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So you know multiverse and the parallel universe since you are so intelligent and knowledgeable!

I am sure though you may not have heard about UNIVERSE 25!

If you have then you are indeed very knowledgeable but for those who have not heard of this; here you are!

Now this is not a fictional universe somewhere in a different time and space!

It was an artificial universe created for rats! But what it showed will shock you to the core and then some!

If you were worried about rat race then this is actually a nightmare!

The Universe 25 experiment (1968–1973) was a rodent study by John Calhoun at the NIMH to test the effects of overcrowding in a “utopian” environment.

The aim was to provide unlimited food, water, and space!

So you set up a universe in which everything is plenty! No fight for food! No need to work and all you need to do is LIVE!

You would think if the situation is so good then it would have been paradise!

Well; it was HELL!

The setting was a 10-square-foot, climate-controlled enclosure designed for 3,000+ mice, with ample food and nesting, removing survival pressures.

Initially everything was hunky dory! Like the honeymoon phase of marriage! It is the next phase which is the most important!

The rats had fun; reproduced and seemed happy!

Then you had the collapse or the “Behavioral Sink”!

As the population reached 600, overcrowding disrupted social structures.

Males became hyper-aggressive or completely passive, while females stopped nurturing young!

Then you had a subset of mice which became the “The Beautiful Ones”!

A subset of mice withdrew from society, ignoring mating and fighting to focus solely on sleeping, eating, and grooming, earning the name “beautiful ones”!

All day was spent only in making themselves more “BEAUTIFUL” and no time spent on work or any other social interaction!

By day 600, reproduction ceased. The last mouse died around day 920, resulting in total extinction despite abundant resources!

The irony was that there was no RAT RACE!

Calhoun concluded that when space is lost and social roles break down, populations experience a “death of the spirit” followed by physical extinction.

While popular in the 1970s as a warning of urban overcrowding, modern historians, such as Edmund Ramsden, suggest the crisis was caused by excessive social interaction, not just population density.

It highlighted that material abundance without purpose can lead to societal decay!

It has been replicated in many places and sections even in humans where the resources are plenty and you do not have to worry about tomorrow!

So next time you get groggy getting up in the morning since you have to either read or work; think about UNIVERSE 25 and well; SNAP OUT OF IT!

And listen to some nice music courtesy the legend Gulshan Kumar!

And sleep in this universe 1!

Shubh ratri…

The Essential 55 is a New York Times bestselling book by award-winning educator Ron Clark that outlines 55 fundamental rules for manners, respect, and academic success!

Of course the 55 are only Ron’s rules! Every teacher may have his or her own rules!

The novel starts with this disclaimer and the open acceptance of the fact that Ron did not want to be a teacher in the first place!

In fact he was mischievous enough to have trapped himself on an oven and even been a lonely backpack traveller who ended up eating a rat and getting food poisoning! That being irresponsible to the core!

He was then forced to teach and apparently won several awards and turned out to be a great teacher and follower of rules!

His book is an essential handbook of rules and regulations including how to behave and how to eat!

All from a guy who had nothing to do with teaching when he was growing up! This is the biggest irony!

When you ask anyone what he or she wants to be; there would never be a kid who would tell that he or she would want to be a teacher when he or she grows up!

When in fact if you think about it, being a teacher is one of the most important profession along with the farmer for the future of human civilisation!

Most of the times though the ones who end up teaching are those who do not end up with anything!

But (!!) with the advent of competition and awareness; the teacher or more accurately the private TUTOR now is a very lucrative profession! Teachers in premium institutions earn much more that the biggest businessmen or doctors! They would have even taught those businessmen or doctors!

If you add the reach of social media then there are teachers who are as famous as the biggest rock stars and even earn as much!

The trends now favour such professionals who are easy to reach and whose reach is wide! And teaching or spreading knowledge and gaining information is always a great outlet!

The curiosity of the human mind would always make sure that one would do anything to know more!

Very soon you would have a child of five announcing to the world that he or she would want to TEACH when he or she grows up!

What can I teach you today! Except to say that on this day…
May the fourth (force!)be with you!

That’s from star wars in case you don’t get it! Now watch some star wars in a Hindi movie like shehnahah by Virender Raj Anand! You may know him as Tinnu Anand!

