Not A Scientist
@MohanaBasu
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Senior Journalist at @AusDocGroup. Ex-Senior Assistant Editor (Science) @ThePrintIndia. Previously @PTI_news. ✉️ [email protected]
Sydney, New South Wales
Joined September 2016
Authorships for sale, peer review rings and paper mills: In this investigative report I dive into how the Indian academia is paying it's way into Scopus journals through fixers on social media, compromised editors and ghost writers. @ThePrintIndia.
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I have been writing articles decoding the science behind the virus for more than a year now, and my parents are still leaving the vegetables out in the balcony to de-sanitise them.
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Attending an Indian family wedding as an 'unmarried' working woman approaching the 30s. Pls send thoughts and prayers.
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In a review meeting today, Harsh Vardhan said he was disappointed with the progress in approving research projects on indigenous cows. He expects 'significant' progress on cow science front before PM speech on 75th I-Day. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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I think someone is trying to impose a 'no work on weekends' rule.
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CSIR sows the seeds for hing cultivation in India. The pungent spice is an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine, but is entirely imported. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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Seriously stop obsessing over a stupid little game because @ISRO just unveiled the first images of this beauty that will carry #Chandrayaan2 to the Moon in FIVE days!
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Forget the possibilities of death due to the vaccine, we don't even have reliable data on how many people actually died due to Covid in India. We instead have propaganda films demeaning journalists and scientists who were trying to ask these questions.
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When you are shooting #ScientiFix but sabziwaale bhaiyya got other plans. Anyway, watch out for the episode tomorrow for some exciting science stories of the week :). #BehindTheScenes
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Update from #ISRO: The #Chandrayaan2 orbiter may now have a lifespan of 7 years, as opposed to the planned one year. Upto 95 per cent of mission objectives accomplished. #ThePrintScience.
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As many as 80 research papers by DRDO scientists -- some dating back to over 10 years -- have been flagged for alleged image manipulation. DRDO officials say they are looking into the concerns raised. I report for ThePrint.
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If you are in home isolation and not immediately able to get access to medical help, prone positioning can help improve oxygen levels. Pls spread the word. Infographic from AIIMS Patna. Full story on @ThePrintIndia.
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ISRO will put in all efforts to demonstrate soft landing in space in future. Chandrayaan 2 is not the end of story: ISRO Chairperson K. Sivan says at the IIT Delhi 50th Convocation. @ThePrintIndia.
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At just 19, this boy is helping the government bring astronomy labs to schools. It was a delight to speak to Aryan Mishra @sparkastronomy about his work and journey. I report for @ThePrintIndia .
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Aah. Dollars are useless when you can't exploit the poor no?.
My wife and I made the decision of moving back to India from the US after completing our higher education. We decided to dedicate our lives to building & researching technologies out of India for the world. We recently completed 1 year of our stay here. To all the Indian
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Intimidation, threats, trolling will go on but @ThePrintIndia newsroom will not stop. On a lighter note, tune into tomorrow's episode of #PureScience for some 'chae pe charcha' . #BehindTheScenes .(PC: @NirmalPoddar31)
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#JustIn: Thermal imaging from #Chandrayaan2 orbiter located #VikramLander on Moon. However, communications with it still not established. #ThePrintScience.
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Did I ever imagine that a news website's most popular stories will *ALL* be science? .(Yup, little bit when I joined @sandygrains to report Science for @ThePrintIndia) ❤️
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Contrary to health ministry claims, Covaxin does not have WHO approval for use in under-18s.
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Humans have made oxygen on Mars today. Anything is possible with science, it's the 'management' that we haven't cracked yet.
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I think they are growing fond of me.
While reporting on lumpy skin disease in Gujarat @ThePrintIndia Special Correspondent @MohanaBasu caught red handed!
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You have all seen those “daat, khaaj, khujli” ads on TV -- Ringworms have been a persistent problem in India for decades. But guess what? There is a special drug-resistant type of itchy rash that is (sort of) named after India. AND it is going global!.
