I don't unmix science and politics. Science and environment editor, @the_hindu: mukunth dot v at thehindu dot co dot in.
India
Joined December 2008
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What is a "convenient protest"? slightlyacidic.com/2026/10/1…
Not-so-pleasantly surprised that so much of science lumbers on with "look, so shiny" research despite another field (maths) illustrating the importance of deliberating first whether something ought to be done just because it can be done
Borrowing an idea from one research discipline to solve a thorny problem in another is an age-old scientific trick. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, for example, famously inspired algorithms in computer science that “evolve” solutions to complex problems.
But such clever leaps are fleetingly rare. For #AI, however, hopping between fields can be a breeze.
Researchers highlighted that ability with the release of 36 preprints produced with a single suite of AI tools called BootLoops. The so-called harness can be used with any large language model, such as Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
And in just 3 months, researchers used Claude outfitted with BootLoops to cross-pollinate at a massive scale, spotting—and precisely solving—problems in seemingly unrelated fields that share the same mathematical structures.
The resulting papers range widely, from figuring out the age of sunspots, to analyzing government health policies, to attempting to decipher a mysterious medieval manuscript.
Learn more: scim.ag/3TUUyDJ
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NEW | Vedanta seems to be attempting to revive its stalled Niyamgiri bauxite mining project despite the Gram Sabhas’ rejection of mining in 2013, raising concerns that the Odisha government may be using the criminal justice system to weaken tribal resistance and clear the way for corporate interests. @Ayaskant_Das reports.
frontline.thehindu.com/envir…
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From what to wear to how close to get to a confrontation, women are constantly calculating the risks.
In the Notebook for @the_hindu on the questions women shouldn’t have to ask themselves.
thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/t…
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“…workers may acquire a considerable amount of embodied knowledge through experience, yet remain ‘unskilled’ in the eyes of institutions because they lack the formal credentials used to recognise, and pay for, skill.”
Important piece via @1amnerd thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/t…
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📢NEW
Coal imports mandated by Modi government delivered a bonanza to Adani Group while making electricity more expensive for consumers across India
Even BJP-ruled states protested against it, documents show
@scroll_in investigation by @shreegireesh
scroll.in/article/1096068/ho…
Many of the "logical discrepancies" to exclude electors from voter rolls are illogical. In fact, they seem designed to exclude Muslims, for reasons that lack any constitutional basis, and entirely for political purposes. Fab work by my colleagues @vrsrini + @pon_vasanth!
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🚨 UPDATE
The detainees are being released after HOURS of extrajudicial torture & detention. This group of 50-60 detainees INCLUDES MINORS.
SPREAD THIS STORY EVERYWHERE. Let it bring us global shame.
Shame on you @DelhiPolice @AmitShah. Anyone with dignity would resign now.
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hey prove my Leanslop is correct
hey tell me my choice of problems is good
hey give me ideas (I take anyways, is OK)
hey fix my slop
hey you can pull the slop slot machine
hey I know u poor and overworked from all that gatekeeping
hey i give you discount
hey why u sad
hey I thought you cared about Truth
hey look press conference we're unloading truckloads of Truths into the truth storage unit
hey I thought you loved reading
hey why are you not cheering
hey there's a little pod for you in the truth storage unit
hey help put the Truths on display
hey sorry i took your problems, I'll give you a new one
hey i'm scary help me be less Scary
hey I want to help you
hey help me do what i do to you to everyone
hey it's happening, just take it
hey don't worry I'll take care of the prompts myself soon, you don't need to worry, u not needed soon
hey give me give me
hey help me help you help me seem less Scary
hey why are you not happy
hey why are you not cheering
hey i thought you cared about Truth
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T 970 - Pained and horrified to see what unfolds in Delhi .. peaceful protest being met with tear gas and water canons !!
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One important thing to understand is that the legal architecture around the right to protest in India remains colonial in its design, and the Supreme Court has been enforcing this colonial architecture since 1960. The Constitution did nothing to change this.
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An insightful post by @1amnerd
about why Nobel Prizes in sciences are overrated in terms of actual recognition and numerous scientists building upon the work of others.
@the_hindu @TheHinduScience
Read full article: thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc…
Each edition of the Nobel Prizes is a chance to reflect on their profound limitations, and on why we pay them so much attention. thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc…
"The institution is using its prestige — owed to the science it celebrates — to entrench a distorted understanding of how science works … at a time when scientific progress increasingly depends on extensive cooperation." thehindu.com/opinion/editori…
Recently had a chance to rewatch Good Will Hunting, and thought Robin Williams's speech to Matt Damon in the park is something we could also recount to AI, and to ourselves so we remember what AI really is, and have it be mostly true. slightlyacidic.com/2026/10/0…
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HiPOD: Offworld Cool
This stunning dune field, almost 5 km (3 mi) across in the grayscale cutout, is located at the bottom of an unnamed impact crater. The dark spots are the result of sublimation of subsurface ice.
uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_07733…
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
"These are only by-elections, that’s all"
#BREAKING Supreme Court declines to advance the hearing in the West Bengal SIR matter concerning over 18,000 appeals stated to be pending before the appellate authorities, despite a request for listing before the October 6 bypolls in Reginagar and Nandigram
CJI Surya Kant remarks, “These are only by-elections, that’s all,” after counsel submitted that affected voters risked missing out on voting for a second time.
The matter will remain listed on October 5.