Shubh ratri…

With the NEET exam around the corner; I remember those days and nights of endless studying!

If you felt sleepy then you can either listen to music (instrumental or Pink Floyd!) or make a cup of tea!

One hack was to solve some mathematical problems which would literally wake me up since it was my favourite subject (Ironical I know!)!

The most common would be to calculate the speed or position of an object or solve an equation!

But (!!) if you think in broader sense then it is actually not possible because of a famous (now infamous!) principle!

So we think can measure a car traveling at 60 KM per hour or a tortoise crawling at 0.5 KM per hour and simultaneously pinpoint where the objects are located. But in the quantum world of particles, making these calculations is not possible due to a fundamental mathematical relationship called the uncertainty principle!

Formulated by the German physicist and Nobel laureate Werner Heisenberg in 1927, the uncertainty principle states that we cannot know both the position and speed of a particle, such as a photon or electron, with perfect accuracy; the more we nail down the particle’s position, the less we know about its speed and vice versa!

In other words, if we could shrink a tortoise down to the size of an electron, we would only be able to precisely calculate its speed or its location, not both at the same time!

The only thing certain in Physics and Mathematics was the fact that you get proper answers to any questions! That was the beauty of these subjects! But Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle actually made that impossible!

Which is why you have a group of jokes called the Heisenberg uncertainty jokes!

One famous joke which was made popular by Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular jokes in the quantum world! So much so that even Robert mentioned it in his novel Determined!

Heisenberg is speeding down the highway when a cop pulls him over.

The officer asks, “Sir, do you know how fast you were going?”

Heisenberg replies, “No, but I know exactly where I am!”

The officer, confused, says, “You were going 108 miles per hour!”

Heisenberg throws his arms up and cries, “Great! Now I’m lost!”!

There is also a Schrödinger’s Addition if you know what I mean!

After Heisenberg’s outburst, the cop searches the car and finds a dead cat in the trunk. He yells, “Hey! Did you know you have a dead cat back here?” Schrödinger replies, “Well, I do now!”!

While web Browsing you may even come across this common tech-physics meme which shows a pop-up saying “This website wants to know your location” with the caption: “Deny. Allow. Heisenberg.”!

Many of these principles sometimes reminds me of what my grandmother used to say; Ellam MAYA!

The connection between the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the bharatiya concept of Maya lies in their shared view that the world as we perceive it—definite, separate, and fixed—is not the ultimate reality!

In fact both Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger, noted that quantum indeterminacy mirrors the ancient Vedantic idea that our senses provide a “deception” or a limited projection of a deeper, unified truth!

That’s deep! In fact even sometimes cartoons apart from being funny also convey serious message! Like the toons by Mario Miranda! I love cartoons and cartoonists since my natural sketch is cartoonish!

Now sleep or not! Keep Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger guessing!

Subh ratri!

Everyone knows about the Butterfly effect!

But do you know the origin?

The Novel Determined tells about this short story called “A Sound of Thunder”!

This is often credited as the origin of the term “butterfly effect”, a concept of chaos theory in which the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe!

In the novella you have time travel for the rich! You can go back in time and shoot even T REX!

But you are specifically told to stay in the marked path and not even kill a MOUSE!

It has been explained so well on what would happen if you do!

The ‘GUIDE’ explains what happens if you kill on mouse and thus eliminate by default all the families of the families of the families of that one mouse!

With a stamp of one foot, you annihilate first one, then a dozen, then a thousand, a million, a billion possible mice!” 

He then adds Because of that one mouse and its progenies who are dead you have a fox die! The foxes that’ll need those mice to survive and for want of ten mice, a fox dies!

For want of ten foxes a lion starves. For want of a lion, all manner of insects, vultures, infinite billions of life forms are thrown into chaos and destruction!

So eventually it all boils down to this acccodring to the ‘GUIDE’: fifty-nine million years later, a caveman, one of a dozen on the entire world, goes hunting wild boar or saber-toothed tiger for food!

By stepping on all the tigers in that region as a cascade of stepping on one single mouse! The caveman starves!

Now the ‘GUIDE’ speculates that the caveman, is not just any expendable man, no! He is an entire future nation!

