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Do you know who were Howard Florey and Ernst Chain?

Well if you have ever taken any antibiotics then you should know them!

Now do not throw Alexander Fleming at me! His observation that a mold, Penicillium notatum, was capable of killing bacteria in a petri dish was the spark that started this fire!

But Fleming actually struggled to purify the substance and abandoned his research! Yes! It would have been a full stop there to one of the most prescribed medications and possibly the best medication available to the doctors worldwide!

Minor infection would be fatal and many surgeries would not be possible if Florey and Chain had not continued what Fleming started and stopped!

In 1935, Australian pathologist Howard Florey became the head of the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University. He assembled a team of scientists with varied expertise and launched a major project to investigate antibacterial substances. One of Florey’s key recruits was German-born biochemist Ernst Chain, who had fled the Nazi regime. 

Chain’s expertise was vital to the team’s success, and it was he who rediscovered Fleming’s 1929 paper on penicillin!

Which is why I always say, YOU MUST READ!

Working together, Florey, Chain, and their team, including chemist Edward Abraham and technician Norman Heatley, developed a technique for purifying and concentrating penicillin. Their process used gallons of mold broth to produce a small but potent amount of a yellowish-brown powder!

Now remember Norman Heatley! He was also pivotal in the development and he is often said to be the unsung hero of the Penicillin story!

The team proved penicillin’s effectiveness in animal tests. In a critical experiment, they injected eight mice with a lethal dose of bacteria. The four mice treated with penicillin survived, while the untreated mice died!

Human trials (1941): The first human patient was an Oxford policeman suffering from a severe bacterial infection. His condition dramatically improved after penicillin treatment, but he relapsed and died when the team’s limited supply ran out. This tragic experience led Florey to focus on treating children, who required smaller quantities of the drug.

With war raging, Florey and a colleague traveled to the U.S. in 1941 to secure assistance for large-scale production. The U.S. government took over the project, and with American and British collaboration, penicillin was mass-produced in time to save thousands of Allied soldiers during the D-Day invasion!

In 1945, Fleming, Florey, and Chain shared the Nobel Prize for their work on penicillin. 

By making penicillin a mass-producible drug, Florey and Chain’s work dramatically reduced mortality from infectious diseases and how!

Then again those days it was told that a single prick was fatal! 

But now with the rampant and blind use of antibiotics in non indicated situations and without prescription along with poly pharmacy; that future with full antibiotic resistance may not be so far!

So if you want to make future safe for your kids, make sure you do not take antibiotics like peppermint pills! On that note, do not take too much peppermint pills also! Speaking of kids reminds me of the illustrious father of two famous kids; Sivakumar! 

Really happy with this sketch!

Now stop popping those unnecessary pills and sleep!

SHubh ratri!

One of the best things the average human can do is…well; LIE!

Of course some lie out of compulsion while some become compulsive liars!

The human brain is so strong that it can even create stories along with the lie and then the truth is never seen!

Now I know you are very clever! Ok! That may be a lie! Since I may not know or you may not be clever!

Then again if you thought that only you can lie then you are not telling the truth! Apparently even animals can lie! Not lie down on the floor but the opposite of truth!

This interesting observation was stated by anthropologist Jared Diamond who mentioned that there is a species of Vervet monkeys who have a grunt vocabulary of at least ten words!

One of them is Leopard! But when two groups are fighting and one group is winning then a monkey of the losing team will climb up a tree and grunt leopard when in fact no leopard will be there! Then the animals will break the fight and climb up the tree!

Crying wolf came from our Ape ancestors!

In fact there are many such examples of lying animals with the great apes leading the list!

Great apes, such as chimpanzees, have been observed lying by hiding food, giving false alarm calls, or pretending to be strong when injured to maintain social status!

Many species, like the fork-tailed Drongo, use mimicry to trick other animals. Some birds feign injury to lead predators away from their nests, while others, such as cowbirds, will sneak their eggs into other birds’ nests!

Apparently even you pet dog can “lie” by pretending they have already done their business outside to avoid going out again!

Then you have the cute squirrel! Apparently some eastern gray squirrels will pretend to bury food in one spot to fool onlookers and then move the food to a different, more secure location later!

Now these are lying for survival! What humans do is lie anyway!
Then again it is a great truth Anuradha Paudwal is an amazing singer!

