Episodes
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Even Darwin pointed out that his ideas on categorizing species might not be the most perfect way of understanding varieties in nature. But how do you study individuals and their species individually?
What is the definition of ‘boundaries’ when you move through the behavioral terrains of the nature?
The answers to such questions can reveal a long history of evolution and in our third conversation of the fifth season of Zeroing In we set out to scratch the surface of these defining questions. In the first part of this splendid conversation with Prof. Anindya Sinha we learn and unlearn ideas of studying the nature. Prof. Sinha is currently a Professor at NIAS, Bengaluru and his research interests span a plethora of disciplines ranging from behavioral ecology to molecular genetics. He has a master’s degree in botany and a PhD. in molecular biology. Alongside his wide ranging research interests he is also passionate about scientific outreach and popularization.
Discover the complete episode on any of your favorite podcast platform like Spotify, YouTube or head directly to our website- zeroingin.org.
Happy listening!
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In the thread of our fifth season: from atoms to planets, we bead a very interesting segment of living beings. In the third episode, we converse with an extremely talented and charming Primatologist— Prof. Anindya Sinha, who is currently a professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.
Stay tuned for the complete episode coming out this weekend, wherein we converse with Prof. Sinha about his fascinating research on non-human primates.#science #podcast #primates
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How do we measure time to the utmost precision? How do we even define time? What’s the need for a definition? And where does fundamental science really matter to the everyday affairs we go through?
The questions that subtly sit right beside our daily routines, and are conveniently pushed on the other side of the horizon more often than not — are the same questions that lend the modern world’s working mechanisms a precise meaning and synchronicity. On the crossroads of philosophy and physics, we discuss about the practical aspects of the frontier of the research directions that delineate the physical world around us with the man behind India’s first space-based atomic clock that was launched by ISRO in 2023, Prof. Thejesh N. Bandi.
Listen to the two part conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube or directly visit our website— www.zeroingin.org
Happy listening!
#FromAtomstoPlanets
#science #podcast #atoms #science #ScienceInIndia @isro.dos #isro #india -
From the biggest waves of the ocean to the tiniest of the atoms tick at their own frequencies. While some are extremely periodic, others shift through time.The watch on your wrist or the clock on your wall might tell you the time of the day but what do we turn to when we need to record time with extreme precision and accuracy such as in picoseconds?We turn to the atoms! Yes, atomic clocks are used throughout scientific instruments on Earth and outer space, and form the basis of the Global Positioning system among other innumerable resources that take power from the precision measurements and timekeeping standards, running essentially at the backbone of our everyday worlds.Reeling into the world of atomic clocks and trying to understand their fundamentals as well as the technology, we converse with the man behind India’s first ever indigenous space-based clock, Prof. Thejesh Bandi, currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama, US and the former Division Head of the Atomic Clocks Division at SAC, ISRO.P.S.: This conversation was recorded before the launch of the first Indigenous atomic clock, which has since been demonstrated to be working successfully in space!Artwork by: Akshita Arora.
Season theme music by: Shaun Ethan & Krishnabh Thengal.
#science #atomicclock #physics #universityofalabama #ISRO @isro.dos
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From the biggest waves of the ocean to the tiniest of the atoms tick at their own frequencies. While some are extremely periodic, others shift through time.The watch on your wrist or the clock on your wall might tell you the time of the day but what do we turn to when we need to record time with extreme precision and accuracy such as in picoseconds?We turn to the atoms! Yes, atomic clocks are used throughout scientific instruments on Earth and the outer space, and forms the basis of the Global Positioning system among other innumerable resources that take power from the precision measurements and timekeeping standards, running essentially at the backbone of our everyday worlds.Reeling into the world of atomic clocks and trying to understand their fundamentals as well as the technology, we converse with the man behind India’s first ever indigenous space-based clock, Prof. Thejesh Bandi, currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama, US and the former Division Head of the Atomic Clocks Division at SAC, ISRO.P.S.: This conversation was recorded before the launch of the first Indigenous atomic clock, which has since then been demonstrated to be working successfully in space!Stay tuned for the full episode coming out soon!
Artwork by: Akshita Arora
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In the second and final part of the conversation in the first episode of Season 5, we continue our dialogue with the distinguished physicist, Prof. Rupamanjari Ghosh. In this episode, we delve deeper into her contributions to the field of Quantum Optics, as well as her experiences as a teacher and policy maker.
We talk at extent about developing the theory as well as the experimental set up for the two photon interference experiment while also traversing through her personal anecdotes and some extremely fascinating insights.
Don't miss out on this enriching conversation with Prof Ghosh, available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or directly on our website: www.zeroingin.org.
