Why Jupiter is Jinxed & Saturn Stinks? MARCH 2026 Musings.

 

Why Jupiter is Jinxed & Saturn Stinks? MARCH 2026 Musings.

Facts are supposed to provide us with a sense of clarity and certainty. But sometimes they can be misleading too, if we just look at them superficially. Take the case of Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system.

Let’s take Jupiter. To a superstitious person on Jupiter the Sun would look like a blazing dot and would seem to follow two distinctively strange elliptical orbital patterns and hence the person may think the planet was jinxed. This is the consequence of a unique location of the Sun-Jupiter center of mass (barycenter). The location is outside the Sun, making them perform a loose binary dance rather than a simple planet-star orbit.

Now consider Saturn. Its core consists mostly of hydrogen and helium, both of which are odorless, while its atmosphere has methane, ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, water vapor, phosphene, ethane, acetylene, propane. Its upper atmosphere has ammonia clouds that would smell like strong cleaning fluid, while deeper layers with hydrogen sulfide might smell faintly of rotten eggs. To a human being trying to penetrate this atmosphere, the planet would stink! But only if the human olfactory sense can survive the journey through its clouds.

In this series of blog posts during 2026, I hope to discuss facts that may seem strange at first glance, but which could otherwise be explained. I will focus on one factoid every month.

The factoid for this month is Not just Humans, African Buffalos also Vote and the females are decisively enfranchised!

Yes, it must be very humbling (nay, indeed humiliating), especially for the votaries of modern western democracies to be told this. But the ecologist Herbert Prins, who spent years observing buffalo behavior, formulated a theory many decades ago, and confirmed by others, that large herds of buffalo in fact have a rudimentary voting system to determine the direction they move in.

African buffalos engage in a democratic "voting" process to make collective decisions about herd movement. Adult females indicate their preferred direction of travel by standing up, looking, and aligning their heads in that direction, with the majority choice ultimately deciding the herd's path.

And other researchers have found that there is more to the “buffalo democracy’ than just migration! Some interesting key aspects of the African buffalo democracy includes:

Inclusive Decision-Making: Even less dominant members of the herd have a say in the decision-making process.

Directional Voting: Females signal their preferred direction by resting, then standing up and turning their bodies to face a specific direction.

Collective Choice: The direction that the herd takes is the one that receives the most "votes" (alignments to traditional pasture cycles), demonstrating a form of consensus.

Social Behavior: This behavior is part of the complex social structure and, specifically, the female-led decision-making process in African buffalo.

So, the next time a candidate turns up at your door soliciting your vote, remember the following:

ü  A bellowing buffalo is just nature’s way of telling the world it is there; so too is the candidate’s supplication, democracy’s way of telling you it still exists!

ü  A buffalo seldom wanders far away from the marsh where it was born; and so is the person standing in front of you!

Why Jupiter is Jinxed & Saturn Stinks? FEBRUARY 2026 Musings.

Facts are supposed to provide us with a sense of clarity and certainty. But sometimes they can be misleading too, if we just look at them superficially. Take the case of Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system.

Let’s take Jupiter. To a superstitious person on Jupiter the Sun would look like a blazing dot and would seem to follow two distinctively strange elliptical orbital patterns and hence the person may think the planet was jinxed. This is the consequence of a unique location of the Sun-Jupiter center of mass (barycenter). The location is outside the Sun, making them perform a loose binary dance rather than a simple planet-star orbit.

Now consider Saturn. Its core consists mostly of hydrogen and helium, both of which are odorless, while its atmosphere has methane, ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, water vapor, phosphene, ethane, acetylene, propane. Its upper atmosphere has ammonia clouds that would smell like strong cleaning fluid, while deeper layers with hydrogen sulfide might smell faintly of rotten eggs. To a human being trying to penetrate this atmosphere, the planet would stink! But only if the human olfactory sense can survive the journey through its clouds.

In this series of blog posts during 2026, I hope to discuss facts that may seem strange at first glance, but which could otherwise be explained. I will focus on one factoid every month.

The factoid for this month is Dolphins Have Names.

Dolphins use unique "names" for each other in the form of distinct signature whistles, which function like human names for identification and communication, allowing them to call, recognize, and even remember specific individuals.

This is indeed a sophisticated communication skill unique among non-human mammals. Elephants and Parrots are also understood to have similar capabilities.

This ability to use individually specific vocal labels for others is considered a remarkable trait, highlighting the advanced social intelligence of dolphins.

Each dolphin develops its own whistle, often learning it from its mother, and other dolphins copy these whistles to address or call out to them, like how humans use names. 

