Tag Archives: pseudoscience
Trouble at the doorstep
When an alumnus of the IISc wanted to organise an astrology workshop at the institute’s premises in 2017, students and various members of its teaching faculty rose in protest and wrote to the director to have the event cancelled, and … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged astrology, mental health, pseudoscience, selective outrage, Sri Sri, Vedic heritage
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The alleged politicisation of science
“Don’t politicise X” has become the defence of choice for a class of scientists and public intellectuals in India whose class and caste privilege utterly blinds them to various inequities in the practice of science – as privilege is wont … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged caste-based discrimination, Chandrayaan 2, gender-based discrimination, ISRO, misogyny, nationalism, Paul Feyerabend, politicisation, politics, privilege, pseudoscience, rationalism, realpolitik, religion, scientism, Tim Hunt
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Firstpost’s selfish journalism
I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept of false balance, which is based on the conviction that there are two sides to every story even when there aren’t or when it’s not clear to anyone what the other side is. … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged Chandrayaan 2, Firstpost, helium-3, Indian Space Research Organisation, K Sivan, Moon, pseudoscience, The Wire
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Myth of harmful cell phone radiation is good business for IndiGo
When I fly, I always fly IndiGo. They’re not perfect but they and their services have become familiar, from their website (where I book my tickets) to when I exit the airport at my destination. The efficiency with which the … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged background radiation, cell phone radiation, IndIGO, ionising radiation, Phoni3, pseudoscience, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
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The March for Science, ed. 2018
K. VijayRaghavan, India’s new principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, has brought a lot of hope with him into the role as a result of his illustrious career as a biologist and former secretaryship with the Department of … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Science and Technology, Economic Survey, gross expenditure on research and development, K VijayRaghavan, March for Science, pseudoscience, Sundar Sarukkai, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
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The language and bullshitness of 'a nearly unreadable paper'
Earlier today, the Retraction Watch mailing list highlighted a strange paper written by a V.M. Das disputing the widely accepted fact that our body clocks are regulated by the gene-level circadian rhythm. The paper is utter bullshit. Sample its breathless … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged pseudoscience, scientific papers, scientific publishing, Second language, University Grants Commission, vernacular languages
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The language and bullshitness of ‘a nearly unreadable paper’
Earlier today, the Retraction Watch mailing list highlighted a strange paper written by a V.M. Das disputing the widely accepted fact that our body clocks are regulated by the gene-level circadian rhythm. The paper is utter bullshit. Sample its breathless … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes, Scicomm
Tagged pseudoscience, scientific papers, scientific publishing, Second language, University Grants Commission, vernacular languages
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That astrology workshop at the IISc
Couple caveats: I wrote this post on the night of October 28, before the workshop was cancelled on the morning of October 29. I haven’t bothered to change the tense because issuing this caveat at the top seemed simpler. A … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged astrology, casteism, falsification, Karl Popper, MS Rameshaiah, pseudoscience, superstitions
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Impoverishing science by its association with divisive social issues
Instead of insuring them against the vagaries of the seasons, the latest offering from the Ministry of Agriculture is a suggestion that farmers think their seeds into producing more. Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said on September 15 that the government was … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged environmental regulation, GMO regulation, pseudoscience, Radha Mohan Singh, Yogic farming
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