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Gosh all the 'truth has finally come out' people need to sit down. There were studies published way back in 2021 that linked rare blood clots to the AstraZeneca vaccine. It was not highly classified information! .And it seems many people have forgotten that the risk of. .
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After quite a break, I am excited to share that I am starting the next phase of my career in Sydney as Senior Journalist at AusDoc @AusDocGroup.Wish me luck!.
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Don't you just hate it when you are heading to work and you forgot your boat?
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This is not just a story of two crickets on two sides of the planet sharing an Indian namesake. This is also a story of women in science supporting and inspiring other women. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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The one where @MandhaniApoorva decides all of a sudden that her hair needs flowers, fiddles with the shrubs till one flower falls, and then says, "Look, a flower fell. The universe is telling me to put a flower in my hair." #MandhaniThings
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We had the opportunity to interact with Dr AK Singh @aks_gene about IARI's latest crop, and what his team of agricultural scientists are doing to prepare Indian farmers for the climate crisis. Story on @ThePrintIndia soon. Watch this space.
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"Know coding like you know alphabets" -- the vision driving #CodeIndia, a @PrinSciAdvGoI office initiative to get students introduced to the excitement of computer coding at a young age. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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This is what a Covid superspreader event looked like. #Fixedit.
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Climate crisis to blame for ‘plague-like’ locust attacks in Rajasthan, Gujarat, which has affected over 1.7 lakh hectares farmland so far. Pakistan, which is also battling the invasion, has declared it a national emergency. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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Not saying that this was a perfect drape, but someone did say I should never take this off! The metro security lady asked "Pallu kaha hai" -- which imma interpret as a compliment. Thankfully @MandhaniApoorva made me pose.
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Both Kejriwal and Yogi govt underestimated #oxygen need. But when they revised their demands with surge in Covid cases, one got 93% of the requirements from the Centre, while the other got 54% what it asked for. No points for guessing. My report.
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At IIT Delhi, students are developing 5G-enabled air pollution monitors. These solar powered devices can transmit geotagged data more efficiently, possibly paving the way for a smarter network of pollution monitors in the city. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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We are continuing to travel across Gujarat, tracking the lumpy skin outbreak. We followed doctors who were traversing long distances in incessant rains to treat the affected animals. Watch #ThePrintGroundReport.
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Mia Khalifa has the right to withdraw her consent from porn. The campaign to get her videos removed from porn websites brings up new questions about consent in sex work. My #PoV for @ThePrintIndia.
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11 papers co authored by JNU scientist & BJP candidate Gobardhan Das flagged for ‘image manipulation'. Das told ThePrint he was being targeted for his political affiliation. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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Brainwaves can tell if a factory worker can handle crisis situation -- IIT Madras research paves way for a test that can determine if a person is too stressed to avert a potential disaster. I write for @ThePrintIndia.
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Well at least the day ends with pure little bundle of joy.
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Chandrayaan 3 launch scheduled for 13 July 2:30 pm, official sources confirm. @ThePrintIndia.
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Bollywood continues to ignore the North East, doctors are usually upper caste Hindus, and of course, beautiful women have fair skin -- here's what an AI tool found in 70 years of Indian films. I report for the @ThePrintIndia.
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Sabyasachi’s latest series of advertisement made a fatal mistake — portraying an average mangalsutra wearing woman as someone who willingly and unabashedly embraces her sexual desires. I write in ThePrint #PoV .
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To be clear, I did get myself vaccinated. Just surprised to learn I was vaccinated with a "dose of Covid-19".
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We spoke to experts, we looked at existing research to find what science says about immunity boosting. Do give this piece a read to understand why you shouldn’t believe claims that promise to boost immunity. @sandygrains and I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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#Throwback from the time when I was active in theatre. A still from a dress rehearsal from another era. The play was a Bengali adapdation of the Crucible, and I was playing the role of the baddest girl in a Purulia village destroying everyone's lives.
