What images come to mind when you hear the name of the Midwestern city, Saint Paul? Do you envisage this capital city of Minnesota carved into existence by the majestic Mississippi river? Do you think of a land crafted by a litany of steadfast people who constructed the network of railroads? Is your mind ridden with images of notorious gangsters, literary masters, native American settlers and architectural giants - all of whom, at one point or another, called Saint Paul home?

Intrigued by the reputation of a place that has successfully managed to balance the pull of competing people and philosophies, I make the journey to Saint Paul. The obvious starting point of any exploration here is the Capitol building. Utilised as the centre of government in Minnesota since 1905, heres a place that will possibly have the architectural editors of any design-institution, with their eyes at the edge of their stalks.

Vaulted ceilings, decorated with hand-painted arabesques and highly stylised drawings of local grain and fruit command immediate attention.

Equally appealing to connoisseurs of fine architecture are the 20 types of stone surfaces used in the halls, on the stairways, and in the very ornate chamber. Murals and paintings, remarkably conserved, depict historical events. No detail here is innocent of accompanying thought. For instance, the skylights through the building are designed to let in as much natural light as possible. From the rooftop (festooned with golden horses), amid grand views over the city, another building in size XXL beckons. The Cathedral of Saint Paul, with its copper dome, overlooks the downtown area. Worth popping into for sheer scale and grandeur. I quickly become acquainted with human-sized carved angels and angelic choirs featured on stained-glass windows amid the extravagant religious art on display. But despite these larger-than-life structures that distinguish Saint Paul, everything else about the city is built on human scale, and its possible to walk almost everywhere.

A particularly good walk, we discover, is around Summit Hill - studded liberally as it is - with mansions and Victorian-style residences. The home of F Scott Fitzgerald of The Great Gatsby fame, on 599 Summit Avenue, becomes an obvious halt as much for its famous resident as for its distinguished architecture. If you want to get closer to the homes, you can actually visit the James J Hill house.

In this city where pilgrimages are made to the homes of great writers, and all manner of creativity continues to flourish, Im unsurprised to find a bronze statue of F Scott Fitzgerald in Rice Park, only a few paces away from characters from one of Americas most famous comic strips -Charles Schulzs creation, Peanuts. Here I sit next to the statue of book-lover Marcie. There - Peppermint Patty - has a group of adults taking photographs around her, with all the abandon that comic strips can sometimes encourage.

Like a fairy tale

Nearby, the Landmark Center offers more stories. The building itself - with its turrets and gables, steeply-peaked roofs and cylindrical corner towers - is a fairy tale. Inside the enormous light-filled courtyard, one learns quickly that theres something here to satisfy every taste. If you have a predilection for art, it could be the Gallery of Wood Art. If music moves your cheese, then the Schubert Museum ticks all the boxes. But even more idiosyncratically, the Landmark Center forms a stop on the Gangster tour (a popular guided trail around Saint Paul).

The guide - with the clear emphasis of a person whos repeated these facts to story-hungry travellers many times, says, "In the 1930s, Saint Paul was a favourite place for crooks. Alvin Creepy Karpis - a ringleader of Ma Bakers gang, was tried in the third-floor detention room here." Said Karpis famously, "If you were looking for a guy you hadnt seen for a few months, you thought of two places - prison or Saint Pauls."

Although theres plenty of food-for-thought, my tummy starts to rumble. I feel the need to leave any notion of a diet behind, in a country where the portions are vast. Mickeys Diner comes recommended - not just for its substantial shakes and juicy burgers, but because it was designed to resemble the railroad dining cars. While this art-deco-style place - thats featured in several movies - including The Mighty Ducks, is popular for obvious reasons, theres always something novel unfolding in the city.

Trucks for tummy

Seventh Street Truck Park, home to several food trucks and a central bar in an 8,000-square-foot space, sweeps our vote. Theres all the great American road-trip food on offer: pizza, fried chicken, tacos. But here, too, creativity stirs up the scene. Think of a 20-pound ice-cream cookie sandwich or rabbit as topping on a pizza - on offer.

The more you get to know Saint Paul, the more in personality it seems to mirror the Mississippi river that is always in flow, accommodating all the disparate currents that make their home here. I have only a few minutes by the riverside.

My mind empties of thoughts of the popular Science Museum, of shopping in the nearby temple of consumerism - the Mall of America, of discussions with the very friendly locals over a variety of local beer. Boats cruise by, but Im even removed from the thought of what a cruise down this sinuous river - with its cornucopia of history - would entail. All I want to do for the next few minutes is to stand here, watching the Mississippi, and let the easy-flowing energy firmly in.

After having held the title of Indias pub city, Bengaluru is now set to explore the world of cafes. The city today has lot more to offer than the numerous watering holes that have made it famous all over the country.

One can find quirky and interesting themed cafes that cater to the interests of almost every person; a literary cafe for the book lovers, gaming cafes for the gamers and also health-oriented cafes that focus on both mental and physical health.

Priya William a frequent visitor at Cafe Artelier, a therapy cafe that aims at breaking the stigma around mental health in our country, says, "Cafe Artelier allows me to express my feelings and emotions in the best way I know and that is through dance. As a dancer, dance is the biggest form of therapy for me."

Nithish Metti, the director of Cafe Artelier, says that their inspiration behind the cafe was to "Ensure that people felt comfortable while talking about mental health. People often steer away from the topic as they are scared of visiting doctors and counsellors at hospitals and mental health centres. So we wanted to bring the counsellors to the people and what better way than in the form of a cafe, where we combine therapy with different forms of art."

Another such theme-based cafe is Dialogues where one only pays for the time spent there. Vaishnavi Anil, a customer, says, "This is the perfect place for a freelancer like me. As a photographer and blogger, I often visit this place to sit and solely focus on my work."

The co-founder of Dialogues, Udai Kiran says his inspiration behind opening the cafe was to "Open a place that focuses more on the people rather than on the food. The entrepreneurs and freelancers in the city have no place to go where they can just sit and concentrate on their work instead of being forced to buy food. At Dialogues we wanted to create a space where instead of paying for food, people pay for the time they spend at the cafe."

When asked about the goal behind establishing an wizardry-themed cafe, Pravitha, the co-owner of Two Friends Cauldron, says that, "Our goal was to open a space where the focus was not just on the food. We wanted to add a special magical touch to the cafe and there was no better way to do that than Harry Potter. Almost everyone relates to Harry Potter and his many adventures, be it a 12-year-old or a 70-year-old."

Shabaz Ahmed, an avid fan of Harry Potter, says, "As a 90s kid who grew up reading and watching Harry Potter, Two Friends Cauldron truly feels magical to me. Its such an interesting experience when people make an effort to add an extra touch to a cafe/restaurant. It makes the place all the more special."

Regarding the scope for such themed cafes in Bengaluru, Udai believes, "If you want to open a themed cafe, then Bengaluru is the place to do it. Bengalureans are way more open to such ideas than people in other cities."

Sandalwood actor Sneha of First Love and Womens Day fame is excited that 2018 is turning out to be a fruitful year. The actor has two upcoming projects Rajveer and Badal and is content about the strong roles she is playing. In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, she talks about her roles and her plans for the year ahead.

Are you in a happy space?

I couldnt be more happy. I want to keep acting and I am hoping that lady luck will keep favouring me. The year 2018 seems to be a blessed one.

Have you made any resolutions for 2018?