Shubh ratri…

So you dream! Big deal! Everyone does! But do you know what is Lucid dreaming!?

As Kathleen explains in the novel Secret of Secrets; Lucid dreaming is the next big thing in the study of dreams and sleep!

Many times you dream, then you wake up and then you dream again which is the continuation of the same dream and you want to know what happens!

It is like an interesting movie which you have seen halfway and you want to know the ending!

Then again Lucid dreaming is much more than that and is a prime area of modern research!

Lucid dreaming is the experience of being aware that you are dreaming while the dream is happening. It occurs most commonly during REM sleep and is considered a hybrid state of consciousness that combines aspects of both waking and dreaming. Some people can control the dream’s content, manipulate the environment, or alter their form within the dream!

The key feature is the awareness and is recognizing that the dream is not reality!

It is like a Hybrid state which has qualities of both the waking and dreaming states, with increased brain activity in some areas!

The best part is that many lucid dreamers can influence the dream’s narrative, although the level of control can vary!

Now everyone knows the most powerful computer in the universe is the human brain but most of us cannot get the full features!

It is like the app store trial version app! We have been given trial version of the brain and to access the full capability we need to pay! Of course the payment is not by money but by many techniques which supposedly gives us access to the full version of the brain!

One way is LUCID DREAMING! Since when we dream, the brain is free! Which is when we can see the full power of the dream! The brain can make stuff which is real!

Lucid dreaming has plenty of use!

Studies are ongoing for using it in overcoming nightmares! This is for those who suffer from recurring nightmares, particularly those with PTSD, lucid dreaming provides a way to confront and alter the dream narrative. The dreamer can become aware during a nightmare and consciously change the outcome, which can reduce the intensity and frequency of the distressing dreams in real life!

Similar to treating nightmares, using a lucid dream to face a fear in a safe environment can reduce anxiety in waking life. For example, someone with a fear of public speaking could practice delivering a speech to a crowd in a lucid dream! And use that confidence in the real world!

Some people have used lucid dreaming to revisit past traumas in a controlled, therapeutic way, helping them process and move past difficult memories. A study at Northwestern University found that lucid dreaming helped a research assistant cope with the grief of losing his grandparents by allowing him to talk to them in his dreams!

Many have done this when they have lost their near and dear ones!

One of the best use of Lucid dreaming is to boost creativity!
How many times you have had amazing ideas in your dream which solved most of your problems but you forget them when you get up! By Lucid dreaming you can access those solutions!

Lucid dreams allow access to the creative and often bizarre workings of the subconscious mind. Artists, writers, and other creatives can intentionally use their dreams as a canvas for new ideas or to work through creative blocks!

Research has explored the use of lucid dreaming for physical and motor skill rehearsal. When a person practices a motor skill in a lucid dream, the same neural pathways are activated as they would be in waking life. This can potentially help athletes and musicians improve their skills or allow injured individuals to continue their training mentally!

So you want to access the most useful software in the universe? Try Lucid Dreaming!

My technique is to sleep for 4-5 hours and then take a break in the morning and then sleep for short intervals like 10-15 minutes; The awareness of your dream is the first step! Later on may be you can try to innovate or find solutions!
Baby steps!

Of course it’s a nightmare when so many amazing comedians pass away! The latest is Satish Shah…
He will be missed…

Om Shanti…

Jared Diamond is the author of a book called the Guns, Germs and Steel which is now considered a classic!

In this Diamond argues geographic, climatic and environmental characteristics which favored early development of stable agricultural societies ultimately led to immunity to diseases endemic in agricultural animals and the development of powerful, organized states capable of dominating others!

Then in another novel called The Third Chimpanzee he describes Viki!

In the novel the Third Chimpanzee refers to you and me!
There is only a difference of 1 percent in our genes!

We are chimps 99 percent and humans only 1! Which maybe why sometimes we monkey around so much!

So anyway Jared Diamond describes a girl called Viki trained by scientists in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Keith and Catherine Hayes of the Yerkes Laboratory.

With the Hayes moving her lips for her, Viki learned to utter “mama.” Eventually, with much difficulty, she managed to say three other words—papa, cup and up—on her own!

Unfortunately Viki died at the age of seven from viral meningitis.
But still it was pretty amazing that she spoke so many words!

Something does not add up right! It is sad that Viki got meningitis at the age of 7 but to be able to speak simple words is pretty normal right!? What is so amazing!?

Well, Viki was a chimpanzee!

Of course these examples are rare and for now humans are the only apes who speak with intent and sometimes without a good one!

As Jared says, it is that one percent difference which make us ‘Humans’!

Now of course only a human can draw a caricature or cartoon of another human! Like my idol R K Laxman! A humble ode to his legendary ‘common man’!

Shubh ratri!

Search for Rhythm 0! After that you will search for humanity…

You can also get to know how human goes from human to inhuman…


It’s a sad reality of our society…if there are no rules you get only chaos…


Rhythm 0 was a six-hour performance art piece created by Serbian artist Marina Abramović in 1974.

The work explored the relationship between artist and audience by inviting viewers to use any of 72 objects on her body, with Abramović taking full responsibility for what occurred.

Another important aspect when you do not have the responsibility! It’s only responsibility which makes us all humans…

The event took place at Galleria Studio Morra in Naples, Italy.

The setting was that Abramović stood passively in a room, and a note instructed the audience, “I am the object. During this period, I take full responsibility”.


On a table nearby were 72 items, deliberately chosen to represent both pleasure and pain. Objects included a rose, honey, bread, a feather, scissors, nails, a knife, and a gun with a single bullet (thank god for that!)

For six hours, the audience interacted with Abramović using the objects. Some people offered gentle gestures, but as time went on, others became more aggressive.


Over the course of the performance, the audience’s behavior escalated dramatically.


Of course initially people were people were hesitant and used the pleasurable objects.

Then within a few hours, the aggression began. Her clothes were cut off, she was bruised and cut with a knife, and someone loaded the gun and aimed it at her head! Luckily she was not shot!

An audience member eventually removed the loaded gun from the room.

The climax was the most stunning!
When faced with responsibility the ‘human’ ran away!


When the six hours were up, Abramović began to move, and the crowd—unable to confront her as a person rather than an object—fled the gallery!

Abramović’s performance is regarded as a powerful exploration of human behavior and vulnerability, raising critical questions about morality, accountability, and the power dynamics between artist and spectator.

It revealed how easily people can objectify others and succumb to cruelty when they feel they won’t be held responsible for their actions.

Abramović herself later reflected on the experience, stating that it showed “in your own performances you can go very far, but if you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed”

The experiment is now infamous for revealing a public capacity for aggression and violence when freed from consequences!

Humanity survives because of those few who make society better and humane. One of them was Piyush Pandey.
A legendary Indian advertising professional, known as the “architect of Indian advertising” for reshaping the industry with a distinctly Indian, culturally rooted voice!

Remember the Vodafone pug or the Kuch khaas hai by Cadbury!? That’s the magic of Piyush!

He will be missed…
Heart felt condolences
Om Shanti…

It is usually 24 but it must be 25!

Not the number of notifications on you mobile but the hours in a day!

Many times you may have felt how you could simply sleep just for some time more or have just a little more time in the day!

How one more hour can solve many of your problems!

In fact when you calculate the circadian rhythm; it has been found that it is closer to 25 and not 24!

Regulation of circadian period in humans was thought to differ from that of other species, with the period of the activity rhythm reported to range from 13 to 65 hours (median 25.2 hours) and the period of the body temperature rhythm reported to average 25 hours in adulthood, and to shorten with age!

It can simply also mean that you are lazy and are not able to manage time well! Then again you can get support from Dr. Ellis Silver! I

His theory, outlined in his book Humans Are Not From Earth, posts that humans did not evolve alongside other life on Earth. Instead, he suggests humans were brought here by extraterrestrial beings between 60,000 and 200,000 years ago, either as a colonizing species or as exiles from a former “prison planet”. Silver, an ecologist, argues that human biology is poorly suited for Earth’s environment, citing several pieces of “evidence” to support his claims!

He cites several examples for this physiological and environmental “mismatches” between humans and Earth!

The prevalence of chronic back problems in humans is attributed to evolving on a planet with lower gravity! Back pain is the bane of every human at one time or the other!

Of course other examples are also there of the mismatch such as Humans’ vulnerability to sunburn and skin cancer, and their lack of a third eyelid for protection, suggests our physiology is not adapted to Earth’s sun!

He also says how the human reliance on cooked food is put forward as proof that we did not evolve to digest raw Earth food!

