Editorial

A student expressing general interest in "biology" is at the threshold of a bewildering array of career options. Training in biology prepares an individual for a very large number of occupations. Consider the following, which represent less than 1 0% of the identified occupational categories related to life science: agronomy, biophysics, developmental biology, environmental law, forensic entomology, forestry, genetic counseling, immunology, medical practice, molecular biology, neurobiology, secondary school teaching, systematics, veterinary medicine. Some of these deal exclusively with molecules and cells, others concern entire ecosystems; some involve daily interaction with dozens or hundreds of people, others can be done in complete isolation; some are narrowly specific, others require knowledge far beyond science. Flexibility appears to be a key trait for anyone entering the job market in the future. While the educational requirements for most fields of biology and medicine tend toward specialization, the actual jobs developing for the next century more...

The competition in Pre-medical exams is tough but more tough is to select a good coaching institute. One wrong decision sets you back not only financially but also academically as your child loses one precious year of his career. So explore each and every coaching institute. Sometimes a nondescript coaching institute who doesn't get into lime light by throwing up large newspaper advertisement may turn out to be a better institute. Below are listed few points to help the student / parents in making the right decision. • A good institute will not have more than about 30 students in a group as larger groups leave no scope for teacher-student interaction. Teaching and learning are a two-way traffic and students must have ample opportunity to clarify their doubts which is not possible in large groups. Students must be attended individually and their individual difficulties should be removed personally. Failing this, more...

This is one question that is on every PMT aspirants mind especially the one focussing on CBSE-PMT. With the newly introduced exam pattern and with little over 5 months to go for 'lie exam, a strategy needs to be devised so that the student satisfactorily attempts the preliminary as well as the mains paper. Every student should essentially devise his own strategy depending on his preparation, understanding of he subject arid' exam temperament, The strategy will be slightly different for the student who is silting for the first time in the PMT exams and is appearing for the boards and the student who will be 'repeating. The student appearing for the boards in month of March will be better prepared for the subjective exam and will be at on advantage compared to the student who will be repeating. The strategy can be broken down into two essential steps - preparing more...

If wishes were mechanically wired to the brain, even invalids could fly. That what scientific advances being made 11 laboratories around the world keep telling us, as when US scientists literally harnessed menial intentions to move mechanical objects. To build a neuronal model for translating the animal's brain signals into the movements of a robotic arm, data of neuron activity in a monkey's brain has been used, which was recorded by researchers as it played with a cursor on a computer screen. The model was then implanted in the primate so that it could control the device virtually by 'thinking' about it. It's not that this is the first time on artificial neural system of this kind was used to re-link edited brain waves back to the brain to control mechanical movement. There have been many similar experiments on rodents, chimps and even humans to prove that the technique could more...

Child prodigies ore not like other children. Having been born with super-abilities, they have in built mechanisms to deal with their capabilities. A child born with extraordinary intelligence would be stifled if she were told that she must behave like her peers. It would be like expecting n qualified adult to go back to kindergarten and learn A, B and C's. The mind cannot be held prisoner to age or physical capability, it must be allowed to roam tree. Obviously, every core must be taken that the child Is not put under stress or pressure to perform as happened in the case of the India" child prodigy from Bihar. Though case of child prodigies ore few, it is quite certain that there 010 many wailing to be discovered. Schools and NGO's (such as Science Olympiad Foundation, New Delhi conducting Notional Science Olympiad and Notional Cyber Olympiad should actively seek out more...

In a significant ruling that is likely to give a major relief to thousands of students across the country, the Supreme Court on Thursday put a complete ban on capitation Fee rampantly charged by all private professional colleges, The Apex Court also put these colleges fee structure to scrutiny in each stale by a committee headed by a retired high court judge. Moving clarification about certain ambiguities in the landmark judgment on Minority Educational Institutions {MEIs) given last year, an Apex Court five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice V N Khare in its 4-1 majority verdict declared that "under no circumstances the educational colleges could charge capitation lee Of indulge in profiteering." Reiterating that all educational institutions in India were set up for charitable purposes, the bench sold the government should consider framing regulations to cancel the recognition and the affiliation given lo private colleges if these charged capitation more...

Biology has never had it so good the year 2003 marks 50 years of the discovery of the double-helix. 25 years of the world's first test-tube baby and now the complete mapping of the human genome. Imagine translating all that DNA in the estimated 30,000 human genes and it's not difficult to see why biology has finally shrugged off its century-old label of being a descriptive science and become a predictive science in the space of less than a decade. For now that the human genome -- the map of the human species genetic constitution - is complete, biologists can routinely enumerate the genetic alphabet by routinely looking them up from a sort of 'periodic table of life'. Thanks to the efforts of the international consortium of genetic cartographers, it's now possible to identify genes in days rather than in years, although the real challenge will be to move from more...

Toppers have become akin to Gods for one more reason- Pick up any newspaper and they ore present with their names and photos in all the small and big advertisement given by the coaching institutes. Take the example a Delhi PMT top ranker- Till last count his photo was seen in more than ten advertisements, each congratulating him for his rank, claiming him to be their front runner student - either of classroom coaching or test  series or some other programme (although he says that he went to only two institutes). It is not difficult to ascertain  the truth behind the omnipresent topper but the crux of the ' matter is that the intense hard work done by the student over past 1 - 2 years for the PMT preparation has been ' discredited and replaced by the name of the coaching institutes who claims itself to be the sole more...

Over the last decade large number of medical professionals are turning into successful medicocrats - beaurocrats with medical background. It is more so true when the UPSC decided to introduce medical sciences as one of the optional subjects. 2-3 decades back students from arts background used to rule the roost in IAS but now a larger proportion of candidates from technology, medicine & physical sciences background are entering the civil services. The 1990 - 1999 survey shows that 6 % of those selected belonged to medical stream while the remaining 37 % & 57 % belonged to engineering & arts/humanities/commerce backgrounds respectively. Comparing this with the Eighties, medicocrats comprised only about 4 %. In year 2001, 11 doctors were in top 20 whereas 2 doctors .are in top 20 in year 2002. This new trend has raised a few points. • The UPSC is conscious that the civil service examination more...

Dear PMT Aspirants! The PMT exam season has storied and the exam fever if catching fast. Its a nervous time for oil the students as well as their parents. Here are some last - minute valuable lips that every exam going student must know: • Set up a review schedule and stick to it and review selectively. • Try to predict questions; write these down so you con rehearse possible answers. • Study groups eon work. if they (it your learning style, but study together early, not just before the exam. • On the night before the exam, try to maintain o natural schedule. Eat the way you usually do; sleep a normal amount. Eat a light meal before exam time. • Accept your tension and think of good ways to release that tension. Remember that some Tension is normal and even beneficial. • Get to your exam ahead of more...