A Small Discovery That Changed Our Understanding of Nature The butterfly effect was introduced by the American meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz in the early 1960s. While simulating weather patterns on a digital computer, Lorenz used a mathematical model based on 12 variables, such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed. To save time, he restarted the simulation from the middle instead of running it again from the beginning. He entered the weather values from an earlier simulation. However, the computer had originally stored these values with 6-digit precision, while the printed output rounded them to 3-digit precision. For example, the value 0.506127 was printed as 0.506. Although the difference seemed insignificant, the new simulation eventually produced a completely different weather pattern from the original one. This led Lorenz to realize that even a small change in the initial conditions of a complex system (a network of many interacting components) can grow over time and p...
Frog Marriage Tradition in India In general, marriage brings companionship and support to two individuals. But have you ever heard of a marriage believed to bring rainfall as well? Yes, it’s true, but the wedding is not between humans. It is a ceremonial marriage between a male and a female frog, performed by people. For centuries, many communities across India have conducted frog marriages during summer or at the beginning of the monsoon, hoping to invite rain. This tradition is known by different names in different regions. In Assam, it is called Bhekuli Biya; in Tripura, Banger Biye; and in the southern states of India, it is known as Manduka Parinayam or Kappala Pelli. How Is a Frog Marriage Performed? For the frog marriage, a male and a female frog are collected from the nearby ponds or water bodies and decorated like a bride and groom. During the wedding, sindoor is applied to the bride’s forehead. In some regions, the male frog symbolically ties a sacred yellow thread (mangalsut...