INSTA PT 2020

EXCLUSIVE
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY –
PART 2

MARCH 2020 – AUGUST 2020

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Table of Contents
Defence Technology ..................................................................................................... 3
1. RAIDER-X .................................................................................................................... 3
2. PATRIOT AIR DEFENCE MISSILES .................................................................................. 3
3. MK 54 LIGHTWEIGHT TORPEDO .................................................................................. 3
4. MISSILE PARK 'AGNEEPRASTHA' TO BE SET UP AT INS KALINGA ................................... 3
5. INS VIRAAT.................................................................................................................. 4

Space Technology ......................................................................................................... 5

1. EXOMARS ................................................................................................................... 5
2. SUNRISE MISSION ....................................................................................................... 5
3. GRACE-FO MISSION .................................................................................................... 6
4. ARTEMIS PROGRAM .................................................................................................... 6
5. NASA’S GATEWAY LUNAR ORBIT OUTPOST ................................................................. 6
6. LITHIUM RICH RED GIANTS.......................................................................................... 7
7. FIRST MERGER OF TWO BLACK HOLES WITH UNEQUAL MASSES DETECTED ................ 7
8. PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLES (PBH) ................................................................................ 7
9. BLAZARS ..................................................................................................................... 8
10. NOOR SATELLITE ..................................................................................................... 8
11. UNIFIED GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE MOON ................................................................. 8
12. MAGNETOSPHERE ................................................................................................... 8
13. WHAT IS 'SOLAR MINIMUM' AND WHY IS IT HAPPENING NOW? .............................. 9
14. ANTARCTIC IMPULSIVE TRANSIENT ANTENNA OR ANITA ......................................... 9
15. ARKTIKA-M SATELLITE ........................................................................................... 10
16. SUN’S CORONA ..................................................................................................... 10
17. DETECTION OF flUORINE IN HOT EXTREME HELIUM STARS .................................... 10
18. BEIDOU ................................................................................................................. 11
19. SPACEX CREW DRAGON......................................................................................... 12
20. SPACEX’S SN5 STARSHIP PROTOTYPE ..................................................................... 12
21. INDIA’S ASTROSAT TELESCOPE DISCOVERS ONE OF THE EARLIEST GALAXIES TO
HAVE FORMED ................................................................................................................. 12
22. POKKALI VARIETY OF RICE ...................................................................................... 13

Technologies / New Discoveries .................................................................................. 14

1. HOW WILL IN-FLIGHT WIFI WORK? ........................................................................... 14
2. MAC-BINDING ........................................................................................................... 14
3. OSSIFICATION TEST ................................................................................................... 14
4. HYDROGEN FUEL....................................................................................................... 15
5. TRIBOE MASKS AND TRIBOELECTRICITY ..................................................................... 16
6. REVERSE VACCINOLOGY ............................................................................................ 16
7. ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS BASED GLOBAL IONOSPHERIC MODEL (ANNIM) ....... 17
8. GEOFENCING ............................................................................................................ 17
9. CHITRA GENELAMP-N ............................................................................................... 18
10. FELUDA ................................................................................................................. 18
11. DEEP NUDES.......................................................................................................... 19
12. ULTRAVIOLET GERMICIDAL RADIATION (UVGI) ...................................................... 19
13. ATULYA ................................................................................................................. 19
14. ECOVSENS ............................................................................................................. 19

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15. DOES USING UV RAY MECHANISM ON FOOD ITEMS KILL THE CORONAVIRUS? ....... 20
16. ELISA-BASED ANTIBODY TEST ................................................................................ 20
17. ULTRA SWACHH .................................................................................................... 21
18. CORO-BOT- WORLD'S FIRST 'INTERNET-CONTROLLED' ROBOT ............................... 21
19. ANTI-VIRAL VIROBLOCK TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY ...................................................... 21
20. LIDAR- LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING ............................................................... 22
21. FIFTH STATE OF MATTER ....................................................................................... 22
22. OTT (OVER-THE-TOP) STREAMING ......................................................................... 23

Government Initiatives /Departments ........................................................................ 24

1. NATIONAL MISSION ON INTERDISCIPLINARY CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEMS .................... 24
2. NIDHI PROGRAM....................................................................................................... 24
3. NATIONAL SUPERCOMPUTING MISSION (NSM) ......................................................... 25
4. YUVA VIGYANI KARYAKRAM ...................................................................................... 25
5. NATIONAL INNOVATION FOUNDATION ..................................................................... 26
6. COLLABCAD .............................................................................................................. 26
7. SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY PARKS OF INDIA (STPI) ...................................................... 27
8. INDIAN NATIONAL SPACE PROMOTION AND AUTHORIZATION CENTRE ..................... 28
9. AAROGYAPATH ......................................................................................................... 28

Biotechnology ............................................................................................................ 29
1. CORD BLOOD BANKING ............................................................................................. 29

Events / Celebrations .................................................................................................. 30

1. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NANO SCIENCE AND NANO TECHNOLOGY
(ICONSAT) ........................................................................................................................ 30
2. NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY ................................................................................... 30

Miscellaneous............................................................................................................. 31
1. GI TAG ...................................................................................................................... 31
2. SEPSIS ....................................................................................................................... 32
3. GOOGLE SUBSIDIARY VERILY ..................................................................................... 32
4. SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE ........................................................................................... 32
5. VARIOUS PANDEMICS AND HOW HAVE THEY INFLUENCED THE COURSE OF HUMAN
HISTORY? ......................................................................................................................... 32
6. ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE .............................................................................. 32
7. U.K. MOOTS ‘5G CLUB’ .............................................................................................. 33
8. RELATION BETWEEN VITAMIN D AND COVID 19 ........................................................ 33
9. MICRORNA ............................................................................................................... 33
10. WHAT IS ‘SONIC BOOM’ ........................................................................................ 33
11. GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (GPAI) .................................. 33
12. MALATHION .......................................................................................................... 34
13. DEXAMETHASONE ................................................................................................. 35
14. PLACEBOS ............................................................................................................. 35
15. SPUTNIK V ............................................................................................................. 35
16. NINJA UAVS ........................................................................................................... 35
17. FLAVONOIDS ......................................................................................................... 35

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Defence Technology
1. RaIDer-X
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Institute of
Science in Bangalore have developed a new bomb detection device called Raider-X.

What is RaIDer-X?
It is an explosives detection device.
It can detect up to 20 explosives from a stand-off distance of two meters.
Developed by the High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL) — an arm of the DRDO —
in Pune and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.
• It can also discern bulk explosives even if they have been concealed.

Applications:
The device has various applications including narcotics, for local police, for customs and other
detection agencies who need to detect various elements which may be explosive or non-explosive
in nature.
Devices like RaIDer-X are incremental to thwarting the threat from homemade explosives.

2. Patriot air defence missiles

US recently deployed Patriot air defence missiles to Iraq.
Patriot (MIM-104) is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defence system to counter tactical
ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft.
The missile is equipped with a track-via-missile (TVM) guidance system.
The missile has a range of 70km and a maximum altitude greater than 24km. The minimum
flight time is less than nine seconds and the maximum is three and a half minutes.

3. MK 54 lightweight torpedo
US Department of State had approved a Foreign Military Sale to India of 16 MK 54 all round up
lightweight torpedoes.
MK 54 lightweight torpedo was known as the Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo (LHT). It weighs
around 608 pounds, while its warhead weighs around 96.8 pounds and is highly explosive. These
torpedoes are used by US surface ships, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters and are their primary
anti-submarine warfare weapon.

4. Missile Park
'Agneeprastha' to be
set up at INS Kalinga
It aims to capture glimpses of
missile history of INS Kalinga
from its establishment in 1981
till date.
• It will be dedicated to all the
officers, sailors and support
staff of INS Kalinga.
• It will also commemorate the
award of the prestigious Unit
Citation to INS Kalinga for
the year 2018-19.
• P-70 'Ametist', an
underwater launched anti-

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ship missile from the arsenal of the old 'Chakra' (Charlie-1 submarine) which was in service
with Indian Navy during 1988-91 is the main attraction point in the Park.
• INS Kalinga is a premier Naval Establishment located on the Visakhapatnam-
Bheemunipatnam beach road under the Eastern Naval Command.