From his loins would have sprung ten sons. From their loins one hundred sons, and thus onward to a civilization!

Destroy this one man, and you destroy a race, a people, an entire history of life. It is comparable to slaying some of Adam’s grandchildren. 

The stomp of one foot, on one mouse, could start an earthquake, the effects of which could shake our earth and destinies down through Time, to their very foundations. 

With the death of that one caveman, a billion others yet unborn are throttled in the womb! He even goes on to say that if he steps on a mouse and he would crush the Pyramids!

Unfortunately in spite of all the warnings, a tragedy does occur and when he returns back to the present time with a shock he realises that a dictator has become the PRESIDENT!

They investigate and see that while running all he did was to step on a BUTTERFLY!

The novel thus shows Bradbury’s concept of how the death of a butterfly in the past could have drastic changes in the future!

It was one of the first representation of the butterfly effect and is used as an example of how to consider chaos theory and the physics of time travel!

So if you do have a LEADER who you think is REALLY CRAZY! There is a possibility that a time travelling Physicist would have stepped on a BUTTERFLY! 

Now if you ever get an opportunity to go back in time and ‘accidently’ step on a Butterfly; make sure it is an ‘ORANGE’ coloured one for no particular reason!

Do not step over any butterfly which could have lead to successful CEOs like Anand Gopal Mahindra!

Now hopefully the ‘Butterflies in your stomach’ have been taken care of!

SHubh Ratri!

The novel Determined by Robert Sapolsky tells about how some genes Cheat!

Why they do that is because there are some organelles which were having a serious and possibly original and independent past!

Mitochondria and chloroplasts are the primary cell organelles believed to have once been free-living bacteria! So while the animal cell has taken them and formed then a part of their cellular structure; they have not forgotten their ‘origins’ or ‘ROOTS’! They still keep their ‘original’ codes alive by ‘Cheating’!

These genes which do the cheating are the Transposons or the JUMPING Genes!

Transposons “cheat” the DNA replication process by exploiting the host cell’s own replication machinery to increase their copy number without needing to undergo their own independent, energy-intensive replication process.

They achieve this through several “cut-and-paste” or “copy-and-paste” mechanisms that increase their presence in the genome during S-phase.

The S-Phase “Cut-and-Paste” Cheat is used by most Class II DNA transposons and they time this movement to coincide with S-phase to gain an extra copy.

Then you have the Replicative Transposition in which some transposons, like the bacterial Tn3 family, do not cut themselves out entirely but perform a “replicative integration,” where only one strand is processed, joining the donor DNA and target DNA to form a cointegrat!

Then you have the alternative Transposition, Replicating via “Rolling Circle”  and finally Using Host Repair Tools!

In many ways these Transposons make sure that some genetic material is SAVED or TRANSFERRED to the next generation at the cost of the host! All these so that the final cell does not forget its ROOTS! And that is at the cellular level! Imagine then the fight for ROOTs at the human level!

Then again watching the movie Michael; I was pretty amazed at how the JUMPING and SINGING gene of MJ has been TRANSFERRED to JAAFAR! An inspiring movie of a pop icon whose posters were the only ones I ALLOWED to be put up on MY ROOM walls!

Am still moonwalking in my head!

The novel Determined by Robert Sapolsky has an associated e book along with the audiobook and this has an extensive bibliography with author notes!

In one of the references, Robert makes an interesting observation on a well known proverb!

The proverb is about locusts!

“Locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks”

This proverb actually highlights unity, teamwork, and orderly movement without a central leader.

It emphasizes that, despite being small, they are “exceedingly wise” by operating collectively, mirroring an army’s, structure.

This is based on the observation that while normally solitary, locusts enter a “gregarious phase” when stressed, moving in massive, coordinated swarms!

This symbolism is often used to demonstrate how a team or community can achieve massive goals through collaboration and unity, rather than relying on a single leader!

In fact the context has been extended to many other animals and insects like ants, rock badgers, and spiders that demonstrate significant, instinctive efficiency while working as a team!

The quote is thus frequently used as a metaphor for organized, collaborative action!

But; well you knew a BUT was coming!

As Robert states in the end with a question which he answers himself!

