From stars to soil — ecologist Yadvinder Malhi brings physics to the living world
Daily Maverick | 02.10.2026 06:30
Under the heavy heat of rural Punjab, a six-year-old boy lay on a rope mattress on a flat brick rooftop, staring up into the night. In the mid-1970s, Yadvinder Malhi’s grandparents’ village had no regular electricity, and the sheer abundance of stars offered a stunning contrast to the sodium-lit suburbs of Essex where he grew up. For the young boy, sent from England to connect with his heritage, the experience was profound.
