statisticallystoichiometric

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National Technology Day - 11th May 2025 Tech Tok: The Short Attention Span

Instagram: ABC just sent you a reel. Instagram: XYZ just made a post. Snapchat: DSH sent a snap. Do you also see similar notifications pop up on your screen right after you keep your phone aside after hours of doom scrolling? And what do you do? Subconsciously pick up that phone again, reply and get lost in the world of videos and content again! If you think I spied on you, nah. Most of us are on the same boat, credits to the new favourite on the internet, the short-form content. What probably began as TikTok went ahead with Instagram Reels and Youtube shorts, and now, this short-form content greets us good morning before the people around us do. Constant notifications throughout the day disturb our focus and multitasking while watching these videos ruins the concentration of an individual. Though these videos cover more information in less time and are efficient, they affect the human brain and can be dangerous in the longer run. This micro habit develops overtime and subconsciously, we tend to check our phone in void times, as our brain is addicted that it unknowingly switches from one app to another where you spend hours endlessly scrolling videos and double tapping them to like. The human brain is tricked by features like infinite scroll and auto play, making the user spend more and more time on videos. These videos are smartly shot and scripted to grab the attention of the user in the least amount of time and keep them engaged with hooks or infinite loops, smooth transitions etc. Your social media feeds are tailored according to your interests with the help of cookies, and exploring videos on social media platforms is so easy that all you need to do is scroll to move to the next video. Does short form content have a bright side? Oh, yes. Educational videos have been able to perform well, with the aim to share maximum information in the least amount of time. But, not this doesn’t serve as the most efficient method. There is a difference between learning the information and consuming it. Educational reels do not serve their purpose unless the students are able to learn something rather than just watching it for fun. Though we’re advancing in the field of technology and finding new ways to reduce human work, somewhere in the background, these technological advancements are decreasing human efficiency. Our attention span has decreased over time and the ones who once watched a movie for 3 hours or had study sessions for long hours are now easily distracted within an hour. Learning through short form content is superficial and often lacks the core concepts and understanding, as perfection takes time and is not something that can be covered in less than a couple of minutes. Hours and hours of aimless scrolling through social media increases our mental fatigue and decreases our capacity to think critically. Though technology is a historical invention, it is our responsibility that we don’t get lost in the sea of reels and shorts!

Symphony of the Cosmos

In the swirls of the universe, is sung a symphony of poetic verse. The tunes of stars that burn so bright, Burning balls of nuclear fusion, lighting up the night. The gentle hums of the cosmic waves, like the songs of the sirens, carry stories of a distant place, in the hums of radio and gamma rays. Woodwinds of drifting planets sing the tune to their waltz, shillouettes of celestials dance around their stars. Percussions of a harmonic phenomenon, The Big Bang, Black Holes or a Hazy Nebula, Either the nebula's lullaby of a blossoming life, or the black hole announcing the swan song of light. They echo across the silent cosmos, exotic remnants of stars that shone bright. The seraphic strings of the harp are played, by the moons of the planet's waltz, a subtle tune of joy and merry, by the satellites lighting up our nights. Hear the symphony of the cosmos, The melody of our universe.

Green Synthesis

Green is a word we have always associated with sustainability, and Synthesis, in chemistry, is the process of forming a product by initiating a chemical reaction. Green synthesis is an eco-friendly approach to making chemical compounds using natural, non-toxic materials like plant extracts, water, or enzymes. It avoids harmful chemicals and harsh conditions, making the process safer for both humans and the environment. This method is widely used in fields like medicine, agriculture, and materials science, promoting sustainability and reducing pollution.

So, here's a simple metaphor. We're all familiar with the ways of gardening. Green synthesis is like gardening with compost instead of chemical fertilisers. Just as we use kitchen scraps and leaves to enrich the soil naturally, green synthesis uses plant-based materials or safe, natural methods to create chemicals without harming the environment. It nurtures progress while respecting nature, growing useful compounds the way a plant grows—with patience, balance, and care. This method avoids toxic shortcuts and instead works in harmony with the Earth, proving that chemistry, like gardening, can flourish sustainably when we choose to work with nature instead of against it.

22nd April, 2025

The entire world comes together to celebrate our home. Mother Earth. This year, the theme for Earth Day is Our Power, Our Planet. This urges us to realise the importance of sustainable and renewable energy to build a healthy future for the coming generations.

