The Interface 

Commentaries on Economics and Science

Krisharni B. Krisharna B. Krisharni B.
Krisharni B.

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Nanotechnology: More harm than good?

Nanotechnology: More harm than good?

In February, NewScientist released an article explaining the intention of researchers to use locusts as bomb sniffers. Of course, locusts have not evolved to detect bombs and certainly do not have the capability to directly communicate to scientists of their findings. However, locusts do have the ability to identify specific smells, a characteristic enhanced if locusts travel in swarms. To utilise this trait, scientists got creative: the article by NewScientist explains how researchers plan to hijack the olfactory system of locusts by attaching biosensors to analyse the neurons being fired when these locusts are placed in a target location. There are several implications of this research. For instance, it isn’t new to us to understand that all tools can be used as weapons, in this case, using the characteristics of locusts to discover ways bombs can go undetected. However, another implication is the use of living organisms as ‘tools’. A commentary by MedicalDiscoveryNews on this research points out that locusts are great for this job as they are “disposable and inexpensive”. Can the same be said of a human?

Krisharna B.
Krisharna B.

Cryptography: Encryption vs Decryption, which will be the victor?

Cryptography: Encryption vs Decryption, which will be the victor?

Encryption does not only involve unscrambling information. In order to access its contents, the person intercepting the message should first have the key. One of the earliest forms of encryption is the scytale device used by ancient Spartians to relay war commands secretly. The scytale delivers messages by wrapping a strip of leather around a uniquely shaped wooden rod only known by the intended recipient. When unwrapped only an anagram with meaningless letters are observed, this is the idea behind ciphertext. However, since no lock ever remains unpicked, the frequency analysis system which Islamic scholars used to unravel the Quran was able to piece together cryptography methods such as the scytale device. Frequency analysis relies on the statistical frequency of a letter within a language. For instance, in 2020, ‘E’ is recorded to appear in 10.98% of words, ‘I’ in 9.08% and S in 8.89%. Hence the Islamic scholars would assume that the most common letter in an encrypted message would be E. However, this method of decryption does have its weaknesses. The message “yacht and xylophones” contains the least frequent letters ‘y’ and ‘x’. The caesar cypher relies on shifting letters to infrequent ones with a key code agreed between the sender and recipient. This ultimately started the perpetual battle between encryption and decryption.

Krisharna B.
Krisharna B.

Mind games: How the gaming industry profits on human behaviour.

Mind Games: How the Gaming Industry Profits on Human Behaviour

The gaming industry has transformed into one of the most lucrative sectors worldwide, largely due to its adept application of behavioural psychology. By crafting game mechanics that align with players' psychological motivations, developers create systems that not only captivate players but also encourage significant spending. Hence the question, how has this come to be?

Krisharni B.
Krisharni B.

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Do You Know What the Longest Word is… really?

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, is a contender for the longest word in the English language. This term consists of 45 letters, and is frequently recognised as the longest word in the English language. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis designates a lung disease that results from inhaling extremely fine silicate or quartz dust, particularly in settings like mines or quarries where volcanic ash or silica dust is common. Medically, it describes a specific type of pneumoconiosis, which involves lung inflammation caused by inhaling particulate matter. Interestingly, the origin of this word is not entirely scientific; it was invented in 1935 by Everett Smith, who was the president of the National Puzzlers' League. His goal was to create the longest possible word in English as a playful linguistic exercise. Although it appears in numerous dictionaries, its legitimacy as a medical term has been debated since it was crafted more as a curiosity than as a term used in genuine medical contexts. This situation underscores the contrast between practical language use and the creative formation of words that may not be intended for everyday application.

Krisharni B.
Krisharni B.

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