5. INS Viraat
• Originally commissioned by the British Navy as HMS Hermes on November 18, 1959, the
aircraft carrier had taken part in the Falkland Islands war in 1982.
• India bought the British carrier in 1986 and rechristened it as INS Viraat.
• INS Viraat is the Guinness record holder for being the longest-serving warship of the world.
Why in News?
One of the biggest ship recyclers at Alang — Shree Ram Group — has purchased the aircraft
carrier.
• This is the second aircraft carrier to be broken in India in the past six years. In 2014, INS
Vikrant, which played a role in the historic 1971 war with Pakistan was broken down in
Mumbai.

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Space Technology
1. ExoMars
Launch of ExoMars rover delayed to 2022.

About the rover:

• The European-built Rosalind Franklin rover, recently passed final pre-launch thermal and
vacuum tests at an Airbus facility in Toulouse, France.
• Rosalind Franklin is the first European Mars rover.

About ExoMars:
It is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of whether life has ever
existed on Mars.

Components of the mission:

The programme comprises two missions.
• The first launched in March 2016 and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and
Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module.
• TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace
atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes.
The Schiaparelli probe crashed during its attempt to land on Mars.
• The second, comprising a rover and surface platform, is planned for 2022. Together they
will address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.

2. SunRISE mission
NASA has selected a new mission to study how the Sun generates and releases giant space
weather storms – known as solar particle storms – into planetary space.

Overview of the mission- the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE):
It is an array of six CubeSats operating as one very large radio telescope.

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NASA is planning to launch SunRISE by no earlier than July 1, 2023.

Objectives of the mission:

1. To study how the Sun creates and releases giant solar particle storms.
2. To help scientists understand the workings of the Solar System.

How it works?
• The mission design relies on six solar-powered CubeSats to simultaneously observe radio
images of low-frequency emission from solar activity and share them via NASA’s Deep Space
Network.
• The six individual spacecraft will also work together to map, for the first time, the pattern of
magnetic field lines reaching from the Sun out into interplanetary space.

Why study solar particle storms?

This information will help improve understanding of how our solar system works.
It can help protect astronauts traveling to the Moon and Mars by providing better information on
how the Sun’s radiation affects the space environment they must travel through.

3. GRACE-FO mission
New satellite-based, weekly global maps of soil moisture and groundwater wetness conditions
were developed by NASA and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) on March 31, 2020.
Data available from NASA and German Research Center for Geosciences’ Gravity Recovery and
Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE-FO) satellites was used to derive these global maps.

About GRACE- FO mission:

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on (GRACE-FO) mission is a partnership
between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
GRACE-FO is a successor to the original GRACE mission, which began orbiting Earth on March 17,
2002. The GRACE missions measure variations in gravity over Earth’s surface, producing a new
map of the gravity field every 30 days.
• GRACE-FO will continue the work of tracking Earth’s water movement to monitor changes in
underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, soil moisture, ice
sheets and glaciers, and sea level caused by the addition of water to the ocean.
• These discoveries provide a unique view of Earth’s climate and have far-reaching benefits to
society and the world’s population.

4. Artemis Program
NASA unveils plan for Artemis 'base camp' on the moon beyond 2024. Artemis Base Camp is
meant to be a long-term foothold for lunar exploration, perhaps in Shackleton Crater at the
moon's south pole.

About Artemis Program is already covered in previous Science and Technology Module

5. NASA’s Gateway Lunar Orbit outpost

What is NASA’s Gateway Lunar Orbit outpost?
• The Gateway is a small spaceship that will orbit the Moon, meant for astronaut missions to
the Moon and later, for expeditions to Mars.
• It will act as a temporary office and living quarters for astronauts, distanced at about
250,000 miles from Earth.
• The spaceship will have living quarters, laboratories for science and research and docking
ports for visiting spacecraft.
• Compared to the ISS, the Gateway is much smaller.

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How long will it take to build the Gateway?
As of now, NASA has targeted the completion of the Gateway for 2026, while work on the
spaceship is already underway.

6. Lithium rich red giants

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute under the
Department of Science &Technology, Govt. of India, have discovered hundreds of Li-rich giant
stars.
They have also associated such Li enhancement with central He-burning stars, also known as red
clump giants, thereby opening up new vistas in the evolution of the red giant stars.

Implications:
This discovery indicates that Li is being produced in the stars and accounts for its abundance in
the interstellar medium.
Identifying sources of Li enrichment in our Galaxy has
been a great interest to researchers to validate Big Bang
Nucleosynthesis as well as a stellar mixing process.

Background:
Lithium (Li), is one of the three primordial elements,
apart from Hydrogen and Helium (He), produced in the
big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN).

Li in stars:
Stars are proposed as likely Li source in the Galaxy. In
general, stars are considered as Li sinks.

7. First merger of two black holes with unequal masses detected

The gravitational wave observatories at LIGO scientific collaboration have detected a merger of
two unequal-mass black holes. The event has been named as GW190412.
This is the first such observation involving two black holes of unequal masses coalescing.

Significance of the discovery:

This observation once again confirms Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which predicts the
existence of higher harmonics, i.e. gravitational waves at two or three times the fundamental
frequency.

A black hole is an object in space that is so dense and has such strong gravity that no matter or
light can escape its pull. Because no light can escape, it is black and invisible.

8. Primordial Black Holes (PBH)

• Primordial Black Holes (PBH) were formed during the Hot Big Bang phase.
• It is believed that they are formed as a result of collapsing radiations as opposed to the
collapse of massive stars, which is the case of any other black holes.
• PBH can be massively large as 3000kms or be extremely tiny like nucleus of an atom.

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9. Blazars
Blazars are among the brightest objects in the universe
thanks to emissions powered by supersized black holes.
• Blazars are similar to all active galaxies, acquiring
energy from matter falling toward a central
supermassive black hole. A small part of this infalling
material becomes redirected into a pair of particle
jets, which blast outward in opposite directions at
nearly the speed of light.

10. Noor satellite

It is a military satellite launched recently by Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps — a branch of the country’s
armed forces.
The satellite flew into orbit on top of a multi-stage Qased
rocket.

11. Unified Geologic Map of the Moon

It is the first ever digital, unified, global, geological map of the moon.
• It was released virtually by the United States
Geological Survey (USGS), National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(Nasa) and the Lunar Planetary Institute on
April 22, 2020.
• The map is a ‘seamless, globally consistent,
1:5,000,000-scale geologic map’.
• It will serve as a blueprint for future human
missions and a source of research and analysis for the educators and the general public
interested in lunar geology.

12. Magnetosphere
Magnetosphere is the region around a planet dominated by the planet's magnetic field.
Other planets in our solar system have magnetospheres, but Earth has the strongest one of all
the rocky planets.
Significance: The magnetosphere shields our home planet from solar and cosmic particle
radiation, as well as erosion of the atmosphere by the solar wind - the constant flow of charged
particles streaming off the sun.

How it is generated?
Earth's magnetosphere is part of a dynamic, interconnected system that responds to solar,
planetary, and interstellar conditions.
It is generated by the convective motion of charged, molten iron, far below the surface in
Earth's outer core.
1. Constant bombardment by the solar wind compresses the sun-facing side of our magnetic
field.
2. The sun-facing side, or dayside, extends a distance of about six to 10 times the radius of the
Earth.
3. The side of the magnetosphere facing away from the sun - the nightside - stretches out into
an immense magnetotail, which fluctuates in length and can measure hundreds of Earth radii,
far past the moon's orbit at 60 Earth radii.

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Why study
magnetosphere?
1. To better understand its
role in our space
environment. It will
unravel the
fundamental physics of
space, which is dominated by complex electromagnetic interactions unlike what we
experience day-to-day on Earth.
2. Better understanding of the science of the magnetosphere helps improve our space weather
models.

Key terms:
• The solar wind drags out the night-side magnetosphere to possibly 1000 times Earth's radius;
its exact length is not known. This extension of the magnetosphere is known as the
Magnetotail.
• The outer boundary of Earth's confined geomagnetic field is called the Magnetopause.

13. What is 'Solar Minimum' and why is it happening now?

The sun is said to have gone into a state called the 'solar minimum' and is about to enter the
deepest period of 'sunshine recession' as sunspots are virtually not visibly at all.
Some reports suggest that it has been almost 100 days this year when the sun has shown zero
sunspots.

What is solar minimum and why is it happening now?

Sun has a cycle that lasts on average 11 years, and right
now we are at the peak of that cycle.
Every 11 years or so, sunspots fade away, bringing a period
of relative calm. This is called the solar minimum. And it’s a
regular part of the sunspot cycle.

Implications:
• While intense activity such as sunspots and solar flares subside during solar minimum, that
doesn’t mean the sun becomes dull. Solar activity simply changes form. For instance, during
solar minimum we can see the development of long-lived coronal holes.
• But, this may cause health risks to astronauts travelling through space as "the sun’s magnetic
field weakens and provides less shielding from these cosmic rays."

14. ANtarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna or ANITA

NASA experiment has indicated the possibility of a parallel universe. WIth this, ANtarctic
Impulsive Transient Antenna or ANITA has suddenly come into the limelight as the cosmic-ray
shower that is key to the new discovery was a part of NASA's ANITA and IceCube experiment
taking place in Antarctica.

What is ANITA?
• Designed by NASA, the ANITA instrument is a radio telescope which is used to detect ultra-
high energy cosmic-ray neutrinos from a scientific balloon flying over Antarctica.
• ANITA is the first NASA observatory for neutrinos of any kind.
• It involves an array of radio antennas attached to a helium balloon which flies over the
Antarctic ice sheet at 37,000 meters.

Facts for Prelims:

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The neutrinos have energies on the order of 1018 eV and they are capable of producing radio
pulses in the ice because of the Askaryan effect.

What are neutrinos?

Neutrinos are high-energy particles that pose no threat to us and pass through most solid objects
without anyone even noticing.
Neutrinos constantly bombard Earth and as per some estimates emerging from studies, 100
trillion neutrinos pass through your body every second.

Do they interact with matter?

Rarely do they interact with matter. But if they do smash into an atom, they produce a shower of
secondary particles we can detect, which allows us to probe where they came from in the
universe.

15. Arktika-M satellite

Russia will be launching its first Arktika-M satellite to monitor the Arctic climate and
environment later this year.
Russia`s Arktika-M remote-sensing and emergency communications satellites will gather
meteorological data in the polar regions of the Earth, which will allow to improve weather
forecasts and will enable scientists to better study climate change.

16. Sun’s Corona

Scientists have recently discovered tiny flashes of radio light emanating from all over the Sun,
which they say could help in explaining the long-pending coronal heating problem.
The data was collected with the help of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope.

What is it?
The radio lights or signals under study result from beams of electrons accelerated in the
aftermath of a magnetic explosion on the Sun.
These observations are the strongest evidence till date that the tiny magnetic explosions,
originally referred to as ‘nanoflares’ by eminent American solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker.
Researchers believe that these explosions could indeed be heating up the corona.

About Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope:

• It is a joint project between an international consortium of organisations to construct and
operate a low-frequency radio array.
• Operating in the frequency range 70–300 MHz, the main scientific goals of the MWA are to
detect neutral atomic Hydrogen emission from the cosmological Epoch of Reionization
(EoR), to study the sun, the heliosphere, the Earth's ionosphere, and radio transient
phenomena, as well as map the extragalactic radio sky.

About Sun's Corona is already covered in previous Science and Technology Module

17. Detection of fluorine in hot Extreme Helium Stars

A study by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) an autonomous institute of Department of
Science and Technology has detected the presence of singly ionised fluorine for the first time in
the atmospheres of hot Extreme Helium Stars.
This discovery makes a strong case that the main formation of these objects involves a merger of
a carbon-oxygen (CO) and a Helium (He) white dwarf.

What is an Extreme Helium Star?

An extreme helium star or EHe is a low-mass supergiant that is almost devoid of hydrogen, the
most common chemical element of the universe.
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There are 21 of them detected so far in our galaxy.

Significance of the latest findings:

The origin and evolution of these Hydrogen deficient objects have been shrouded in mystery.
Their severe chemical peculiarities challenge the theory of well-accepted stellar evolution as the
observed chemical composition of these stars do not match with that predicted for low mass
evolved stars.

What is a White Dwarf?

1. A white dwarf is what stars like the Sun become after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel.
2. Near the end of its nuclear burning stage, this type of star expels most of its outer material,
creating a planetary nebula. Only the hot core of the star remains
3. This core becomes a very hot white dwarf, with a temperature exceeding 100,000 Kelvin.
4. Unless it is accreting matter from a nearby star (see Cataclysmic Variables), the white dwarf
cools down over the next billion years or so.
5. A typical white dwarf is half as massive as the Sun, yet only slightly bigger than Earth.

18. BeiDou
China has recently completed its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System constellation.

What is the BeiDou navigation system?

It is Chinese Satellite Navigation System.
The system uses a network of satellites and can provide positional accuracies of under ten
metres (GPS provides positioning accuracies of under 2.2 metres).
• China initiated BeiDou in 1994 with aims to integrate its application in different sectors,
including fishery, agriculture, special care, mass-market applications, forestry and public
security.
• BeiDou offers services including accurate positioning, navigation and timing as well as short
message communication.

How many satellites are there in the system?

It consists of 27 satellites in medium Earth orbit, five in geostationary orbit and three more in
inclined geosynchronous orbits.

Which other
countries are
working on
building their
navigation
systems?
1. The GPS is
owned by
the US
government
and operated
by the US Air
Force.
2. Russia has its
navigation
system called
GLONASS.
3. The European Union (EU) has Galileo.
4. India’s navigation system is called Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).

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19. SpaceX Crew Dragon

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley onboard
splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020.

What is it?
In May 2020, the Crew Dragon became the first space vehicle to launch humans from American
soil in nine years.
Built by Elon Musk's SpaceX, it's part of Nasa's plan to hand over space station flights to private
companies.
• SpaceX was given funding through NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which started in
2010 to foster public-private partnerships for space exploration.

Background:
Crew Dragon evolved from an earlier
design, called Dragon 1, which launched 20
times on missions to deliver cargo to the ISS
between May 2012 and March 2020.

Importance of the mission:

• It was the first time that astronauts
used a spaceship built and launched by
a private company, and the event is
being widely seen as the beginning of a
new era in space exploration.
• The rocket, named Falcon 9, which
carried the spaceship into the orbit,
was also built by SpaceX.
• The mission was called Demo-2, in
keeping with the fact that it was only a
‘test flight’, which if successful, would
lead to more missions in the coming months.

20. SpaceX’s SN5 Starship prototype

It is a prototype of SpaceX’s uncrewed “Mars ship”. It is a stainless-steel test.
• It is a part of the Starship spacecraft.

Why in News?
The prototype recently completed its first test flight. It successfully flew to an altitude of over 500
feet for a little less than 60 seconds.

What is Starship?
Designed by SpaceX, Starship is a spacecraft and super-heavy booster rocket meant to act as a
reusable transportation system for crew and cargo to the Earth’s orbit, Moon and Mars.
SpaceX has described Starship as “the world’s most powerful launch vehicle” with an ability to
carry over 100 metric tonnes to the Earth’s orbit.

21. India’s AstroSat telescope discovers one of the earliest galaxies to have
formed
India’s multi-wavelength orbiting telescope, AstroSat, has detected light from a galaxy, called
AUDFs01, in the extreme-ultraviolet (UV) light.
• The galaxy is 9.3 billion light years away from Earth.

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About AstroSat:
It is India’s first multi-
wavelength space
telescope, which has
five telescopes seeing
through different
wavelengths
simultaneously —
visible, near UV, far UV,
soft X-ray and hard X-
ray.
• Onboard
the AstroSat is a
38-cm wide
UltraViolet
Imaging Telescope
(UVIT), which is
capable of imaging in far and near-ultraviolet bands over a wide field of view.
• AstroSat was launched on 28 September 2015 by ISRO into a near-Earth equatorial orbit.
• It is a multi-institute collaborative project, involving IUCAA, ISRO, Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research (Mumbai), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (Bengaluru), and Physical
Research Laboratory (Ahmedabad), among others.

