Number of words: 380 Spider silk, known as one of the strongest materials for its weight, turns out to have another unusual property. It might lead to new kinds of artificial muscles or robotic actuators, researchers have found. The fibres, according to study experts, respond very strongly to changes in humidity. Above a certain level … Read more

Number of words: 475 Sharks are at the top of the marine food chain for a reason. Their massive size along with a dazzling row of extra-sharp teeth make them the fiercest hunters in our oceans. But it turns out that the shark’s aquatic dominance reaches down into its very DNA, and through its mutations, … Read more

Number of words: 644 On a rare rainy day early last year, my husband, Alex, and I toured what, with any luck, would become the most exciting and daunting purchase of our lives: a cream-colored bungalow-style fixer-upper, built in 1924, a few blocks from our rental in Santa Barbara, Calif. What the house lacked in … Read more

Number of words: 1,003 I HAVE been studiously following the mantra given by George Perkovich, and, accordingly, haven’t watched Indian TV news for a couple of years or more. I would advise my Pakistani friends to do the same with their TV. Switch it off. The celebrated defence analyst, author of a seminal work on … Read more

Number of words: 957 MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was. … Read more

Number of words: 633 Scientists at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, have developed a simple paper kit that can test freshness of milk and tell how well it has been pasteurized. Aided with a smart phone app, the kit can help ensure that milk is consumed before it turns too sour. Milk being widely consumed … Read more

Number of words: 3,963 Human behavior has been shaped by technology ever since stone-tools were invented two million years back. Innovations that followed such as domestication of crops and animals and casting of metals created close-knit communities. Long-term group-thinking that started in such close-knit communities led to the Age of Enlightenment and then to the … Read more

Number of words: 57 Have you ever noticed that these so called kid foods are the most processed, chemicalized and sugar-laden foods on the market? Can you imagine feeding that stuff on your dog! I’ve heard many people say, “people food isn’t good for dogs!” In other words people feed “kid food” to kids, but … Read more

Number of words: 117 The science – fiction fat olestra, sold under the brand name Olien, is a rather mind- boggling example of a substance that was allowed into our food supply by the FDA, with no regard to human health and welfare. Olestra is a synthesized from sucrose (sugar) bonded to fatty acids in … Read more

Number of words: 409 Here’s where the long-term problems occurred. Since carbs are energy food and should be eaten in quantities that match a person’s individual metabolic health and activity level, when you eat more energy than you are currently burning you’ll gain weight. But Americans weren’t given this message. They were virtually badgered into … Read more