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After 15 days, over 5,000 kilometres across two states, through countless towns and villages, @PraveenJain2622 and I are back in Delhi. If you missed it, here is a round up of all the stories we brought to you from the field.
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Earlier this year, I had reported that a research paper of ICMR's Nivedita Gupta had been flagged for alleged image manipulation. The paper has now been retracted by the journal, though Gupta says the retraction was unfair. Read the full story here:.
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@KiranManral I approached a nearby PCR van after being molested by guys on a scootie, while crossing a moderately busy road. The personnel were so disinterested, I almost felt bad for disturbing them from the more important crimes in the city. I just went home, put that incident off mind.
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A cosmic collision between a blackhole and an unknown object sent ripples through the space-time fabric. @LIGO announces detection of gravitational waves from the most asymmetrical system of objects ever observed. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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Delhi is a gas chamber again. Sitting at a 'GoodAir' summit that the Environment Minister gave a miss, while hundreds of students take pledge for clean air. This should be a time when the city should shut down but we are continuing meaningless token activism for the environment.
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Holy Cow! At Gandhidham, dying cattle are overrunning streets, and overwhelming administration. Heartbreaking photogallery put together by ThePrint Photo Editor Praveen Jain @PraveenJain2622 as we report from the ground.
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Science behind not eating onion and garlic? There is none. It's a cultural practice based on centuries old perceived notions of upper caste brahmins as to what is 'pure' and what's not. It's absolutely fine to follow your customs as long as you dont peddle pseudoscience with it.
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May the pandemic end, so we can go back to celebrating Pujo the way it's meant to be. Shubho Mahalaya ❤️
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Tried to catch an Uber I had booked by chasing it down the road. It drove away cz I didn't say what my destination was before getting into the car. Picture me running behind a cab and it then taking a swift U turn on a busy road to escape from me. Life has hit a new low.
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What even is the point of your faith, your belief and your reverence to your god if you cannot even hold back from being vile and venomous towards a dead person?.
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Ran out of email storage last evening. Been dumped and scorned in love many times, but Gmail not keeping its promise of unlimited storage is definitely the biggest heartbreak of all time.
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After a stint of over four years, I now bid a bittersweet farewell to @ThePrintIndia. It has been an absolute honour to work with @ShekharGupta. I'll always be grateful to @RamaNewDelhi who brought out the best in me, and of course @sandygrains for being a true science sis.
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How coronavirus spread in India — 39 of the first 50 patients came from Italy, Iran, China. But since then there have been 31 new cases (as of now), about which the govt is sharing very little. I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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#Breaking: Environmentalist and former TERI Chief RK Pachauri passes away. He is known for being part of the research that built global consent on climate change. @ThePrintIndia.
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@Jayajaitly @tavleen_singh This is not a me vs them scenario. Every woman is fighting her own battle, in her own way. Hashtags don't solve anything, but it rekindled conversations in work spaces. Let's respect the movement for what it is. There can never be a one stop solution for all women.
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Replugging this piece so everyone can have the facts right. The vaccine does not *contain* calf blood. But it is a key part of the development process. Almost every life science lab in India needs to use it.
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Medical horror stories:.Between 2011 and 2012, in Samastipur, Gopalganj, Saran and other districts across Bihar, nearly 700 women had their uterus stolen by touts and doctors treating them for minor ailments. Read this ground report by @jyotiyadaav.
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Replugging my most-read story of 2019 at ThePrint, a snapshot of what women in science go through. Also, feel the need to add that I was told by someone close to me, "You should write more on feminism, just don't bring that stuff home." Happy 2020 girls!.
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Once a Covid ‘wonder drug’, Remdesivir’s sales hit low, didn’t soar again with 3rd wave. Read the full story here:.
