smart & curious
A list of curious facts
- Until now, scientists knew what produced that irresistible ‘fresh rain’ smell—‘geosmin’, which is a chemical compound produced by soil-dwelling bacteria. But why do they produce it? Find out in this 11-minute NPR audio interview with the scientists who finally figured it out.
- Daulat Beg Oldie—that’s the name of India’s military base in Ladakh, the highest in the world. But what’s with that name? Indian Express digs up the answer.
- Did you know that the rava dosa and idli are not age-old culinary staples—but a jugaadi culinary response to WWII-era rice shortages? This Twitter thread has more.
- We all know that plastic is making a huge comeback thanks to the pandemic. But this Guardian photo gallery brings that reality home in a powerful way.
A short list of good reads
- Vidya Krishnan in Caravan magazine has a must-read report on Indian Covid patients and their desperate quest for Remdesivir.
- Sukhnidh Kaur just launched a thoughtfully curated newsletter ‘Love, Pavemented’. We love the truly global lens and unique (often quirky) selection. You can sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here.
- Inc offers a succinct breakdown of PowerPoint presentations—and why presenters love them, but their audience rarely does.
- Science Alert has an intriguing video report on the man who can’t see numbers. They look like this instead: