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On the sunny side of the street

India, Nov. 2 -- If mass-produced sunscreen is less than a century old, part of the reason boils down to class. Key inventions tend to benefit those in power, and through most of settled history, the ... Read More


On the sunny side of the street: Swetha Sivakumar decodes SPF

India, Nov. 1 -- Isn't it strange that we've had mass-produced sunscreen for less than a century, though we've been wandering about outdoors for millennia? Part of the reason for this boils down to c... Read More


Foam improvement: Swetha Sivakumar on the history of toothpaste

India, Oct. 17 -- The quest for minty-fresh breath goes back at least 5,000 years. Around 3000 BCE, Ancient Egyptians equated beauty and health with a good set of teeth. They mixed ground-up oxen hoo... Read More


Rice, with a side of weaponry

India, Oct. 5 -- We tend to think of the plant kingdom as passive, and the animal kingdom as the aggressive one. The truth is, plants are master strategists. Even the staples on our dinner plates, fro... Read More


Rice, with a side of weaponry: Swetha Sivakumar on the hidden talents of foodgrains

India, Oct. 4 -- We tend to think of the plant kingdom as passive, and the animal kingdom as the aggressive one. The truth is, plants are master strategists, chemists, engineers, survivalists and tri... Read More


A heated argument: Swetha Sivakumar writes on induction cooktops

India, Sept. 6 -- How can a stovetop be smooth, flat, and eternally cool? Induction cooking feels like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the truth is, it has been around for almost a century. The... Read More


Here we go a grain: Swetha Sivakumar on the origins and superpowers of quinoa

India, Aug. 23 -- Quinoa is not a true grain. It is technically a pseudo-cereal. Unlike wheat, rice and barley, which are grains that grown on grasses, quinoa is the seed of a leafy plant of the same... Read More


Tricks of the treat

India, Aug. 10 -- What's the simplest candy to bring to market? The more I dig into this, the more I find that there is no such thing. What about the lollipop, you might ask. It's just sugar syrup, bo... Read More


Tricks of the treat: Swetha Sivakumar unwraps the science of candy

India, Aug. 9 -- What's the simplest candy to bring to market? The more I dig into this, the more I find that, incredibly, there is no such thing. What about the lollipop, you might ask. It's just su... Read More