January 2010 Issue
Hello There,
Here we are with a new issue on the new year. Our Jan issue is themed “Sibyl” and we are all set to take you on a journey in to 2010 and beyond. Filled with short stories, poems, book reviews, movie reviews and our usual columns, we are sure you will gobble this up.
Dont forget to tell us what you think. Leave a comment or email us at editor@thebanyantrees.com
Scientifically Literate
Whether it is transporters or bar-tending robots, Science fiction has always been dreaming up new gadgets and gizmos. We look at some of those that crossed the boundaries of fiction to reality.
1. Geostationary Satellites
When we watch our favorite shows on TV or get the latest weather forecasts, we should remember Arthur C. Clark. This famed sci-fi writer, in the 1940’s, had the vision to write about satellites making high-speed mass communication possible. And they definitely have.
2. Bringing back the dead?
In Jurassic Park, Michael Cricthon, managed to scare millions by cloning dinosaurs from prehistoric mosquito DNA. He brought the long extinct creatures back to life and we wondered ‘is that possible’ and ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if it was?’ Well, turns out it is possible. Scientists today have succeeded in cloning mice that died and were frozen, 16 years ago. Its no Tyrannosaurus rex, but we’re getting there.
3. Book reading redefined
Electronic book readers are gaining in popularity today, turning many a book lover to this paperless option. This useful gadget also has its origins in science fiction. Douglas Adams, in his 1979 sci-fi comedy, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy, was the first to describe an electronic, push-button’ type of reader.
4. Bionic legs
In the novel Cyborg, Martin Caidin described a pilot who loses all but one of his limbs in a crash and is then fitted with bionic legs and an arm. Bionics, essentially mechanical replacements for limbs, are now coming to the aid of many amputees. There have been major advancements in this area, making these artificial limbs more powerful and comfortable to the wearer- they can now range from battery powered legs with sensors to Bluetooth powered legs that can communicate with each other.
References:http://www.technovelgy.com/
http://www.satelliteinternet.com/news/15-inventions-inspired-by-science-fiction/
Dec 2009
We are back with our second issue in the month of December.
December is the month when we recap the good and the great moments that left us by.TheBanyanTrees keeping in tradition has made “Reflection” the theme for this month.
Happy Reading! You can read the magazine by clicking on the issuu link below or by clicking on the article links that are listed .
Buy the print version from here
Short Stories
Some Salt,Some Lime, A Song and A Wedding.
What is a wedding without some innocent pranks? Sirpy Jayaprakasam weaves a funny story amidst the backdrop of a good old south Indian wedding
Downcast
The rains bring memories, and Asha walks home drenching in the rain ,carrying the rain drops that seem to grow heavier with each drop.
I watch
A short story by Dhivya Arasappan about the life of a woman as seen by the most unusual member in her life.
Upon Reflection
A short story by filarial about a student, his teacher and his dangerous quest to find the ultimate truth!
Series
Draupadi
“Manasa starts episode 1 of her running series Draupadi. She leaves you gasping for more,yearning to know the secret that Draupadi learns on her death bed.”
Sports
Twenty…on to thirty
Karthik Krishna reminisces about God’s incarnation in the cricket field, Sachin Tendulkar, on his twentieth year in International Cricket.
Poetry
Yet Another Monsoon Rain
Anuradha Chandrasekaran looks back at the wonderful memories she created during the monsoons through this poem
A day that approaches…
Raghuram Godavarthi in this poem ponders about the inevitable
Travel
A Path to Heaven
Prajakta Bhasale describes her trip to the beautiful, serene and unblemished northeastern states of India
Columns
Dude! Where is my coffee?
It is all about finding your prince/swan among the sea of frogs and ducks. Dreamvendor talks about wading
through dozens of frogs and ducks before you find your prize catch in his column
Entertainment
Pearls Among Swine
Aditya Srikrishna evaluates the 5 movies that have been the most underrated in bollywood in 2009
Book Review
Divya Ramachandran reviews the book “The case of the missing servant by Vish Puri”.
Science
Scientifically Literate
Dhivya Arasappan talks about the 5 most intriguing discoveries of this year in the world of science
Refreshing Rendezvous
Students recounting their once in a lifetime meeting with India’s former president. Dr.A.P.J Abdul Khalam
To check out our photography section, check out the web version by clicking on the magazine link above.
Scientifically Literate
As the year comes to a close, we look back at the most exciting, groundbreaking and just plain weird scientific findings of 2009.
Most potential to help – Landmark discoveries in the fight against AIDS
In the last year, three major developments have helped make great headway in the fight against AIDS. First, the complete HIV genome has been decoded. This provides enormous potential for understanding the mechanisms utilized by the virus to attack the human immune system. Secondly, two new antibodies to HIV have been discovered, providing new leads in the search for a vaccine against the virus. And thirdly, in relation to the quest for a potential vaccine, researchers in Thailand completed the first successful clinical trial of a HIV vaccine in history. 30% of patients administered the vaccine demonstrated a decrease in rates of infection. Though more work still needs to be done, these developments pave the way to a permanent solution to the AIDS epidemic.
Most fascinating- Shiny Corn- The solution to global warming?
With escalating numbers of natural disasters around the world, concern about global warming and its impacts is on the rise. Among many proposed methods for tackling the issue comes this creative one. A new study found that the waxy coating on crops like corn help keep temperatures down by reflecting the sun’s radiation back into space. So, scientists propose engineering new breeds of corn to have even more reflective surfaces, to help cool the surroundings. Very clever, indeed!
Most surprising – Oldest known hominid found; concept of missing link questioned
Till now, scientists have been searching for the missing link- the last common ancestor shared by humans and chimpanzees. Till now, the missing link was believed to be a half-man, half-chimp type creature. But the recently revealed fossils of a 4.4 million years old female shake up that very idea. The oldest known human skeleton, nicknamed Ardi, surprisingly, bears little resemblance to modern day chimps. She shares similarities with older apes, questioning whether there was ever a divergence event between man and chimps.
Most exciting – It’s official – there’s water on the moon, in bucketloads!
In October of this year, India’s first mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1 provided early evidence of water on the lunar surface. This was recently confirmed by NASA’s LCROSS mission, which intentionally bombarded the moon’s surface in search of ice. In the 20-30 meter crater created by the impact, spectroscopic data indicated the presence of around 25 gallons of water. This find is especially exciting because it opens up possibilities, though distant, of long-term lunar habitation.
Most bizarre – Poop to clean up kitchen refuse
With all the brilliant and groundbreaking research, comes the weird. This study, this year’s Ig Nobel Prize winner for Biology, certainly falls under the latter category. A research team in Japan has found that bacteria from Panda feces can be used to reduce kitchen waste by more than 90% in mass. Great- less trash to take out! Now if we only had some panda poop lying around…
–Dhivya Arasappan