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Doctors are seeing an increased trend of side-effects in patients that are being caused from taking high doses of self-prescribed natural herbs or medical supplements to boost immunity. Important piece by my colleague @ChandnaHimani .
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Dear @OfficialDMRC, this is what happens when you block all but one exit point in the name of COVID preventions. ITO this morning. Pls stop making the same mistakes.
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@labhopping is organizing a webinar on scientific misconduct in India. I ll be speaking about role of science journalists in addressing misconduct. Make sure to register: Date: Saturday, September 11.Time: 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
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Do these two know that we are slogging 18 hours a day to provide them with worldly comfort?
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Investigators, including @MicrobiomDigest, flag over 400 Chinese research papers originating from shady 'paper mills' which provide everything from fabricated experimental images to fake Gmail IDs for correspondence. I write for @ThePrintIndia.
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Over the years, I interacted with numerous Indian scientists. Every woman in science has faced some form of sexism. I write about some of their experiences. #InternationalWomensDay202.#ThePrintScience #PoV.
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CERN scientist Archana Sharma, who was part of the team that discovered Higgs Boson in 2012, says women have to perform twice as well to be taken as seriously as an average male scientist. I write for @ThePrintIndia.
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‘No separate water matka, boy had ear infection’ — doubts arise over Jalore Dalit family's allegations. I report for ThePrint. Photos by Praveen Jain @PraveenJain2622 .
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In some personal news: After a four-year long run at @PTI_News, I have now joined the @ThePrintIndia and will continue to report on all things science. My contact details remain the same so hit me up if you have some interesting research to share!.
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Covaxin efficacy data finally peer-reviewed, published in The Lancet. Efficiency against symptomatic Covid stands at 77.8%, while efficacy reduces to 65 per cent against the Delta variant. I report for ThePrint. #ThePrintTracksCovid .
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Travelling through Gujarat, we report how the lumpy skin disease is affecting the cattle population. The epidemic is particularly devastating for cattle that have been abandoned after they stop producing milk. Photo: @PraveenJain2622 . @ThePrintIndia.
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More people died of Covid in Delhi in last 4 days than in Mumbai since March. This despite Mumbai being more densely populated. No lessons learnt from 3 previous waves in Delhi. I report for @ThePrintIndia. Graphics by @RKaurArtDesign and Soham Sen.
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Will be speaking this evening at an online webinar conducted by the School of Planning and Architecture about the role of science journalists in disseminating crucial information during the pandemic. Time: 2 pm - 5 pm.
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"Pel dunga yahi pe tereko, roti kha ke bada hua hu, teri tarah powder khake nei." #PeakDelhi.
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Cooking videos be like 'isko puri tarah pakne tak gas per rakhe' as if that doesn't translate to 'cook till it's cooked' like bruh, why would I be looking at your video if I knew what 'puri tarah pakne tak' looks like?.
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Price of West Bengal poll campaign: Covid cases rise 1500% in a month. I report for @ThePrintIndia. #ThePrintHealth.
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As we celebrate an unnaturally quiet holi, here's a shot of our amateur balcony garden blooming today. Happy Holi and Stay safe ❤️
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Some crazy Covid figures literally sending chills down my spine. We haven't seen everything yet. Story will be out on @ThePrintIndia website soon. Watch this space.
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NASA says teen provided false information about her credentials, based on which she was selected as a ‘panelist’ . I report for @ThePrintIndia.
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Dear Delhi govt, I appreciate all your war room's concern, I sincerely do. But do consider letting some COVID positive people opt out of getting called 16times a day. sometimes as early as 6 am (!!). We need sleep.
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Feeling delayed embarrassment from a few days back when a guy in Chennai started talking to me in Tamil and I said, "I don't speak English.".
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At the time when I was making the choice to focus my career in journalism towards writing about science, I genuinely believed that it was a field free of politics and influence of political parties. Big fat LOL.
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Well, it finally happened. I walked straight into a glass door.
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