Journalism of Courage
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Kabir Firaque
Kabir Firaque, a newsroom veteran of three decades, has been part of The Indian Express editorial team since 2008. A civil engineer by education, he writes on science, mathematics, puzzles, and issues related to Assam. He tweets @KabirFiraque
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More From Kabir Firaque - Page 2
Explained: How zombie films may have prepared fans for the coronavirus pandemicSubscriber Only
January 15,2021 11:44:24 AM
Fans of horror films showed less psychological distress during Covid-19, finds study, suggesting that the information we obtain from an imagined situation may serve us in analogous situations in the real world
Sun, Jan 17, 2021
Explained: Breathing rate and the risk of virus infectionSubscriber Only
January 12,2021 03:35:32 AM
Researchers have found that a lower breathing frequency — and holding one’s breath — increases the risk of virus-laden droplets reaching the deep lung.
Tue, Jan 12, 2021
Explained: How to measure aerosols with a particle counter, after accounting for dustSubscriber Only
December 28,2020 02:22:40 AM
The concentration of aerosols in public spaces can give a measure of infection risk.
Tue, Dec 29, 2020
Explained: Seasonal UV radiation and global Covid-19 trendsSubscriber Only
December 22,2020 03:54:47 AM
The study compared various populations to themselves over time, and tested whether daily variations in UV radiation lead to changes in Covid-19 cases up to three weeks in the future.
Tue, Dec 22, 2020
Explained: Why wearing a weak mask may carry more risk than no mask at allSubscriber Only
December 16,2020 19:28:36 PM
Filtration efficiency of a mask decreases with multiple use. How does a mask influence the airflow around the face? Study looks at flow speeds, tracks deposition of particles on folds, the nose, and the lungs.
Wed, Dec 23, 2020
Explained: Why pet cats (and possibly lions and tigers) are vulnerable to coronavirusSubscriber Only
December 15,2020 01:39:57 AM
Next to humans, ferrets, and then cats, are the most vulnerable to coronavirus infection, new research finds. How does it reach this conclusion, and what about big cats?
Mon, Dec 21, 2020
Explained: In weird planet 336 light-years away, clues about our own Planet NineSubscriber Only
December 13,2020 08:12:54 AM
Like the presumed Planet Nine in our Solar System, newly described exoplanet orbits its star from a great distance, at an extreme tilt, and influences the behaviour of various objects in its system. What have scientists learnt about its formation and behaviour, and how does it mirror Planet Nine?
Mon, Dec 21, 2020
Explained: Here’s why face shields are no match for sneeze dropletsSubscriber Only
December 12,2020 04:00:33 AM
If someone wore a face shield but no mask, and if someone infected with Covid-19 sneezed in the vicinity, would the face shield offer enough protection on its own?
Mon, Dec 21, 2020
Explained: Two people ride in a car during Covid-19 pandemic, which windows should they keep open?Subscriber Only
December 08,2020 19:56:25 PM
Keeping all four windows open is best, but when that is not possible, two opened windows offer a degree of protection. New research looks at air flow patterns in various open-and-closed-window configurations.
Tue, Dec 15, 2020
Explained: In tree rings, warning of Brahmaputra floodsSubscriber Only
December 02,2020 01:02:24 AM
For years, scientists have been looking with concern at the river’s potential for catastrophic flooding in the future, especially as the climate warms. It turns out that this potential has been underestimated so far — even without accounting for a warming climate.
Wed, Dec 02, 2020
Explained: Videos show how masks with valves fail to filter exhaled airSubscriber Only
November 20,2020 01:32:57 AM
Staymates, whose work involves flow visualisation techniques that capture the movement of air on camera, turned this expertise toward masks.
Sat, Nov 21, 2020
New research: Allergens in some masks may cause skin problems; how can you avoid this?Subscriber Only
November 16,2020 09:22:06 AM
Dr Dhamija and Dr Schmidlin noted that common allergens that can affect contact dermatitis are found in masks, elastic bands, and other components of face masks.