Unique Whistles: Each dolphin creates a distinct whistle that serves as its personal identifier.

Learning & Imitation: Young dolphins learn their signature whistles from their mothers and can imitate others' whistles to call them, demonstrating complex social learning.

Addressing Others: When a dolphin wants to get another's attention, it mimics that specific whistle, acting as a call or "name".

Memory & Social Bonds: Dolphins remember the names (whistles) of their close allies, using them to maintain social bonds and form teams, even remembering cooperators from the past.

What is still not clearly known is how they avoid having the same names – it would be silly for the bottlenecks’ bromance if there was a single whistle for two individuals!

Some researchers say that dolphins also use the taste of urine of fellow-dolphins to identify individuals. A case of two-factor authentication? Cybersecurity specialists could perhaps take a clue.

Why Jupiter is Jinxed & Saturn Stinks? JANUARY 2026 Musings.

Facts are supposed to provide us with a sense of clarity and certainty. But sometimes they can be strange and confusing too, especially if we just look at them superficially. Take the case of Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system.

Jupiter first. To a superstitious person on Jupiter, the Sun would look like a blazing dot, and would seem to follow two distinctively strange elliptical orbital patterns and hence it would seem that his planet was jinxed. Factually this is a consequence of the unique location of the Sun-Jupiter center of mass (barycenter). The location is outside the Sun, making them perform a loose binary dance rather than a simple planet-star orbit. Seemingly jinxed, but certainly not!

Now consider Saturn. Its core consists mostly of hydrogen and helium, both of which are odorless, while its atmosphere has methane, ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, water vapor, phosphene, ethane, acetylene, propane. Its upper atmosphere has ammonia clouds that would smell like strong cleaning fluid, while deeper layers with hydrogen sulfide might smell faintly of rotten eggs. To a human being trying to penetrate this atmosphere, the planet would stink! But only if the human olfactory sense can survive the journey through its clouds.

In this series of blog posts during 2026, I hope to discuss facts that may seem strange at first glance, but which could otherwise be explained. I will focus on one factoid every month.

The factoid for this month is Wood Wide Web.

We have often overheard gardeners talk about locating different species of seeds and saplings in ways that would ensure that the desired ones had the best chances of survival. Such conversations also hinted about the challenges of weeds and parasites competing with the main plants for soil nutrients.

But are these ‘garden rules, based on universal truths about how plants really survive in the wild?

Would you believe that the plant kingdom, especially those that thrive in the forests, have now been scientifically studied in detail and they exhibit an uncanny parallelism to the digital communication technology invented by humans, namely the world wide web!

Yes, trees talk to each other very intimately and efficiently!

The "Wood Wide Web" is the underground network of fungi (mycorrhizae) connecting tree roots, allowing them to share water, nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) and chemical signals, essentially forming a forest's communication system.

It has now been revealed that a symbiotic network exists which helps older trees support seedlings, warns of dangers, and facilitates a complex exchange of resources.

It means that we must now transform our view of forests from individual trees to interconnected ecosystems. Let’s look at a few of the elements in this wood wide web.

Fiber-optic cables: Fungal filaments (mycelia) form vast underground webs that link tree roots.

Resource sharing: Trees send sugars to fungi, and in return, fungi provide water and minerals, effectively expanding the tree's root system.

Communication: Trees use the network to send chemical messages, warning neighbors about pests or drought.

Angel Support system: Large "mother trees" can send carbon and nutrients to shaded seedlings, increasing their survival chances.

Enormity of Scale: These networks are massive, with immense lengths of fungal hyphae under forests.

Open architecture versus Cybersecurity: It's not always altruistic; some plants might steal resources, while most others rely on cooperation; and hence the dynamics of competition versus cooperation decide on the natural vibrancy of forest-growth.

Interesting factoid, don’t you agree? If you also want a funny one, here is one:

What did the tree do when the bank closed? It started its own branch.

DECEMBER 2025: The World Through Words – MASTERPIECE.

Words have traditionally been the backbone of intelligent communications. Some researchers suggest that humans began using spoken words, anywhere between 50000 and 70000 years ago. Words then were often just a collation of sounds, but they seemed to have served their purpose. How they managed their communications in their worlds so long ago can only be imagined!

Today, in the second millennium of the common era, as per Ethnologue, which is a language catalogue and resource site, there are around 7111 languages in the world (not including dialects, sign languages) with an estimated 840 million words.

And with such a surfeit of languages and words, our world should naturally (if not certainly!) be a very interesting one for those of us who will only take some time from our busy routines, to peek into the world of words.