22. Pokkali variety of rice

The pokkali variety of rice is known for its saltwater resistance and flourishes in the rice paddies
of coastal Kerala districts.
• The uniqueness of the rice has brought it the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and is the
subject of continuing research.
• The organically-grown Pokkali is famed for its peculiar taste and its high protein content.

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Technologies / New Discoveries
1. How will in-flight WiFi work?
The government has permitted airlines operating in India to provide in-flight WiFi services to
passengers.
Previously, the Telecom Commission had given its green signal to in-flight connectivity of Internet
and mobile communications on aircraft in Indian airspace in 2018.

Who can permit?

The pilot may permit the access of Internet services by passengers on board an aircraft in flight,
through Wi-Fi on board, when devices are used in flight mode or airplane mode.

How in- flight connectivity works?

In-flight connectivity systems use two kinds of technologies- terrestrial and satellite internet
services.
1. Once flight mode is activated, the plane’s antenna will link to terrestrial Internet services
provided by telecom service providers.
2. Then, when the aircraft has climbed to 3,000 m, the antenna will switch to satellite-based
services.
This way, there will be no break in Internet services to passengers, and cross-interference
between terrestrial and satellite networks will be avoided.

2. Mac-binding
Internet has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir, but the connectivity will be made available
“with mac-binding”.

What is Mac-binding?
Every device has a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a hardware identification number that is
unique to it. While accessing the Internet, every device is assigned an IP address.
• Mac-binding essentially means binding together the MAC and IP addresses, so that all
requests from that IP address are served only by the computer having that particular MAC
address.
• In effect, it means that if the IP address or the MAC address changes, the device can no longer
access the Internet. Also, monitoring authorities can trace the specific system from which a
particular online activity was carried out.

3. Ossification test
It is the primary test for age determination.
Human bones are remodelled and new layer of bone material is laid by a process called
ossification (or osteogenesis). Based upon this phenomenon, ossification test is carried out.
Under Indian law: Courts have held that medical opinion based upon ossification test is merely
an expert opinion under the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Therefore, it cannot be binding upon
courts. In State of Madhya Pradesh v. Anoop Singh, court held that the ossification test is not
sole criteria for determination of age.

Other key facts:

• This test only tells the ‘estimated’ age of a person and not the exact age.
• The test is not useful when a person has crossed 25-27 years of age. This is primarily because
nearly all the bones are completely ossified and the skeletal growth ceases by the age of 25
years.

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4. Hydrogen Fuel
• Hydrogen is the lightest and first element on the periodic table. Since the weight of
hydrogen is less than air, it rises in the atmosphere and is therefore rarely found in its pure
form, H2.
• At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a nontoxic, nonmetallic, odorless,
tasteless, colorless, and highly combustible diatomic gas.
• Hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel burned with oxygen. It can be used in fuel cells or
internal combustion engines. It is also used as a fuel for spacecraft propulsion.

Occurrence of Hydrogen:
• It is the most abundant element in the universe. The sun and other stars are composed
largely of hydrogen.
• Astronomers estimate that 90% of the atoms in the universe are hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen
is a component of more compounds than any other element.
• Water is the most abundant compound of hydrogen found on earth.
• Molecular hydrogen is not available on Earth in convenient natural reservoirs. Most hydrogen
on Earth is bonded to oxygen in water and to carbon in live or dead and/or fossilized biomass.
It can be created by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Storage:
• Hydrogen can be stored physically as either a gas or a liquid. Storage of hydrogen as a gas
typically requires high-pressure tanks.
• Storage of hydrogen as a liquid requires cryogenic temperatures because the boiling point of
hydrogen at one atmosphere pressure is −252.8°C.
• Hydrogen can also be stored on the surfaces of solids (by adsorption) or within solids (by
absorption).

Potential of clean hydrogen industry in reducing greenhouse gas emissions:

1. Hydrogen as a fuel has long been touted as an almost magical solution to air pollution crisis.
The only by-product or emission that results from the usage of hydrogen fuel is water —
making the fuel 100 per cent clean.
2. Hydrogen is considered an alternative fuel. It is due to its ability to power fuel cells in zero-
emission electric vehicles, its potential for domestic production, and the fuel cell’s potential
for high efficiency.
3. In fact, a fuel cell coupled with an electric motor is two to three times more efficient than an
internal combustion engine running on gasoline.
4. Hydrogen can also serve as fuel for internal combustion engines.
5. The energy in 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of hydrogen gas contains about the same as the energy
in 1 gallon (6.2 pounds, 2.8 kilograms) of gasoline.

Benefits of hydrogen as a fuel:

1. It is readily available.
2. It doesn’t produce harmful emissions.
3. It is environmentally friendly and is a non-toxic substance.
4. It can be used as fuel in rockets.
5. Hydrogen is three times as powerful as gasoline and other fossil fuels. This means that it
can accomplish more with less.
6. It is fuel efficient. Compared to diesel or gas, it is much more fuel efficient as it can
produce more energy per pound of fuel.
7. It is renewable. It can be produced again and again, unlike other non-renewable sources
of energy.

Limitations to Hydrogen production:

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1. Hydrogen does not occur in deposits or reserves like fossil fuel. It needs to be actually
produced using chemical reactions.
2. Hydrogen, using renewables, is far more expensive to produce. And hydrogen-fueled
vehicles are also more expensive than even battery-electric ones.
3. It is highly flammable. It is difficult to store.
4. The clean hydrogen industry is small and costs are high. There is a big potential for costs
to fall, but the use of hydrogen needs to be scaled up and a network of supply
infrastructure created.

5. TriboE masks and triboelectricity

A team of researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore, an
autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have come up with a
recipe for making face masks, termed as TriboE Mask, that can hold electric charges to restrict the
entry of infections but interestingly, without any external power.

How they operate or work?

It relies on electrostatics. When two non-conducting layers are rubbed against each other, the
layers develop positive and negative charges instantly and continue to hold the charges for
some time. This electric field, quite strong at proximity, is used to deactivate or possibly even kill
the germs.

Key features of these masks:

1. The mask is three-layered –a layer of nylon cloth sandwiched between polypropylene
layers, the latter sourced from commonly used non woven grocery bags.
2. In place of nylon, silk fabric from an old saree or shawl may also be cut and used.
3. When layers are rubbed against each other, the outer layers develop negative charges, while
nylon will hold the positive charges.
4. This will act as double electric wall protection against the infectious entities crossing.
5. As the mask is made out of commonly available fabrics, it can be washed just like any other
cloth and can be reused.

What is triboelectric effects?

• Also known as triboelectric charging, it is a type of contact electrification on which certain
materials become electrically charged after they are separated from a different material with
which they were in contact.
• Rubbing the two materials each with the other increases the contact between their surfaces,
and hence the triboelectric effect.

Examples:
A very familiar example could be the rubbing of a plastic pen on a sleeve of almost any typical
material like cotton, wool, polyester, or blended fabric used in modern clothing.
Such an electrified pen would readily attract and pick up pieces of paper less than a square
centimeter when the pen approaches.

6. Reverse Vaccinology
Researchers from Tamil Nadu have developed a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 through
‘reverse vaccinology’.
Previously, Reverse vaccinology has been used for developing vaccinations for meningococcal
and staphylococcal infections.

What is reverse vaccinology?

1. Reverse vaccinology defines the process of antigen discovery starting from genome
information.

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2. This is done with the aid of computers without culturing microorganism.
3. The process includes comparative in silico analyses of multiple genome sequences in order
to identify conserved antigens within a heterogeneous pathogen population and
identification of antigens that are unique to pathogenic isolates but not present in commensal
strains.
4. In addition, transcriptomic and proteomic data sets are integrated into a selection process
that yields a short list of candidate antigens to be tested in animal models, thus reducing the
costs and time of downstream analyses.

Pros:
Finding vaccine targets quickly and efficiently.

