Kaapi with Kuriosity


Kaapi with Kuriosity is a monthly public lecture series organised by the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS-TIFR), in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium and other educational institutions in Bengaluru.

The aim of the talks in this series is to stimulate the curiosity of the public towards the myriad aspects of science. The setting for these talks will be informal with a lot of scope for open discussions. The scientific background assumed will not be beyond the school level. As such, they are easily accessible to school/college students, families and working professionals interested in science.

Contact: outreach @ icts . res . in

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Past Talks
To Paint the lily, Mathematically (ONLINE)
L Mahadevan (de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Professor of Physics, Harvard University)
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Sunday, 12 December 2021
Zoom meeting and Livestream on ICTS YouTube channel
Picture Credit © Dilip Rawal Abstract of the Talk :- A walk in the garden reveals a remarkable diversity of living forms, leading Darwin to exclaim that they "might drive even the sanest man mad.” I will argue that there is perhaps a method in the madness, that comes into focus by combining the...more
Autism and “Astro”logy: New insights from recordings in human brain cells (ONLINE)
Sumantra Chattarji (Senior Professor, NCBS-TIFR, Bengaluru & Visiting Professor, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, UK)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 07 November 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- Neurodevelopmental disorders are a major and growing public health challenge. Uniformly, the unmet need is for a human-based approach to investigating the causes, consequences and ultimately treatment of these diseases. A major hurdle in discovering new brain medicines is due to the...more
Science of the Indian Kitchen (ONLINE)
Krish Ashok (Author of 'Masala Lab')
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 17 October 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- The kitchen is the chemistry lab where we turn sugars, proteins, fats, salt and flavour molecules into an astonishing array of delicious dishes. This talk will take the oriental mystique out of Indian cooking and use simple, high-school science to explain what's happening behind the...more
The Art and Science of Secret Messages: Some Glimpses (ONLINE)
Geetha Venkataraman (Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 19 September 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- In the modern world with so much of our exchanges, commerce and communications taking place digitally, it has become imperative to ensure that all these are secure. Cryptography is the art and science of keeping `messages’ secure from eavesdroppers or unintended audiences. However,...more
Quantum Matters (ONLINE)
Arindam Ghosh (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 29 August 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- Quantum physics governs the world around us, from materials that we use to devices that we carry. But there is more than that meets the eye in the quantum regime, which prompted physicists to explore new technological frontiers with some of the ‘hidden’ properties of quantum mechanics...more
Metallurgical Heritage of India (ONLINE)
Sharada Srinivasan (National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 25 July 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract: The history of civilization is in many fascinating ways linked to the narrative of the use of metals in antiquity. The use and discovery of metals progressed in the order of the ease of identification and extraction. Drawing from her original researches in archaeometallurgy or the study...more
Can We Learn From Insect Societies? (ONLINE)
Raghavendra Gadagkar (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 20 June 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- Many insects such as ants, bees, wasps and termites organise themselves into societies with division of labour, communication, conflict, cooperation and altruism. Insect societies resemble human societies in many ways and are arguably more efficient than ours in some ways. They...more
The Neutrino Story: From Impossible Dreams to Unreachable Stars (ONLINE)
Srubabati Goswami (Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 23 May 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles. They are all around us, yet they remain elusive since they hardly interact with matter. In this talk I will discuss some of the unique properties of neutrinos which compel us to think beyond our standard ideas of fundamental particles and...more
Scientific approaches to understanding the past (ONLINE)
Parth R. Chauhan (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Mohali)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 25 April 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- This talk presents recent international case studies in multidisciplinary scientific approaches in archaeology and related studies. The examples include investigations from different time periods and different contexts, and which address important questions about human evolution,...more
What’s in a Diet? (ONLINE)
Anura Kurpad (St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 28 March 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- Have you ever wondered how pundits come up with what a good diet is? How do they ‘know’ how much of a nutrient you should eat? Do we all require the same amount of food and nutrients? So, what questions should you be asking back? We will explore how this exercise was carried out for...more

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