I do not make any resolutions. I just change myself whenever I feel the need for it. I have identified things I want to do for my career like enhance my acting skills. I want to feel more confident on screen and I am working towards that.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.

Both my upcoming movies, Rajveer and Badal, will see me play strong characters. I play Khaki Kavya, a cop in Rajveer and my character in Badal is depicts women-empowerment. My character is raised by a transgender. The exciting part about Badal is that my role is connected to a horse.

Was it challenging to do these roles?

I am still learning and thus face many roadblocks. Playing a cop was not easy, especially for someone who is as light-hearted as me. I am a happy soul. It was difficult to be arrogant on screen. My director told me that watching other movies will only make me replicate other actors performances. I had to bring in my own style and it has been a very fulfilling experience.

How has your experience been in Sandalwood?

I have learnt that working with fresh talent is an enriching experience. In a new team, everyone is open to suggestions.

What defines an actor?

An actor is anyone who has the confidence to exhibit good acting skills, works on emoting properly and connects with the audience.

Do you have a dream role?

I want to work with challenging characters and roles that motivate me. I do not have rigid ideas and I am open to everything as long as it pushed my boundaries. I just want to do work which will be noticed.

You were a model earlier. Did that help you with your career?

They are different fields. Both have their own challenges. Walking on the ramp in heavy outfits is not easy. But emoting and delivering dialogues that should make an effect can be more tricky.

How do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to be a sought-after and successful actor by then. I do not see myself in any other industry.

Paakhi A Tyrewala, Bollywood actor-turned director, started acting as a child artiste in movies, theatre and television serials.

In an interview with Surupasree Sarmmah, Paakhi talks about her journey in the industry.

You started acting as a child artiste in movies, serials and theatre, how did the interest in acting come about?

It was because of my mother. She was a very well-renowned and respected theatre actor. She lived for theatre. And whenever the team needed a child actor, they would look someone in the group or ask my mother. Those days, child actors were not abused as they are today. I ended up in plays and movies like that.

You have worked both behind the camera and in front of it. How different are the two worlds?

For me, they are different on a personal level. Firstly, I am more comfortable behind the camera. The pressure of looking good and constantly being perfect get to me. I wish acting was not only about looks but unfortunately, it is. Secondly, I dont expose my soul as an actor. It is a huge task for me to completely open up to the audience. However, as a director, I dont shy away from pouring my experiences in my writing and direction. Having said that, as far as two careers are concerned, I feel it is very challenging to be a director, just because of the amount of work one has to put in. Like I keep saying, direction is not only about creativity but about people management.

Why didnt we see you in more movies after Jhootha Hi Sahi?

I keep getting offers as an actor very often but, I am pretty clear as of now that I dont want to get into acting.

Your short film Kajal has got good reviews. How do you feel?

The concept of the film itself was so powerful that I knew that it is going to be recognised for what it is. But, we didnt think that it will win so many awards and appreciation. It feels fabulous to see that your audience understands what you want to say. Kajal is entertaining but at the same time sends out a strong message. The story is relevant in todays time because women being bullied, harassed and abused has become a serious concern. And it feels great that even before the #MeToo campaign, people were reacting to Kajal so strongly.

How did you get the idea for Kajal?

The idea was to be honest, abetted. However, I was clear that I wanted to make something about women, not in a way to show how women need to be saved but how women should take a stand for themselves. And of course, I made the film with that idea.

Your favourite film...

I have many. Léon: The Professional, Fifth Element, Godfather and Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.

An actor you would like to work with...

A director whose work you admire...

Raju Hirani is on the top of my list. And so are Soojit Sircar and Vishal Bhardwaj.

It all started one day when I found a stray cat outside my house, it was by all itself not in a very healthy condition.

There was nobody taking care of it, so as a kid I believed it was my duty to take care of it. From that day cats have been a big part of my family. Once the cats get used to you, the kind of pampering and affection they provide, its the best feeling in the world. I believe having pets at home is an amazing stressbuster, theyre the type of stressbuster everyone needs.

Soon after Id had adopted this cat, I also got my first Persian cat, it was a beautiful white Persian cat. This is the cat that started the never ending cycle at home, when we brought this cat home she was pregnant. This is how we ended up having a small cat family at home.

Now we have around 10 cats, we have build them a separate section in the basement of our house, that is where they all stay. But let me tell you, it is not an easy task to take care of so many cats.

There wasnt much the doctors could do, she was so weak that we had to keep her on life support. I hope I never have to go through such an experience ever again. It is so important that the health of the pets is taken care of well, the doctors play a very important role in a pets life.

I cant stress enough how important it is to adopt pets from animal shelters, instead of buying them from breeders. There are some amazing pet shelters in Bengaluru and there will always be tons of homeless pets waiting to get adopted.

(As told to Asra Mavad)

Trends own brand, Rio offers an array of youthful and trendy apparels for the liberated women of today who like to dress up. It includes T-shirts, blouses, woven tops, pants, skirts and dresses.

The brand Fig has a line of evening wears which are ideal for both casual and formal attire. This brand caters to women who are fashionable, mature and sophisticated. These clothes will make one look stylish day and night.

The DNMX line is a full range of cool and fashionable T-shirts, shirts and denim pants for women. They are perfect for an evening out with friends and for the adventurous souls by providing comfort while travelling.

The Avaasa range offers the finest collection of Indian wear for women. From salwar kurtas and churidars to a fast evolving mix n match range of garments.

Point Cove, a kids wear brand inspired by the Californian lifestyle and designed in California has a wide range of stylish garments for children.

Frendz, another brand for kids between the age group of two and eight provides a collection of casual wear. The Network range comprises of formal office wear collection for men and Netplay range showcases a smart casual collection for the evolving workplace. Catering to the latest trends, the brand has something for every age group.

Despite being a prolific crafter, Shyla Prasad shuns the limelight. The artiste has more than 30 years of experience now, as a teacher with Pidilite, and an extensive list of techniques and skills that she has mastered over the years but with a view that art is akin to meditation, she has refrained from tom-tomming about it, even on Facebook!

"I started my training in this field after I did my MSc in Zoology and that helped me grow into a better and more confident person," she says, adding that her mother has been a source of inspiration for her in this regard.

Shylas varied range of skills include fabric painting, freestyle painting, simple murals, ceramic work, paper craft like origami, tea bag folding, punch craft, parchment paper craft, oil painting and more. "My favourite is one stroke painting. It is a very easy method and anyone with a little bit of practice can do it."

While Shyla initially used to look for inspiration all over the place, the advent of the internet has made this process much simpler, though she admits that "nature is the best teacher".

"My favourite motifs are floral and abstract. I used to do a lot of floral work and making flowers with all kinds of materials was a much-loved activity of mine. But then I decided I should come out of my comfort zone and moved towards Zentangles, mandala art and more," she says.

Shyla takes classes for college students and housewives 2-3 times a week. "I love teaching, it gives more satisfaction. I dont want to stop teaching because when you teach you learn. I also keep updating myself and attend whatever workshops I can. I also sit with my work everyday for about two hours, to revise whatever I know. At the end of the day, when you sleep, you feel at peace knowing you have done something for yourself," she adds.

When asked about her family, Shyla is vocal about the support she gets from them. "My husband and mother are the ones who motivate me and push me to do something or the other all the time. My daughter, son-in-law and grandson also very supportive," she says.