Cons:
Only proteins can be targeted using this process. Whereas, conventional vaccinology approaches
can find other biomolecular targets such as polysaccharides.

7. Artificial Neural Networks based global Ionospheric Model (ANNIM)

Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), Navi Mumbai, an autonomous institute
of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, have developed a global model to
predict the ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage—a crucial need for
communication and navigation.
The model- Artificial Neural Networks based global Ionospheric Model (ANNIM)- has been
developed using long-term ionospheric observations to predict the ionospheric electron density
and the peak parameters.

How it works?
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) replicate the processes in the human brain (or biological
neurons) to solve problems such as pattern recognition, classification, clustering, generalization,
linear and nonlinear data fitting, and time series prediction.
The target (output) of ANNs is the electron density as a function of altitude for any given
location and time.

8. Geofencing
The centre had tested an application that triggers e-mails and SMS alerts to an authorised
government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the
person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location. The “geo-fencing” is accurate by up to 300 m.

Geofencing is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or
cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits
a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location, known as a geofence.

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Depending on how a geofence is configured it can prompt mobile push notifications, trigger text
messages or alerts, send targeted advertisements on social media, allow tracking on vehicle
fleets, disable certain technology or deliver location-based marketing data.

How geofencing works?

To make use of geofencing, an administrator or developer must first establish a virtual boundary
around a specified location in GPS- or RFID-
enabled software.
This virtual geofence will then trigger a response
when an authorized device enters or exits that
area, as specified by the administrator or
developer.

Other applications of geofence:

1. Social networking.
2. Marketing.
3. Audience engagement.
4. Smart appliances.
5. Human Resource management.
6. Telematics.
7. Security.

9. Chitra GeneLAMP-N
It is a diagnostic test kit that can confirm COVID19 in 2 hours at low cost.
It has been developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology,
Trivandrum, an Institute of National Importance, of the Department of Science and Technology
(DST).

How it works?
The confirmatory diagnostic test detects the N Gene of SARS-
COV2 using reverse transcriptase loop-mediated amplification
of viral nucleic acid (RT-LAMP).
The test kit is highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 N-gene and can
detect two regions of the gene, which will ensure that the test
does not fail even if one region of the viral gene undergoes
mutation during its current spread.

What is Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)?

It is a technique for the amplification of RNA. It is used in the detection of viruses.
In this method, a DNA copy of the viral RNA is generated by reverse transcriptase, and then
isothermal amplification is carried out to increase the amount of total DNA.

10. Feluda
• Feluda is a low-cost, paper-strip test which can detect the new coronavirus within an hour.
• Developed by Scientists at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research — Institute of
Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB).
• It is expected to cost around Rs 500 against the RT-PCR test that costs Rs 4,500 in private labs.
• The test is based on a bacterial immune system protein called Cas9.
• It uses cutting-edge gene-editing tool Crispr-Cas9 system.

What are Genes and what is gene- editing?

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Genes contain the bio-information that defines any individual. Physical attributes like height,
skin or hair colour, more subtle features and even behavioural traits can be attributed to
information encoded in the genetic material.
An ability to alter this information gives scientists the power to control some of these features.

11. Deep nudes

Deep nudes are computer-generated images and videos.
Cybercriminals use Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to superimpose a digital composite
(assembling multiple media files to make a final one) on to an existing video, photo or audio.
Concerns: Because of how realistic deepfake images, audio and videos can be, the technology is
vulnerable for use by cybercriminals who could spread misinformation to intimidate or blackmail
people.

12. Ultraviolet germicidal radiation (UVGI)

Scientists are studying the use of ultraviolet germicidal radiation (UVGI) to detect Coronavirus in
public places.
Through this method, ultraviolet (UV) lights would be able to disinfect contaminated public
spaces to stop the transmission of the virus.

What is UV light?
UV light from the sun has shorter wavelengths than visible light and, therefore, is not visible to
the naked eye.
The full spectrum of UV radiation is sourced from the sun and can be subdivided into UV-A, UV-
B and UV-C rays.
In this spectrum, UV-C rays are the most harmful and are completely absorbed by the Earth’s
atmosphere.

How it affects human body?

• While both UV-A and UV-B rays are harmful, exposure to UV-B rays can cause DNA and
cellular damage in living organisms.
• Increased exposure to it can cause cells to become carcinogenic, thereby increasing the
risk of getting cancer.

UVGI uses the “destructive properties” of UV light to target pathogens. UVGI replicates UV
wavelengths that disinfects contaminated spaces, air and water.

13. ATULYA
• It is a cost-effective solution to disintegrate corona virus.
• This microwave steriliser can be operated in portable or fixed installations and helps in
disintegrating the virus by differential heating in the range of 56 to 60 Celsius temperatures.
• Developed by Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune.

14. eCovSens
• It is a biosensor that can detect the novel coronavirus in saliva
samples.
• It has been developed by researchers from the National Institute
of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad.
• The device gives results within 30 seconds using just 20 microlitres
of the sample.
• How it works? The device consists of a carbon electrode and the
coronavirus antibody. The antibody is capable of binding with the spike protein found on the
outer layer of the virus. An electrical signal is generated when the antigen and antibody binds.

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15. Does using UV ray mechanism on food items kill the coronavirus?
Many sweet shop owners across India have started using the UV light mechanism to disinfect
food items and killing the virus.

How is it being used?

UV radiations are normally used to kill microorganisms.
Particularly, UV-C, also known as Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection
method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by
destroying their nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital
cellular functions and stops their replication.
• UVGI is used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, and water disinfection.
• Few research studies have found that UVC radiation is also effective in killing coronaviruses
on various surfaces, but efficiency is variable for different kinds of surfaces depending on their
texture.

What is UV radiation?
UV radiation is the portion of the Electro Magnetic spectrum between X-rays and visible light.

The most common form of UV radiation is sunlight, which produces three main types of UV rays:
1. UVA
2. UVB
3. UVC

Key features:
• UVA rays have the longest wavelengths, followed by UVB, and UVC rays which have the
shortest wavelengths.
• While UVA and UVB rays are transmitted through the atmosphere, all UVC and some UVB
rays are absorbed by the Earth’s ozone layer. So, most of the UV rays you come in contact
with are UVA with a small amount of UVB.

16. ELISA-based Antibody Test

The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) based test is used for the detection of
antibodies that are produced by the body to fight against antigens or foreign substances.

How is it carried out?

ELISA-based tests are blood-based tests, which have high sensitivity and specificity.
1. The test involves drawing the blood of the person.
2. The sample is then placed inside the small wells of an ELISA plate.
3. These plates are coated with the antigen or the inactivated form of the virus.
4. If the blood contains antibodies, it binds to the antigen and a substrate solution is added to
the well.
5. The reaction usually produces a colour change, thus detecting antibodies.

What is IgG?
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is an antibody.

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The body produces Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies to fight against a pathogen.
1. The IgM antibodies are produced in four-seven days after pathogens enter the body.
2. The IgG antibodies are produced between 10-14 days of the pathogen's appearance. If
the IgG antibody is detected, it can be concluded that the person was exposed to SARS-
CoV-2.

How is it different from rapid antibody kits and RT-PCR tests?

ELISA is also a form of a rapid test. However, other rapid antibody test kits are point-of-care and
use a finger-prick method to draw blood. They take much lesser time and do not need a
laboratory process to detect antibodies.
Both, ELISA-based tests and point-of-care tests are not used for confirming Covid-19 infection
and are only used for surveillance purpose.
Those who test positive using these tests are usually tested with RT-PCR tests.
• RT-PCR tests are considered as the gold standard for confirming the presence of SARS-
CoV-2.
• RT-PCR is a time consuming, lab-based test and involves the collection of throat and nasal
swabs and is not a blood-based test.

17. Ultra Swachh

It is a disinfection unit to disinfect a wide range of
materials, including Personal Protective Equipment
(PPEs), electronics items, fabrics, etc.
Developed by DRDO.
The system uses an advanced oxidative process
comprising of multiple barrier disruption approach
using Ozonated Space Technology for disinfection.

