Shows
IndiaBiospeaksExploring IndiaAsksWhy's journey!The inaugural episode of the "Podcast Inception" series featuring the IndiaAsksWhy podcast is now live! We have the dynamic hosts Shweata N. Hegde and Ruchi Manglunia. Developed under the guidance of IndiaBioscience and mentor Megha Kumar from CCMB, this science podcast introduces Utsuka & Jigyasa, who explore and unravel everyday questions with insights from diverse scientists. Proud recipient of IndiaBioscience's 2nd Outreach Grant, IndiaAsksWhy engages listeners in a captivating journey of curiosity and scientific exploration.
2024-01-0930 min
Choose to be CuriousEp. #205: India Asks Why, with Ruchi Manglunia & Shweata HegdeMaybe it was the pandemic. Maybe curiosity is having a moment globally. I’m not sure what it is, but the thirst for learning and the attendant explosion of science communication efforts in India are noteworthy.
I sat down with Ruchi Manglunia and Shweata N. Hegde, aka Jigyasa and Utsuka, the charming — and unapologetically curious — co-founders and hosts of India Asks Why, a “science podcast for young minds.” We talked about their inspiration, operation, and hopes for a more curious future.
India Asks Why podcast: https://www.indiaaskswhy.org
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Glass Beads" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot S
2023-10-0528 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do We Have Birthmarks and MolesBonus Episode of season 2! Utsuka and Jigyasa have received a question from one of their curious listeners- Rythem Goyal! Rythem is a first-year graduate researcher at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad. Our listener wants to know why we have moles and birthmarks! Utsuka and Jigyasa have once again put on their detective hats to find the answer! They learned abnormal cellular behavior before birth can sometimes cause such harmless birthmarks and moles. They also spoke with Dr. Ramray Bhat who is a Cancer scientist at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He...
2023-01-1019 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do Snakes Not Have Limbs?Utsuka and Jigyasa spotted a snake charmer on the streets. Utsuka was mesmerized by its dance. But they both realized that the dancing snake had no legs or arms. That made them wonder: “Why snakes don’t have limbs?” They learn about the story of the past snakes and how they might have lost limbs. They also discuss how present-day scientists study snake evolution. In the interview segment, they talk with Dr. Megha Kumar, a scientist from CCMB who studies early forms of animals – embryos. Dr. Kumar talks about how researchers study snakes and other animals...
2022-11-1518 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do We Brush Our Teeth?Utsuka and Jigyasa were thinking about the day they had loads of chocolates. Jigyasa rightly pointed out that eating too much chocolate causes cavities; that’s why we brush our teeth. This made them wonder: “How does brushing help stop cavities?” Listen to the episode as they both explore teeth up close. They learn about the microbial community living on tooth surfaces, how they function, and what role the microbes and food you eat play in causing cavities. They also talk with Dr. Karishma Kaushik from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), a scientist who studies microbes, about how researchers study microbes...
2022-10-1517 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do Some Squirrels Bury Nuts?“Why do squirrels bury nuts?”, Utsuka asks. One afternoon Utsuka was enjoying a movie about ancient animals when she observed that the squirrel in the movie was obsessed with its hazel nut. This made her wonder why some squirrels bury nuts in the forest. In this episode, Utsuka and Jigyasa explore how squirrels know where to store and what to store. And importantly, who teaches them that they need to store their food? After learning not all squirrels bury nuts, they get speculative and ask what would happen if they move squirrels from the...
2022-09-1518 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do Trees Not Stop Growing?“Why do trees not stop growing?”, Jigyasa asks! Jigyasa and Utsuka were going through Utsuka’s photo album when they realized something: Utsuka had barely grown a foot taller in a few years, whereas the tree in their backyard had grown several feet. This made them wonder why trees continue to grow in height, unlike us. What is growth? What drives trees to grow? Do trees grow all the time? Listen to the episode to learn about the tale of how trees grow. Towards the end, they reach an interesting question: what happens if all t...