(Shyla can be contacted on shyla.prasadpv@gmail.com)

Art lovers were transported to a unique world of creativity at the 15th edition of the Chitra Santhe organised by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath on Sunday. The annual art exhibition-sales event had visitors pouring in from morning. The fair saw many themes in varied mediums. Huge works depicting everyday life welcomed one to the street.

These were made by Jaiganesh from Tiruvanamalai and many were awed by how realistic these looked. Raghavendra Patil from Bijapur showcased some abstract and representational images of his village, which were done in oil and acrylic. "Ive played with abstract and real imagery as I wanted to show shading," he explained.

Nagaraj Bakale displayed his works on Nagasadhu and glow-in-the-dark works. "Ive a connect with this subject and have been working on it for a while. I believe that it will create an identity for me," he said.

"My inspiration comes from topics from around the world. It is not easy to work with such a medium as it is a tedious process and requires a lot of patience," said Nitin with a smile. He had added leaves to his work to give a real feel to them.

D Venkata Raman from Andhra Pradesh brought Tollu bommalu (leather puppets) and other leather artefacts to the event. "All the works that are displayed here are made of leather and the pattern is filled in with natural dyes. From hanging decor to lamp shades, our works are very popular," he said.

Paintings based on folk art also drew a lot of attention at the santhe. Artist Jagadish Ambalgi from Gulbarga represented folk art designs in an interesting form. "I have been working on such designs for almost three decades now," he said.

Umakanth Thakore from Bihar posed proudly with his Madhubani paintings. "The completion time can range from days to months. The intricacy of the work defines the timeline," he said. It was not just canvas-based works that impressed art lovers at the venue.

As Sanjay Palekar from Gulbarga explained about his scrap-metal based works, many stood around it admiringly. "My subjects are animals, insects and aliens. I have been working on this for years and found this medium most satisfactory. My thoughts are best explained through this form," he said. The event also saw many artistes sketching on the spot and stalls with colourful fabrics, jewellery and home decor.

From watercolour works to acrylic frames, photographs to sculptures, the event saw art reaching out to one and all.

Everybody loves taking a selfie but too much of it could turn out to be an addiction, point out doctors at the Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT)clinic, the technology de-addiction and counselling centre at Nimhans.

Sharing cases of selfie addiction that he has come across, Dr Manoj, says that he once had a case where a girl would take at least 100 to 150 selfies in a span of 10 to 15 minutes. "She would then select the best of the lot and upload it on social media. This was our first case and the second was a girl who was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) where she was obsessed with her appearance. She would take pictures of herself, modify it and then post it on social media. She would retain the ones that were liked by others and delete those that got negative comments," he says.

Dr Manoj says that in the second case, the girl would spend the whole day trying to make herself look good. "This had affected her routine and normal activities because she was so obsessed with her looks," he adds. He feels that it is peer pressure and sense of isolation that provokes people to take selfies.

The treatment, says Dr Manoj, takes months. "This is a habit that is hard to treat in a short span. It takes months to bring about a change in the consciousness and get the person to adapt to new ways," he says.

There are people who believe that the selfie craze is here to stay and it cannot be wished away that easily. Ayesha B, who works with the hospitality industry, feels that everybody is in search of a perfect selfie.

"There are a lot of people posing at picturesque locations and monuments to let the world know that they were there. I sometimes find myself checking the number of likes whenever I upload a nice picture. I guess with the advent of smart phones, one has so many options to edit, modify, change colour, body shape and people are addicted to get the best selfie," she says.

She also feels there are a lot of companies that capitalise on peoples obsession with selfies and run contests. "This indirectly encourages people to take selfies and flaunt them too," she adds. Aparna K, a software professional, says, "Anything in excess is annoying and that is true in the case of selfies too. I have a few friends who are addicted to selfies. They sometimes forget that they have someone accompanying them and are immersed in their own world of taking selfies. Selfies, beyond a point, become awkward and out of place, especially if you are clicking a selfie with an altering angle difference of just two degrees," adds Aparna.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) features will become a critical product differentiator for smartphone vendors that will help them acquire new customers, while retaining current users, according to global research and advisory company Gartner.

As the smartphone market shifts from selling technology products to delivering compelling and personalised experiences, AI solutions running on the smartphone will become an essential part of vendor roadmaps over the next two years.

Gartner predicts that by 2022, 80% of the smartphones shipped will have on-device AI capabilities, up from 10% in 2017. On-device AI is currently limited to premium devices and provides better data protection and power management than full cloud-based AI, since data is processed and stored locally. "With smartphones increasingly becoming a commodity device, vendors are looking for ways to differentiate their products," says C K Lu, Research Director at Gartner.

"Future AI capabilities will allow smartphones to learn, plan and solve problems for users. This isnt just about making the smartphone smarter, but augmenting people by reducing their cognitive load. However, AI capabilities on smartphones are still in very early stages," he adds.

"Over the next two years, most use cases will still exploit a single AI capability and technology," says Roberta Cozza, Research Director at Gartner, adding, "Going forward, smartphones will combine two or more AI capabilities and technologies to provide more advanced user experiences." Gartner has identified 10 high-impact uses for AI-powered smartphones to enable vendors to provide more value to their customers.

Digital Me Sitting on the Device

Smartphones will be an extension of the user, capable of recognising them and predicting their next move. They will understand who you are, what you want, when you want it, how you want it done, and execute tasks upon your authority.

"Your smartphone will track you throughout the day to learn, plan and solve problems for you," Angie Wang, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner said.

"It will leverage its sensors, cameras and data to accomplish these tasks automatically. For example, in the connected home, it could order a vacuum bot to clean when the house is empty, or turn a rice cooker on 20 minutes before you arrive," she says.

User Authentication

Password-based, simple authentication is becoming too complex and less effective, resulting in weak security, poor user experience, and a high cost of ownership.

Security technology combined with machine-learning, biometrics and user behaviour will improve usability and self-service capabilities.

For example, smartphones can capture and learn a users behaviour, such as patterns when they walk, swipe, apply pressure to the phone, scroll and type, without the need for passwords or active authentications.

Emotion Recognition

Emotion-sensing systems and effective computing allow smartphones to detect, analyse, process and respond to peoples emotional states and moods. The proliferation of virtual personal assistants and other AI-based technologies for conversational systems is driving the need to add emotional intelligence for better context and an enhanced service experience.

Car manufacturers, for example, can use a smartphones front camera to understand a drivers physical condition or gauge fatigue levels to increase safety.

Natural-Language Understanding

Continuous training and deep learning on smartphones will improve the accuracy of speech recognition, while better understanding the users specific intentions. For instance, when a user says "the weather is cold", depending on the context, his or her real intention could be "please order a jacket online" or "please turn up the heat".

As an example, natural-language understanding could be used as a near real-time voice translator on smartphones when traveling abroad.

Augmented Reality (AR) and AI Vision

With the release of iOS 11, Apple included an ARKit feature that provides new tools to developers to make adding AR to apps easier. Similarly, Google announced its ARCore AR developer tool for Android and plans to enable AR on about 100 million Android devices by the end of next year. Google expects almost every new Android phone to be AR-ready out of the box next year. One example of how AR can be used is in apps that help to collect user data and detect illnesses such as skin cancer or pancreatic cancer.

