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Subject: Basic Sciences

  • [pib] Metal CO2 Battery

    India’s planetary missions like Mars Mission may soon be able to reduce payload mass and launch costs with the help of an indigenously developed Metal- CO2 battery with CO2 as an Energy Carrier.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce one of the following as “exhaust”:

    (a) NH3

    (b) CH4

    (c) H2O

    (d) H2O2

    Metal CO2 Battery

    • An IIT professor recently demonstrated the technical feasibility of Lithium- CO2 battery in simulated Mars atmosphere for the first time.
    • The development of Metal-CO2 batteries will provide highly specific energy density with the reduction in mass and volume, which will reduce payload mass and launch cost of planetary missions.
    • Metal-CO2 batteries have a great potential to offer significantly high energy density than the currently used Li-ion batteries.
    • They provide a useful solution to fix CO2 emissions, which is better than energy-intensive traditional CO2 fixation methods.

    It’s working

    • A primary Li-CO2 battery uses pure carbon dioxide as a cathode.
    • According to chemical knowledge, Lithium metal can react with CO2 to form lithium oxalate at room temperature.
    • While at high temperatures, lithium oxalate decomposes to form lithium carbonate and carbon monoxide gas.

  • Hydroponics: the art of soil-less farming

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in TH.

    Many questions related to agricultural techniques are being asked in the Prelims. UPSC has done away with traditional crop-related questions for the past two years. 

    For example, see this question from CSP 2020:

    Q.What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture?

    1. Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
      2. Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
      3. Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
      4. Reduction in the leaching of chemical nutrients is possible.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:
    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 1,2 and 4 only

    (c) 1,3 and 4 only

    (d) 2, 3 and 4 only

    What is hydroponics?

    Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants without using soil.

    • Hydroponic flowers, herbs, and vegetables are planted in inert growing media and supplied with nutrient-rich solutions, oxygen, and water.
    • This system fosters rapid growth, stronger yields, and superior quality.
    • When a plant is grown in soil, its roots are perpetually searching for the necessary nutrition to support the plant.
    • If a plant’s root system is exposed directly to water and nutrition, the plant does not have to exert any energy in sustaining itself.
    • The energy the roots would have expended acquiring food and water can be redirected into the plant’s maturation. As a result, leaf growth flourishes as does the blooming of fruits and flowers.

    Why Hydroponics?

    • Plants sustain themselves by a process called photosynthesis. But they do not need soil to photosynthesize.
    • They need the soil to supply them with water and nutrients.
    • When nutrients are dissolved in water they can be applied directly to the plant’s root system by flooding, misting, or immersion.
    • Hydroponic innovations have proven direct exposure to nutrient-filled water can be a more effective and versatile method of growth than traditional irrigation.

    How does hydroponics work?

    • Hydroponic systems work by allowing minute control over environmental conditions like temperature and pH balance and maximized exposure to nutrients and water.
    • It administers nutrient solutions tailored to the needs of the particular plant being grown.
    • They allow you to control exactly how much light the plants receive and for how long.
    • pH levels can be monitored and adjusted. In a highly customized and controlled environment, plant growth accelerates.

    Components of Hydroponics

    To maintain a flourishing hydroponic system, we need to become acquainted with a few components that make it run efficiently.

    (1) Growing media

    • Hydroponic plants are often grown in inert media that support the plant’s weight and anchor its root structure.
    • Growing media is the substitute for soil, however, it does not provide any independent nutrition to the plant.
    • Instead, this porous media retains moisture and nutrients from the nutrient solution which it then delivers to the plant.

    (2) Air stones and air pumps

    • Plants that are submerged in water can quickly drown if the water is not sufficiently aerated. Air stones disperse tiny bubbles of dissolved oxygen throughout your nutrient solution reservoir.
    • These bubbles also help evenly distribute the dissolved nutrients in the solution. Air stones do not generate oxygen on their own.
    • They need to be attached to an external air pump via opaque food grade plastic tubing

    (3) Net pots

    • Net pots are mesh planters that hold hydroponic plants. The latticed material allows roots to grow out of the sides and bottom of the pot, giving greater exposure to oxygen and nutrients.
    • Net pots also provide superior drainage compared to traditional clay or plastic pots.

    Benefits

    By controlling the environment of the plant in hydroponics, many risk factors are reduced:

    • Plants grown in gardens and fields are introduced to a host of variables that negatively impact their health and growth. Fungus in the soil can spread diseases to plants.
    • Wildlife like rabbits can plunder ripening vegetables from your garden.
    • Pests like locusts can descend on crops and obliterate them in an afternoon. Hydroponic systems end the unpredictability of growing plants outdoors and in the earth.
    • Without the mechanical resistance of the soil, seedlings can mature much faster.
    • By eliminating pesticides, hydroponics produces much healthier and high-quality fruits and vegetables. Without obstacles, plants are free to grow vigorously and rapidly.

    Various limitations

    • A hydroponic system isn’t cheap
    • Constant monitoring is required
    • Micro-organisms that are water-based can creep in rather easily
    • Growing a hydroponic garden demands an expertise
    • Production is limited compared to field conditions
    • If a disease appears, all plants in the system will be affected
    • Without soil to serve as a buffer if the system fails plant death will occur rapidly

  • Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Technology

    The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully demonstrated communication between its two labs using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology.

    Q. What is Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Technology? Discuss how it enables secure communication networks. (150W)

    What is QKD Technology?

    • Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a secure communication method which implements a cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics.
    • It enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key known only to them, which can then be used to encrypt and decrypt messages.
    • It gives the ability of the two communicating users to detect the presence of any third party trying to gain knowledge of the key.
    • This is a result of a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics: the process of measuring a quantum system, in general, disturbs the system.
    • By using quantum superposition or quantum entanglement and transmitting information in quantum states, a communication system can be implemented that detects data leak.

    How does it work?

    • In the QKD, encryption keys are sent as qubits in a fibre optic cable. Time-bin encoding is used to encode qubit on a photon.
    • Quantum computing uses qubits as basic resources, similar to how bits are used as basic resources in classical computing.
    • The QKD is designed in a way that if an illegitimate entity tries to read the transmission, it will disturb the qubits – which are encoded on photons.
    • This will generate transmission errors, leading to legitimate end-users being immediately informed.

    Advantages of using QKD

    • It allows the detection of data leak or hacking because it can detect any such attempt.
    • It also allows the process of setting the error level between the intercepted data in dependence.

  • Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT)

    In a first, BSNL launches world’s largest NB-IoT to provide connectivity for millions of unconnected machines, sensors and industrial IoT devices across the country.

    What is NB-IoT?

    • NB-IoT is a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology that works virtually anywhere.
    • It will connect many more devices to the Internet of Things and make many new applications a reality.
    • It is optimized for applications that need to communicate small amounts of data over long periods of time.
    • Since it operates in licensed spectrum, it is secure and reliable providing guaranteed quality of service.
    • It connects devices more simply and efficiently on already established mobile networks and handles small amounts of fairly infrequent 2‑way data, securely and reliably.

    And the best is, it provides-

    • very low power consumption
    • excellent extended range in buildings and underground
    • easy deployment into the existing cellular network architecture
    • network security & reliability
    • lower component cost

    Back2Basics: Internet of Things (IoT)

    • The IoT describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet.
    • The definition of the IoT has evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, real-time analytics, AI, sensors, and embedded systems.
    • In the consumer market, IoT technology is most synonymous with products pertaining to the concept of the “smart home”, including devices and appliances.
    • It supports one or more common ecosystems and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers e.g. Alexa.

    Remember this PYQ?

    When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your bathroom shows the day’s weather and also indicates the level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of fresh grocery items. When You step out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On your way to office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a message to your office accordingly.

    In the context of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following terms best applies to the above scenario?

    (a) Border Gateway Protocol

    (b) Internet of Things

    (c) Internet Protocol

    (d) Virtual Private Network

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Internet of Things (IoT)

  • Debate over Coding for Kids

    Various edutech startups have been in the news for the past several months over the debate on the right age for children to start learning to code.

    Q.The National Education Policy, 2020 proposal for “coding activities” reads like Macaulay’s minute for English education in the early 19th century. Examine.

    What is Coding?

    • Computers have their own language called programming language which tells them what to do.
    • Coding is the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave how you want it to.
    • In a broader sense, it is the process of designing and building an executable computer program to accomplish a specific computing result or to perform a specific task.

    In today’s digital age, most toddlers in their diapers, learn to swipe and click before they can speak apparently or walk. What an irony!

