The primary purpose of biological organisms and any underlying biological function as theorized by biologist Richard Dawkins in his book the ‘Selfish Gene’ is only to ensure continuous propagation of genetic information i.e. genes with time. Biological evolution is defined as the natural phenomenon where genetic information of organisms get updated through random changes where updated genetic informational codes which encodes more favourable biological features to survive neg

Bayesian modelling is an extremely powerful and sometimes overlooked mathematical concept which serves as a fundamental tool to help understand the nature of reality. Bayesian modelling operates on the core principle of uncertainty of existing knowledge and presents a probabilistic view of modelling reality with a mechanism to continuously update probabilities when encountering new information. The mathematical roots of Bayesian modelling was formulated by mathematician Thoma

A hyper-reductionist view of the universe is that the universe is essentially computation present across different scales and complexity. Ordered information then becomes the true currency of existence where order is defined a sequence of organization that can predictably help serve a complex purpose. If we look at the history of the universe across time-scales, we can observe that information is moving towards a path of increasing order as depicted by technologist Ray Kurzwe

Douglas Hofstadter - a computer scientist who authored a few interesting books most notably the Pulitzer prize winning book ‘Godel, Escher, Bach’, explores the phenomenon of strange loops which are observed in nature through a slightly computational lens. Imagine a system programmed with a certain set of rules that allows for useful computation for someone outside the system. The system could be as simple as a set of symbols which enable useful operations (such as 1+1=2) whic

A major step in the progress of human civilization was the completion of the Human Genome Project which was a 13 year long project undertaken to map and sequence the entire human genetic code. Sequencing the genetic code provided evidence of humans sharing vast amounts of genetic information with apes and also led to useful practical applications from disease prediction/diagnosis via personalized gene analysis to disease treatment via gene therapy which is a method to help el

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which is fundamental for survival and is released when we take actions that ideally enable continued propagation of our genetic information with time. Our brains are hardwired with primitive neural circuits that release dopamine (which is essentially a reward signal) on completion of actions like food consumption, movement, procreation, learning, social cooperation which are all necessary actions for survival. The neural circuits for dopamine re

A very intriguing concept I came across is that of fractals - a term newly coined by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in the late 20th century, which is defined as a complex geometrical pattern which is surprisingly formed by the continuous repetition of simple self-similar sub-patterns. A few special observations about fractals include : self-similarity (i.e the geometric structure of the pattern remains consistent when viewed across different scales) and ordered complexity o

Just like the food we consume is fuel for our body which effectively dictates our biological actions, the information we consume is fuel...

Evolution is a theory that was proposed to explain structural biological changes observed in species over time and how certain classes of species survive extinction over others. We can use the microscopic lens of genomics to explain the manifestation of evolutionary phenomenon in living organisms. Genes (as I have covered in a previous article - dissecting genetic code) are essentially biochemical structures that have the ability to make copies of itself in certain environmen

Genetics is a very interesting branch of science as it provides a root-level explanation of biological phenomenon and opens very new...

Health is a very broad and foundational element of human life which is silently interconnected with every other aspect of our life that we may hold in deep regard. Longevity i.e. the concept of extending both life span (duration of life) and health span (quality of life) has deeply intrigued me for a long time where I have tried to develop a more refreshed perspective on personal healthcare. I came across a voluminous book on longevity called ‘Outlive’ authored by Peter Attia

‘The Innovator’s Dilemma’ is a highly revered business book published by late Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen which...

Apple has visibly remained a powerful disruptive force in the tech industry that has maintained its market leadership for a significant period of time which is statistically uncharacteristic based on the history of past market leaders. While nearing a 4 trillion-dollar market capitalization (at the time of writing), Apple has been an outlier in terms of the free cash flow it generates and the disproportionately high profit margins it commands when benchmarked against competit

A groundbreaking announcement of 2024 was the Nobel Prize in chemistry being awarded to two AI researchers from Google DeepMind along...

‘Stealing Fire’ is a very interesting book recommendation I received, which dives deep into ecstasis which is basically an altered state...

The hooked model (showcased in the book ‘Hooked’ authored by Nir Eyal - a former management consultant turned entrepreneur and author) is...

We are naturally and very easily able to distinguish between the living and non-living entities of the world. A deeper question to ask...

Quantum physics is a relatively new development in science which entails a radically new understanding of the world along with the potential to unlock very new technological innovations. Laws of classical physics i.e. Newtons laws of motion beautifully (and intuitively) explain the physical phenomenon of objects we observe in our day-to-day life at a macroscopic level. For example, we can imagine two wide slits (i.e. wide enough to allow a tennis ball to pass) placed before a

I recently started reading a very interesting book authored by physicist David Deutsch called ‘The Fabric of Reality’. The early chapters...

Energy is a fundamental requirement for the world to function and it forms the bedrock on which almost all other technology functions. At present, we are heavily dependent on unsustainable sources of energy to meet our consumption needs. Hence, a shift towards harnessing more sustainable forms of energy is a must. Sustainable energy sources like solar or wind is abundantly available but comes at the cost of being intermittent i.e. discontinuous which is a major disadvantage o

Albert Einstein was one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century who achieved global acclaim that has truly passed the test of time. Einstein has stood as a natural synonym to the term ‘genius’ and is famous for his ‘Theory of Relativity’ to a very large population from a young age (including myself) who probably don’t really understand what exactly it is that he contributed to the world of science. I have had a raging curiosity to learn about his life and underst

With the splurge in popularity of cryptocurrency and its potential future, I have had a strong curiosity to understand the nuances of the underlying technology and the problems it is trying to solve for. I came across an amazing book called ‘Bubble or Revolution’ authored by three young tech enthusiasts, which provides an impressively simplified explanation covering various aspects of cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is built on the back of a relatively nascent technology calle

A very interesting psychological theory I came across is the peak-end rule which plays a very important role in human decision-making. I...

The human mind is a fascinating (and mysterious) element of human existence and I am constantly trying to learn more about it. A very...