News / Author / Dipanjan Sinha

Dipanjan Sinha

Articles by Dipanjan Sinha

Can AI ‘think’? In a few years, this won’t be a question, says Indian researcher

Swarat Chaudhuri has won a Guggenheim Fellowship for his unusual quest. His lab tests for signs of ‘curiosity’, to ask: Can AI actually advance human knowledge?

Art and Culture

Updated on May 24, 2025 05:45 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

The silent type: Take a peek inside the world of wordless books

They let children write the story, and rewrite it with each visit. Adults are entranced too. (It’s a step up from re-reading tales about teddies and unicorns.)

Sunaina Coelho brings her experiences as a mother and an artist together to tell a story of excitement, fear, and a boy’s first day at school, in this 2021 title.

Art and Culture

Updated on Mar 15, 2025 02:44 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

You’re going where?: A look at where Earth ends and space begins

As more people, probes, cameras and countries head ‘into space’, see how far they must travel for that to hold true - and other lines they cross along the way.

Art and Culture

Updated on Jul 20, 2024 04:45 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Ion man: Meet Ankur Gupta, the math whiz redefining how energy is stored

His research will make it possible to charge a phone in seconds. How did he break new ground, in a field so full of well-funded research?

‘I have always liked finding new ways to do something,’ Gupta says. (Photo by Sameer A Khan)

Art and Culture

Updated on Jun 21, 2024 05:12 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

On the banned wagon: An exhibition reimagines covers of forbidden books

Photographer Rohit Chawla’s project includes the usual suspects (Animal Farm, Perspepolis) and more innocuous titles such as Black Beauty.

Thirty book covers feature in Chawla’s exhibition, titled Banned. (Shaswat Kakkar)

Art and Culture

Updated on Jun 15, 2024 02:53 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

And so it began...: A new book offers insight into rich Indian creation legends

Lopamudra Maitra’s collection draws from little-known communities and forgotten myths. Starting points matter, she says, as do the journeys our tales take.

A historian, ethnographer and author, Maitra, 46, became interested in such lore while studying Ancient Indian history at Kolkata’s Presidency College. (HT Photo: Samir Jana)

Art and Culture

Updated on Jun 14, 2024 01:20 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Not from around here, are you?: Decoding the signal from the furthest galaxy

An Indian from Bengaluru, a telescope in Pune and a researcher in Canada united to capture the almost invisible – a signal from the early years of the universe.

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in Pune is an array of 30 massive steerable antennae. It played a key role in helping the two physicists capture the signal. (Adobe Stock)

Art and Culture

Updated on May 25, 2024 02:49 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Bunkers, fog showers: How countries are keeping their cool

As temperatures rise, underground spaces are being repurposed, institutions are opening their doors and cooling sprays are being installed along arterial roads.

Vienna became one of Europe’s first cities to combat urban heat, when it introduced fog showers in 2018. (Shutterstock)

Art and Culture

Updated on May 24, 2024 02:10 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Bar scrawl: Can almost any word mean ‘drunk’?

How is it that ‘hammered’ can mean drunk, but so can ‘gazeboed’, ‘carparked’ and ‘pyjamaed’? Inspired by a viral joke, two German linguists break it down.

Art and Culture

Updated on Apr 27, 2024 03:09 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

How we earned our stripes: The story of the hidden lines on human skin

Under ultraviolet rays, stripes emerge on each of us. One theory: they’re patterns formed by the original embryonic cells, as our bodies took shape in the womb.

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 12, 2023 06:05 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Shutter island:See how one studio is reviving the alchemy of photos without film

The core of Studio Goppo’s philosophy is an unusual one, in a time of social media: A photograph ought to have meaning and purpose.

Vivek Muthuramalingam attended workshops at Studio Goppo and has since co-founded his own alternative-photography studio, Kanike, in Bengaluru.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 22, 2023 05:35 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Paper view: Finally, clues to some of the mysteries of crumpling

Crumpled paper is unusually weight-resistant. Its patterns are entirely unpredictable. Even with the same sheet, they’re impossible to replicate. See why.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 15, 2023 02:23 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Flash drive: Meet Emil George, of the fastest solo car expedition across India

He grew up dreaming of a life of rugged jeeps and rutted roads. Now 35 and a businessman dealing in car parts, he just set a new record on the road.