Device Management

Machine-learning will improve device performance and standby time. For example, with many sensors, smartphones can better understand and learn user behaviour, such as when to use which app. The smartphone will be able to keep frequently-used apps running in the background for quick relaunch, or to shut down unused apps to save memory and battery.

Personal Profiling

Smartphones are able to collect data for behavioural and personal profiling. Users can receive protection and assistance dynamically, depending on the activity that is being carried out and the environments they are in (e.g., home, vehicle, office, or leisure activities). Service providers such as insurance companies can now focus on users, rather than the assets. For example, they will be able to adjust the car insurance rate based on driving behaviour.

Content Censorship/Detection

Restricted content can be automatically detected. Objectionable images, videos or text can be flagged and various notification alarms can be enabled. Computer recognition software can detect any content that violates any laws or policies. For example, taking photos in high security facilities or storing highly classified data on company-paid smartphones will notify IT.

Personal Photographing

Personal photographing includes smartphones that are able to automatically produce beautified photos based on a users individual aesthetic preferences. For example, there are different aesthetic preferences between the East and West - most Chinese people prefer a pale complexion, whereas consumers in the West tend to prefer tan skin tones.

Audio Analytic

The smartphones microphone is able to continuously listen to real-world sounds. AI capability on device is able to tell those sounds, and instruct users or trigger events. For example, a smartphone hears a user snoring, then triggers the users wristband to encourage a change in sleeping positions.

Thogalu Gombeyata or shadow puppetry is an art form that merges music, performance and puppets. This folk art has several variations such as the Sutrada Gombeyata. The word thogalu means hide of the animal skin and this art form uses special leather puppets to play out scenes from the mythological epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In Sutrada Gombeyata, practised in Southern Mysuru, puppets are made from light wood that is rot resistant. The puppets are covered with long flowy garments.

The artists who perform with thogalu bombe are known as gomberamas and it is said that they originally spoke Marathi. It is believed that they came with the Maratha soldiers, who attacked Mysore in the 18th Century. Today, they speak a mix of Marathi and Kannada.

Incidentally, this is an art form that is practised across several other parts of India and is known by different names. In Maharashtra, it is called Chamadyacha and is performed by the Bahulya and Thakar communities, while in Andhra Pradesh it is called Tolu Bommalatta and performed by Killekyata or the Are Kapu community.

Shadow puppets

The leather puppets are made from translucent leather and vegetable dyes. Typically, buffalo, goat or sheepskin is used to make these puppets which are cleaned and then treated to become translucent. After this, they are coloured and the limbs are attached loosely to ensure easy movement.

A stick is attached vertically to the puppet in the middle and when these stick moves, it gives an impression that the puppet is moving. For special movements, single strings are attached to the limbs. These leather puppets are usually projected on a screen that is illuminated by a light kept behind the puppets. The puppeteer sits behind the light source and manipulates the puppets while speaking and singing the parts. The light source traditionally would be a bowl filled with castor or coconut oil lit by a wick. Today, however, they have been replaced by low-voltage electric bulbs. "You first draw the sketch and then colour and cut it out to shape, and punch holes. The detailing is done with holes and when you put it against the light, they look like jewels," says Anupama Hoskere, the founder of Dhaatu Puppet Theatre, Bengaluru. The initiative is striving to revive the art through various activities.

To learn more about the art, I decided to head to a small village in Ramanagara district to meet a family of thogalu gombe artists headed by Kalaviduru Gowramma. Gowramma tells that they typically perform stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavata. "This is a hereditary art form that has been passed through generations and we are about 10,000 of us spread in Ballari, Tumakuru, Gubbi and Nagamangala and other regions," she says.

The artists also work with children to teach them to make puppets, and conduct courses. "Each leather puppet costs close to Rs 10,000. We buy the hide, process it through some heat treatment, wash it and then it becomes almost white. Once we decide on the height (3 to 3.5 feet) we make the design and get it coloured. The paints we use are called minchu banna and it is quite expensive and we source them from Bhadravati," explains Gowramma. Thogalu Gombeyata typically happens in the night and the puppeteers in Karnataka belong to a tribe called Killekyathas.

Future perfect

Interestingly, this traditional art form has seen a sustained revival. Dhaatu has been largely responsible for urban audiences to appreciate puppetry. "The intricacy of the movement and the ability to be able to entertain an audience is how we are able to revive peoples interest in the craft. Again, most importantly, we are able to revive interest in the art of puppetry. We have not just performed across India but have also been invited to perform at several locations abroad,"says Anupama.

She further adds, This not just helps the artists but also revives their interest in the art. Dhaatu has helped rural puppeteers come to Bengaluru and perform with urban and international puppeteers. Such efforts have helped them polish their craft. We are able to bridge the gap between the artists and the audience looking for traditional art."

The State government is doing its bit to keep the interest in the art alive by organising shows not just in Karnataka but also across India. Artists like Gowramma say that they are keeping busy now as the number of performances has gone up. It is commendable that this traditional art form is getting a new lease of life due to such efforts.

Every year, in the Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in South Bengaluru, thousands of devotees gather on the occasion of Makara Sankranti, the harvest festival, to witness a special event - when the suns rays for a fleeting few minutes in the evening, pass through the arc between the horns of the sacred bull Nandis statue, to touch the feet of Lord Shiva in a cave and then bathe him in light before slipping away.

Rare confluence

The temple has been the cynosure of the scientific and history communities for over several decades now. The occurrence of a natural phenomenon - of the sun changing its course - has been harnessed very admirably in a beautiful cave temple surrounded by intriguing huge stone monoliths is the perfect example in India of the confluence of science and religion.

While Kempe Gowda, founder of modern Bengaluru, is largely given credit for building this temple in the form that exists now, most historians agree that the natural cave that houses the deity is itself thousands of years old. "It is believed that Kempe Gowda rejuvenated and rebuilt the temple," says Suresh Moona, historian and well-known Bengaluru chronicler. A painting by British artist James Hunter dating 200 years ago shows small pockets on the boulders with idols, he points out. The cave was made people-friendly over 400 years ago.

The four imposing monolithic structures in the courtyard - the trishula, damaru, two large discs - the suryapana and chandrapana, and a stone umbrella on a neighbouring hill, while may be of religious significance to Lord Shiva, were erected to study time and planetary movements, Moona reiterates. "I like to call this place the Jantar Mantar of Bengaluru," he says referring to the large astronomical study sites in Delhi and Jaipur built in the 18th Century.

In 2008, P Jayanth Vyasanakere, K Sudeesh and B S Shylaja of the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru, published a paper, Astronomical Significance of the Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in Bangalore. The paper contends that this is one of the unique temples in the country that records both the solstices. "In times when we didnt have a calendar, it was the duty of certain sections of society to meticulously watch the sun and prepare calendars. Festivals apart, these were important to agriculturists and helped them determine sowing and harvesting cycles," explains Shylaja.

Man-made marvel

There were simple everyday arrangements at home like observing the length of the shadows of a pole to tell the time of day, or of the year. But temples were seats of knowledge and it became the responsibility of the temple to determine these shifts in time and season. The temple entrance is also not oriented to the east, like most temples are, pointing again to the fact that this space was created for a specific purpose. Because it was a revered and honoured astronomical space, it came to be a temple, she contends.