It goes like this’ “Oh, and by the way, why do locusts march?”

With all the philosophy and lore; the answer is actually pretty shocking!

“Each locust marches forward because the locust immediately behind is trying to eat it!”

So the real reason Locusts march in coordinated bands mainly is to avoid cannibalism by hungry, overcrowding neighbors!

When populations surge, the insects switch from solitary to gregarious behavior, creating massive, dense groups that march to find food and escape being eaten by the locusts immediately behind them, creating a relentless “forced march”!

Of course even that is philosophical! MOVE or I will eat you!

But if someone does try to do that you can go to court! Or try Rajat Sharma and his Aap Ki adalat!

Stay away from locusts though!

SHubh ratri!

The other day discussing about Pink Floyd made me remember the song Comfortably Numb!

It was a real life narration of being injected with a drug!

But this blog is not about that song!

But another similar song called Thorazine Shuffle!

Neurologists will know the terminology and of course the treatment! I was glad to learn a new thing (story of my life everyday!)

In the novel called Determined by Robert Sapolsky; he talks about two mental conditions where you have the interplay of Dopamine!

In fact it is an interesting problem which according to Robert is subtle and cool, in an abstract sort of way!

So, in schizophrenia, there appears to be an excess of dopamine in parts of the brain related to logical thought,  and a key treatment is to throw in a drug that blocks dopamine signaling. All good so far!?

Now come to Parkinson’s!

So Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder in which sufferers have trouble initiating movement, where the core problem is a loss of dopamine in a completely different part of the brain, and a key treatment is to give people a drug (most often L-DOPA) that will boost dopamine signaling!

See the problem here! Just like nectar; even more is not good!

Now here comes the interesting part!

We do not  inject any of these drugs directly into the relevant brain region. Instead, you take the drug systemically (e.g., by mouth or by injection), which means it gets into the bloodstream and has its effect all over the brain.

Give someone with schizophrenia a dopamine receptor blocker, and you decrease the abnormally high levels of dopaminergic signaling in the “schizophrenic” part of the brain back to normal; but at the same time, you decrease the normal levels elsewhere to below normal!

Give L-DOPA to someone with Parkinson’s, and you raise dopamine signaling in the “Parkinsonian” part of the brain to normal but boost signaling to above-normal levels elsewhere in the brain!

So if you treat someone with Parkinson’s using high and/or prolonged doses of
L-DOPA, do you increase their risk of a psychosis? Yes!

In the same way if you treat someone with schizophrenia using high and/or prolonged doses of a dopamine receptor blockers, do you increase their risk of a Parkinsonian movement disorder? Yes!

The problem in this case or the complication is called “tardive dyskinesia,”!

Which brings us back to the Thorazine Shuffle! This is the slang name for “tardive dyskinesia,”!

The Southern rock band Gov’t Mule has a song about it called “Thorazine
Shuffle,” whose final lyrics are “Ain’t no need to worry today, Thorazine
shuffle make everything OK.”

The phrase was common in mental health contexts during the mid-20th century to describe the visible side effects of heavy medicating!

Just when you thought that music is all noise and when you actually end up supporting noise!

Knowledge Knowledge everywhere just stop and think!

Now you need medication only when you do not have much devotion! Whether you believe in God or not; a simple meditation or concentration would calm your mind without any drugs! Watch some old serials like the Ramayana starring Dipika Chikhlia as Mata Seetha and you would be calmed!

Time for some Dopamine Detox!

SHubh Ratri!

Determined by Robert Sapolsky

Audiobook

Book Review

A LONG veritable summary of the book to get the essence!

The author is also the author of the book; Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (2017) which is a comprehensive exploration of why humans act the way they do, from acts of extreme violence to incredible kindness.

Behave was the book I listened before this and of course you have overlaps!

They both are different though but it is better to read or listen to Behave first or at least read my blog which summarizes the novel.

According to neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky, every human action is entirely determined by a seamless chain of biological and environmental factors, leaving no room for free will.




Sapolsky argues that behavior cannot be explained by a single cause. Instead, he analyzes it through a reverse-chronological lens:

One Second Before: The brain’s immediate reaction, specifically the conflict between the emotional amygdala (fear/aggression) and the rational prefrontal cortex (logic/self-control).