Video by: @shagun_barkodia
Season theme song by Shaun Ethan C. Phangcho and Krishnabh Thengal.
#podcast #Quantumoptics #Optics #physics #podcasts #physicist #conversations #sciencecommunications
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How does the property of light change when we zoom in and look at the photons?
When we talk about ‘Quantum’ we view the universe probabilistically, that means while you are sitting in your room listening to this excerpt there’s a teeny-tiny but non-zero chance that you are currently playing foosball with the penguins in Antarctica!
Hear this exciting excerpt from a conversation where we talk about some of the pioneering works in the field that demonstrated experimental methods of probing the quantum nature of this fascinating universe we inhabit.
Stay tuned for the second half of our conversation— Zeroing In with Prof. Rupamanjari Ghosh releasing this weekend!
Artwork by: Akshita Arora
Music from Pixabay.
Visit us for more conversations and episodes at www.zeroingin.org
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Quantum optics is an extremely rich and diverse field with applications ranging from super fast computers (quantum computers) to establishing a zero-failure communication system! Forming one of the most sought after fields in natural science in the present world to deepen our understanding of the universe, it holds immense potential of answering the long pressing big questions in fundamental physics, and beyond.
In our first episode of the fifth season of Zeroing In, we converse with a brilliant physicist whose contributions to this field essentially laid the foundations, while the research area was taking shape in the latter half of the 20th century. Our guest for this conversation, Prof. Rupamanjari Ghosh, completed her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester, New York, where among her other pioneering ideas, her thesis was based on exploring the ‘Non-classical effects in the interference of two photons’ with Prof. Leonard Mandel, widely known as one of the founding fathers of the field of Quantum Optics. Prof. Ghosh moved back to India as a professor at JNU, Delhi where she worked for the major part of her academic career. Subsequently, she moved to Shiv Nadar University as the Founding Director of Natural Sciences and later took over as the Vice Chancellor at the SNU.
She has also contributed immensely to nation building over the years as an all rounded-researcher and teacher in academia, as well as in very significant capacities as a policy maker at the apex institutions and organisations such as NCERT, DST, UGC and CSIR, among others, throughout her career.
In this first of the two part conversation with Prof. Ghosh, we discussed at length about the making of a scientist, and life in science. Diving deep, Prof. Ghosh takes us along the insightful journey of how the scientific landscape spanned in the 1980s, and through quintessential anecdotes, shares some beautiful insights from her starting years as a doctoral student, lending a closer view to a lifetime of pursuing brilliance while discovering and nurturing dexterity ranging wide across the experimental and theoretical fields of quantum optics, laser physics, non-linear optics and quantum information. Experience this rich conversation filled with beautiful insights and fascinating anecdotes on Spotify or Apple podcast or directly on our website: www.zeroingin.org
Stay tuned for the second half of this conversation, coming out in the following week!
Season theme song by Shaun Ethan C. Phangcho and Krishnabh Thengal.
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Perhaps it is only fair to open this marveling season of our journey from Atoms to Planets with a conversation where we dive into the quantum world!
When we talk about interference, we consider light as a wave, while in the photoelectric effect, Einstein very revolutionarily proposed the idea of photons as particles. Sitting right in between, begs the question — how would you explain the interference of two photons!
One of the most pioneering experiments that also became a pivotal event in the story of Quantum Optics, was conceptualised and undertaken during the doctoral thesis of our guest for this episode— a fitting start to a journey studded with brilliant ideas all along—, for an extremely talented physicist and a charming human all around— Prof. Rupamanjari Ghosh.
Stay tuned for a conversation amalgamating a scientific breakthrough and personal anecdotes from a pioneering physicist!
The first part of this conversation releases this Friday on major podcast streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube or directly head to our website: www.zeroingin.org
Artwork by: Akshita Arora.
Background music from Pixabay.
Happy listening!
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While physicists go about explaining how the world works as it is being witnessed, mathematicians design a world with their own sets of curiosities. Everything being explored or has been explored about the physical system is merely a subset of the expanse to which the mathematical world extends.
Delving into some fundamental yet fascinating ideas of the mathematical world, we converse with Prof. Sujatha Ramdorai— famously known for her contributions to the Iwasawa theory, only to discover how much there is yet to be ventured beyond the physical dimensions. -
Perhaps, if you take off a layer, or maybe two, from anything and everything functioning/existing in this universe, the underlying layer would be of Mathematics. Behind every pattern that ever existed to big machineries digging up holes in the ground to even the buzzing AI, everything can be written down in the language called Mathematics.
It is quite fascinating to even just acknowledge the vastness of this subject but where in our learning did we move from counting melons to learning about the most abstract ideas? Do we really understand how immense the fabric of Mathematics stretches to?