Shylaja and the team have studied the phenomenon in this temple over three years (2005 to 2008) to believe that this occurrence, while largely celebrated on Makara Sankranti, also happens on November 30 or December 1, or Uttarayan, but has been overshadowed and forgotten due to the January celebration. Why then, is the festival celebrated much later? Shylaja says, "You need to understand that there is a gradual shift of the stars in the sky - a change of one degree in 72 years!" There was the added confusion that Makara Sankranti was Uttarayan.

A painting by British artist Thomas Daniell from 1792 shows that the cave did not have any windows. "But the temple was later modified by adding two windows. This arrangement was to fix the winter solstice," Shylaja says. The two large monolithic discs in the courtyard are aligned to record the dakshinayan or summer solstice on June 22.

While Suresh Moona agrees that this is a purely scientific phenomenon, the alignments of the arch, Nandi, windows created to make the sunlight fall precisely on the deity, he says, is a man-made marvel. "What remains an enigma for me, and I have been here continuously for three to four years to study this occurrence on January 13 or 14, is that even when there are clouds, or a slight drizzle, at the precise time of the sunlight beginning to move along the temples arch, the skies always clear. It makes me wonder what is the role of nature in all this?"

He further adds that in India, often, a religious coating is given to a scientific truth, so that people respect it. "Once they practise it as religion, they also realise its scientific importance," he states the corollary.

At first sight, it is nothing but a pile of naturally occurring black rocks forming a cosy little trekking spot at the isolated interiors of Karkala. This town of religious and architectural significance is also home to numerous little-known legacies such as this one, lying isolated from the urban hustle and bustle. The dwellers in the vicinity call it Mangala Paade, which roughly translates to holy rock. This place has been explored, excavated, and its resources utilised by skilled hands for generations now; and the place still stands with much more to offer.

Mangala Paade is in fact what has remained of a massive naturally occurring rock, which has been broken down by sculptors over generations. Although a rare sight now, people say there always used to be sculptors who kept carving one statue or another out of the rocks here. The sculptors had made Mangala Paade home, as a result of which the isolated area slowly became inhabited by a handful of households that sustain in the area even today.

In recent times, Mangala Paade has turned into a popular trekking spot in Karkala. One can see a large unfinished statue of a Jain deity left behind at the centre of the hillock. The naturally existing heights and little caves intrigue trekkers.

It is said that the rock here is considerably soft in nature, which made it a sculptors favourite. Innumerable stone sculptures have been carved out of Mangala Paade, the two most popular ones being the Bahubali statue erected in Dharmasthala and the Avalokiteshwara statue of Buddha, which was exported to Japan. Stone sculptures are carved at Mangala Paade over specific demand even today. However, the residents of the area say that activity at the Mangala Paade is considerably low of late. This has allowed nature to take over.

As I approach the quaint white structure that houses the memories related to Army Service Corps (ASC), an important wing of the Indian Army, I take a moment to enjoy the vast green expanse around me. The ASC Museum was set up as a way for people to familiarise with the history of ASC, one of the oldest serving corps of the Indian Army. The Army Service Corps (ASC) was established by the British as a Commissariat Department in 1760. Its main role is to offer ration, fuel, transport and other requirements for the fighting troops. Every division has an ASC battalion attached with it to give logistic support. The Corps got its present name, Army Service Corps, in 1950.

The idea to establish the museum was first mooted in 1962 by Major General GS Gill. The museum was established at the ASC School in Bareilly in 1965. Then, in 1999, the museum was moved to Bengaluru and was opened in a British-designed building in 2000.

Visual record

The museum acts as a visual record of the history and traditions of the Army Service Corps. The Footprints and Milestones installation, at the lawn of the museum, provides a glimpse of the many roles that the ASC has donned over the years. While the footprints, used in a metaphorical sense, show ASCs journey: from walking barefoot to marching - in sandals, in hob-nailed ammo boots - and to the present DMS boots. One that stands out here is a footprint dedicated to the mule, Pedongi, which had served the ASC for 35 years. The milestones are inscribed with the names of places of importance to the ASC, starting from 1838.

The galleries of the museum seamlessly take the visitors through the Corps history. While nine are inside the building, one is located in its backyard. "Initially, we had 600 artefacts in the museum. Now, we have over 2,000 artefacts on display," reveals the museums official. Each gallery presents artefacts that are associated with the ASC in different periods of time. For instance, as one enters the museum, one can see a stone inscription that reads Sergeants Institute and Liquor Bar 1892 on the right. This section also happens to house the first gallery, which showcases the history of ASC to date.

The second gallery, which has artefacts related to the pre-independence era, contains one of the oldest artefacts - the medal of Scinde Camel Baggage Corps. Apart from this, it also displays artefacts and documents related to the Army mess, such as a book that contains all of the items that ASC had procured after partition, and prizes of war such as the ham radio instrument and telephone used by the Japanese during the First World War. Notably, the gallery showcases models of the first few mechanical vehicles that ASC used. The third gallery is dedicated to martyrs who have sacrificed their lives in various operations and wars since 1947. Gallery 4, the post-independence gallery, has a model of the railhead depot that ASC used to operate to give fuel for the vehicles. Of particular interest here are the various buttons and medals that were donated to the museum by former ASC personnel. Here, one can also see a small statue of a rabbit - the ASCs symbol. Each regiment in the Army is given a symbol to represent the work they do. The rabbit was chosen for the ASC to symbolise their expertise in logistics.

Sports and adventure

If you thought that those in ASC dont play much, you are wrong as many of them have excelled in various sports and adventure activities. This is what one can see in Gallery 5. Many have gone on to break records and have their name entered in the Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Records book. One of the most recognisable faces one can see here is the Indian hockey player, S V Sunil, who had served with the ASC briefly.

It is not just through sports that the officers have brought a good name to ASC, but also by displaying bravery in times of need. This has led them to win many awards such as the Ashoka Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra and the Sena Medal. Photographs of those who have won these laurels have been displayed in Gallery 6.

Gallery 8, which is dedicated to the band, is of importance as the band plays a crucial role in uplifting the armys morale in times of war. This gallery displays items such as the uniforms they wore and the different instruments they used. What catches ones eye here is the photo of the jazz band with Mahendra Kapoor, a popular playback singer who sang and recorded the Corps song when it was first made. Being the archives section, the ninth gallery has various documents, magazines and books that ASC has published on its journey so far, and photo albums as well.

Perhaps the most interesting artefacts are located in the backyard, where the last gallery is located. Here, one can see the various kinds of vehicles such as a carriage and an airplane that are no longer in use. However, among all those displayed here, it is the microlight aircraft used by Major H J Singh (now Major General) during his flight from Srinagar to Kanyakumari that is of interest.

While the museum is largely dedicated to the achievements of the men who served in ASC, the Animal Transport Memorial is dedicated to the yeomen service done by the mules who served alongside. Located a few kilometres away from the museum on the same campus, "The Animal Transport Memorial is one of the only two that exists (with the other one located in the UK) in the world as far as we know," says the official. This memorial has a seven-foot tall statue of two soldiers guiding four mules. This was inaugurated in 2006. "The mules played an important role in all the wars that India has been in. In particular, they are life saviours to the soldiers stationed in high altitude places as they carry all the essentials they need," he adds.

Around the memorial, various vehicles that were once in use by ASC are on display. Known as the Mechanical Transport Museum, it houses vehicles such as a three-tonne Shaktiman truck, a Nissan Patrol (JONGA) and a Tata-Mercedes Benz (TMB) truck. These were some of the vehicles that were used by the army in many terrains and operations since Independence. However, these vehicles are now not in use and have paved the way to new generation vehicles.

