A historical account of the development of quantum mechanics,and the roles played by many outstanding physicists, theirviews and philosophical attitudes is presented. Ingenious andpath-breaking experiments that helped this development alongare highlighted. Ideas and notions that initially arose in thecourse of discussions on foundations of quantum mechanicsand later paved the way for the emergence of the fieldof Quantum Information Science and Technology are brieflytouched upon.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is fast gainingground as a non-invasive technique for neuroimaging. Themethod can capture images of the human brain in real timewhile the subject carries out a cognitive task. This researcharea is still in its infancy but has immense possibilities to explorethe secrets of the human brain, intelligence and thoughtprocesses. This article explains the physics behind the fMRImethod and describes several studies which use fMRI to exploredifferent facets of the human brain such as learningmathematics, and the deep connections between music andcognitive processes.