At the Namikala Pass in Ladakh. The 19,426 km across India involved arid deserts, icy roads and mountain sickness. All part of the fantasy, George says.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 27, 2023 04:20 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Why don’t I remember that?: Unlocking the mysteries of taste memory

There’s a theory that the reason one can drink endless glasses of cola a day is that it has no ‘taste memory’. What is that and how does it work? Take a look.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 28, 2023 01:02 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Four more shots, please: Indie directors share their paths to success

Independent films are telling new stories from India, winning new fans abroad. See how four debut filmmakers charted their own paths to global success

Four first-time indie filmmakers, whose films have made an international splash, discuss funding, fame, festivals, and being true to the stories of India.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 19, 2023 07:43 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Listicle: Exercise gadgets that promised but did not deliver

From exercise bikes to fat-loss patches, here are 10 fitness gadgets we bought in hope and discarded in despair

The Kardashians love the waist trainer: Hooks, stretch-resistant fabric, boning and compression join forces, hoping you’ll keep it on all day, or at least long enough for the body to learn to keep it snatched in.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 19, 2023 07:11 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Endless interview process?Appeal to a hire power

Two interviews, a Zoom call with the CEO, a pilot project, a chat with HR to “test compatibility”, another Q/A. Why is landing a job such a circus right now?

At the legendary Runway magazine from The Devil Wears Prada (2006), even hiring a second assistant to the editor calls for a pre-interview and a screening. By act three, it still goes alarmingly wrong. (FOX2000)

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 24, 2023 06:24 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Why do spouses cheat? New research holds some unexpected answers

A study finds the aftermath of infidelity divided along lines of gender. How far back did the couple’s problems go? The answer is a surprising one there too.

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 04, 2023 04:59 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Hungry yet? 10 restaurants with long waitlists

For fans of queuing (and great food), here are 10 restaurants that are sold out for months. Book now, for your next life

Bookings at the 36-seater Masalawala & Sons in Brooklyn in the US sell out in minutes.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 24, 2023 07:26 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Fantastic fungi and where to find them: Mycophiles in India

A new crop of mushroom-lovers are promoting a wide variety in India, as health food, health supplement and even eco-friendly packaging.

(Clockwise from left) Lion’s mane, pioppino, buna-shimeji, pink oyster, elm oyster, shiitake and king oyster grown at Green Apron.

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 18, 2023 01:52 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Field marshals: Meet the team behind the award-winning agro initiative Kheyti

The Hyderabad-based start-up has been helping small farmers set up low-cost greenhouses won the 1-million-pound Earthshot Prize

Kaushik Kappagantulu, Saumya Sahay, Ayush Sharma and Sathya Raghu V Mokkapati of Kheyti. (HT Illustration: Mohit Suneja)

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 12, 2023 03:52 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Listicle: 10 kitchen tools for chefs and ambitious cooks

Chefs Urvika Kanoi, Nishant Choubey and Amninder Sandhu pick 10 kitchen appliances that are definitely worth the hype

Cast-iron pans are heavy, less forgiving than Teflon or anodised surfaces, but spread heat evenly, are almost non-stick when seasoned well, retain heat better and don’t need effort during the washing up.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 24, 2023 07:57 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Flash forward: Can screening for diseases make your life worse?

Genetic screening can warn you of latent health conditions. But do you really want to know how you could die?

Chris Hemsworth learnt of his genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s while filming Limitless, the series where he visits places like the Arctic, exploring ways to live longer and healthier. (DISNEY+)

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 24, 2023 07:49 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Rinse, repeat: See how shampoo is helping decode activity on the Sun

A study examining how shampoo moves on a vibrating speaker explains how plasma jets form and drive space weather and solar winds

Solar material likely a few million km long erupts into space. (NASA / GSFC / SDO)

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 12, 2023 04:39 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Have you heard the good word? A priest is shattering stereotypes on Instagram

Fr Warner D’Souza finds the priestly stereotype of a somber man in robes funny. His popular posts touch upon his love of cooking, culture, travel and history

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 04, 2023 12:50 AM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

New in science: The riveting history of how cats have travelled the world

Domestic felines only go back 10,000 years. What changed the human-cat bond was agriculture. Cats became precious, pampered; they even travelled the world.

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 10, 2023 06:03 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

A case of claw and order: Why the universe seems to want crabs

Over and over, through millions of years, creatures that were nothing like the crab have evolved into crab-like form. Some fade away, die out; a new form begins its sideways shuffle. Researchers are now studying how often this has happened, and why.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 24, 2022 08:43 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Paw patrol: Ullas Karanth talks to Wknd about his life and new book,Among Tigers

He was the first person in India to fit a radio collar onto a tiger, in 1990. He pioneered the use of camera traps, bringing hard data into the big cat census. ‘We’ve come further than I could have imagined as a young,’ Karanth says. ‘But not as far as some would have you believe.’