2022-08-1517 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do We Like Chocolates?“Why do we like chocolates?” Utsuka asks! Jigyasa was nibbling her bar of chocolate when Utsuka wondered, “Why do we like chocolates so much?” That question made them discuss how chocolate eating is an experience we love! What makes chocolate-eating an experience? Why do we crave them so much? What part of the brain tells you to eat chocolate? Join Utsuka and Jigyasa to find answers to their chocolatey questions and many more in the first episode of Season 2! To understand how brain researchers study this chocolate-eating experience...
2022-07-1518 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Season 2 TrailerUtsuka and Jigyasa are back with more questions! They can't wait to share what they have learned. Subscribe on Libsyn or Spotify to get notified when the first episode comes out! You can revisit all the season 1 episodes on our brand new website Credits: Co-hosts: Shweata N. Hegde and Ruchi Manglunia Advisor: Megha Kumar Trailer Audio Editor: Shweata N. Hegde Podcast Cover: Ruchi Manglunia IndiaAsksWhy is supported by IndiaBioscience Second Outreach Grant.
2022-07-0702 min
IndiaBiospeaksIndiaAsksWhy | Season 2 | TrailerIndiaAsksWhy Season 2 is starting soon! Check out their brand new website indiaaskswhy.org to revisit the season 1 episodes. They have also become an independent platform now. Utsuka and Jigyasa can’t wait to share with you all what they have learned! So stay tuned for the new fun-filled episodes!
2022-07-0702 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Does Rain Smell So Good?It’s a cloudy evening. You are sitting at your window and, suddenly, it starts raining. Along comes that earthy smell Ever wondered, why does rain smell so good? In the last episode of season 1 of IndiaAsksWhy, Utsuka and Jigyasa talk about the origins of the smell of rain! They discover how microbes and the winds together lead to this lovely aroma! In the Ask A Scientist segment, they speak to Dr. Samay Pande, who studies the evolution of bacteria to understand why organisms help each other!
2022-07-0517 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?Utsuka and Jigyasa, on their recent trip to the zoo wondered why tigers have stripes. We’re sure you must have had that question, too! Listen to this portfolio as they explore why! 👨🔬In the Ask A Scientist segment, they both talk to Mihir Trivedi, a wildlife biologist, to know the purpose of these stripes in the wild. He also talks about his life as a biologist in the wild!
2022-07-0515 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do Birds Fly In Groups? Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered why some birds fly in groups? Join Utsuka and Jigyasa to find the reasons why. In the Ask A Scientist segment, they both talk to Dr. Vishwesha Guttal (https://teelabiisc.wordpress.com/), a theoretical ecologist, to know why some animals group whereas others don’t. He also talks about how researchers use maths and computers to study grouping and other behaviours.
2022-07-0514 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why Do We Find Babies Cute?Most of us find babies extremely cute -- their tiny toes, little fingers, and button nose make us go Awwwwwww! Ever wondered why we find babies so cute? What is it in our brain that makes us all warm and fuzzy on seeing a baby? Utsuka and Jigyasa had the same questions too! Join them in this episode to know more about human brain wiring! In the second segment Dr. Vidita Vaidya, a brain scientist, talks more about how emotions are studied in the lab.
2022-07-0512 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy Season 1 TrailerLaunching our brand new Podcast series: IndiaAsksWhy, where Utsuka and Jigyasa answer your curious questions! Growing up, we all have had a lot of questions running through our minds, and they seldom get answered by our science textbooks at school! We are bringing you the answers to all such questions. We also talk to Indian scientists and understand how they find such answers in their labs. Stay tuned for more updates from IndiaAsksWhy!
2022-07-0402 min
IndiaAsksWhyIndiaAsksWhy | Why are Plants Green?Plants are everywhere Ever noticed something about their colour? Yes, most of them are green. Have you wondered why are plants green? Like why not orange or blue? Utsuka and Jigyaasa had the same question, too! Join them in this episode to know exactly why plants are green. In our Ask A Scientist segment, listen to Dr Gitanjali Yadav, who studies plants using computers! If you want to learn more about her work, check out her website (http://www.nipgr.ac.in/research/dr_gyadav.php).