Trying to connect many more dots like these, we converse with an inspiring humans and a renowned number theorist, Prof. Sujatha Ramdorai, who takes us for a quick dip into the sea of mysteries, ideas, and abstractions— basically building up to the world of Mathematics.
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The talks about computer science as a discipline that’s absolutely hot in trend are all pervasive. Of course, for the right reasons for most part, the field spans across the major pillars of our everyday life, and forms an inescapable basis of our present society. We deep dive with Prof. Debayan Gupta, Assistant Professor at the Ashoka University currently, on these ideas that span across a vast arena, as do his interests. Prof. Gupta completed his doctoral work at Yale University, and held an extraordinary faculty position at MIT, Boston, before moving to Ashoka, while he still acts as a visiting professor and research associate with MIT.
In this conversation where Prof. Gupta eloquently puts across the brilliance and beauty of the discipline, in context with the wider world and personal understanding thereof, the insights make for a compelling case to ask newer questions in the contemporary world to make sense of this changing playground.
We talk about the ideas of computer science that derive from mathematics, and core logic at heart, flowing in to beautiful applications as in encryption, cryptography, and digital (well, almost real) privacy.
Sit back and immerse yourself in the ideas that are almost reminiscent of the words by Bill Watterson, “To invent your own life’s meaning is not easy, but it’s still allowed and I think you’ll be happier for the trouble”, in the playfully put context of the 21st century world experienced from behind the screens.
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S04 | E03: Zeroing In with Prof. Debayan Gupta | On Keeping and Working with Secrets for Scaled Societies
In the information era where knowledge is vast and the possibilities are only limited to one’s imagination, Computer Science has advanced to the extent where this very write-up can be polished and generated with the help of a computer. While advanced technology can be captivating, it also brings us to question the philosophical boundary of data privacy in modern societies.
Join us in understanding the critical importance of scaling in the machines and how we can build better checks and balances systems in the ever-changing world with Dr. Debayan Gupta.
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The most basic of survival necessity is food—the plate at the end of the day. While the human population began settling down from the hunter-gatherer stage, it became quite essential for us to find ways of bringing our food to our vicinity. Settlement meant a big leap in the techniques of how food was grown, from calculating rains to fighting insects. There’s so much that our food depends on—from the clouds in the sky to water in the drain. But how do you look at the clouds above and water beneath?
It’s quite astonishing to think how closely connected satellites are to the food we eat. Agriculture as a field took a big leap when instruments were placed up in the sky to map it ground below.
We had the incredible opportunity to discuss ideas and questions with a renowned scientist and veteran, Prof. Vinay K. Dadhwal who has played a pivotal role in advancing agricultural methods and technologies in India. He has also headed some great organisations in India including National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram.
Tune in to the episode from our website: zeroingin.org or listen on any of your favorite podcast platform.
Happy listening!
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S04 | E03: Zeroing In with Dr. V. K. Dadhwal | On Pertinence of Remote Sensing in Agriculture
In the upcoming episode of Zeroing In, we delve into the topic of agriculture, the foundation of human sustenance. As we settled into a more stable lifestyle, cultivating food became a necessity. However, understanding the weather patterns and pests that impact crop growth proved to be a challenge. How could we monitor the skies and soil?
It's remarkable to ponder the role of satellites in our food supply chain. Thanks to remote sensing technology, agriculture has evolved tremendously. We had the pleasure of speaking with the distinguished Professor V.K. Dadhwal, an expert in the intersection of agriculture and remote sensing. Join us as we explore his insights on mapping an entire country's agricultural landscape to meet the needs of its population.
Music by "REW<<"
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What does it take to design, create, and settle a city? Humankind has resolved these questions in varying epochs and geographical contexts, very differently, when looked into the details of — and through all these brilliant ways of becoming, we have shaped our worlds today- in the charming cities and towns we inhabit.
Human colonies have been an intriguing subject not because the idea is new, but precisely the opposite— making it quite a rare definition of ‘interesting’ in the current day of rapidly growing areas of interest and applications. Hereby, the ideas of civil engineering, city planning, urban planning, traffic control, and pedestrian safety are only some of the ideas that come in the same gamut — the ideas that we were able to discuss with Prof. Geetam Tiwari, a distinguished expert in the field, and currently a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
In our conversation with her, we travelled along the curious pathways leading to a fundamental understanding of the shaping of city spaces, in context with the historical pillars of human settlements, as well as the ones that we inhabit currently across different continents, and socio-economic influences among other multifarious factors that make the discipline fascinating beyond measure.
As is largely true with our everyday life this discussion sheds some nurturing rays of revelation on why our everyday cities and towns look the way they do — the details that we forget to notice, and what goes into thinking and making of such a complex organism — a city itself.
