Sexual dimorphism

 

The header of this article is a phrase I have come across recently. To be honest, this brief note is an attempt to show off my newly-acquired vocabulary, but I guess you will enjoy if you read on, particularly if you are interested in the animal world or the evolution of life forms. 

“Dimorphic” means “representing two distinct forms”. Sexual dimorphism means the differences in sizes, strength, and behaviour patterns between the two sexes of the same species, and how different they look. For example, among wild mammals, males are often bigger and more aggressive than females. Females, on the other hand, take care of their infants. Among birds, males not only have attractive plumes and colours, usually, they are the ones that sing! The male deer has antlers, a cumbersome accessory, but it adds to his visual appeal, besides being useful during fights with other males. 

Males and females are different because the struggle for reproductive success has each of them along different evolutionary trajectories. Male birds / mammals have to win sexual contests with other males. To put it simply, they must impress females, a situation you come across in humans in campuses and everywhere else. 

Interestingly, sexual dimorphism is much less pronounced among domesticated animals because they don’t have the same evolutionary pressures as wild animals! Their survival (or suffering) and procreation is ensured by their human masters. Among humans, in so-called civilized societies, physical strength has taken a back seat in personal contacts. Even if a man has a contest with another to win the favours of a woman, they don’t try to beat each other to pulp. Usually! Consequently, sexual dimorphism is less pronounced among humans. According to an estimate, 10% of US men weigh less than the average weight of an American woman. Men don’t need a bigger body or muscles to impress women these days. Instead, they try to enrol in Ivy Leage universities. IITs in our country.

However, certain forms of dimorphism, like bright colours among birds and antlers on deer should be a disadvantage for their survival. These make them more visible and easier targets for predators. But the paradox is easily resolved if you consider that the reproductive success of an animal is often more important than his/her life span. For example, a wild male pheasant lives half as long as a female. (Nature is perhaps not as partial to males as it might seem at the first glance!) A male pheasant’s reproductive success depends not on how long he lives, but on how many females he can mate with. Bright plumage improves his chances. On the other hand, among insects, females are often bigger than males as they need volume to produce a large number of eggs.

I got interested in the topic while reading some books. Of these, one I read at a stretch over the last two days: a beautiful Bangla novel for young adults and children like me. The story is around the evolutionary success of migratory birds in particular and birds in general. The title of the book is অচিন পাখী  which literally mean An Exotic Bird.

The author of the book is Debashis Moitra, who besides writing in Bangla, teaches civil engineering. Humans are no less intriguing than birds!

More about the book later. Please watch this space!

20 March 2022 / edited on Friday, 22 March 2024

Picture of male and female orioles from Marin Independent Journal, e-edition

The Digital Divide

The graphic above is true and so sad! If anything shows our government’s complete indifference – if not disdain – for ordinary people, it is the COWIN app. Our rulers have made internet access almost a precondition for the life-saving vaccination against COVID-19. The poor in India don’t get anything easily, from ration card to medical aid. Now, a vast majority of them who don’t have internet access have an even bigger handicap vis-à-vis the vaccine.

However, India was not like this always. When I was a child, once a year, our whole family would visit a nearby corporation office for the small-pox vaccine to be administered with a bifurcated needle that would make two parallel punctures. It was open and free to all and the government advertised it widely to encourage people to get vaccinated. In fact, the efforts were much more than mere publicity. The University of Michigan Library website says:

“[In India in 1974] During a six-day period each month, health workers visited every one of the country’s 100 million households. Supervised by about fifty international advisors and an equal number of Indian officials, some thirty-three thousand district health personnel and more than 100,000 additional field workers conducted house-to-house searches in a total of 575,721 villages and 2,641 cities.”

Clearly, a much poorer India had wiser and better educated leadership that invested scarce resources into public health programmes thanks to which India has been able to kill to demons: small pox and polio. The second graphic has captured our past beautifully.