This time, the random word that has surfaced is MASTERPIECE.

One may wonder if a word that can universally evoke a sense of awe and admiration must necessarily be a piece of a masterly work only in literature and the fine arts.

‘Not necessarily!’, would be the response of hundreds of connoisseurs of extraordinary works of art such as paintings, sculptures, music, dance and other endeavors of human passion. They would happily engage in endless debates as to what they would consider as a masterpiece.

But what or who exactly defines a masterpiece? Will the international space station that has been orbiting this planet for over 25 years be considered as one, now that it is getting outdates and will be decommissioned in 2030!

A thing of beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, they say.

It is my considered view that a masterpiece can be found in the most unusual places, if only one makes an open-minded effort to look for it.

A masterpiece can also be something that has to do with just an idea that has been creatively expressed across many mediums and over a lengthy period. Take for example the following sequence of words:

Moustache; Argument; Simple; Taste; Exact; Rest; Part; Interest; Excess; Cheese; Elementary

Yes, evidently there is a masterpiece in them. But why do these words really matter when we are discussing a masterpiece?

Let me help by drawing your attention to the fact that these are the random monthly words that featured in ‘The World Through Words’!

Call it a clever coincidence. Accuse me of cheating about the randomness bit. But the words were indeed random, even if their first letters were not, I confess! Even if you end up considering my defense as weak, wouldn’t you still agree with me that it is certainly a masterpiece of planning a blog post.

Wishing you all a great last month in 2025. You have been very encouraging, and I promise to come up with a new series of posts for 2026. 

NOVEMBER 2025: The World Through Words – ELEMENTARY.

Words have traditionally been the backbone of intelligent communications. Some researchers suggest that humans began using spoken words, anywhere between 50000 and 70000 years ago. Words then were often just a collation of sounds, but they seemed to have served their purpose. How they managed their communications in their worlds so long ago can only be imagined!

Today, in the second millennium of the common era, as per Ethnologue, which is a language catalogue and resource site, there are around 7111 languages in the world (not including dialects, sign languages) with an estimated 840 million words.

And with such a surfeit of languages and words, our world should naturally (if not certainly!) be a very interesting one for those of us who will only take some time from our busy routines, to peek into the world of words.

This time, the random word that has surfaced is ELEMENTARY.

If there is any doubt that a phrase has been popularized in English fiction, one needs to look no further than to recall “Elementary, my dear Watson” that Sherlock Holmes often said to his biographer and dear friend.

That phrase, so humorously used, and indeed the word elementary itself, have been a cause of inferiority complex in many.

Innocuous as it may sound, something elementary is scathingly indicative that it is essentially simple and fundamental to be reasoned out, and the absence of understanding what is being referred to, suggests a lacuna in intelligence!

Culturally, most human societies, and especially those of the East have strongly believed in the five natural substances - earth, water, fire, air, and ether - as elementary or foundational substances of human existence.

Interestingly, right through the spectrum of human societies, five other elementary aspects – values/beliefs, languages, symbols, norms and rituals - have defined the structure of their cultures and have glued their civilizational bonds.

With this word having so much to brag about, one may be excused for not further expounding on such aspects, but to bask in the most elemental quality of having a good laugh at it – the smile made all the more warm when one considers the precious elements.

Gold and Silver haven't seen each other since elementary school. They decided to meet up at a bar. Silver walks in and sees his old friend and calls out to him.

"Aey, you?"

Gold gets excited and shouts back, "Aey, ji!"

OCTOBER 2025: The World Through Words – CHEESE.

Words have traditionally been the backbone of intelligent communications. Some researchers suggest that humans began using spoken words, anywhere between 50000 and 70000 years ago. Words then were often just a collation of sounds, but they seemed to have served their purpose. How they managed their communications in their worlds so long ago can only be imagined!

Today, in the second millennium of the common era, as per Ethnologue, which is a language catalogue and resource site, there are around 7111 languages in the world (not including dialects, sign languages) with an estimated 840 million words.

And with such a surfeit of languages and words, our world should naturally (if not certainly!) be a very interesting one for those of us who will only take some time from our busy routines, to peek into the world of words.

This time, the random word that has surfaced is CHEESE.

Charles de Gaulle, the nationalist French President is known to have wondered “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”

Well, even as turophiles (tur-uh-file – cheese lover) disagree with that French statesman, many may still find it interesting to know that cheese is much more than a popular food!

