 542 If you nibble on a mint leaf, you might notice that it makes your mouth feel cool. That’s because mint, much like chili peppers, is a biochemical success story — for plants, at least. The evolutionary marvel lies in special molecules that these plants produce: capsaicin in chilies, and menthol in … Read more

Number of words: 411 Italian chef Antonio Carluccio says it is delicious with spaghetti and red chilli. But to gardeners it is a menace that threatens their hedges, roses and rhododendrons. The parasitic and apparently tasty honey fungus not only divides opinions; it is also widely seen as the largest living organism on Earth. More … Read more

Number of words: 2,078 Picture the scene. A small group of well dressed people stand around a room with a large pond in the middle watching a serious looking man and a  9 yr old girl. Everyone watches in silence as he lifts her up and swings her out over the edge of the water.  … Read more

Number of words: 367 1. Gymnosperm means naked seed in Greek. Gymnasium comes from the same root – no wonder people are sparsely dressed when they go to the gym. 2. Trees are big because they continue to grow all their lives. 3. If you weighed every living object on the earth you’ll find that … Read more

Number of words: 1,765 Winglets predate the Wright brothers, but it took nearly a century for the idea to go mainstream. When Boeing’s new 777X taxied out for takeoff for its first flight earlier this year, it shared the look of most modern airliners. Its long fuselage was flanked by two massive engines under its … Read more

Number of words: 152 In June 323 BCE, as Alexander the Great lay on his deathbed, surrounded by his anxious generals, his Eurasian empire stretched from Greece’s Mediterranean Ocean all the way to India’s Indus River Valley. They asked him to whom should they bequeath his empire? Many versions exist of what he might or … Read more

Number of words: 327 TikTok users are girls 13 or less who record themselves dancing and lip syncing to their favorite songs, often trying to be the most provocative or daring. Sure, data is hard to find: these apps publish very little data on their demographics and the under-13 segment tends to lie when they … Read more

Number of words: 868 When Apple announced last week that it will soon replace Intel processors with its own, I had a flashback to 1993. Morgan Stanley’s technology investment banker Frank Quattrone called me in New York: “John Sculley”—CEO of Apple—“wants to meet with you Friday,” he said. It was Thursday morning. “About what?” I … Read more

Number of words: 4,749 There are those who say this pandemic shouldn’t be politicised. That doing so is tantamount to basking in self-righteousness. Like the religious hardliner shouting it’s the wrath of God, or the populist scaremongering about the “Chinese virus”, or the trend-watcher predicting we’re finally entering a new era of love, mindfulness, and … Read more