But today, we have a government run by idiots with phoney degrees and charlatans who promote unscientific, so-called ayurvedic cures so that fellow crooks can make a quick buck even in the middle of a devastating pandemic. More importantly, the government invested nothing except on the 3^rd stage clinical trial of the vaccine developed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech. Even Covaxin, the vaccine jointly developed by ICMR, they didn’t license to other manufacturers. Contrarily, the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine is going to be manufactured by six companies in India. Why did the government restrict production of Covaxin to only a small Hyderabad-based private company? If you know the answer, please tell me. Questions galore. Why do the owners of the biggest vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India have to run away to England when they should try to augment their manufacturing capacity to help millions of Indians?

Since the middle of 2020 the USA (even under a madman president) and Europe have been investing heavily into private companies for researching vaccines; many governments bought millions of doses of vaccine much before they were tested or produced. But our government ignored warnings from the scientific community about an impending second wave and didn't pre-book a single dose of the vaccine. What were they doing with the thousands of crores reportedly received in the completely opaque PM Care Fund if they didn’t utilise it for vaccines?

Our government has messed up every aspect of the problem whether making digital access a priority or the pricing of the vaccine or the age-group to which it should be given first. It has come out with a series of seemingly random decisions which has helped none. But these acts of stupidity pale into insignificance when you consider that in the humongous machinery called government and its adjuncts like the Niti Ayog, there was nobody to compare the number of vaccines required and the available production capacity in the country. Did they actually forget to do this when they were gleefully celebrating their stupidity as late as in March 2021? Can anything be more bizarre?

*

I belong to the privileged minority that has much better access to scarce resources. I personally have access to most of the ladders shown in this graphic. Therefore, anything I write on ordinary people not getting the COVID-19 vaccination would amount to hypocrisy. I accept the charge, but that doesn’t alter facts. We have a bunch of moronic rulers who are destroying the country.

The PM must resign. If ever a national government was needed with the best talents available in the country, it is now.

 18 May 2021

 

The Corona Timeline, China, and WHO

[The information below has been collated from sources like the Wikipedia, BBC, Al Jazeera, ANI, and TOI]

1 December 2019: In the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were first noticed in a man.

6 December: His 53-year-old wife showed similar symptoms; hospitalized.

25 December: Two more Chinese in Wuhan quarantined after they showed similar symptoms. Later that week, hospitals in Wuhan saw an exponential increase of comparable cases.

In the same week, Dr. Li Wenliang, a 33-year old ophthalmologist, informed a group of doctors about a new virus.

31 December: The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declared that there was no clear human to human transmission of the virus. China got in touch with the World Health Organisation (WHO). They reprimanded Dr. Li Wenliang for spreading rumours.

1 January 2020: Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was shut down as several of those infected had reportedly worked at the market.

3 January 2020: Li Wenliang had to sign a declaration to the police that he had been spreading ‘fake information’. Same day, the Hubei Provincial Health Commission asked doctors not to test for new cases. Doctors had to destroy the existing samples. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reiterated its position on no human to human infection, indicating collaboration in suppression of truth.

8 January: China claimed they had identified the virus and reiterated no human to human transmission.

11 January: The Wuhan Municipality published a report stating that the infected people had a history of contact with the wet market. It reiterated the absence of human transmission.

12 January: Li Wenliang was admitted to the hospital following severe breathing problems and was put in intensive care.

13 January: Thailand reported the first case of coronavirus outside China: a Chinese woman who had a travelled to Wuhan.

14 January: WHO issued a statement saying that the preliminary investigation conducted by China showed no trace of human to human infection.

15 January: Japan reported the first case of coronavirus. The patient had no history of visiting any wet market of China. After this, the Wuhan Health Commission admitted the possibility of human transmission.

21 January: The United States reported its first confirmed case of a patient who had returned from China six days earlier.

22 January: The WHO conducts a field visit to China and concludes that human to human transmission is taking place in Wuhan.

31 January: Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, the Chief of the WHO described the virus as an "unprecedented outbreak". But he praised the "extraordinary measures" the Chinese had taken, and said there was “no reason TO LIMIT TRADE OR TRAVEL TO CHINA”. (BBC, emphasis added)

7 February: Li Wenliang passed away in hospital. Wikipedia says “A subsequent Chinese official inquiry exonerated him and the Communist Party of China formally offered a "solemn apology" to his family and revoked its admonishment of him.”

11 March: World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) as pandemic.

31 March: The virus has shut down the world, with 178 countries infected, more than 7,87,000 confirmed cases, and over 37,000 dead.