    Coding for children

    • In the age of digital revolution, India was able to produce a huge army of coders and programmers —essentially people who could create computer software.
    • As computing devices have taken over every aspect of life, the need for good programmers and coders has been increasing relentlessly.
    • This led to a trend to teach coding and programming to young students since their school ages.
    • In recent years, platforms and companies have started to claim that kids as young as those in elementary school must begin to learn to code.

    Proponents for coding

    • Leaders of technology companies around the world have pushed for coding to be included as a subject in middle or higher secondary school for students who may be interested to learn.
    • In 2018, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates wrote in a blog post that everyone could benefit from learning the basics of computer science.
    • The idea was to make coding as simple and accessible as the new age “mother tongue” for young children.

    Why should children learn to code?

    • Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it is important for kids to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them.
    • It fosters creativity. By experimenting, children learn and strengthen their creativity. It enhances their problem-solving capability.
    • It helps children to be able to visualize abstract concepts, lets them apply math to real-world situations, and makes math fun and creative. Coding is present in many of today’s STEM programs.
    • Children who learn to code understand how to plan and organize thoughts.  This can lead to better writing skills that can be built upon as coding skills develop over time.

    Criticisms of early age coding

    • A metaphor that is often used is that children are being made to ride a bicycle before they have even learnt to walk.
    • There’s a reason why in mathematics addition is taught first, then subtraction, then multiplication, and then division.
    • It is necessary to learn several elements of mathematics and logical thinking before one can code.

  • What is Havana Syndrome?

    Nearly four years after a mysterious neurological illness started to affect American diplomats in Cuba, China, and other countries, a report has found “directed” microwave radiation to be its “plausible” cause.

    Q.Microwave warfare is the new nuke. Discuss.

    The ‘Havana syndrome’

    • In late 2016, US diplomats in Havana reported feeling ill after hearing strange sounds and experiencing odd physical sensations in their hotel rooms or homes.
    • The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as “Havana Syndrome”.
    • Cuba had denied any knowledge of the illnesses even though the US had accused it of carrying out “sonic attacks”, leading to an increase in tensions.

    Possible factor: Microwave Weapons

    • “Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.
    • People exposed to high-intensity microwave pulses have reported a clicking or buzzing sound as if seeming to be coming from within your head.
    • It can have both acute and long-term effects — without leaving signs of physical damage.
    • These weapons are considered to be the cause of the “syndrome” whose symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties.

    How did researchers deduce that?

    • The researchers have examined four possibilities to explain the symptoms — infection, chemicals, psychological factors and microwave energy.
    • The experts examined the symptoms of about 40 government employees.
    • The report concluded that directed pulsed RF (radio frequency) energy appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases among those that the committee considered.

  • HL-2M Tokamak: The Artificial Sun of China

    China successfully powered up its “artificial sun” nuclear fusion reactor for the first time marking a great advance in the country’s nuclear power research capabilities.

    Scratch your school basics to answer this PYQ:

    Q.The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz, gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force.

    With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct? (CSP 2012)

    (a) Gravity is the strongest of the four

    (b) Electromagnetism act only on particles with an electric charge

    (c) Weak nuclear force causes radioactivity

    (d) Strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons inside the nuclear of an atom.

    HL-2M Tokamak

    • The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device.
    • The mission is named Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).
    • Located in Sichuan province and completed late last year, the reactor is often called an “artificial sun” on account of the enormous heat and power it produces.
    • It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius- approximately ten times hotter than the core of the sun.
    • Scientists hope that the device can potentially unlock a powerful clean energy source.

    Back2Basics: Nuclear Fusion

    • Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons).
    • Fusion is the process by which the sun and other stars generate light and heat. It is a nuclear process, where energy is produced by smashing together light atoms.
    • It is the opposite reaction of fission, where heavy elements like Uranium and Thorium are split apart.

    Nuclear Fusion Reaction

    • For a nuclear fusion reaction to occur, it is necessary to bring two nuclei so close that nuclear forces become active and glue the nuclei together.
    • Nuclear forces are small-distance forces and have to act against the electrostatic forces where positively charged nuclei repel each other.
    • This is the reason nuclear fusion reactions occur mostly in high density, high-temperature environment (millions of degree Celsius) which is practically very difficult to achieve under laboratory conditions.