18. Coro-bot- World's first 'Internet-controlled' robot

Engineer from Thane has made a first-of-its kind 'Internet-controlled' robot specifically to
address the needs of hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.
• The gizmo, aptly called 'Coro-bot' independently dispenses food, water, beverages,
medicines - and even some good advice - to Corona patients without the needs for nurses,
ward staff or other care-givers.
• It eliminates the need of physical presence or contact of nurses or ward boys with the patient.

19. Anti-viral Viroblock textile technology

Textile major Arvind Limited has announced the launch of an anti-viral textile technology for its
fabric and garment products.
Significance:
Research shows that viruses and bacteria, can remain active on textile surfaces for up to two
days. Arvind claims that garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock actively inhibit viruses and kill
them upon contact, helping to minimize the potential for re-transmission of pathogens through
clothing.
What is HeiQ Viroblock?
HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is an intelligent Swiss textile technology that is added to the fabric during
the final stage of the textile manufacturing process. It is a special combination of advanced silver
and vesicle technology.
• It has proven effective against SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 causing virus
• Suitable for all fiber types, from medical nonwovens (e.g. face masks) to fabrics for
clothing and home textiles.

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20. LiDAR- Light Detection and Ranging
What is LiDAR?
It is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges
(variable distances) to the Earth.
These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system— generate
precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface
characteristics.

How it works?
• A lidar instrument principally consists
of a laser, a scanner, and a
specialized GPS receiver.
• Airplanes and helicopters are the
most commonly used platforms for
acquiring lidar data over broad areas.
• LiDAR follows a simple principle —
throw laser light at an object on the
earth surface and calculate the time
it takes to return to the LiDAR source.
• Given the speed at which the light
travels (approximately 186,000 miles
per second), the process of measuring
the exact distance through LiDAR
appears to be incredibly fast.

Challenges with LiDAR:

• Can’t perform well in fog, rain, snow and dusty weather.
• Struggles to detect a glass wall or door, which is why smartphone manufacturers and self-
driving cars makers use LiDAR along with secondary cameras and sensors.

21. Fifth State of Matter

NASA scientists on Earth have collaborated with astronauts on the International Space Station
(ISS) to corral the first ever Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC)- the fifth state of matter- outside of
Earth’s gravity.
The matter has been created in one of the coldest places in the universe- the Cold Atom
Laboratory– a device on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Basics- What is a matter, an atom and molecule?

• Matter is the "stuff" that makes up the universe — everything that takes up space and has
mass is matter.
• All matter is made up of atoms, which are in turn made up of protons, neutrons and
electrons.
• Atoms come together to form molecules, which are the building blocks for all types of
matter.
• Both atoms and molecules are held together by a form of potential energy called chemical
energy.

Five states of matter:

There are four natural states of matter: Solids, liquids, gases and plasma.
The fifth state is the man-made Bose-Einstein condensates.

About Bose-Einstein condensate:

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A Bose-Einstein condensate is so named because its existence was posited almost a century ago
by Albert Einstein and Indian mathematician Satyendra Nath Bose.
This exotic material only exists when atoms of certain elements are cooled to temperatures near
absolute zero.
At that point, clusters of atoms begin functioning as a single quantum object with both wave and
particle properties.

Why study BEC?

A BEC is used to study quantum mechanics on a macroscopic level. Light appears to slow down
as it passes through a BEC, allowing scientists to study the particle/wave paradox.
A BEC also has many of the properties of a superfluid, or a fluid that flows without friction.
BECs are also used to simulate conditions that might exist in black holes.

Why is it easy to create BEC in space?

BECs have been produced in a variety of experiments on Earth since 1995, but these are hindered
by gravity, which collapses the clouds in a split second.
To make a BEC, scientists must first corral and then supercool atoms.
• In the near-zero gravity in space, they can mix the ingredients in a much smaller catchment
“trap.” On Earth’s surface, the atoms begin to repel each other and fly apart almost
instantaneously.
• On Earth, laboratories can only maintain Bose-Einstein condensates for a matter of
milliseconds. However, research aboard the ISS has created a Bose-Einstein condensate that
persisted for more than a second.

22. OTT (over-the-top) streaming

An “over-the-top” media service is any online content provider that offers streaming media as a
standalone product. The term is commonly applied to video-on-demand platforms, but also
refers to audio streaming, messaging services, or internet-based voice calling solutions.
OTT services circumvent traditional media distribution channels such as telecommunications
networks or cable television providers.
As long as you have access to an internet connection — either locally or through a mobile network
— you can access the complete service at your leisure.

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Government Initiatives /Departments
1. National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems
Department of Science and Technology (DST) has sanctioned funds to IIT Mandi to establish a
Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at the Institute.
DST has sanctioned the funds under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical
Systems (NM-ICPS).

Main tasks of the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH):

1. The TIH will develop tools, education material, hands-on experiments with specialised tool
kits, connecting with existing innovation ecosystems.
2. It will inter-link with different stakeholders and connect with other initiatives of the
Government of India by providing an innovation platform for schools, colleges and advanced
technical training institutes in the targeted areas. The deliverables include:
3. Technology Deliverables: To develop technology interface for challenges concerning
landslides, environment (including climate change), air pollution, agriculture, cybersecurity,
defence forces, healthcare, and forensics.
4. Human Resource and Skill Development Deliverables: To generate skilled manpower in HCI
area at graduate, post-graduate, doctoral, post-doctoral and faculty level by organising
workshops and seminars.
5. International Collaborations Deliverables: To develop and sustain existing and new
collaboration with universities and organisations in India and abroad.
6. Entrepreneurship and Startup Deliverables: To create a startup ecosystem by working with
the technology-business incubator of IIT Mandi, Catalyst, with an approach of Knowledge
Generation Technology Development Technology Translation Technology Commercialisation.

What is it?
Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are a new class of engineered systems that integrate computation
and physical processes in a dynamic environment. CPS encompasses technology areas of
Cybernetics, Mechatronics, Design and Embedded systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data,
Artificial Intelligence (AI) among others.

About National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS):

To harness the potential of this new wave of technology and make India a leading player in CPS,
the Union Cabinet approved the launch of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical
Systems (NM-ICPS) in 2018.

The mission implementation would develop and bring:

1. Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) and associated technologies within reach in the country,
2. adoption of CPS technologies to address India specific National / Regional issues,
3. produce Next Generation skilled manpower in CPS,
4. catalyze Translational Research,
5. accelerate entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development in CPS,
6. give impetus to advanced research in CPS, Technology development and higher education
in Science, Technology and Engineering disciplines, and
7. place India at par with other advanced countries and derive several direct and indirect
benefits.

2. NIDHI program
A new technology has been adopted by the Maharashtra hospitals in the fight of COVID-19 fight.
• The product is named “Scitech Airon”. It is a Negative Ion Generator.

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• The technology has been developed under the NIDHI PRAYAS program initiated by the
Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Significance of the technology:

It helps to control the virus, bacteria, and other fungal infections in a closed environment and
could help purify the air and disinfect areas around COVID-19 positive cases and suspects..

What is NIDHI program?

Department of Science & Technology has launched a NIDHI program (National Initiative for
Developing and Harnessing Innovations) under which programmes for setting up of incubators,
seed fund, accelerators and 'Proof of concept' grant for innovators and entrepreneurs have been
launched.
Under NIDHI, PRAYAS (Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring innovators & Startups)
programme has been initiated in which established Technology Business Incubators (TBI) are
supported with PRAYAS grant to support innovators and entrepreneurs with grants for ‘Proof of
Concept’ and developing prototypes.

3. National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is being implemented and steered jointly by the
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Electronics and Information
Technology (DeitY).
Implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

Focus of the mission:

• The Mission envisages empowering national academic and R&D institutions spread over the
country by installing a vast supercomputing grid comprising of more than 70 high-
performance computing facilities.
• These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid over
the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The NKN is another programme of the government
which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high speed network.
• The Mission includes development of highly professional High Performance Computing (HPC)
aware human resource for meeting challenges of development of these applications.

Achievements:
• The first supercomputer assembled indigenously, called Param Shivay, was installed in IIT
(BHU). Similar systems Param Shakti and Param Brahma were installed at IIT-Kharagpur and
IISER, Pune.
• They are equipped with applications from domains like Weather and Climate, Computational
Fluid Dynamics, Bioinformatics, and Material science.