Energy powers the world. From homes to industries to global economies. Historically, natural resources like wood and sunlight powered life on Earth. But after the Industrial Revolution, the dependence on fossil fuels like coal and petroleum has increased significantly. Today, as the field of technology gets more advanced, the energy demands have gone up, pushing us to explore much safer, sustainable options to meet our growing needs. 

So what are our sustainable options?

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy is derived from natural sources that replenish themselves. For instance, sunlight, potential energy from wind or flowing water. They’re sustainable, do not release any greenhouse gases upon being harnessed and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. However, they come with their own set of challenges. Initial costs for infrastructure can be high, and some renewable sources, like solar and wind, can be intermittent, depending on weather conditions. Despite these challenges, investing in renewable energy is crucial for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

It is essential to switch to renewable energy for a sustainable future. It reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, enhancing geopolitical stability by decreasing energy-related conflicts. Moreover, renewable energy offers social and health benefits. Cleaner air, cleaner water, and cleaner soil lead to healthier communities. Investing in sustainable energy also drives innovations, creates jobs in multiple sectors, and promotes long-term growth of not just the environmental sector, but many other sectors too. And through this, we don’t just protect our planet but also build a stable and healthy society for future generations to come. 

So this Earth Day, let’s come together and make our future sustainable. 

Entropy and Monday Mornings

It’s a Monday morning. You reach work to find 25 unread emails, a messy house, 5 essays due, a broken coffee machine, and you’re not sure if you locked your door on the way here. And it doesn’t end there. There’s more work piling up! When there’s chaos all around us, it is only natural to feel overwhelmed. What if I tell you, every object (yes, the non-living ones) experiences this too! 

Only at a very atomic level. Each task in our mind is a microstate, a unique arrangement of thoughts at that point of time. The greater the microstates, the greater the number of tasks, the greater the chaos. Chemistry defines a microstate as an instantaneous arrangement of atoms or molecules in a system. And just as our task list increases, the chaos increases. Similarly, for a system, as the number of microstates increases, the entropy increases. Entropy is the measure of disorder or randomness or the possible number of microstates a system can have. It’s just chaos, where lower entropy means greater order and less chaos(Friday Nights), and higher entropy means more disorder and more microstates(Monday mornings).

Entropy tends to rise with time in an isolated system, such as an overloaded brain on a Monday. This implies that things naturally transition from order to disorder in the absence of outside input. Now, imagine some Lo-fi music playing in your headset as you work through the e-mails, sipping on the perfect coffee that you ordered, powering through your day. Maybe you even wrote a to-do list, helping you stay organised. Doesn’t seem so bad when an external effort is made. Similarly, in isolated systems, entropy usually tends to increase over time, meaning things usually go from a state of orderliness to disorderliness unless an external energy is put in to maintain structure.

S = k. ln(W)

Mathematically, the Entropy (S) of any isolated system can be measured by multiplying the Boltzmann constant (k) by the natural logarithm of the number of microstates it possesses (lnW). Entropy isn’t a bad thing—it’s just a natural tendency of systems to become more disordered over time, unless energy is added to maintain order. In your case, a little bit of organisation (external energy) can help you manage the entropy in your Monday morning.

To Science is to innovate.

To Science is to inspire.

To Science is to develop.

While science seeks the truth, leadership converts that truth into action. The role of a leader in science would be that of a catalyst, accelerating the process of bringing together theoretical ideas and practical reality.

Science cultivates essential skills like analytical thinking, problem solving and creativity - traits that shape individuals and the world around them.

But what is leadership in science?

At its roots, it begins with teachers — the school faculty who ignite curiosity and instil scientific thinking in young minds. They lay the foundation for all future innovation.

At a community level, leadership is manifested in colleges, innovation hubs, policy making bodies that work relentlessly on bridging the gap between talent and opportunity. They work on empowering the students to share, refine and realise their ideas.

At the national and international levels, we see leaders like Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Benjamin Franklin — figures who have left their mark in both science and governance. They not only lead by example but also uplift and inspire the public, proving that science and leadership together have the power to shape history.

So, no. Leadership in science is not merely about holding a powerful position while carrying a science degree. It is about innovating - and using that innovation for the greater good. For the self. For society.

Alchemy

Where the glow of the burners set and the vapors rise, Chasing the silver of moonlit skies. The alchemy flows in the chemist's hands, An elite crafter from the marble stands.

Colors of twilight glow and Jasmine's breath, How love has brought about death. With chemicals pumping in my veins And a soul scarred with chemical stains

The echoes of silent screams filled the room, An obsession leading to doom. A pulse now beating in the molecules, a breath of a bond unbroken, In chemistry's embrace, a soul had last spoken.