Daily Reads-63 (Level-2)

Reading Suggestion-1

Article Name: The idea of creating a new universe in the lab is no joke
Author name:Zeeya Merali
Source: Aeon
Category: Science

Summary for this article :

The article starts by Andrei Linde submitting a draft in which he mentions the possibility of creating a universe in a laboratory. The year was 1991 and the draft was submitted to a journal namely, Nuclear Physics B. Somewhere near the end Andrei Linde flippantly mentioned that our universe maybe created by an alien physicisthacker, which definitely was not received well by the paper’s referees.

But then quarter of a century down the line, this idea seemed less comical. The author says that his encounters with the physicists across the world had brought him to understand that this concept was indeed taken seriously by them.

The author then goes further, by discussing the three questions.
What would happen if humans were truly capable of making the universe in the laboratory, ‘how we would handle the theological implications and what moral responsibilities would come with fallible humans taking on the role of cosmic creators?’ His encounters with physicists and a philosopher helpsin addressing the three questions.

Words to learn from this article :

Reprimanded: To castigate someone
Risqué: Suggesting sexually inappropriate situations or content
Flippant: Very carefree and irresponsible
Fallible: Bound to make mistakes
Quandaries: In a state of confusion as to what one must do when confronted with a difficult situation

Reading Suggestion-1: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-2

Article Name: Is Linguistics a Science?
Author name: Arika Okrent
Source: Aeon
Category: Science and Literature

Summary for this article:

Is linguistics a Science? Many of you are already considering this as a lame question. But the question is not lame, in fact something to be pondered upon.

In this article, the writer, attempts to answer the same. In the start, he goes on to describe the way science is, that is a set of theories which many a time gets contradicted sometimes by exceptions. In the same flow he describes by referring to a book based on debate between two linguists, Chomsky and Everett where Chomsky’s proposed ‘ universal grammar ‘ is very theoretical and has too many contradictions to be accepted as a scientific theory.

Later on, the author states that just like religion, this linguist theory can be called as a set of assumed rules which may or may not be valid but nevertheless they provide us a base for explorations in linguistic field of study.

Words to learn from this article :

Archetype: A perfect example of an original piece of something
Linguistic: Linguistic is the scientific study of languages
Recursion: Something that is done repeatedly to produce the desired outcome
Vindicate: To absolve someone from all the guilt and shame
Elusive: Something that’s difficult to grasp by the mind and slips through easily

Reading Suggestion-2: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-3

Article Name: How Luck works
Author name: Carlin Flora
Source: Aeon
Category: Psychology

Summary for this article :

Starting this article by talking about a Casino gamble, in which a waiter namely Archie Karas had turned $50 into $40 million and then within three weeks had lost it all, the author talks about the concept of luck. Karas was charged with burglary, winning by fraudulent means and cheating at a blackjack table. But just this November, luck smiled at him.

So how does Luck exactly work? Is luck really that blind to favour only the ones who are lucky by chance? Or luck in itself has a pattern.

Presenting studies on the deep analysis of luck, in this article, the author tries his best to demystify the mysterious concept of luck.

Words to learn from this article :

Emboldened: To encourage someone in doing something
Ebbs: Something that is receding
Resilient: Someone who is able to recover quickly when confronted with adversity
Probation: The process of observing the character, behaviour and ability of a person who is new to the job