Chronic illness: Silver claims humans suffer from chronic illnesses and diseases far more than any other Earth species.

Finally he categorically states that our body is suited for a 25 hour day!

According to him our body clocks operate on a 25-hour cycle, which he argues points to an evolutionary history on a planet with longer days!

Dr Ellis would be surprised if one could find a single person who is 100 per cent healthy and not suffering from some perhaps hidden or unstated condition or disorder and this might be because our body clocks have evolved to expects a 25 hour day, as proven by sleep researchers!

So next time you are feeling tired and sleepy and running out of time; just think that you are in the wrong planet!

That may make you smile but if you want to laugh then maybe watch a Deven Varma comedy!

Shubh ratri…

When no one selects you, it may make you sad! Sometimes though it is better not to be the chosen one!

Like say, by a mosquito!

Mosquitoes also do not bite just everyone you see! Even they have a selection criteria! In a group; normally the mosquitoes spare me!

When I used to say this, folks used to joke that maybe my blood is not mosquito worthy! Or I do not have normal blood!
Of course in desperation some misguided mosquito with ‘different’ standard may still bite me once in a while but that is rare!

Some people though are loved by mosquitoes!

There is a lot of research on this! The whole charade is due to a combination of factors including and not restricted to genetics as well as blood type!

One of the most important factors is the Body odor! My mother used to say that if anyone eats banana, they get more mosquito bite! It may be true!

Some studies suggest mosquitoes prefer biting people with Type O blood more than other types.

Mosquitoes can detect CO2 from a distance, so those who exhale more of it—such as pregnant women, those who have recently exercised, or larger individuals—are more attractive targets.

Other factors like a higher body temperature and sweat, which contains attractants like lactic acid and ammonia, can draw mosquitoes in.

Finally mosquitoes also love alcohol! So drinking beer has been linked to increased mosquito attraction! Now whether it is the alcohol or the fact that the drinker may not have the ‘urge’ or ‘feel’ to drive the mosquito away is something which we may not know for sure!

Finally if you thought that mosquitoes are color blind, well then you are ignorant! It has been found that mosquitoes may also be attracted to certain colors. Some evidence suggests they are more drawn to darker colors like red and orange than lighter colors! No one can blame mosquitoes for being racist now!

By the way, in case you did not know; it is only the female mosquitoes which bite! So if you get bitten a lot then have some comfort that at least some females find you interesting enough to bite!

That is the limit of my joke! Now do you know Chandrasekhar limit named after Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar? That is the maximum mass a white dwarf star can have before collapsing, which is about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun! He proposed it in 1931 when the world did not possess the intelligence to understand him! He was later proven right though in 1983 when the world finally caught up with his intelligence! All we can think is about the bite of the mosquito!

Proud of you sir!

SHubh Ratri!

Do you know that how much you can drink was actually dependent on how much a group of people can blow!

Now that I have got your attention! It is not PG or R Rated!

Probably many of you never noticed it but the most accurate observers might have seen that the standard size for a wine bottle is 750 ml!

Of course all these things are noticed only by those like me who are Teetotalers!

The standard 750ml wine bottle size is a result of historical trade practices, primarily between France and England in the 19th century

French winemakers shipped wine in large barrels that held 225 liters, which is equal to 50 imperial gallons—a unit of measurement the English used. Dividing the 225-liter barrel into 300 bottles of 750ml made the math straightforward for both French producers and English buyers!

Another reason was that the 750ml size also fit perfectly into cases for transport and sale. It was common to ship wine in cases of 12 bottles, which equaled exactly two imperial gallons!

Also a 750ml bottle holds approximately five to six glasses of wine (125ml each), making it a convenient size for sharing at a meal!

It is also mentioned that the size is ideal for aging. A smaller volume allows for a specific rate of aging due to the surface area of the wine in contact with oxygen around the cork, and it was believed that wine aged in a 750ml bottle developed a preferable character over time!

But the most important reason and the reason of the click bait above was the blowing capacity!

In the 18th century, before automated glassblowing machines, the strength of a glassblower’s lungs was a limiting factor! The 750ml size was considered the practical maximum a glassblower could produce in a single breath! That is actually a little more than your average tidal volume which is around 300-400 ml which can be increased by exercise and practice and may be glass blowing!