The museum acts as a learning space not only for the public but also for all ranks of the ASC. "It gives an opportunity for those working in different units of ASC to learn its history and acquaint themselves with the variety of work that it engages in," reveals a training supervisor at the ASC Centre & College.

This is also something that is echoed by the senior overall incharge of training at the ASC Centre & College. He says, "The museum allows them to connect better with the work they are doing. By extension, it also instils a sense of duty and patriotism among the officers who visit." As they also have many school children visiting, he hopes that the museum acts a stepping stone for them to learn more about ASC, and inspires them to join ASC.

With much to see and learn, the museum allows one to get a brief yet insightful look into the crucial role that ASC has played for the Indian Army. So, if you are looking to visit the museum, one must seek prior permission. One can contact the museum on 080-25591949.

This is for the first time in India, a jackfruit variety is named after a farmer. Siddu jack is the best among the varieties that we have studied in the Tumakuru region so far," says Dr G Karunakaran, senior scientist at Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES), Hirehalli, Tumakuru district.

Siddu jack stands out both in taste and fruit quality. This variety has entered international market with non-resident Indians from Dubai and California placing orders for saplings. While farmers from different regions of Karnataka have bought the saplings, there is a demand for over 10,000 saplings from across the country. The success of this variety has enthused the scientists to research on four more varieties.

As part of its effort to document jackfruit varieties in Tumakuru district, which is known for its rich diversity of red-fleshed jackfruit, also called as Chandra Halasu, CHES studied the properties of the variety for three years. On an average, the tree yields 500 fruits per year. The maximum weight of the fruit doesnt exceed four kg and each fruit consists of around 30 bulbs. Once the unique properties of the variety were established, it was named after the farmer, S K Siddappa, from whose farm the fruit was collected.

His son, S S Paramesh, was honoured for protecting and promoting the variety. CHES has made a three-year contract with the owners of the tree to multiply the variety, and sells grafted saplings at Rs 150 per plant. While the owners get 75% of the income, the research station gets 25%.

Though jackfruit is grown extensively in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga and other districts, Tumakuru jackfruit stands out for its taste and firm bulbs. Tumakuru is the only district in the country where red-fleshed jackfruit is produced in such large quantities.

Motivated by the recent success of Siddu jackfruit, Paramesh has planted different jack varieties, including the ones from other countries, in his farm. "So far, people from CHES have collected scions eight times. I didnt expect such a good demand for this variety. Now I want to learn the skill of grafting and set up a nursery," says Paramesh. He also intends to have plants that yield in different seasons so that there is jackfruit yield throughout the year.

While farmers appreciate the persistent efforts of Karunakaran to document the rare varieties of the district, Karunakaran acknowledges the support and guidance of Dr M R Dinesh, director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru.

So far, the team has documented 129 varieties. They have been classified based on colour, quality, size, taste etc. The research station plans to name other varieties after their owners as well. It has invited interested farmers to register their names for this. Each variety will be studied for three years to understand its properties to approve for multiplication.

Incidentally, Cheluru and Madhugiri are well known for their jackfruit markets. It is estimated that Cheluru supplies 25 truckloads of raw and ripe fruits every day to different regions of the country during the season. The district, which is also known for off-season fruits, supplies raw jackfruit, which is used as a vegetable, to various cities. Halli Siri self-help group in Tovinakere has been making over 90 value-added products from jackfruit.

Karunakaran feels that such value-addition efforts would further improve the prospects of both farmers and jackfruit. One can contact Dr G Karunakaran on 9483233804.

(Translated by Anitha Pailoor)

What do volcanoes and rockets have in common? "Volcanoes have a nozzle aimed at the sky, and rockets have a nozzle aimed at the ground," explains Steve McNutt, a geosciences professor at the University of South Florida, USA. It explains why he and colleague Dr Glenn Thompson have installed the tools normally used to study eruptions at the famous Kennedy Space Centre.

Comparing the different types of rumblings could yield new insights. In the case of rockets, the team thinks their seismometers and infrasound detectors might potentially be used by the space companies as a different type of diagnostic tool, to better understand the performance of their vehicles; or perhaps as a way to identify missiles in flight. In the case of volcanoes, the idea is to take the lessons learned at Kennedy and fine-tune the algorithms used to interpret what is happening in an eruption.

It might even be possible to develop systems that give early warnings of some of the dangerous debris flows that are associated with volcanoes. "It all started really as a way to test and calibrate our equipment," says Glenn. "We dont have any volcanoes in South Florida. But Kennedy provided some strong sources, and it also gave our students the opportunity to learn how to deploy stations and work with the data." The team has now recorded the seismic and acoustic signals emanating from about a dozen rockets.

Most have been associated with launches; a few have been related to what are called static fire tests, in which the engines on a clamped vehicle are briefly ignited to check they are flight-ready. But perhaps the most fascinating event captured so far was the SpaceX pad explosion in September 2016. This saw a Falcon 9 rocket suffer a catastrophic failure as it was being fuelled.

Many people would have seen the video of the spectacular fireball. But Glenns and Steves equipment caught information not apparent in that film. For example, they detected more than 150 separate sub-events in the infrasound over the course of 26 minutes. These were likely individual tanks, pipes or other components bursting into flames.

Upside down volcanoes

Of course, the SpaceX explosion was an unusual occurrence, and it is the more routine activity that most interests the team. And some clear patterns are starting to emerge in their study of upside down volcanoes. "As the rocket gets higher and higher and accelerates, we see a decrease in the frequency in the infrasound - thats basically a Doppler shift because the source is moving away from us," says Steve. "And then you get a coupling of the signal in the air into the ground and this produces seismic waves recorded on the seismometer. So, we get some common features between the infrasound and the seismometer, but then theres a little separation of the energy between the two."

There is a lot still to learn, but the pair think they can distinguish the different types of rockets. There are subtle but significant divergences in their spectral signatures, which almost certainly reflect their distinct designs and modes of operation. Where in particular the rockets could have instruction for volcano monitoring is in describing moving sources.

A rocket is a very well understood physical process. Its properties and parameters are all precisely known. The related seismic and acoustic signals should therefore serve as templates to help decipher some of the features of eruptions that share similar behaviours. Good examples of rapid movement in the volcano setting are the big mass surges like pyroclastic flows and lahars.

An objective of the team is to improve seismometer and infrasound systems characterisation of these dangerous phenomena. This could lead to useful alerts being sent to people who live around volcanoes. "Assuming you can find a few safe places to put your instruments that are reasonably close, youd get your advance warning," said Steve. "What youd be doing then is getting the time and the strength of the signal and then watching it evolve to figure out which direction its going. If you can do that successfully then you can forecast with a couple of minutes in advance things like lahars and pyroclastic flows downstream."

The equipment at Kennedy has been temporary, but the team is looking for a permanent installation. Like everyone, Glenn and Steve are particularly looking forward to the launch of SpaceXs Falcon Heavy vehicle in the New Year. The Heavy should produce nearly 23 meganewtons of thrust at lift-off, more than any rocket in operation today. It is sure to make for some interesting seismic and infrasound signals.