Tue, Nov 17, 2020
Explained: When women hunted big gameSubscriber Only
November 05,2020 12:53:15 PM
A female teenager from 9,000 years ago has been identified as the oldest hunter burial found in the Americas. Overturning the notion that hunting was exclusively a male domain while women only gathered, an analysis of burial records indicates 30-50% hunters from a similar period were female.
Thu, Nov 05, 2020
Explained: How Sir Sean Connery set the template for James BondSubscriber Only
November 01,2020 13:11:28 PM
Sean Connery, the first Bond in the official franchise from Eon Productions, has died at age 90. A look at what led to his selection for the role, and how he helped craft a definitive identity for the iconic character
Mon, Nov 02, 2020
98.6°F vs new normal: Why is our body temperature declining over time?Subscriber Only
October 31,2020 07:30:54 AM
After trends observed in studies in the US and UK, new research has found that body temperatures are declining also among a rural indigenous group in Bolivia. A look at the possible causes behind these declines across so many populations
Fri, Nov 06, 2020
Water on the Moon: a discovery, an estimate, and why it mattersSubscriber Only
October 27,2020 13:54:18 PM
Water found on Moon’s sunlit surface for first time; another study finds shadowy regions potentially containing ice are more widespread than thought. What can these findings mean for Moon explorers?
Thu, Oct 29, 2020
School closure, work from home, ban on public events — which works best to stop Covid-19 spread?Subscriber Only
October 27,2020 07:24:48 AM
The researchers investigated the effect of separate and combined interventions on transmission, by estimating the R number when these interventions are introduced and lifted.
Sat, Oct 31, 2020
Scientists grow ‘mini-lungs’ in a lab, infect them with the coronavirus and watch battle in real timeSubscriber Only
October 24,2020 14:17:37 PM
In both studies, scientists observed how the virus damages the alveoli in the lungs. Alveoli are balloon-like air sacs that take up the oxygen we breathe and release the carbon dioxide we exhale.
Fri, Oct 30, 2020
Explained: Can eyeglasses shield you against Covid-19?Subscriber Only
September 18,2020 01:26:49 AM
Can wearing glasses protect you from the novel coronavirus? Here are the findings of a new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Fri, Sep 18, 2020
Explained: How far can singing/talking spread Covid-19?Subscriber Only
September 15,2020 05:10:07 AM
Consonants release very large droplets — and B and P stand out as the biggest aerosol spreaders. At the same time, larger droplets fall to the ground earlier, and so have a shorter lifespan than smaller droplets. Is that a contradiction?
Wed, Sep 16, 2020
The name’s Bond, Tracy Bond — the legacy of James Bond’s wife, and the actor who played herSubscriber Only
September 11,2020 17:35:33 PM
James Bond married only once. Diana Rigg, 82, the actor who played his wife, Tracy, died on Thursday. A look at the legacy of the two women, individually and together
Sun, Sep 13, 2020
Explained: There are five kinds of cat owners. Which one are you?Subscriber Only
September 05,2020 17:40:19 PM
Are you a Concerned Protector of your cat, or a Freedom Defender, Tolerant Guardian, Conscientious Caretaker or Laissez-faire Landlord? It depends on how you view your cat's hunting behaviour, new research explains.
Sun, Sep 06, 2020
Explained: Two black holes merged billions of years ago, but it is puzzling scientists nowSubscriber Only
September 03,2020 19:01:31 PM
LIGO and Virgo detect signals from gravitational waves released in the merger. One of the two parent black holes was of an unusual “intermediate mass”, which challenges traditional scientific knowledge. What is generally understood, and what explains this unusual size?
Sat, Sep 05, 2020
Explained: A robot to measure Covid-19 patients’ vital signsSubscriber Only
September 02,2020 03:40:54 AM
The robot, called Spot, has been developed by Boston Dynamics, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Controlled by a handheld device, it can walk on four legs, similarly to a dog.
Wed, Sep 02, 2020
How mosquitoes stopped mosquitoes from spreading dengue in an Indonesian citySubscriber Only
August 28,2020 04:00:15 AM
Scientists infected female mosquitoes with bacteria and released them; two years later, dengue incidence reduced by 77%. How did this strategy work? Can it help fight mosquito-borne diseases on a larger scale?
Sat, Aug 29, 2020Journalism of Courage
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