2022-07-0412 min
IndiaBiospeaksIndiaAsksWhy | Ep. 5 | Why does rain smell good?☁️It’s a cloudy evening. You are sitting at your window and, suddenly, it starts raining 🌧 Along comes that earthy smell 😌Ever wondered, why does rain smell so good? 😍 In the last episode of season 1 of IndiaAsksWhy, Utsuka and Jigyasa talk about the origins of the smell of rain!🌦 They discover how microbes and the winds together lead to this lovely Aroma! 💨 👨🔬In the Ask A Scientist segment, they speak to Dr. Samay Pande (https://www.redqueenlab.com), who studies the evolution of bacteria to understand why organisms help each other! 🧪 Credits: Hosts: Shweata N...
2022-03-2417 min
IndiaBiospeaksIndiaAsksWhy | Ep. 4 | Why do tigers have stripes?Utsuka and Jigyasa, on their recent trip to the zoo🐯 wondered why tigers have stripes. 🤔 We’re sure you must have had that question, too! Listen to this episode as they explore why!🐅 👨🔬In the Ask A Scientist segment, they both talk to Mihir Trivedi, a wildlife biologist, to know the purpose of these stripes in the wild. He also talks about his life as a biologist in the wild!🐾 Credits: Hosts: Shweata N. Hegde and Ruchi Manglunia Audio Editors: Ira Zibbu and Shweata Hegde Poster: Ruchi Manglunia Advisor: Megha Kumar
2022-02-1615 min
IndiaBiospeaksIndiaAsksWhy | Ep. 3 | Why do birds fly in groups?Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered why some birds fly in groups? Join Utsuka and Jigyasa to find the reasons why. In the Ask A Scientist segment, they both talk to Dr. Vishwesha Guttal (https://teelabiisc.wordpress.com/), a theoretical ecologist, to know why some animals group whereas others don’t. He also talks about how researchers use maths and computers to study grouping and other behaviours. Credits: Hosts: Shweata N. Hegde and Ruchi Manglunia Audio Editors: Ira Zibbu and Shweata Hegde Poster: Ruchi Manglunia
2022-01-2014 min
IndiaBiospeaksIndiaAsksWhy | Ep. 2 | Why do we find babies cute?Have you ever experienced the warm fuzzy feeling when you look at babies? Why do you find them cute? Join Utsuka and Jigyasa to find out why. In the second segment, they both talk to Dr. Vidita Vaidya (https://www.tifr.res.in/~dbs/faculty/V_Vaidya.html), a brain scientist from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, about how researchers study emotions. Credits: Hosts: Shweata N. Hegde and Ruchi Manglunia Audio Editors: Ira Zibbu and Shweata Hegde Poster: Ruchi Manglunia Advisor: Megha Kumar IBS: Suchibrata Borah a...
2021-12-2312 min
IndiaBiospeaksIndiaAsksWhy | Ep. 1 | Why are plants green?Plants are everywhere. Ever noticed something about their colour? Yes, most of them are green. Have you wondered why are plants green? Like why not orange or blue? Utsuka and Jigyasa had the same question, too! Join them in this episode to know exactly why plants are green. In our Ask A Scientist segment, listen to Dr. Gitanjali Yadav, who studies plants using computers! If you want to learn more about her work, check out her website (http://www.nipgr.ac.in/research/dr_gyadav.php). Hosts: Shweata N. Hegde and...
2021-11-1712 min
IndiaBiospeaksSeason Teaser | IndiaAsksWhyGear up to listen to a brand new podcast series, IndiaAsksWhy, where Utsuka and Jigyasa answer curious questions! Growing up, we all have had questions running through our minds, and they seldom get answered by our science textbooks at school! Utsuka and Jigyasa are bringing you the answers to all such questions. They also talk to Indian scientists to understand how they find such answers in their labs. Stay tuned for more updates from IndiaAsksWhy! Credits: Hosts: Shweata N. Hegde and Ruchi Manglunia Audio Editors: Ira Zibbu a...
2021-10-2802 min