Convergent Lines

In the past few years, and more acutely in the past few months, the propagation of false information, propaganda and misleading content through the internet has reached unprecedented levels. Certainly, the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing storm of news, information, ideas and conspiracies has brought into focus how difficult it is for a lay person to sift through the cobweb and understand the reality of any sufficiently complex situation. As a scientist, I’m used to looking at new information with skepticism (I invite those of you who think scientists are always in agreement with each other to listen in to our lab meetings or conferences) and I find myself increasingly using a few simple, yet profound concepts, to filter the information stream and help understand the reality. Correlation does not mean Causation : This is the idea that even if two variables appear to go up or down in sync, it doesn’t mean one is caused by the other. Often, there’s a hidden factor that controls them bot...

--> As I’m writing this, the world is reeling from the attack of yet another mysterious and deadly virus-the erstwhile 2019-nCov, now COVID-19. As the world watches the unfolding story from China, scientists are already at work, trying to develop potential vaccines and antidotes for this virus. Remarkably, a rapid screening test was promptly employed only within weeks of the outbreak and several vaccine candidates are being lined up to be tested in the coming months. A stellar testament to the power of modern science, such a moment calls for reflection to understand and perhaps reset societal priorities. In a world which increasingly undermines intellectuals, knowledge and facts, it is important to reflect how moments of crises like this shine a bright light on the same people and institutions. Most people around the world can afford to sleep peacefully and maintain normalcy in life because they implicitly trust the expertise of scientists, doctors and other inst...