*

Five dates are crucial on the timeline:

1.       31 December, when China informed the WHO, but suppressed its severity.

2.       14 January, when the WHO downplayed the infectivity of the virus and misled the world community.

3.       22 January, when the WHO found out human to human transmission, but did nothing to warn the rest of the world.

4.       31 January, when the WHO refused to limit travel to and trade with China.

5.       11 March, when the WHO declared the disease as pandemic, A MONTH AND 20 DAYS LATER.

Will anyone be punished for this humongous criminal delay?

Photograph of Dr. Li Wenliang courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63046734

Asima Chatterjee and ...

It is wonderful to wake up and see Google celebrate the centenary of Dr. Asima Chatterjee, a scientist who is either unknown to or forgotten by her compatriots.

Asima Chatterjee is fortunate to have been just forgotten.

Subhash Mukhhopadhyay, a physician and a fellow Bengali scientist who independently created the second "test-tube baby" in the world almost single-handed in his primitive lab, was the target of intense envy of his fellow scientists and the all-knowing bureaucrats warming the chairs in the government secretariat in Kolkata.

Under the watchful eyes of a communist government lead by another "great" Bengali, a Commission was formed to verify the claims of Dr. Mukhopadhyay. The Commission, which included an atomic physicist among other luminaries, rubbished Mukhopadhyay's claims. Mukhopadhyay was humiliated as a fraud and transferred to a TB hospital. (I think, but will have to verify, the atomic physicist was the head of the panel.)

While we are proud that the world today recognises Asima Chatterjee's basic research in chemistry which has contributed to development of chemotherapy for treatment of cancer, let us also remember another Indian scientist of her generation who couldn't take it any more and committed suicide in 1981.

Durga, the baby who got her life thanks to Dr Mukhopadhyay, and Louise Brown of England, the first test-tube baby in the world, were both born in 1978, Durga 67 days later.

Twenty-nine years after Mukhopadhyay's death, in 2010, Robert G. Edwards, an English scientist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for developing the technique of in vitro fertilization.

23 September 2017

Facebook, a blessing or a curse?

As a platform, Facebook is both a fantastic source of information and a huge time-waster. Besides, it cheapens us without us knowing it. I am copy-pasting a post and some of the comments under it. (There were a few sane comments too, which I’d ignore as they are not relevant to the point I’m trying to make.) I would request you to go through the text and then answer my question at the end.

Let me call the protagonists of this discussion as the Author, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd commentator respectively.

***

The Author writes on his Facebook wall: “Saw an interview of Smriti by barkha on NDTV. Smriti simply swatted her off. All of barkha snide remarks supercilliousness [sic] leading questions were handled beautifully. Barkha looked totally pedestrian and outclassed. when she asked a question on bharat mata ki jai.. the crowd spontaneously roared the slogan. Just watch barkha at that moment. you can see her hatred for the slogan. flashed on her face. watch. Barkha, Shes [sic] dangerous. You could feel her anger at Smriti. And it happened at Amethi. No wonder there's a section of press out to smear Smriti. I feel she will make a great politician. watch her”

1st Commentator: Irani has married a person whose ancestors are [sic] from Iran and became his second wife. she is determined to have whatever she wants at any cost. Her children are half Iranians and she is the bahu(daughter in law) of Iran. That was the connection of Smriti has with Iran and it is appropriate to recollect her emotional bond with Iran.

2nd Commentator: So how does that in any way change the way she replied to the presstiute Burkha Dutt? [How easily we abuse highly qualified and competent people who have proved their worth over decades.]

Author: Q is highly prejudiced and shows. pity. Again a vilification campaign against smirti because she dared to oppose the prince how dare she.

1st Commentator: She is no doubt a daring personality. Else how would you explain her claims of BA degree, BCom degree in election affidavits and Yale University degree openly when she is just 12th class? She has taken real life as TV screen life.

3rd Commentator: She has exactly the same qualification as Sonia Maino Ghandy. Will anticipate a tip before service

***

Incidentally, I respect the 1st commentator as I have come across many of his insightful posts and comments on Facebook. The 3rd Commentator is a good friend of mine, and I admire many things about him except his acerbic tongue.