Significance:
1. World-wide supercomputing facilities have enabled countries in their S&T capabilities in
areas such as designing vehicles, aeroplanes, massive structures like high rise buildings and
bridges, infrastructure, discovery of new life saving drugs, discovery and extraction of new
energy sources including oil, natural gas etc.
2. Weather prediction has reached accuracy of forecast as well as real time tracking of natural
phenomenon. Timely warning of cyclones in the recent past have saved many lives and
property. The Mission aims to further such capabilities beyond current levels.

4. YUva VIgyani KAryakram

• Launched by Indian Space Research Organisation.

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• It is a special programme for School Children, in tune with the Government’s vision “Jai
Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan”.
• Aim: The Program is primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology,
Space Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their
interest in the emerging areas of Space activities.
• Participants: It is proposed to select 3 students each from each State/ Union Territory to
participate in this programme covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus.
• Eligibility: Those who have just completed 9th standard will be eligible for the online
registration. The selection is based on the 8th Standard academic performance and
extracurricular activities. Students belonging to the rural area have been given special
weightage in the selection criteria. In case there is tie between the selected candidates, the
younger candidates will be given priority.

5. National Innovation Foundation

NIF invited innovative citizens to participate in Challenge COVID-19 Competition (C3).

• National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India is an autonomous body of the Department of

Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
• Set up in February 2000 at Ahmedabad, Gujarat to provide institutional support for scouting,
spawning, sustaining and scaling up the grassroots innovations across the country.
• It is India's national initiative to strengthen the grassroots technological innovations and
outstanding traditional knowledge.
• Its mission is to help India become a creative and knowledge-based society by expanding
policy and institutional space for grassroots technological innovators.

Related key facts:

1. The INSPIRE Award - MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and
Knowledge) is being revamped and executed by Department of Science & Technology and
National Innovation Foundation-India to align it with the action plan for "Start-up India"
initiative.
2. Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF) at NIF, with support from Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has provided risk capital to 230 innovation based
enterprise projects, some of which are at different stages of incubation.
3. Being organised since 2008, IGNITE is an annual competition for student’s ideas and
innovations conducted by NIF in partnership with the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE).
4. NIF has set up a Technology Business Incubator (NIF) - NIF Incubation and Entrepreneurship
Council (NIFientreC).

6. CollabCAD
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog & National Informatics Centre (NIC) jointly launched
CollabCAD in ATL schools.

What is CollabCAD?
• It is a collaborative network, computer enabled software system, providing a total
engineering solution from 2D drafting & detailing to 3D product design.
• The aim of this initiative is to provide a great platform to students of Atal Tinkering Labs
(ATLs) across country to create and modify 3d designs with free flow of creativity and
imagination.
• This software would also enable students to create data across the network and concurrently
access the same design data for storage and visualization.

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Tinker from Home campaign:
• ATL program has launched a ‘Tinker from Home’ campaign to ensure that the children across
the county have access to useful easy-to-learn online resources to keep themselves fruitfully
occupied.
• The objective of the initiative is to harness the creativity and innovativeness of children by
encouraging learning through self-initiation.

What are ATLs?

• With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal
Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India.
• Objective: The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in
young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive
learning, physical computing etc.
• Financial Support: AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost
of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to
each ATL.

Eligibility:
• Schools (minimum Grade VI – X) managed by Government, local body or private
trusts/society can set up ATL.
• The applicant school would have to provide at least 1,500 Sq. Ft. of built up space.
Applicant schools from hilly / Himalayan and island states, UTs would have to provide
atleast 1,000 Sq. Ft. of built up space.

7. Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)

In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) had decided to provided rental waiver to IT companies housed in STPI
premises in the country.

About Software Technology Parks of India (STPI):

• It is an autonomous society under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY), Govt. of India.
• It was established in 1991 with the objective of encouraging, promoting and boosting the
export of software from India.
• The STPI’s Governing Council’s Chairperson is the Union Minister for Electronics &
Information Technology.

The objectives of the Software Technology Parks of India are:

1. To promote the development and export of software and software services including
Information Technology (IT) enabled services/ Bio- IT.
2. To provide statutory and other promotional services to the exporters by implementing
Software Technology Parks (STP)/ Electronics and Hardware Technology Parks (EHTP)
Schemes, SEZ scheme and other such schemes which may be formulated and entrusted by the
Government from time to time.
3. To provide data communication services including value added services to IT / IT enabled
Services (ITES) related industries.
4. To promote micro, small and medium entrepreneurs by creating conducive environment for
entrepreneurship in the field of IT/ITES.
5. To establish and manage infrastructure resources such as Datacom facilities, Project
Management and Consultancy and IT support facilities.

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8. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre
• Created to provide private players to use Indian space infrastructure.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will remain the basic body that decides what
missions are to be undertaken but this new body will help fill the gaps.
• With this, Private companies will be provided level playing field in satellites, launches and
space-based services.
• Future projects for planetary exploration, outer space travel will be open for the private
sector.

9. AarogyaPath
It is CSIR National Healthcare Supply Chain Portal that aims to provide real-time availability of
critical healthcare supplies.
It was launched recently to serve manufacturers, suppliers and customers to effectively deal
with the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Biotechnology
1. Cord Blood Banking
Over the past decade, stem cell banking has been aggressively marketed even as its use is still in
experimental stages. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) does not recommend
commercial stem cell banking.

What is Cord Blood?

• Cord blood (short for umbilical cord
blood) is the blood that remains in the
umbilical cord and placenta post-
delivery.
• It contains
special cells called hematopoietic stem
cells that can be used to treat some
types of diseases.

What is Cord blood banking?

• Cord blood banking is the process of
collecting the cord blood and extracting
and cryogenically freezing its stem cells
and other cells of the immune system for
potential future medical use.
• Globally, cord blood banking is
recommended as a source of
hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
for haematological cancers and
disorders where its use is
recommended. For all other conditions,
the use of cord blood as a source of stem
cells is not yet established.

What Can It Be Used For?

• The umbilical cord fluid is loaded with stem cells. They can treat cancer, blood diseases
like anemia, and some immune system disorders, which disrupt your body's ability to defend
itself.
• The fluid is easy to collect and has 10 times more stem cells than those collected from bone
marrow.
• Stem cells from cord blood rarely carry any infectious diseases and are half as likely to be
rejected as adult stem cells.

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Events / Celebrations
1. International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology
(ICONSAT)
The International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology (ICONSAT) under the aegis
of Nano Mission, Department of Science and Technology (DST) was held at Kolkata focusing on
the recent advances in this frontier research field.

Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission):

• Launched in 2007.
• It is as an "umbrella capacity-building programme".
• The Mission's programmes will target all scientists, institutions and industry in the country.
• It will also strengthen activities in nano science and technology by promoting basic research,
human resource development, research infrastructure development, international
collaborations, among others.
• It will be anchored in the Department of Science and Technology and steered by a Nano
Mission Council chaired by an eminent scientist.

2. National Technology Day

Since 1999, May 11 is celebrated as National Technology Day to mark India’s technological
advancements.
This year, Technology Development Board (TBD) has organised a conference to celebrate the
day. The theme of the conference is ‘Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and
Research Translations titled RESTART’.

Significance of the day:

• On May 11, 1998, India detonated three nuclear bombs in the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test
Range.
• Dr APJ Abdul Kalam lead the Indian team of scientists to successfully test-fire the Shakti-
1 nuclear missile at Rajasthan’s Pokhran test range.
• Two days later, the country successfully tested two more nuclear weapons as a part of the
same Pokhran-II/Operation Shakti initiative. After these tests Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee declared India a nuclear state, making it the sixth country to join the 'nuclear club'
of nations.
• Hansa 3, India’s first indigenous aircraft was first tested on the same day in 1998 in Bangalore.
• Successful test firing of Trishul, a short range missile made in India, was also done on the
same day.

Note:
India is currently among eight countries in the world that have a publicly known nuclear
weapons programme.
In 1974, India conducted its first nuclear test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha”, at Pokhran in
Rajasthan.

