Anti-science" is a word that came up a lot when Lounge facilitated a conversation between Indian-American cancer physician and researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee and biochemist and author Pranay Lal earlier this week. Misconceptions around the use of hand sanitisers, ridiculous theories on 5G mobile networks, and the coronavirus-the covid-19 "infodemic" is as big as the actual pandemic. When this misinformation is coupled with the vast reach of social media, panic ensues. After a point, it becomes difficult to ascertain the veracity of such information. Recent studies have also indicated that false information regarding health issues leads to a probable threat to public health.
Lal, who works in the areas of environment and public health, has an innate love for the natural world and the life forms it supports. His two books, Indica: A Deep Natural History Of The Indian Subcontinent (2016) and Invisible Empire: The Natural History Of Viruses (2021), are testament to that. Mukherjee uses science storytelling as art to show the human aspect of things that are so technical at times. He has three books to his name-the Pulitzerwinning The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography Of Cancer (2010), The Gene: An Intimate History (2016) and his latest, The Song Of The Cell: An Exploration Of Medicine And The New Human, which explores the human body's smallest unit-the cell.
The two award-winning scientist-authors had not met before but they quickly struck up an easy rapport, arising from their curiosity and mutual respect for each other's work. "I want to talk a little about the book but how do you see the future?" Lal asked Mukherjee as they set the tone for the chat.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 21, 2023-Ausgabe von Mint Mumbai.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 21, 2023-Ausgabe von Mint Mumbai.
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