This trivia though is mind blowing! Mind blowing also was the amazing performance of Govardhan Asrani! He will be missed!

SHubh Ratri…

When you see human development two inventions are the foremost and the biggest! The second most important is the wheel while the most important is the Fire!

There is no society or development without fire! In any form!

Fire played a critical role in human evolution by providing warmth, protection from predators, and a way to cook food, which made it easier to digest and more energy-rich!

This technological advancement enabled humans to expand their geographic range into colder climates, develop more complex social structures, and even influenced physiological changes that supported brain growth!

Starting from the cooking of food to Protection! Then it gave something every living being wants! Not only kindness but warmth! It also made socializing possible by extending daylight!

It also gave rise to advanced tool making and construction! Humans used fire to harden tools and manage landscapes by burning, transforming environments over time.

Which is maybe why one of the oldest texts, the rig Veda actually is an ode to Fire or Agni deva! The Rigveda is a compilation of 1,028 hymns devoted to numerous gods, with fire (Agni) being a key deity.

The Rigveda’s very first hymn is dedicated to Agni, establishing his importance. His significance is both literal and symbolic. As the god of the sacrificial fire, Agni is the intermediary between humans and the gods. Offerings and prayers given into the sacred fire are carried by Agni to the deities. So Agni is the divine messenger!

Agni has its presence in three realms! Agni is conceptualized as existing on Earth as fire, in the atmosphere as lightning, and in the sky as the sun!

This presence across all three realms establishes him as a link between the human and divine!

Beyond the physical fire, Agni symbolizes spiritual knowledge, purity, and the transformative power of divine will. This “inner fire” is associated with human consciousness and the soul!

The constant presence of fire in the home, in ceremonies, and in cremations makes Agni an eternal witness to human actions and vows, particularly in rituals like weddings!

Then we light the lamp and use fire in Deepawali! So many reasons like Coming of Bhagwan Ram or Killing of Narakasura by Bhagwan Krishna or worship of Goddess Laxmi!

There is also a reason where we light up the sky with crackers to guide our ancestors who have visited us during the Paksha!

Finally it is the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance!

Wishing for the fire of knowledge to be lit in your heart and life!

A very happy Deepawali!

Do you know what is the common thing between Albert Einstein, Srivasa Ramanujam and James Watson!?

If you think you are as intelligent as them, well dream on! Though DREAM is the answer to the above question!

Then again you are dreaming if you think I would get to the point immediately!

Do you know the biggest mystery of dream is the greatest mystery of life itself! You may know the end but you can never know the beginning! Your dream may have an end which can be slow or sudden (There is a philosophical quote there but lets leave it for now!); but you will never remember the start of your dream! You may be in the remotest corner of the world or even in a space station in Mars but you can never remember how you got there!

Then again dreams are pretty amazing! There have been famous inventions and discoveries which were inspired or seen in a dream!

Inventions inspired by dreams include the periodic table, the lock-stitch sewing machine, and the structure of DNA!


Three famous ones though are the answer to the question above!

James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA, dreamed of a spiral staircase, which is said to have inspired the iconic double helix shape! Others have also mentioned that he dreamed of two intertwined serpents!

Albert Einstein’s famous theory is said to have been inspired by a dream. According to one account, he was sledding down a mountain at immense speed, which caused the stars to change their appearance. Other versions involve a different perspective on cows reacting to an electric fence!

Finally our great Srinivasa Ramanujan! He once claimed that goddess Namagiri Thayar would appear to him in dreams and provide him with complex mathematical formulas!

Since you stayed with me till now without dreaming; you get a bonus!

One such Nobel Laureate called Otto Loewi dreamed of an experiment that would prove once and for all that transmission of nerve impulses was chemical, not electrical! He woke up, scribbled the experiment onto a scrap of paper and went back to sleep. Next morning, he found, that he couldn’t read his midnight scribbles!

This was so disappointing to him since in his dream apparently he had solved the problem! So he thought of trying to sleep and dream it again! That day, was the longest day of his life!

That night, however, he had the same dream. This time, he immediately went to his lab to perform the experiment! That iconic experiment is what lead to acetylcholine! The master neurotransmitter!

Some dreams though make you famous while some dreams can keep you awake!
Of course if fame is your motive then it is usually through hard work and consistency! Like Sunny paji!

Now sleep and dream a cure for insomnia!

Shubh ratri!