Chinas Tiangong-1 space station is currently out of control and is expected to fall back to Earth sometime in March this year. It was launched in 2011 as Chinas first space station. The following year, it was visited by Chinas first female astronaut Liu Yang. The space stations orbit is decaying as it heads towards a fiery re-entry into earths atmosphere. The space station weighs about 8.5 tonnes and is currently orbiting 370 km above ground. It is claimed to have fulfilled its missions objectives.

The Tiangong-1 space station is expected to mostly burn up and unlikely to affect aviation or cause much damage on the ground. A large portion of the space station could melt as it passes through the atmosphere, but some denser parts such as the engines may not burn up. As the Chinese engineers have lost control and cannot fire the thrusters to bring it down in the South Pacific, it is expected to come down, anywhere between Spain and South Australia. It is difficult to be more precise until a few hours before the burn up. However, the Tiangong-1 space station isnt the only one that has problems for its descent.

On July 11, 1979, the US space station, Skylab I, tumbled back to Earth, scattering debris across the southern part of the Indian Ocean and sparsely populated western Australia. It finally struck the Australian coast. Skylab was Americas first space station, launched in May 1973. The space station that weighed around 80 tonnes was without crew. The 37-tonne Salyut 7 space station by the Russians came down in South America in 1991. The 140-tonne Russian space station, Mir, that was visited by many teams of cosmonauts was directed down into the South Pacific in 2001, and it was last seen by some fishermen as a fragmenting mass of glowing debris racing across the sky. It survived increased solar activity (unlike Skylab I), lasting 20 years.

One future space station, which is expected to be brought down, is none other than the International Space Station (ISS). It has already been up 15 years and is expected to be decommissioned over the next decade. With a mass of 450 tonnes it will make a spectacular sight on re-entry sometime in 2024 or 2025. Many times a year, supply ships that go to the ISS to replenish food, water and other essentials for the astronauts staying in the station, also come crashing down, with a controlled re-entry into the atmosphere.

Graveyard of satellites

It is interesting that over the years, many large spacecrafts have been brought down over a controlled re-entry path into a region in the South Pacific called the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, that is, an area in the ocean furthest away from land. It lies in the south Pacific around 2,000 km from the South Pitcairn island, a literal no mans land between Australia, New Zealand and South America.

Scattered over an area of about 1,000 sq km on the ocean floor, this region is a graveyard of various decommissioned satellites, space stations, and other spacecrafts. At last count, around 300 spacecrafts have crashed here. While smaller satellites will burn up, the big pieces of the larger ones, like space stations, will survive to reach the earths surface. To avoid crashing in a populated area, they are brought down near the point of oceanic inaccessibility.

However, re-entries done by space stations such as Tiangong-1 face the threat of being hit by some of the man-made trash that are currently orbiting earth. Some are tiny, some are large enough to be seen by telescopes, all pose great risk to orbiting spacecrafts and satellites. The danger is growing as space (around earth) is getting more crowded. Around 25,000 pieces of space junk are big enough to be tracked by the space surveillance network. But most of the debris are under 10 cm in size and cannot be detected.

Even those which are the size of a paper clip can cause great damage. For instance, a loose fleck of paint caused a crack in the window of the ISS. Though such collisions are rare, half of all dusty junk is caused by debris from two events in 2007. China destroyed one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile, shattering it into thousands of pieces. In 2007, an American commercial satellite collided with a defunct Russian satellite. Even last year, debris from that collision forced the crew of the ISS to evacuate to the Soyuz capsule. Such debris will remain in earths orbit for several years.

More than 7,000 satellites have been put in space, but currently only 1,000 are functioning. Within the next decade, the number of satellites could double to 20,000 with planned launches of mega constellations, a large group of satellites to improve global communication coverage, etc. Objects follow different orbits and can cross paths. Satellite technology is necessary for a whole range - from weather to GPS.

Space junk mission

While Tiangong-1 is falling down, Britain is set to launch the Remove Debris: space junk mission. It will attempt to snare a small satellite with a net and test whether a harpoon is an effective garbage grabber. As stated, over 7,500 tonnes of junk is orbiting Earth, ranging from huge defunct satellites, spent rocket boosters to nuts and belts. Perhaps about a million pieces of such space garbage collisions can cause enormous damage, generating even more pieces of debris, putting spacecrafts and astronauts at risk.

The RemoveDebris mission will first head to ISS on one of the resupply rockets. It has its own space junk on board - small satellites. It will release one of them into space and then will use a net to recapture it. A small harpoon would be fired at a target to see if it can accurately work in a weightless environment. It will finally test future de-orbiting technology. Then, when it descends, it will deploy a large sail to change the spacecrafts speed to ensure that it burns it up. Earlier, a Japanese magnetic space junk remover did not work as expected.

In short, the increasing space activity in the next decade is expected to multiply space debris in orbit posing risk to astronauts and those of us on ground. Space garbage disposal and its detection are pressing problems that need to be looked into to avoid any untoward situation.

(The author is with Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru)

Increased use of nanoparticles harmful

Scientists from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research â€" Indian Institute of Toxicology Research and Amity University, Uttar Pradesh have been studying the harmful effects of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on living tissue and genes in mice, and their study reveals a potential threat lurking if increasing use of such nanoparticles is not addressed soon. Earlier studies have already established the potential of ZnO NPs to cause damage to DNA. In the study, scientists wanted to check for the genotoxic potential of ZnO NPs.

For their study, Swiss mice were administered ZnO NPs at dose levels 300 and 2000 mg/kg body weight, for duration of two days, 24 hours apart. After administration, the organism was checked for chromosomal aberration using the Organisation for Ecinomic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines.

The results showed an increase in reactive oxygen species at the highest dose of 2,000 mg/kg body weight. The results showed conclusively that administration of ZnO NPs induced the production of reactive oxygen species, which in turn leads to chromosomal aberrations.

Variations in height

New research from Space Physics Laboratories, Thiruvananthapuram and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has used a ground-based microwave radiometer profiler to evaluate the height of the atmospheric boundary layer. This was used to provide a better time resolution of the evolution of atmospheric boundary layer height (BLH) over the period of a day, over a tropical coastal region. The results showed that a monthly mean diurnal variation of the BLH showed a strong diurnal variation, with the highest occurring at around 12.00 to 3.00 pm and the lowest occurring during nighttime. It also showed that the daytime BLH was at a maximum in April, and the minimum occurring in July.

Mind Field: Isolation

In one sense, our global society is more connected now than ever before. In another, weve never been more isolated. Meanwhile, our thirst for non-stop stimulation strips away our desire for intimate knowledge of the self. But what effect do these factors have on the health, development and vitality of our brains?

Created and directed by Michael Stevens, the documentary Mind Field: Isolation seeks the answer to this question through a series of experiments. The documentary shows how regardless of how mundane our activities might be, we feel the need to fill our time with as many sources of stimulation as possible, and explores the possible impacts of isolation. To watch the documentary, visit www.bit.ly/2lZ1oUu.

Extending LiFi networks

Smart paint containing fluorescent and phosphorescent pigments could extend the possibilities of proposed LiFi networks, reports a research by K S Narayan and team at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru.

The researchers analysed the effect of nearby luminescent surfaces on the noise characteristics of visible light communication system (VLC) signals, and found that secondary emission could limit bandwidth locally by overwhelming receivers. The residual glow from phosphors could even be modulated to transmit a signal after the primary LED source has been turned off.