Take the plunge and discover more about this fascinating topic here!
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S04 | E02: Zeroing In with Prof. Geetam Tiwari | On City Planning and Routes to Engineering a MegaCity
City life is a complex and intricate experience that we all navigate in our own ways. Our daily routines, shortcuts, and familiar routes give us a sense of familiarity and belonging in the cities we call home. In fact, that is how we sometimes substantiate our claims for having actually experienced a city. And for each new place you’d move to, you’d do this all over again, and then call it your own.
But what does it take to chart this out from zero— to build the map of a city from scratch, and plan for all of these intricate, and inherently chaotic scenarios, that touch and actually shape human lives on a very everyday basis, and in turn define a human settlement?
Here’s a sneak peek of our beautiful journey of discussing these questions and much more with an expert from the field, Prof. Geetam Tiwari a distinguished civil engineer. Her expertise and experiences will offer invaluable insights into the planning, building, and evolution of cities, and the ways in which they shape human civilization. Join us for this exciting exploration of the origins and evolution of our urban landscapes from a scientific and technological perspective.
Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay.
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Have you ever wondered how human civilsations took shape? How much do we know from our shared past, and how far do we have a scientific basis for these stories?
Exploring the depths of our past and unearthing the mysteries of ancient civilizations - this is what makes archaeology such an endlessly fascinating subject. From discovering ancient artifacts and deciphering hieroglyphics, to reconstructing lost cities, and piecing together the lives of our ancestors, the discipline offers a peephole to understanding the planet and our society that has formed over a span of several millennia.For the Season 4 of Zeroing In : Of A City, as we embark on the journey of figuring our way through the making of the civilization that we live in, we start with the first puzzle piece of delving into all that has come before, and finding how much we know of it in the scientific context. The archaeological perspectives borrow the contexts from history, art, and literature, while also form a solid ground for scientific innovation and discovery.
In our conversation with Prof. Kalyan Chakraborty, Professor of Archaeology at the Ashoka University, we discovered some fascinating methodologies of building and putting together the stories from buried relics, deciphering mysteries while also understanding the intriguing ideologies and philosophies from around the world, centuries old and present, alike.
Dive in to the full episode to hear on about the nurturing togetherness that we share as humankind, and the origins of it all, as we have traced, to find a sense of belongingness - with the planet, and within ourselves - in the infinite scheme to things.
Zeroing In Season 4 Theme Song credits: Ethan Phangcho and Sankalp Hongal.
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S04 | E01: Zeroing In with Prof. Kalyan Chakraborty • While building up a city, it’s quite crucial to go down a bit.
It is quite amusing to see how much a half broken eating bowl buried under ash of Pompeii can reveal stories of its citizens. But archeology isn't just about digging up dusty old relics and theorizing about the past. It's about understanding the way people lived, their beliefs and customs, and how they interacted with the world around them.
In the first episode of the new season of Zeroing In we begin by doing some intriguing digging! In our fascinating conversation with Prof. Kalyan Chakraborty we do some major digging up of how stories are unraveled from broken pieces of history found depths underneath the surface.
Music Credits: Confirmed Sightings by Ketsa
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Our everyday lives are lined by collective behaviour of all kinds of things, particles, and beings. Have you wondered if it is possible to formulate physical ideas that can lead us to understanding these fascinating behaviours that seem to appear out of sheer randomness — imagine the flocking of birds, movements of schools of fish, aggregation of bacteria, self-arrangement of bio-polymers— the highly non-trivial out of equilibrium systems that are driven by supply of energy, essentially the living or non-living systems? The study of such systems is now popularly termed as active matter, and our guest for this episode, Prof. Sriram Ramaswamy, is known to have made seminal contributions to the field amounting to giving birth to and shaping the field of active matter, and laying the foundations of the hydrodynamical approach for studying these systems.
Prof. Ramaswamy, Fellow of the Royal Society, is currently a Professor at the Centre for Condensed Matter Physics at IISc Bangalore. His research addresses the quintessential questions of the physical world wherein the quantum mechanical descriptions do not enter the scene and the classical pictures rule over the complexities, using the powerful principles of the symmetry and conservation laws, under the broad regimes of condensed matter physics.
Listen in to our discussion with Prof. Ramaswamy, where we delved headlong into discovering more about the vast horizons and excitements in the field of active matter— Prof. Ramaswamy makes a call to all the bright young minds, to take a curious look at what wonderful ideas are in store to make sense of the physical world, and the apparent randomness in the absurdity of life.
Music credits to Sankalp Hongal and Ethan Phangcho.
Episode artwork by Akshita Arora.
Visit us on www.zeroingin.org
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