Historically, cheese (especially the parmesan variety) has had a financial use dating back to at least 1200 CE, serving as a form of wealth and a medium of exchange in some contexts. The value of the compact, aged cheese and the lengthy maturation process (up to two years or more) made it a suitable form of collateral for financial institutions.

In modern times too, cheese as currency is a practice that some regional banks in Italy still accept, based on a long-standing system where farmers can receive cash loans against deposits of their cheese with the bank, which then stores and ages them in their warehouses, while retaining them as collateral. This innovative system provides crucial liquidity to dairy farmers, bridging the financial gap between the production of cheese and its eventual sale to consumers.

Cheese has played an unintentional but effective role (the Swiss Cheese bidding process) in the public procurement processes of governments and corporations that are keen to showcase their perceived neutrality in ensuring a fair competition for public infrastructure and large service projects.  

And one may wonder how all children have to be cajoled to eat cheese, but who would have thought that The Tiger Who Ate Too Much Cheese is a children's story about a tiger's unusual dietary indulgence!

Cheese, it must be admitted, continues to exert so much influence in our daily lives. How else can we explain the following phrases!

She is a Big Cheese – an important or powerful person.

Say Cheese – phrase used to make people smile for a photograph.

The Cheese stands alone – someone isolated or left alone.

He always sports a Cheesy grin – exaggerated or insincere smile.

Now that’s a Cheesy joke – a silly, corny or overly sentimental joke.

Smile like a Cheshire Cat – to smile broadly or smugly.

That’s the way the cheese crumbles – things don’t always go as planned.

All said and done, is there any better excuse for all our unexplained idiosyncrasies than to just say that between us, we are like cheese and chalk!

SEPTEMBER 2025: The World Through Words – EXCESS.

Words have traditionally been the backbone of intelligent communications. Some researchers suggest that humans began using spoken words, anywhere between 50000 and 70000 years ago. Words then were often just a collation of sounds, but they seemed to have served their purpose. How they managed their communications in their worlds so long ago can only be imagined!

Today, in the second millennium of the common era, as per Ethnologue, which is a language catalogue and resource site, there are around 7111 languages in the world (not including dialects, sign languages) with an estimated 840 million words.

And with such a surfeit of languages and words, our world should naturally (if not certainly!) be a very interesting one for those of us who will only take some time from our busy routines, to peek into the world of words.

This time, the random word that has surfaced is EXCESS.

It is often said that if there is one thing that can commonly describe civilizations across millennia, it is the widespread excess of all kinds that were celebrated when these societies were at their zenith.

Think of the excesses in the Roman Empire. The glorification of widespread political corruption, the extravagant displays of wealth by its elites, military overspending as a strategy for geographical expansion, violent public spectacles such as the gladiatorial conquests and the practices of gluttony and decadent lifestyles were plainly normative.

Middle Eastern history seemed to have its own versions. The rise and fall of the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians often involved brutal conquests and subjugation excesses.

Excesses in South Asian civilizations often involved extreme social stratification and the application of mindless cultural interventions by the invaders.

Western civilizations across both sides of the Atlantic have also been no strangers to excesses. Even as recently as in the nineteenth and twentieth century America, material extravagance of the Gilded Age, the unchecked consumerist society and the unilateral gains of the capitalist model of economic growth ensured the exponential rise of profligacy from an equally fast shifting of the moral compass.

With such a background across the ages and the continents, it should not come as a surprise that excessive consideration is being attributed here to this word!

Excess is too much of something, like big-time overindulgence.

Philosophers, literary giants and political commentators, all seem to have had excessive concerns about the excesses of human beings.

Plato suggested that excess of liberty, whether it lies in the state or in individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery. 

Nietzsche cautioned that the mother of excess is not joy but joylessness.

Dickens concluded that vices are sometimes only virtues carried to excess!

Oscar Wilde though had a different point of view. To him, moderation is a fatal thing and that nothing succeeds like excess.

Will Durant believed that every form of government tends to perish by an excess of its own principle.

The Tamil saint poet Tiruvalluvar has advised both rulers and the common man to conquer with forbearance all the excesses of insolence. Other verses in the Tirukural suggest moderation in food and financial habits, warns rulers on the ills of excessive taxation and links excessive love for dishonest gains to everlasting pain.

But I am sure that unlike such excessive caution that these people have expressed, an excess of humor should always be welcomed.

Back in the day, excessive use of commas was considered a very serious crime. That view usually resulted in a long sentence.

A friend of mine got jailed for excessive hay production. I had to bale the farmer out.

Eggs have recently been added to the endangered species list. Due to excessive poaching.