It has already been established that VLCs can operate without line-of-sight contact between transmitters and receivers, since sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratios can be retained in light reflected from surfaces in the local environment. Now, Narayan and his team have investigated the situation for more complex arrangements, in which a luminescent component is superimposed on the primary signal.

The researchers measured the noise in the signal transmitted directly by the LED, and compared it with that contained in the signal mediated by fluorescent and phosphorescent surfaces. The research is published in the Journal of Optics.

Finding ET

NASA has developed an innovative new spectroscopy instrument to aid the search for extraterrestrial life. The new instrument is designed to detect compounds and minerals associated with biological activity more quickly and with greater sensitivity than previous instruments. Researchers at NASA Langley Research Centre and the University of Hawaii developed the new instrument, which improves on an analytical technique known as micro Raman spectroscopy. This technique uses the interaction between laser light and a sample to provide chemical composition information on a microscopic scale. In the journal Applied Optics, the researchers report that their new system is the first to perform micro-Raman analysis of samples 10 cm away from the instrument with 17.3-micron resolution.

Making decisions under competition

A new study by researchers from the Institute of Evolution and Ecology reveals that plants can evaluate the competitive ability of their neighbours and optimally match their responses to them. The results were published in Nature Communications. Plants can detect the presence of other competing plants through various cues, such as the ratio of red to far-red wavelengths (R:FR), which occurs when light is filtered through leaves.

Such competition cues are known to induce two types of responses: confrontational vertical elongation, by which plants try to outgrow and shade their neighbours, and shade tolerance, which promotes performance under limited light conditions. Some plants, such as clonal plants, can exhibit avoidance behaviour as a third response type: they grow away from their neighbours.

To answer this question, the researchers used the clonal plant Potentilla reptans in an experimental set-up that simulated different light-competition settings. They used vertical stripes of transparent green filters that reduce both light quantity and R:FR and could therefore provide a realistic simulation of light competition.

By changing both the height and density of this simulated vegetation, the researchers could present different light-competition scenarios to the plants.

Identifying the bacterial species

Scientists from China and India have explored the microbiome or microbes associated with Orseolia oryzae, also called the Asian rice gall midge, a major rice pest. The insect is about the size of a mosquito and is a member of the specialised gall making insect family Cecidomyiidae. It spends most part of its life cycle within the rice plant. The successful establishment of the insect in the plant means that the plant cannot bear grains.

For their latest study, the scientists used next generation sequencing (NGS) protocol to identify different bacterial species associated with the midges and the plant. The Asian rice gall midges microbiome was made up of both rare and abundant species. Wolbachia species and Psuedomonas species of bacteria were commonly found in the insect.

Wolbachia species is described as a microbe with a capacity to change several traits of its host, while Psuedomonas species is also known to be present in other pest species. Most notably, the study shows that the bacterial community structure differed among different host plant and different stages of development of the midge. These variations observed in the microbiome of the Asian rice gall midge with reference to the host from which they were isolated indicate that they might have an influential impact on the midge and plant interaction.

Humidity can magnify the effects of heat

From southern US to China, heat stress could exceed human endurance. Climate scientists say that killer heat waves will become increasingly prevalent in many regions as climate warms. However, most projections leave out a major factor that could worsen things: humidity, which can greatly magnify the effects of heat alone.

Now, a new global study projects that in coming decades the effects of high humidity in many areas will dramatically increase. At times, they may surpass humans ability to work or, in some cases, even survive. Health and economies would suffer, especially in regions where people work outside and have little access to air conditioning.

Potentially affected regions include large swaths of the already muggy southeastern United States, the Amazon, western and central Africa, southern areas of the Mideast and Arabian peninsula, northern India and eastern China. The study has been published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Our Rising Oceans

The scientific data regarding the effects of climate change on the ongoing process of glacial melting is overwhelming. Yet, according to the many subjects featured in the documentary Our Rising Oceans, a staggering percentage of the public remains doubtful, and our politicians and other policy influencers remain hesitant to act due to ill-informed scepticism and corporate interests.

In response to those naysayers, VICEs (a media company) founder Shane Smith ventures to the epicentre of the crisis to discover first-hand the science by which these changes are being observed, and the dire consequences of inaction. For instance, in the opening moments of Our Rising Oceans we learn that global catastrophe lies beneath the awe-inspiring pale blue skies and ghostly white icescapes of West Antarctica. To watch the documentary, visit www.bit.ly/1bJR7oC.

As the worlds population grows, so does demand for land. One upshot is that setting aside big tracts to protect endangered species and carbon-rich forests is increasingly expensive. Enter the Airbnb economic model. While its not a panacea, it provides attractive solutions for conservation as well as housing.

Much as homeowners can use Airbnb and other services to turn their living space into pop-up hotels when demand warrants it, conservationists are creating pop-up nature reserves on idle land. In environments as different as North America and Africa, new programmes are preserving land through short- and long-term deals that pay people to protect nature on their own land. The innovation makes it possible to transform a binary approach to land use into something in between.

Consider how Airbnb works. Think of Minneapolis, USA during the upcoming Super Bowl, when hotel rooms are scarce and residents will be enticed to rent their homes to football fans. Something like that happens in the environmental realm, too. There is a surge in demand for protected land when migratory birds are passing through an area or when a threatened species is breeding.

In the United States, the nonprofit Nature Conservancy has been a pioneer in bringing the sharing economy business model to conservation. It has been temporarily expanding wetlands for migratory birds in Californias Sacramento Valley since 2014. In early fall, when birds head south for the winter, and again in early spring on their return journey, birds need larger protected areas than the current mix of parks and nature preserves allows.

The big insight was realising "we could use a rent rather than buy model," said Mark Reynolds, an ecologist with the Nature Conservancy, which pays rice farmers to flood their fields for the few crucial weeks each fall and spring. Rice growers routinely flood their fields for irrigation and to decompose crop residue after harvest; through the conservation programme, named BirdReturns, they do so during periods when the fields would have been dry.

A team of ecologists and economists figured out how much to compensate the farmers for this change. They ran reverse auctions in which landowners specified the lowest payment that would entice them to flood their fields for a given four- to eight-week period. This auction system adjusts payments to farmers costs. For example, flooding during the end of the spring migration season is trickier to fit into an annual rice-growing schedule, so bids are higher then.

Adjusting to change

Climate change and societys expanding footprint are making this dynamic approach to conservation increasingly useful. "We think this is a big idea," Mark said, adding that it "could really help us with adapting to change." Climate change might alter natural wetlands and when and where birds migrate. BirdReturns can more nimbly adjust to those changes. The team predicts the birds migratory paths using crowdsourced data from amateur birdwatchers and combines that data with satellite images of surface water, enabling the establishment of temporary wetlands at the right times and places.

The farmers continued to own the land, live on it and grow crops in already cleared areas. In essence, the conservation outfit rented the trees from the landowner, while the owner held on to other land-use rights. Buying up the forest outright and turning it into traditional reserves not only would have cost more, but it would have displaced thousands of people from their homes.

Ideally, less productive farmers will participate in the programme because the food production - and profit - sacrificed by keeping their forest intact is small. Thats why proper pricing is important. If you offer an appropriate payment for conservation, the best farmers will decline it because they can earn more by expanding their farms, while the mediocre ones will sign up. Innovative programmes are demonstrating how land can do double duty and competing needs can coexist. With the help of market-based approaches, we can often enlist private land to serve natures needs.

(The author is an economics professor at Northwestern University, USA)