MYSTICSPICE

The following article was published in WSJ, Nov 16th, 2012 issue. It talks about how interaction enriches our minds and improves our overall learning process. It defies the 'neuromyths' that 1.Individuals use only 10% of their brains, 2. Our mind develops when we listen to more classical music or read about 'brainiacs' like Einstein and 3. Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred style.  The authors say that in our bodies organs are always functioning and no organ has evolved to function below 90%. For arguments (2 and 3), the authors say that these factors can be conducive to learning but an individual is more likely to become dull in an impoverished and in a locked up environment. Happy Reading!! Using just 10% of your brain? Think Again Pop quiz: Which of these statements is false? 1. We use only 10% of our brain. 2. Environments rich in stimuli improve the brains of preschool children. 3. Individuals learn better w...

Two city-bred, upper-class aspiring entrepreneurs from Bangalore embarked on a mission: learn more about India, by subsisting for a month on what the average Indian does – just 100 rupees ($2.04) a day. So far, Tushar Vashisht and Mathew Cherian, both 26, have lost nine pounds and four pounds, respectively, and complained of dizziness and depression from a lack of food. Milk is a treat, traveling more than five kilometers (3.1 miles) a day can blow their budget and saving money is incredibly difficult. They say they miss dental floss, deodorant and toilet paper. “This has been a humbling experience,” said Mr. Vashisht, a former investment banker with Deutsche Bank in San Francisco and Singapore, who says his banker lifestyle now seems “unreal.” He said he plans to live on the average  Indian’s income one day a week for the rest of his life. Mr. Vashisht and Mr. Cherian, a computer science graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have been tracking their “l...

I attended this conference in March 2012 and wrote this summary for my funding agency... Planet under pressure, was a conference on solutions that explored how science can identify and limit risks in the face of increasing human impacts on the Earth. There was a focus on boosting science education and interdisciplinary inquiry and maintaining investments in systems and agencies devoted to comprehending change. The plenary sessions of the conference and sessions altogether was a very good mix of people and presentations from diverse fields that offered unique perspective on different environmental problems and ways to solve them. Following is the compilation of points from some of the illuminating discussions and presentations   at the conference. Continued functioning of the earth system is at risk and urgent action is required to avoid ‘intensifying risks of economic, ecological and social crises, creating potential for a humanitarian emergency on a global scale’. The e...