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 09, 2022 07:46 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

The biting truth: A study looks at how mosquitoes choose

Have you wondered why some people are mosquito magnets and get bitten so much more than others? A study led by researchers at New York’s Rockefeller University has found why certain odours of the human skin act like a strobe light to mosquitoes

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 26, 2022 12:49 AM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Baby, is it cold outside?: Heat may cause hate spikes on Twitter, study finds

The number of hate tweets rose by about 22% in extremely hot weather and by 12.5% on extremely cold days, researchers at Germany’s Potsdam Institute have found.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 22, 2022 03:33 PM IST

ByDipanjan Sinha

Copy

Whatsapp Twitter Facebook Linkedin

Dipanjan Sinha

Swarat Chaudhuri has won a Guggenheim Fellowship for his unusual quest. His lab tests for signs of ‘curiosity’, to ask: Can AI actually advance human knowledge?

They let children write the story, and rewrite it with each visit. Adults are entranced too. (It’s a step up from re-reading tales about teddies and unicorns.)

As more people, probes, cameras and countries head ‘into space’, see how far they must travel for that to hold true - and other lines they cross along the way.

His research will make it possible to charge a phone in seconds. How did he break new ground, in a field so full of well-funded research?

Photographer Rohit Chawla’s project includes the usual suspects (Animal Farm, Perspepolis) and more innocuous titles such as Black Beauty.

Lopamudra Maitra’s collection draws from little-known communities and forgotten myths. Starting points matter, she says, as do the journeys our tales take.

An Indian from Bengaluru, a telescope in Pune and a researcher in Canada united to capture the almost invisible – a signal from the early years of the universe.

As temperatures rise, underground spaces are being repurposed, institutions are opening their doors and cooling sprays are being installed along arterial roads.

How is it that ‘hammered’ can mean drunk, but so can ‘gazeboed’, ‘carparked’ and ‘pyjamaed’? Inspired by a viral joke, two German linguists break it down.

Under ultraviolet rays, stripes emerge on each of us. One theory: they’re patterns formed by the original embryonic cells, as our bodies took shape in the womb.

The core of Studio Goppo’s philosophy is an unusual one, in a time of social media: A photograph ought to have meaning and purpose.

Crumpled paper is unusually weight-resistant. Its patterns are entirely unpredictable. Even with the same sheet, they’re impossible to replicate. See why.

He grew up dreaming of a life of rugged jeeps and rutted roads. Now 35 and a businessman dealing in car parts, he just set a new record on the road.

There’s a theory that the reason one can drink endless glasses of cola a day is that it has no ‘taste memory’. What is that and how does it work? Take a look.

Independent films are telling new stories from India, winning new fans abroad. See how four debut filmmakers charted their own paths to global success

From exercise bikes to fat-loss patches, here are 10 fitness gadgets we bought in hope and discarded in despair

Two interviews, a Zoom call with the CEO, a pilot project, a chat with HR to “test compatibility”, another Q/A. Why is landing a job such a circus right now?

A study finds the aftermath of infidelity divided along lines of gender. How far back did the couple’s problems go? The answer is a surprising one there too.

For fans of queuing (and great food), here are 10 restaurants that are sold out for months. Book now, for your next life

A new crop of mushroom-lovers are promoting a wide variety in India, as health food, health supplement and even eco-friendly packaging.

The Hyderabad-based start-up has been helping small farmers set up low-cost greenhouses won the 1-million-pound Earthshot Prize

Chefs Urvika Kanoi, Nishant Choubey and Amninder Sandhu pick 10 kitchen appliances that are definitely worth the hype

Genetic screening can warn you of latent health conditions. But do you really want to know how you could die?

A study examining how shampoo moves on a vibrating speaker explains how plasma jets form and drive space weather and solar winds

Fr Warner D’Souza finds the priestly stereotype of a somber man in robes funny. His popular posts touch upon his love of cooking, culture, travel and history

Domestic felines only go back 10,000 years. What changed the human-cat bond was agriculture. Cats became precious, pampered; they even travelled the world.

Over and over, through millions of years, creatures that were nothing like the crab have evolved into crab-like form. Some fade away, die out; a new form begins its sideways shuffle. Researchers are now studying how often this has happened, and why.

He was the first person in India to fit a radio collar onto a tiger, in 1990. He pioneered the use of camera traps, bringing hard data into the big cat census. ‘We’ve come further than I could have imagined as a young,’ Karanth says. ‘But not as far as some would have you believe.’

Have you wondered why some people are mosquito magnets and get bitten so much more than others? A study led by researchers at New York’s Rockefeller University has found why certain odours of the human skin act like a strobe light to mosquitoes

The number of hate tweets rose by about 22% in extremely hot weather and by 12.5% on extremely cold days, researchers at Germany’s Potsdam Institute have found.

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like