And this was my two-penny bit to add to the confusion:

“Just as a personal attack is obnoxious in politics, so is untenable glorification of individuals. I beg to differ with two of my good friends. Neither Smriti Irani's marriage, nor Sonia Gandhi's ancestry matters. What they are doing as politicians does.

“Dear Author, you have just called someone prejudiced, but this post in favour of a controversial politician and your joy in seeing Barkha Dutt what you consider “outclassed” and your presumption that she hates the slogan Bharat Mataki Jai, shows deep prejudices in your own mind. So, it might be good for you to remember the adage: "When you point a finger at someone, remember that four fingers are pointed at you."

“Once again, I have been dragged into an argument although I know these arguments are useless. Once people sell their soul to a political ideology (be it Hindutva, be it Communism), arguing with them logically is like arguing with a wall built with Ambuja cement :).

“I don’t see any point of continuing as your friend on Facebook, so I am unfriending you. Goodbye and Good luck.”

***

Incidentally, until today, I unfriended four or five people on FB only because I was uncomfortable with their reckless use of expletives. (I don’t think I am a prude, but there should be a limit to the cuss words you use in public!) I don’t think I have unfriended anyone so far because of political differences, because I genuinely believe that we ought to listen to different views and learn to live with disagreements. But is there any point in talking to this individual or others like him who dirty the Internet space with unsubstantiated opinions and hurl abuses at anyone who doesn’t share their views?

Have I done the right thing by unfriending this individual?

I’d love to hear from you.

Bengaluru / Friday, 27 May 2016

What do you care what colliding black holes are saying?

[As you might have noticed, the headline above is pure plagiarism. It's copied from physicist Richard Feynman's (FAIN-muns) oral autobiography: "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character.]

BLACK HOLES are the most massive objects that exist in our known universe, where the gravitational pull is so strong that even light cannot escape. That's how the thing got its rather ugly name. The nearest black hole to us is just about thousands of light years (lys) away. That is, if you could travel as fast as light, you would take thousands of years to reach there. Should we care about them? Really, should we care what two colliding black holes far away started telling us a billion years ago? In the New York Times, physicist Lawrence M. Krauss argues yes, we should, rather, we must. And this is his argument.

"WITH presidential primaries in full steam, with the country wrapped up in concern about the economy, immigration and terrorism, one might wonder why we should care about the news of a minuscule jiggle produced by an event in a far corner of the universe.

"The answer is simple. While the political displays we have been treated to over the past weeks may reflect some of the worst about what it means to be human, this jiggle, discovered in an exotic physics experiment, reflects the best. Scientists overcame almost insurmountable odds to open a vast new window on the cosmos. And if history is any guide, every time we have built new eyes to observe the universe, our understanding of ourselves and our place in it has been forever altered. ...

"Too often people ask, what’s the use of science like this, if it doesn’t produce faster cars or better toasters. But people rarely ask the same question about a Picasso painting or a Mozart symphony. Such pinnacles of human creativity change our perspective of our place in the universe. Science, like art, music and literature, has the capacity to amaze and excite, dazzle and bewilder. I would argue that it is that aspect of science — its cultural contribution, its humanity — that is perhaps its most important feature."

If you wish to read the entire article, please follow this link.

Kolkata / 13 Feb 2016

Gravitational Waves and We

We are really fortunate to be born in a time when the world has been crossing so many scientific and technological milestones. The experimental verification of gravitational waves -- we are told -- is yet another landmark in the fascinating growth of knowledge and human intelligence.

But sadly, the brilliant achievements of scientists are conversely proportional to the decline in social standards. On the other side of the discovery of gravity waves is the ISIS and a brutal regime in Syria that butchers its own people ... and a handful of Americans and Brits who do not hesitate to destroy a country for cheap petroleum.

And in the sad dystopia that India is today, when a bunch of microcephalic politicians are taking us downhill steadily, there are so many ordinary and extra-ordinary Indians who light up our horizon. Let's all bow to this brilliant physicist by name Sanjeev Dhurandhar, a name we didn't know until yesterday!


To read an article on this scientist in the Indian Express, please click here.


(Photo courtesy The Indian Express)

Kolkata / 12 February 2016