A shocking revelation about Schrödinger
Physicist Erwin Schrödinger—legendary for his thought experiment involving a cat—has been revealed to be a pedophile by an Irish Times investigation (paywalled). He targeted—and often groomed and abused—girls as young as 12, and kept a record in his diaries. Schrödinger’s biographers describe him as “a male supremacist”—who felt entitled to these girls’ bodies as a “genius.” (Futurism)
The great pandemic: A quick update
- First, the numbers: India recorded 2,59,291 new cases on Thursday. What’s new: many rural and semi-rural places are now recording a sharp spike. Until this past week, the big cities accounted for 50% of all cases—which has dropped to 35%.
- Delhi added 28,867 new cases, and its numbers have now shot past the peak of the second wave. The positivity rate—percentage of tests that turn up positive—is now 29.2%.
- Also infected: wild animals. Scientists have found traces of the virus in the lung and brain tissues of a leopard cub that died back in October. Typically, animals who contract the disease are in close contact with humans. So this cub has vets both mystified and worried. The Telegraph has more.
- A new US study found that children who recover from Covid have a greater risk of developing diabetes.
- Another US study offers more reassuring news: infections caused by Omicron are 91% less likely to cause death compared to Delta cases.
- The fact sheet listing the side effects of Johnson & Johnson vaccine now includes a “rare bleeding disorder.”
- This one may be good news for those who smoke up: A small study shows that cannabis compounds prevent the coronavirus from infecting healthy cells in a lab.
- Times of India has the story of a 69-year-old man in Delhi who was forced into a quarantine shelter after he tested positive. What’s most surprising: This is apparently standard protocol for the 60-plus with underlying health conditions.
- On a lighter note: Mashable has a list of the weirdest vaccination centres in the world—including a Dracula’s castle in Transylvania.
Prince Andrew stripped of his titles
The Queen has stripped him of his military affiliations and royal patronages. The biggest blow: He can no longer use the title His Royal Highness in any official capacity. However, he is still a prince and the Duke of York—although he has been completely removed from official royal life.
Why this happened: This is the fallout of a recent US court ruling that upheld Virginia Guiffre’s civil lawsuit against Andrew. She alleges that the pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell—recently convicted of sex trafficking—forced her to have sex with the prince when she was 17 (we explained Andrew’s connection here).
The big picture: The Queen has been under pressure from various groups—including military veterans—to strip Andrew of his titles. Royal commentators say the prince had been “well and truly been chucked under the royal bus”, but the family “could not escape the immense damage” the Giuffre case would do. BBC News has more on the latest move. The Guardian has more on the “lengthy and embarrassing legal ordeal" ahead for Andrew.
The great election tamasha: The latest update
The BJP has lost a third state minister plus two other MLAs in Uttar Pradesh. Dharam Singh Saini’s complaint remains exactly the same: The government has not done enough for backward castes and other marginalized communities. At the very least, this flurry of exits has changed the focus from Hindutva to caste—which is trickier territory for CM Yogi Adityanath.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi is doubling down on the women’s vote—giving a ticket to the mother of the Unnao rape survivor. Reminder: 40% of all Congress tickets are reserved for women. Indian Express has more on why everyone is wooing women in UP. The Telegraph looks at how farmer anger will play out in the elections.
Djoko slated for Australian Open
While the Australian Immigration Minister waffles over whether to use his unilateral power to re-cancel his visa, the tennis ace has been included in the Australian Open draw as top seed. He is slated to play unseeded fellow Serb Miomir Kecmaovic in the opening match on January 17. Meanwhile: All this Djoko drama is coming soon to Netflix as part of a docu-series. A film crew is already in Australia filming behind-the-scenes footage. FYI: This series that tracks the Open was already in the works before all visa hell broke loose. Haven’t tracked this story? Check out our explainer. (Reuters)
Kim K sued over crypto
Kim Kardashian is one of a number of celebrities being sued for misleading investors about the little-known crypto currency EthereumMax. She enthusiastically plugged it on Instagram—but seven months later, EthereumMax has lost 97% of its value:
“The complaint alleges misleading promotions and celebrity endorsements artificially increased interest and pricing of the digital tokens while they were available for public trading, ‘causing investors to purchase these losing investments at inflated prices’.”
Basically, these celebs are accused of orchestrating a “pump and dump” scheme—using their fame to artificially drive up prices for profit. Sounds a bit thin? A UK regulator pointed out that her Insta post (marked as an advert) aimed at her 250 million followers may have been the "financial promotion with the single biggest audience reach in history.” (Quartz)
Speaking of filthy rich influencers: TikTok stars are now pulling in more money than CEOs of blue-chip companies. Example: Charli D’Amelio made $17.5 million last year—which is more than Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Darren Woods ($15.6 million in 2020), Starbucks Corp.’s Kevin Johnson ($14.7 million) and McDonald’s Corp.’s Chris Kempczinski ($10.8 million). (Wall Street Journal via Mint)
Is a teenager driving that Tesla?
A 19-year-old security researcher says that he has been able to remotely hack into at least 25 cars in 13 countries:
“[H]e claimed he could remotely run commands on the affected vehicles without their owners’ knowing. In addition to adjusting stereo volume and manipulating the vehicle’s doors and windows, Colombo claimed he could also start the vehicles remotely, obtain their exact location and determine whether or not a driver was present in the car.”
Point to note: These claims are unverified—and made in a Twitter thread—but Tesla is launching an investigation into them. (Gizmodo)
Kerala axed from Republic Day parade
The state’s tableau for the annual parade has been rejected by the Defence Ministry. The reason: It showcases Sree Narayana Guru and the Jatayu rock. The union government had its heart set on Adi Shankaracharya—and told Kerala it would be canceled if it did not toe the line. Narayana Guru’s supporters are furious: “It could be an error committed by non-Malayali officers or a deliberate act by the upper caste hegemony. Maybe ignorance or a negative attitude.” And Kerala leaders are alleging political interference. FYI: This is the third time in recent years that Kerala has been kicked out of the R-Day parade. (India Today)
Staying down South: Vets in Chennai warn of an unexpected side-effect of Pongal. Specifically, Maattu Pongal, when owners lovingly feed cows, bulls, goats and sheep lots of goodies—like pongal, rice and other sweets. Many are brought in the next day, unable to walk: “This means they are extremely sick owing to SARA—Subacute Ruminal Acidosis—and if such animals are not treated immediately, they may die.” (The Hindu)
‘Smart’ guns are here!
Americans will soon have the option of buying personalized firearms that can only be fired by verified users. The guns come equipped with tech measures to ensure that they cannot be used by others:
“The first is radio frequency identification (RFID) tokens, such as bracelets, watches, rings and other wearable devices, that verify gun users based on proximity to the token. The second is biometric recognition technology that activates a gun after identifying biological features like a fingerprint, palm print or grip.”
The founder of SmartGunz says he was inspired by stories of children dying in gun-related accidents. (USA Today)
Two things to see
One: A gorgeous rainbow-coloured blanket octopus was spotted off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Why this matters: These octopuses are extremely rare, and the last one was sighted 21 years ago—and it was a male, which unlike the female does not develop the iridescent “blanket”. (The Guardian)
Two: The artist known as Prince Charles will display 79 of his watercolour paintings at an exhibit in London. They display scenes from locations as distant as Tanzania. Charles says of his hobby: “In fact, in my case, I find it transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach.” See a depiction from South of France below. (Sky News)