Seconds to Minutes Before: Sensory cues in the environment, such as a person’s facial expression or even the presence of certain smells.

Hours to Days Before: Hormonal influences, such as testosterone (which amplifies status-seeking rather than just aggression) or oxytocin (which increases in-group bonding but can fuel out-group hostility).

Weeks to Decades Before: Childhood and adolescent experiences, where brain architecture is wired based on environment and stress levels.

Centuries to Millennia Before: Cultural, geographical, and evolutionary factors that shaped the genetic predispositions of a society!


Robert Sapolsky tells about free will and how most do not have it!

In all of these he uses various scientific paper starting from the famous turtle joke!

The story goes like this;

William James was an American philosopher and psychologist and once after explaining the Earth orbits the sun, an elderly lady tells James the world rests on a turtle!

James then politely asks a woman what the earth stands on after she claims it rests on a turtle! She replies, “on another turtle,” and when pressed, concludes, “It’s no use, Mr. James, it’s turtles all the way down!”.

The story highlights the concept of infinite regress—the failure to find a foundational, ultimate cause!

The chief emphasis is on a study which questioned free will in the first place. This study has been detailed and modifications have been mentioned many times in the novel.

The Libet experiment found that unconscious brain activity, known as “readiness potential” (RP), begins ~500 milliseconds before a person consciously decides to move. This suggests the brain initiates actions before the conscious mind is aware of the decision, challenging traditional notions of free will and suggesting consciousness reports on actions rather than causing them!

Robert states this tests and argues for the lack of free will adding the fact that the modifications of the tests also show similar finding.

Then you have some more summaries and findings as in the novel

Us vs. Them: Our brains are hardwired to categorize people into “in-groups” and “out-groups” almost instantaneously, but these categories are flexible and can be changed through exposure and reframing.

Sapolsky argues that as we learn more about the biological determinants of behavior, the space for traditional “free will” shrinks, which he suggests should lead to a more compassionate and less punitive justice system.

The same hormone or brain region can produce opposite behaviors depending on the situation (e.g., oxytocin can make you kinder to your “Us” but meaner to a “Them”

Then there was interesting point about Doctors!

Are you planning for an emergency surgery!?
Just make sure that it is not the Surgeon’s birthday!

Of course, when we go for a Surgery, we think and plan and discuss a lot of things!
But when it comes to Emergency, there is no time! One thing you may need to find out is the lead Surgeon’s birthdate!

Robert Sapolsky here mentions this interesting information!

Apparently studies show a 23% higher mortality rate for emergency surgeries performed on a surgeon’s birthday compared to other days!

This is thought to be due to distractions from birthday celebrations, causing surgeons to rush or be less attentive, particularly affecting elderly patients undergoing emergency procedures!

The Surgeon also may make decisions which leads to faster outcome, but not the ideal outcome. This means that the Surgeon may try to finish the case earlier and may not select the best protocol, but fastest!

A key finding on Surgeon’s Birthday vs. Normal Days is that Patients are more likely to have complications within 30 days if their emergency surgery is done on their surgeon’s birthday. The likely causes included distractions from personal plans, birthday messages, or potential reduced care following the procedure!
Remember that the elevated risk was observed for emergency surgeries, but not for elective (scheduled) procedures. The Studies though primarily analyzed older Medicare patients.

Even doing the surgery is not freewill you see!

Then you have an interesting point about ants!

This needs more explanation!

Robert among other things, talks about how ants get food!

Actually, the numbers would shock you! Depending on the size of an average and colony, it would take 360,000 ways if there are 10 sites to get food.!

Do you know what happen if there are 15 sites!?
There is at least 80 billion ways of getting the food!

So how do ants get it?

They do and very effectively in fact! When this is used  to solve problems it is called swarm or ant optimisation!

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm used to solve complex computational problems by finding optimal paths through graphs.

It was introduced by Marco Dorigo in the early 1990s and is a key part of the broader field of swarm intelligence.

The algorithm mimics the foraging behavior of real ant colonies. When searching for food, ants initially wander randomly. Once food is found, they return to their nest while depositing a chemical substance called pheromone on the ground.