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Miscellaneous
1. GI tag
Madras high court had dismissed Madhya Pradesh government’s plea seeking geographical
indication (GI) tag for basmati rice grown in areas falling under the state.

What has the Court said?

Two GI certificates of registration for a same produce cannot be issued.
The petitioners have an alternative remedy available by filing an application to the registrar of
trademark seeking to cancel or vary the GI certificate issued to APEDA.

What’s the issue?

In May 2010, GI status was given to basmati grown only in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttrakhand and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
But, Madhya Pradesh demanded that its 13 districts be recognised as traditional Basmati growing
regions.
However, GI registry had rejected Madhya Pradesh’s claim as being the original and unique
basmati growing region.

About GI tag:
What is it?
A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial
goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Significance of a GI tag:
Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially
attributable to the place of its origin.

Security:
Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar
products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

Who is a registered proprietor of a geographical indication?

Any association of persons, producers, organisation or authority established by or under the law
can be a registered proprietor.
Their name should be entered in the Register of Geographical Indication as registered proprietor
for the Geographical Indication applied for.

How long the registration of Geographical Indication is valid?

The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.

What is the difference between a geographical indication and a trademark?

• A trademark is a sign used by an enterprise to distinguish its goods and services from those of
other enterprises. It gives its owner the right to exclude others from using the trademark.
• A geographical indication tells consumers that a product is produced in a certain place and
has certain characteristics that are due to that place of production. It may be used by all
producers who make their products in the place designated by a geographical indication and
whose products share typical qualities.

Who accords and regulates Geographical Indications?

At the International level: Geographical Indications are covered as a component of intellectual
property rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. GI is

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also governed by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of
Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September
2003. The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling tea in the year 2004-05.

2. Sepsis
• Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's immune system
overreacting in response to an infection. This overactive, toxic response can lead to tissue
damage, multiple organ failure and death.
• Viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites — sepsis can be triggered by a variety of pathogens.
• The causes of sepsis are usually pneumonia, wound infections, urinary tract infections or
infections in the abdominal cavity.
• Ebola and yellow fever viruses, dengue, swine flu or bird flu viruses can also cause sepsis.

3. Google subsidiary Verily

Verily is a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet “focused on life sciences and
healthcare”.
• Launched in 2015, Verily claims its mission is to “make the world’s health data useful so that
people enjoy healthier lives”.
• So it “develops tools and devices to collect, organise and activate health data”, and “creates
interventions to prevent and manage disease”.

Why in News?
It is helping the US government develop a website “to determine whether a test is warranted and
to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location”.
The site will be part of Verily’s Project Baseline. Project Baseline was launched by Verily in 2017
“with the goal of bridging the gap between research and care”.

4. Sodium hypochlorite
• Sodium hypochlorite is commonly used as a bleaching agent, and also to sanitise swimming
pools.
• It releases chlorine, which is a disinfectant. Large quantities of chlorine can be harmful.
• At a much lower 0.25-0.5%, this chemical is used to treat skin wounds like cuts or scrapes. An
even weaker solution (0.05%) is sometimes used as a handwash.
• It is corrosive and is meant largely to clean hard surfaces. It is not recommended to be used
on human beings.
• A 1% solution can cause damage to the skin of anyone who comes in contact with it. If it gets
inside the body, it can cause serious harm to lungs.

5. Various pandemics and how have they influenced the course of human
history?
Justinian Plague: Broke out in the sixth century in Egypt and spread fast to Constantinople, which
was the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.
Black Death: The Black Death, or pestilence, hit Europe and Asia in the 14th century. Black Death
led to improved wages for serfs and agricultural labourers.
Spanish Flu: Broke out during the last phase of the First World War. Germans and Austrians were
affected so badly that the outbreak derailed their offensives.

6. Estrogen and progesterone

Estrogen and progesterone are the two main sex hormones that characterise a woman.

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• Estrogen helps her develop female physical features and also maintains her reproductive
system.
• Progesterone is secreted by a temporary endocrine gland that the body produces during the
second half of the menstrual cycle, and helps prepare the body for possible pregnancy after
ovulation.
The male body too has estrogen and produces progesterone, both in smaller amounts.

7. U.K. moots ‘5G club’

The British government has approached the US with the prospect of creating a 5G club of 10
democracies, including India, amid growing security concerns related to Chinese telecom giant
Huawei.

Proposed D10 club of democratic partners:

It includes G7 countries – UK, US, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and Canada – plus Australia,
South Korea and India.
It will aim to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies to avoid
relying on China.

8. Relation between Vitamin D and COVID 19

Vitamin D is known to modulate the response of white blood cells, preventing them from
releasing too many inflammatory cytokines (part of the body’s immune response to fight
infections). And the SARS-CoV2 virus is known to cause an excess of pro-inflammatory cytokines,
called a cytokine storm.

9. microRNA
• They are non-coding molecules, meaning that they do not translate into protein.
• They are part of our line of attack against a viral infection.
• They fight the virus by latching on to the virus’s genetic material (RNA) and cutting it.

Why in News?
Age and underlying health conditions make people more vulnerable to the
novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This is because the attacking microRNA numbers dwindle in
them.

10. What is ‘Sonic Boom’

A sonic boom is said to occur when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of
sound and creates shock waves. This can lead to a huge emission in energy, usually in the form of
sound, which can be similar to an explosion of thunderclap.

Effects: The sonic boom is a continuous sound which is emitted by the aircraft all the while it is
travelling at a supersonic speed. If the aircraft is flying at a low altitude, the sonic boom may also
lead to tremors similar to earthquakes and shattering of glass.

11. Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

India joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) as a founding member to support
the responsible and human-centric development and use of AI.

What is GPAI?
It is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and
use of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth.
This is also a first initiative of its type.

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GPAI will be supported by a Secretariat, to be hosted by Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) in Paris, as well as by two Centers of Expertise- one each in Montreal
and Paris.

Founding members:
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of
Korea, Singapore, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European
Union.

How this initiative works?

1. It will bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research
and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
2. GPAI will bring together leading experts from industry, civil society, governments, and
academia to collaborate to promote responsible evolution of AI.
3. It will also evolve methodologies to show how AI can be leveraged to better respond to the
present global crisis around COVID-19.

How this helps for India?

By joining GPAI as a founding member, India will actively participate in the global development of
Artificial Intelligence, leveraging upon its experience around use of digital technologies for
inclusive growth.

What is AI?
Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave
like humans. AI refers to the ability of machines to perform cognitive tasks like thinking,
perceiving, learning, problem solving and decision making.

12. Malathion
It is a pesticide that is widely used in agriculture, residential landscaping, public recreation areas,
and in public health pest control programs such as mosquito eradication.

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Why in News?
HIL India Ltd. supplies 25 MT Malathion 95% ULV Insecticides to Iran for Locust Control
Programme.

13. Dexamethasone
• It is an anti-inflammatory drug, commonly used to treat conditions in which the body’s
immune system does not function properly, and causes inflammation and tissue damage.
• Dexamethasone reduces the production of the chemicals that cause inflammation and also
reduces the activity of the immune system by affecting the way white blood cells function.
Researchers from the Recovery Trial reported that it helps reduce death rates in certain Covid-19
patients.

14. Placebos
Placebos are substances that are made to resemble drugs but do not contain an active drug.
A placebo is made to look exactly like a real drug but is made of an inactive substance, such as a
starch or sugar.

15. Sputnik V
It is a new coronavirus vaccine launched by Russia.
It is touted as the world's first such vaccine, too.
• The vaccine is named Sputnik V, a reference to the first orbital
satellite, which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957 and set
off the global space race.

16. Ninja UAVs

Indian Railways has started deploying “Ninja UAVs” (unmanned aerial vehicles) for establishing a
drone-based surveillance system in a bid to intensify its security mechanism across its network.

17. Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a group of phytonutrients present in almost all vegetables and fruits.
They, along with carotenoids, are responsible for the varied colours of fruits and vegetables.
• They are associated with health benefits being good antioxidants, having anti-
inflammatory properties and also offer benefits for the immune system.

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