Tag Archives: COVID-19 pandemic
The hidden heatwave
A heatwave is like the COVID-19 virus. During the pandemic, the virus infected and killed many people. When vaccines became available, the mortality rate dropped even though the virus continued to spread. But vaccines weren’t the only way to keep … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Scicomm
Tagged ambient temperature, COVID-19 pandemic, drinking water, heatwave, privatisation, public health, relative humidity, sugary beverages, Tamil Nadu, urinary tract infection, ventilation
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The news exists to inform, not to educate
I’d like to highlight a letter published in Science on January 2. I have many points of disagreement with it but I’d also like others to read and reflect on it, especially if they’re (you’re) also going to disagree with my reading. … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Scicomm
Tagged Carl Sagan, COVID-19 pandemic, education, science communication, science education, science journalism
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The news exists to inform, not to educate
I’d like to highlight a letter published in Science on January 2. I have many points of disagreement with it but I’d also like others to read and reflect on it, especially if they’re (you’re) also going to disagree with my reading. … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Scicomm, Uncategorized
Tagged Carl Sagan, COVID-19 pandemic, science communication, science education, science journalism
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A tale of two awardees
In many respects Krishna Ella and Elon Musk are poles apart but on some they share a few similarities. Both of them have played along with nationalist elements in their respective national governments in order to further their agendas, if … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Culture, Science
Tagged Appa Rao Podile, Bharat Biotech, Covaxin, COVID-19 pandemic, Dorothy Bishop, Elon Musk, Indian National Science Academy, Krishna Ella, Millennium Plaque of Honour, Royal Society
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The SARS-CoV-2 red herring
It’s no longer about science. Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged COVID-19 origins, COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump, RaTG13, World Health Organisation
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Tamil Nadu’s lukewarm heatwave policy
From ‘Tamil Nadu heatwave policy is only a start’, The Hindu, November 21, 2024: Estimates of a heatwave’s deadliness are typically based on the extent to which the ambient temperature deviates from the historical average at a specific location and … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged comorbidities, COVID-19 pandemic, disaster relief, heat injury, heatwave, India Meteorological Department, natural disaster, State Disaster Response Fund, Tamil Nadu
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An infuriating editorial in Science
I’m not just disappointed with an editorial published by the journal Science on November 14, I’m angry. Irrespective of whether the Republican Party in the US has shifted more or less rightward on specific issues, it has certainly shifted towards … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Science
Tagged COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump, John Stuart Mill, Marcia McNutt, Republican Party, Science journal, US National Academy of Sciences
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Tamil Nadu’s lukewarm heatwave policy
The policy is only for heatwaves, and if it doesn’t expand in future to include the state’s own responsibility, Tamil Nadu will miss the forest for the trees. Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Op-eds
Tagged climate change, comorbidities, COVID-19 pandemic, heatwave, hyperthermia, Integrated Health Information Platform, National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health, State Disaster Response Fund, Tamil Nadu
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