Other ants are attracted to these trails. Shorter paths allow ants to return faster, leading to a quicker buildup of pheromones, which in turn attracts more ants.

Over time, the pheromone trails evaporate. This “forgetting” mechanism prevents the colony from getting stuck on a single suboptimal path and encourages the discovery of new, potentially better route!

ACO translates these biological behaviors into a computational framework using “artificial ants”.

This actually has many common applications!

Like the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP)! one can use Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) to find the shortest route to visit multiple cities and return home!

We can also use it for Network Routing by Optimizing data traffic and identifying the fastest paths in communication networks!

Another area is for Scheduling! You can assign tasks or resources efficiently (e.g., job-shop or hospital scheduling).

The Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) can also be used for vehicle Routing and to determine the best paths for a fleet of delivery vehicles!

See what a colony of ants can do? They can make sure your Amazon prime delivery comes on time!

Then you have this interesting ‘fact’ about judges! I have actually read the same in his earlier book and several other non fictions!

In this though Robert Sapolsky mentions the famous study on judicial decisions.

The study known as the ‘lunchtime effect’ is a 2011 study on judicial decision-making (often referred to in behavioral economics), there is a significant, albeit unintentional, relationship between the timing of a bail hearing and the likelihood of bail being granted!

The Research indicates that judges are more likely to grant parole or bail at the beginning of the workday or immediately after a break (like lunch), while the likelihood of a favorable ruling drops significantly as the session progresses!

As judges hear more cases without a break, decision fatigue sets in!

They become more likely to choose the default, lower-effort decision, which is often to deny bail and keep the accused in custody (the “safe” option).

Now officially “Bail is the Rule, Jail is the Exception”: but despite legal principles stating that bail is a right and detention should be the exception, this psychological trend suggests that environmental factors (like hunger or fatigue) can influence the administration of justice!

So the optimal Timing is usually after a good lunch!

The study found that favorable decisions dropped from roughly 65% to nearly zero over the course of a session, returning to 65% immediately after a food break!

So you want to case to be in your favour then maybe send his or her favourite food to the judge!?

Then he talks about culture!
Did you know that everyone has some culture!  Even animals by the way!
Robert here tells about about bacterial culture by the way!

Now research indicates that the composition, diversity, and sheer amount of bacteria in your gut (the microbiome) can significantly influence your behavior, mood, and personality.

While they do not completely control you like a “puppet master,” microbes in the gut communicate with the brain, impacting stress levels, anxiety, sociability, and even cognitive functions!

Apparently the gut contains a “second brain”—the enteric nervous system—which is composed of around 100 million neurons and is in constant, two-way communication with the brain via the vagus nerve! It also produces the vital bullets of our mood guns! The neurotransmitters! Gut bacteria manufacture, or signal the body to produce, more than 90% of the body’s serotonin (which regulates mood) and significant amounts of dopamine and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps manage anxiety!


A more diverse gut microbiome is generally associated with lower stress and anxiety, while reduced diversity or an unhealthy balance (dysbiosis) is linked to higher anxiety and depression. Microbes may even influence your eating habits by producing neuroactive compounds that trigger cravings for sugar or fat, encouraging the growth of the bacteria that thrive on those specific foods.


Research has also shown that changing the gut microbiome via diet can alter social decision-making, such as increasing a sense of fairness in financial games.
A high-fiber diet with natural prebiotics and probiotics (e.g., fermented foods) supports a diverse and healthy gut, which is linked to better mood and behavior!

Then you have sections on connections and dopamine and serotonin!

Then you have the amygdala and the adolescence taken from Behave!

You also have sections on prejudices with a whole list and a table!

There is a 112 page PDF with these points and the reference section is a gold mine of information!

Do check it out! Or not! It is your free will! Or is it!?

Everyone knows about the Bacon number or about the six degrees of Kevin Bacon!

But do you know ERDOS number!?

I know; you ‘forgot’ what is Bacon number  or for that matter who is Kevin Bacon! Which is why you must read my blogs! Kidding!

So Kevin Bacon is the guy from Footloose! He had a show in which celebrities were asked to link themselves to Kevin Bacon!
Now Kevin himself would have a Bacon number of 0! But someone like Tom Cruise who acted with him in A Few Good men would have the number 1!

