Puzzles Editor Kabir Firaque is the author of the weekly column Problematics. A journalist for three decades, he also writes about science and mathematics.
Articles by Kabir Firaque
Problematics | Drone up and down
A drone moves back and forth between two walkers; what is the distance it travels before the two meet?
Published on Oct 28, 2024 02:20 PM IST
Problematics | The sum of all house numbers
Here is an unusual puzzle in which you determine the number of houses on a street without being given any figures. Can you work it out?
Published on Oct 21, 2024 12:04 PM IST
Problematics | Money transfer
Here’s a simple diversion if you transfer four coins of different sizes from one location to another, following certain rules. In how many moves can you do it?
Updated on Oct 14, 2024 11:55 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Nobel prize in chemistry: They used AI to decipher old proteins, make new ones
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors three scientists for using AI to predict protein structures, enhancing medicine and engineering new proteins.
Updated on Oct 10, 2024 06:37 AM IST
Nobel prize in Physics: They trained their machines to imitate the human brain
They are pioneers who developed early artificial neural networks. John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton used fundamental concepts of physics to develop their ideas
Updated on Oct 09, 2024 12:03 AM IST
Medicine Nobel: They found tiny RNA and how it regulates life’s complexity
The Nobel Prize in Physiology honors Ambros and Ruvkun for discovering microRNA, key to gene regulation and vital for cellular functions and evolution.
Updated on Oct 08, 2024 05:43 AM IST
Problematics | Nobel Prizes in other people’s subjects
In this special puzzle for Nobel week, can you figure out which award the Chilean wins, and which winner is wearing a grey suit?
Published on Oct 07, 2024 08:19 AM IST
Laddus and the science of testing ghee’s purity
Milk fat contains thousands of organic molecules called triglycerides, each structurally different, and formed with different fatty acids.
Updated on Oct 04, 2024 01:46 AM IST
Problematics | Poetry in code
Here are some verses in which every letter has been substituted with a different letter. Can you re-substitute them and find the original verses?
Published on Sep 30, 2024 11:40 AM IST
Problematics | Multiplying with playing cards
Here is an old party trick in which playing cards magically reveal the result of a multiplication exercise. What is the secret behind it?
Updated on Sep 23, 2024 10:17 AM IST
Pager bombs: The theories and the science behind them
Tuesday’s pager blasts across Lebanon, which killed at least 12 and injured nearly 3,000, have been varied in content but consistent in suggesting an orchestrated attack by Israel
Updated on Sep 18, 2024 09:05 PM IST
Problematics |The fastest way to toast a sandwich
Given a toaster that can accommodate two slices but toast only one side of each at a given time, how do you toast three slices in the most efficient time?
Published on Sep 16, 2024 09:30 AM IST
Problematics | Don Vito’s grandchildren
When the don dies, which grandson lays wreaths of which colour? And how do the Good, the Bad and the Ugly share their wealth unequally?
Published on Sep 09, 2024 09:14 AM IST
Problematics | The perfect draw at a Grand Slam
How do you make a draw such that the top four players head for the semifinals and the top two for the final?
Published on Sep 02, 2024 07:54 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Swarup Kumar Parida: Chickpea that tolerates drought
The agricultural scientist uses novel techniques for molecular breeding of superior crop varieties, particularly a drought-tolerant variety of chickpea.
Published on Aug 28, 2024 08:02 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Digendranath Swain: Structural engineering of rocket parts
The researcher at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre designs and uses specialised tools to examine the integrity of components used in ISRO’s launch vehicles.
Published on Aug 27, 2024 03:14 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Purabi Saikia: Mapping India’s forest resources
The plant ecologist describes how her research on India’s forest resources is important to conservation and addressing climate change.
Updated on Aug 27, 2024 12:10 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Prashant Kumar: Satellite data for weather forecast
The ISRO scientist assimilates satellite and ground data optimally and customises forecasting models to Indian conditions.
Published on Aug 27, 2024 11:33 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Radha Krishna Ganti: Setting the 5G template
The IIT Madras researcher describes his work in enabling standards for 5G coverage in rural India and developing indigenous 5G base stations.
Updated on Aug 27, 2024 11:25 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Jitendra K Sahu: Tackling childhood epilepsy
The child neurologist showed that DPT vaccine-associated seizures are because of underlying genetic conditions.
Updated on Aug 26, 2024 10:58 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Krishna Murthy SL: Stress-tolerant rice varieties
The agricultural scientist has developed rice breeds that can give good yields despite stresses such as salinity, alkalinity or low-phosphorus conditions.
Updated on Aug 26, 2024 10:58 AM IST
Problematics | Magic squares in a calendar
Two party tricks, one with dates on a calendar and the other with playing cards. What makes them work?
Published on Aug 26, 2024 07:52 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Roxy Mathew Koll: Mapping climate change
Author of IPCC reports studies the mechanisms involved in causing climate change, particularly marine heatwaves, and what these could mean for the future
Updated on Aug 24, 2024 04:20 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Mahesh Ramesh Kakde: Studying equations, not solving them
The number theorist has proved various conjectures relating functions and other objects attached to polynomial equations
Published on Aug 24, 2024 04:16 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Vishal Rai: Chemical toolbox for precision therapy
The chemistry winner works on the engineering of proteins, assembling proteins or antibodies together with a cargo to make therapeutics more effective.
Published on Aug 23, 2024 03:35 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Vivek Polshettiwar: From carbon dioxide to fuel using gold
The nanomaterial he has designed converts yellow gold into black gold, which captures carbon dioxide and converts it into fuel using energy from sunlight.
Published on Aug 23, 2024 03:20 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Radhakrishnan Mahalakshmi: Decoding complex proteins
Radhakrishnan Mahalakshmi, professor of biological sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, describes her work with beta-barrel membrane proteins.
Updated on Aug 22, 2024 04:09 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Aravind Penmatsa: Exploring proteins in neuronal membranes
Aravind Penmatsa of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, describes his work with membrane proteins in neurons.
Published on Aug 22, 2024 03:46 PM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Urbasi Sinha: Quantum laws for safer communications
Sinha, who heads Quantum Information and Computing laboratory at Raman Research Institute, tries to use laws of quantum mechanics to make communication secure.
Updated on Aug 22, 2024 09:52 AM IST
Vigyan Yuva awardee Pragya Dhruv Yadav: Breaking down viruses
Dr Pragya Dhruv Yadav, who heads the biosafety level-4 containment laboratory at the premier National Institute of Virology in Pune.
Updated on Aug 22, 2024 09:55 AM IST
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