  • Zebrafish and its heart regeneration capacity

    Indian scientists have used the Zebrafish model and identified its genes that can promote heart regeneration.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.With reference to India’s Biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith Barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are-

    (a) Birds

    (b) Primates

    (c) Reptiles

    (d) Amphibians

    Zebrafish

    • Zebrafish is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in the tropical and subtropical regions.
    • The fish is native to South Asia’s Indo-Gangetic plains, where they are mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams.
    • The fish become adults at three months and survive 2-3 years in a laboratory condition.
    • Its unique characteristics lie in its transparency during its embryonic stages, allowing observing all organs, including beating heart and blood circulation.

    Ability to heal their heart

    • The ability of Zebrafish to heal their heart after injury makes them an attractive model to investigate mechanisms governing the regenerative process.
    • Researchers worldwide are actively working to understand the mechanism behind the heart regeneration in Zebrafish for the last two decades.
    • Years of efforts have helped them identify the cellular communication network factor 2a (ccn2a), a gene that can promote heart regeneration by enhancing cardiomyocyte proliferation.
    • They have also observed that this gene resolves the transient collagenous fibrotic scar resulting in faster regeneration.

    Significance for humans

    • Cardiovascular diseases are the number 1 cause of deaths globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organisation.
    • Humans cannot regenerate their hearts upon myocardial damage and a person who suffered a heart attack cannot functionally heal the damaged heart muscle, resulting in reduced pumping efficiency.
    • While on the other hand, this unique fish has the full potential to regenerate its heart and restore its function after injury.
    • Till now, there is no treatment available to restore the damaged heart function in humans. Hence scientists have sought to decode the heart regeneration processes using this model animal.

  • RT-LAMP: a new technology for detecting COVID-19

    Indian Council of Medical Research has recently validated the LAMP technology for COVID-19 testing.

    What is RT-LAMP?

    • RT-LAMP stands for Reverse Transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification) technology.
    • Agappe Diagnostics has recently developed the technology indigenously, and their kit has been validated and approved by the ICMR for marketing.
    • It is named LUME Screen nCoV.

    How does it work?

    • RT-LAMP technology is a one-step nucleic acid amplification method to multiply specific sequences of RNA of the coronavirus.
    • The RNA is first made into cDNA (copy DNA) by the usual reverse transcription. Then, the DNA is amplified by the LAMP technique.

    Current method

    • •The current method diagnosis is the real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test which detects the presence of viral nucleic acids in nasopharyngeal swab samples.
    • But it has certain shortcomings.
    • The test requires complex and costly equipment. It requires extensive training for potential users.

    Benefits of LAMP over RT-PCR

    • The LAMP technology is superior to the PCR technology–based COVID-19 kits where specificity is around 95% only.
    • As the specificity and sensitivity of the test is about 95%, there is a possibility of false negative results.
    • The turnaround time is about 10 hours, so that the result will be available only by the next day.
    • In remote places, the turnaround time further increases depending on the distance the samples need to travel.
    • In short, the RT-PCR does not have the capacity to keep pace with the increasing demand.
    • The LAMP technology does not need laborious preparation as in the case of RT-PCR. LAMP is cost effective and does not need complex expensive equipment.

     

  • Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP)

    A brain electrical oscillation signature profiling (BEOSP) test will be conducted on the convicts of the alleged rape and murder in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.

    Note: According to Article 20(3) of the Indian constitution, no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. The privilege against self-incrimination is a fundamental canon of common criminal law jurisprudence.

    What is the BEOSP test?

    • BEOSP also known as brain fingerprinting is a neuro-psychological method of interrogation in which the accuser’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s response.
    • The BEOSP test is carried out via a process known as an electroencephalogram, conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
    • Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them.
    • The accused are then shown visuals or played audio clips related to the crime to check if there is any triggering of neurons in their brains which then generate brainwaves.
    • The test results are then studied to determine the participation of the accused in a crime.

    What differentiates a BEOSP test from a polygraph or a lie detector?

    • The BEOSP procedure does not involve a question-answer session with the accused and is rather a neuro psychological study of their brain.
    • In a polygraph test, the accused person’s physiological indicators are taken into account which includes blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration and skin conductivity.
    • While a person might be able to control their pulse rate and BP even in times of distress, a BEOSP test

    Can these tests be admitted as evidence?

    • Not as a standalone, a/c to the 2010 Supreme Court judgment in the Selvi v. State of Karnataka case.
    • The bench observed that narco analysis, polygraph and brain mapping tests cannot be forced upon any individual without their consent and the test results cannot be admitted solely as evidence.
    • However, any information or material discovered during the tests can be made part of the evidence, observed the bench.