Organized contests in physics and mathematics have been around for a while: probably the most famous ones are the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge; the Westinghouse and the Putnam in the United States; and the International Physics and Mathematics Olympiads. This post is about the correlation - or the lack thereof - between the winners list of these contests and the ranks of top scientists (e.g. signified by the Nobel prize or the Fields Medal). International Physics Olympiad

This post is a review of the book Sociobiology by the Harvard entomologist E. O. Wilson. It was originally published in 1975, to acclaim and controversy, and is considered a landmark work which established the biological and evolutionary basis of behavior in animals (including humans). It is about 700 pages long, and in spite of not being an expert in biology, I found it remarkably accessible. The book lays out in great detail, and with an abundance of examples, the author's

This post addresses misconceptions regarding the doctoral degree (I will stick to physics) that I have come across in a career of about 30 years in academia now. These misconceptions come from people both within and outside of academia. I find it remarkable how many myths and legends have grown up around this institution (they vary all over the place, and in some cases even contradict each other). A PhD is something you do if you cannot get a real job : PhD programs in physic

This post is a review of the book The Secrets of Soviet Cosmonauts by Maria Rosa Menzio (2022). The book gives insights into the Russian space program, starting from the launch of the Sputnik in 1957 that stunned the world, to the International Space Station. Many of the details, especially of the launch failures, had been classified for a long time. The main content of the book is centered around the following themes: Motivation : The book describes the main progenitors of