Now we come to the ERDOS number!

Just like the Bacon Number for celebrities you have the ERDOS number for mathematicians!

The lower the number; the more respected or ‘acknowledged’ you are as a mathematician!

So Erdős numbers measure the “collaborative distance” between researchers and influential Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős based on co-authorship of mathematical papers.

Just like the Bacon numbers; Erdős has a number of 0!

co-authors have 1, and those who co-authored with a “1” have a 2, creating a collaborative network!

Basically an Erdős number is the smallest number of steps (co-authorship) needed to connect a person to Paul Erdős!

Why Erdos you may ask? I can already see your ERDOS number slipping just for asking that question!

With over 1,475 academic papers, Erdős collaborated with hundreds of scientists, making the number a widely known “badge of pride” in mathematics!

The Structure:
0: Paul Erdős.
1: People who co-authored a paper directly with Paul Erdős.
2: People who co-authored with an Erdős number 1 person.

A low Erdös number is a point of pride among mathematicians. There is, of course, only one person with an Erdös number of 0 (i.e., Erdös); the most common Erdös number is 5 (with 87,760 mathematicians), with the frequency declining with a power-law distribution after that.

Many mathematicians have low numbers, and some, like IT researcher Stefan Szeider, have an Erdős number of 2!

This is not limited to mathematicians though! You even have Famous Examples!

Like Actress Natalie Portman has an Erdős number of 5, while former NFL player John Urschel has a 4!

By the way there is also a collab! The Erdős-Bacon Number!

This combines the Erdős number with a “Bacon number” showcasing connections between academic collaboration and film!

Erdős-Bacon Number shows connection between academic and entertainment world! If you have a low score in both then not only are you intelligent, you are also famous!

There are people with both a low Bacon number and a low Erdös
number!

The record, 3, is shared by two people. There’s Daniel Kleitman
(who published with Erdös and appeared in the movie Good Will Hunting
as an MIT mathematician).

And there’s mathematician Bruce Reznick (also a 1-Erdös-er who, oddly, was an extra in what was apparently an appallingly bad movie, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 8 percent, called Pretty Maids All in A Row!).

By the way you also have something called the Flacco number! But then that is a slog…I mean blog for another number…err…day!

So much talk about celebrity! Am sure you would have seen this one but do not know his name! Its Bharat Kapoor! But do not ask me what is his Bacon Number!

Subh ratri! 

Do you know what is Dialetheism?

It is the view that there are statements which are both true and false. More precisely, it is the belief that there can be a true statement whose negation is also true.

Such statements are called “true contradictions”, dialetheia, or non dualism
Ambiguous situations may cause humans to affirm both a proposition and its negation.

People who believe this are called Dialetheists!

Dialetheists argue that certain persistent puzzles are best explained by accepting them as true contradictions!

Now read this statement; “This statement is false.”

If the above statement is true then it is FALSE! But if the statement is false then it is TRUE!

Then you have the typical teen or the adolescent being! He or she can be both “an adult” and “not an adult”!

Another common example used is the transition!

The moment a person leaves a room. At the exact instant of crossing the boundary, a dialetheist might argue they are both “in” and “not in” the room.
In fact in the Vishnu Avatara of Narasimha; the DOORWAY is neither in nor out! Which is why Bhagwan selects that place to slay the Asura! Which is why while growing up our grandmothers used to tell us not to sit on the doorway! Even now we are told not to receive or give anything to anyone on the doorway! Either you get in or come out!

So though the term was coined in 1981 by Graham Priest and Richard Sylvan, the roots of the idea appear throughout history as above!

In fact in ancient Indian and Buddhist logic (specifically the Catuskoti) often allowed for four possibilities, including a statement being “both true and false”!

The Jain philosophical doctrine of anekantavada—non-one-sidedness—states that all statements are true in some sense and false in another!

Simply put what looks like six to you may be nine to someone else!
In the end it’s a point of view!

Then again some points of view are true no matter who says them! Like Raghu Rai was a great photographer!

He will be missed…

Now subh ratri for those in this side of the world! Suprabhatam for those on the other side!

Dialetheism!!