Dear Thinker,
Happy Monday and welcome to Edition 23 of the Thinker’s Digest!
Weight-loss is a tricky subject. For some, it serves as motivation and a path to better health, while for others, it’s a constant reminder of their condition and a cause of depression. The discovery of a pill capable of making you lose weight poses a medical conundrum. It serves as a boon for latter but then again, a bane for the former. Our first article attempts to grapple with this dilemma and uncovers the science behind the pharmaceutical sensation - Ozempic.
We then look at the bloody history of a ubiquitous commodity that has become a necessity in every household. From starting wars to uplifting society, this commodity has had an intriguing journey from sea to table.
We end with the discovery of an AI software capable of predicting which vaccines or medicines will be most effective in preventing disease. Imagine that.
This week, there’s a lot to be curious and excited about. Let’s get to it.
Brain Food
💊 Magic Pill - Johan Hari and the New Miracle “Weight-Loss” Drug
Over the last decade there has been a concerted effort to normalise the fact that not everyone wants to be supermodel skinny. Certain people suffer from conditions that prevents them from losing weight. This should not be a basis for discrimination and I am glad companies are now moving away from the notion that only one body type is desirable.
However, irrespective of your body type, one should always aim to fit. Science has proven that superior fitness leads to better health and a longer life. Sadly, society is still unable to differentiate between losing weight for good health as opposed to starving yourself to look good.
This is why the latest ground-breaking discovery of Ozempic is both a boon and a bane. For people suffering from obesity, it’s a blessing as it gives them a chance for weight-loss till they can reach a stage where natural methods are possible.
But, for others, it makes you question whether the availability of this drug permits our bad habits that led to this massive increase in obesity in the first place. Will it give an unhealthy 20-year old a way to lose weight without actually going to a gym and become healthier ?
Turning to pills to solve an issue that can be solved naturally is a problem we’re already grappling with.
In this article, Johan Hari talks about the science behind this wonder drug and discusses its promises and perils. Johan himself suffered from an eating disorder making this post even more real and thought-provoking.
⛏️ In the Race for Space Metals, Companies Hope to Cash in
Ever since we invented the Hubble Telescope, our understanding of the celestial bodies that surround us, increased dramatically.
In an earlier edition, I wrote about how in the 80s, we believed that there were only 52 near-Earth asteroids. Today, we know that, that number is closer to 30,000!
Asteroids are made of materials that are sometimes not easily available on Earth. What if I told you there are companies attempting to mine minerals from these very asteroids!
I know, your first reaction will be - LEAVE SPACE ALONE. That we already squeezed the Earth for all its resources and we should NOT be doing the same in space. I agree somewhat, but hear me out.
Our sensibilities today, compared with those 25 years ago have progressed considerably. We are more aware of the damage we’ve done and are lot more focused on un-doing it.
Yes, there are chances that this might lead to the exploitation of another region but I believe that our understanding of what went wrong here will help us do things right this time. The materials we discover might transform our lives. Surely it’s worth the risk ?
Read the full article, here.
🧂 Age of Invention: The Second Soul, Part I
One of the defining moments of India’s freedom struggle against the British was Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March - a non-violent protest against the debilitating salt tax imposed by the British.
This seemingly innocuous tax represented 8.2% of the British Raj’s tax revenue in India! Salt was a commodity used extensively by both the rich and poor and was staple need in every household. Taxing it hurt the poor the most, prompting the Mahatma to use this as the basis to lead the protest.
Salt has played an important role throughout history. Controlling the source of this product was one of the first priorities for many military campaigns in the past. This ubiquitous product led to an increase in population and even improved people’s living standards.
This incredible essay traces the history of salt and the role it played in civilisation. This essay is the reason I love scouring the internet. In the midst of all the rubbish out there you find gems like this that make you sit up and wonder what other mundane things had such far-reaching impact!
🖋️ An Indelible Ink Maker Looks to Make a Mark Beyond the Poll Booth
The world’s largest democratic exercise is currently underway in India. A total of 96 crore citizens will cast their vote to decide which party will govern India for the next 5 years.
Apart from the traffic-causing rallies, hideous political hoardings and rival shaming, every election in India is marked with another unmissable aspect. The inked finger.
This essential cog of the voting process is manufactured by Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd. (MVPL), a public sector undertaking owned by the Karnataka government.
MVPL has been the sole supplier of indelible ink to the Election Commission (EC) since the concept was first introduced in 1962. Apart from India, MVPL also exports ink to over 30 countries including Malaysia, Cambodia and South Africa!
This deep-dive by Mint looks at the history of MVPL and how its ink has left its “mark” on some of the biggest elections in the world.
India’s commitment to ensuring every citizen gets a chance to vote is unmatched. The EC set up a polling both for a single voter registered in the Gir Forest.
🧬 AI Predicts the Structure and Interaction of all of Life’s Molecules
AlphaFold, an AI software designed by Google DeepMind to predict the 3D structure of proteins, received a significant update that took the world of science by storm.
The latest version was successful in accurately predicting the interactions between antibodies produced by the immune system and the molecules of disease organisms.
This jargony description weirdly makes sense to me because I’m currently reading this fantastic book called Song of the Cell. If you want to understand a little more about the human body and why certain diseases happen, I would highly recommend reading this.
Now back to AlphaFold. Simply put, AlphaFold helps us understand whether a vaccine/medicine will help cure a disease without having to do multi-year trials. It may not get us to the exact solution but it will help us narrow our search down to the most promising ones.
This discovery is huge as it drastically increases our ability to discover new drugs. Our ever-changing lifestyle is leading to the mutation of many viruses so having an effective way to come up with the cures quickly, will be vital. (as we saw during Covid)
Read what AlphaFold means for the pharmaceutical industry, here and understand what it does, here.
Photo of the Week
🌌 Pictures of the Northern Lights
A few weeks ago, the Sun God flexed his muscle by sending a flurry of particles that lit up the night sky.
The Northern Lights, seen mostly in Norway, Finland and Iceland were visible in regions way down south like India and California.
Find some of the most mesmerising visuals, here.
Every once in a while Nature reminds us of the awe and beauty it’s capable of.
As a bonus, here are some the best pictures of the Norther Lights in history.
Aaand that’s it for this week! Hope you savour this one and remember, always stay curious!
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Here are some earlier posts to give you a sense of all the topics covered in this newsletter -
The Box that Changed the World - Society tends to overlook the importance of routine inventions. This article talks about one that revolutionised transportation.
UPI - Bharat’s Digital Kohinoor - Charting the history and future of India's game-changing payment solution
Reaching for the Stars - An essay explaining nuclear fusion and its potential
The New Frontier - Exploring India’s ascent into the cosmos