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Subject: Science and Technology

  • 2001 FO32: the largest asteroid passing by Earth

    On March 21, the largest asteroid predicted to pass by Earth in 2021 will be at its closest. It is called 2001 FO32.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following is/are cited by the scientists as evidence/evidence for the continued expansion of the universe?

    1. Detection of microwaves in space
    2. Observation of redshirt phenomenon in space
    3. Movement of asteroids in space
    4. Occurrence of supernova explosions in space

    Codes:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 4

    (d) None of the above can be cited as evidence.

    2001 FO32

    • There is no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come.
    • Scientists know its orbital path around the Sun very accurately since it was discovered 20 years ago and has been tracked ever since.
    • It won’t come closer than 2 million km to Earth, but it will present a valuable scientific opportunity for astronomers who can get a good look at a rocky relic that formed at the dawn of our Solar System.

    Proximity to Earth

    • For comparison, when it is at its closest, the distance of 2 million km is equal to 5¼ times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
    • Still, that distance is close in astronomical terms, which is why 2001 FO32 has been designated a “potentially hazardous asteroid”.
    • The reason for the asteroid’s unusually speedy close approach is its highly eccentric orbit around the Sun, an orbit that is tilted 39° to Earth’s orbital plane.
    • This orbit takes the asteroid closer to the Sun than Mercury, and twice as far from the Sun as Mars.
    • Later, the asteroid slows after being flung back out into deep space and swinging back toward the Sun. It completes one orbit every 810 days (about 2¼ years).

    Studying the visitor

    • This asteroid will provide an opportunity for astronomers to get a more precise understanding of the asteroid’s size and albedo (i.e. how bright, or reflective, its surface is), and a rough idea of its composition.
    • When sunlight hits an asteroid’s surface, minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others.
    • By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical “fingerprints” of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid.

  • Genome Mapping of the Indian Ocean

    A team of scientists and researchers from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) onboard its research vessel Sindhu Sadhana will work on a research project to reveal the internal working of the body of the ocean at a cellular level.

    Genome Mapping of the Indian Ocean

    • The first-of-its-kind research project in the country is aimed at understanding the biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution.
    • The researchers will collect samples from various stretches of the ocean at an average depth of about 5 km.
    • Just like gene mapping is carried out on blood samples collected from humans, the scientists will map these in the bacteria, microbes found in the ocean.
    • The mapping of the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) will show the nutrients present in them, and also those lacking in different parts of the ocean.

    Objectives of the mission

    • This project will help scientists understand the internal working of the ecosystem of the Indian Ocean.
    • The research will enable scientists to identify the factors controlling the changes in RNA, DNA in the oceans, and various stressors impacting them.
    • The ocean has several micronutrients like nitrates, sulphates and silicates, minerals like iron ore and zinc, and trace metals like cadmium or copper.
    • The genome mapping will show the presence of which these microbes have adapted to, in addition to their reaction to atmospheric carbon dioxide.
    • This will help in identifying which part of the ocean has a greater concentration of which mineral or element.
    • Scientists will then use these as tracers to tackle the causative factors for excess or lack of a certain mineral or element and suggest possible solutions for their mitigation.
    • In addition, the large pool of RNA, DNA library of the oceans will be utilized for using the Indian Ocean for human benefit in the future.

    Studying the interactions of trace metals

    • Trace metals are the metals subset of trace elements; that is, metals normally present in small but measurable amounts in animal and plant cells.
    • Trace metals like cadmium or copper are supplied to oceans via continental run-offs, atmospheric deposition, hydrothermal activities and continental shelf interaction.
    • They are essential for ocean productivity for having a holistic understanding of nutrient cycling and productivity of the oceans.
    • Isotopic forms of trace metals can be utilized to track the movement of water masses responsible for ocean circulation and as tools to study the biological, geochemical and ecosystem processes and food web analyses.

    Also read

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/explained-indias-deep-ocean-mission/

  • Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Mission

    India and Japan are working together on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission that aims to send a lander and rover to the Moon’s the South Pole around 2024.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2020:

    Q.The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million km long, with lasers shining between the craft.” the experiment in the question refers to?

    (a) Voyager-2

    (b) New horizons

    (c) LISA pathfinder

    (d) Evolved LISA

    LUPEX Mission

    • The LUPEX is a robotic lunar mission concept by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
    • It would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024.
    • JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO would be responsible for the lander.
    • The mission concept has not yet been formally proposed for funding and planning.
    • The Lunar Polar Exploration mission would demonstrate new surface exploration technologies related to vehicular transport and lunar night survival for sustainable lunar exploration in Polar Regions.

  • NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

    Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed the development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

    Note the key features of the Mission. Every statement has a unique information.

    NASA-ISRO SAR

    • NISAR is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation.
    • NASA and Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO signed a partnership on September 30, 2014, to collaborate on and launch NISAR.
    • The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO’s Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, about 100km north of Chennai.
    • It is capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA.
    • It will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimetre across.

    Objectives of the NISAR

    • NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every six days for a baseline three-year mission.
    • It will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea-level rise and groundwater, and will support a host of other applications.
    • It would also provide data on natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

    What are L and S Bands?

    • L band waves are used for GPS units because they are able to penetrate clouds, fog, rain, storms, and vegetation.
    • The S-band is used by airport surveillance radar for air traffic control, weather radar, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites, especially those used by NASA to communicate with the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.
    • NISAR uses a sophisticated information-processing technique known as SAR to produce extremely high-resolution images.
    • Radar penetrates clouds and darkness, enabling NISAR to collect data day and night in any weather.

    What is collaboration?

    • NASA is providing the mission’s L-band SAR, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem.
    • ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services for the mission, whose goal is to make global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.

  • What are Quasars?

    An international team of astronomers have discovered the most distant ‘radio-loud’ quasar with the help of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT).

    Ever found this on YouTube? Take time to watch this amazing video. It will literally blow up your mind and curiosity!

     

    TIMELAPSE OF THE FUTURE: A Journey to the End of Time (4K)

     

    This video will make up your perceptions and conceptions of how a galaxy dies after the sun runs out of fuel and what a black hole actually is!

    What are Quasars?

    • A quasar known as a quasi-stellar object is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN), in which a supermassive black hole with mass ranging from millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun is surrounded by a gaseous accretion disk.
    • As gas in the disk falls towards the black hole, energy is released in the form of electromagnetic radiation, which can be observed across the electromagnetic spectrum.
    • The power radiated by quasars is enormous; the most powerful quasars have luminosities thousands of times greater than a galaxy such as the Milky Way.
    • Most active galaxies have a supermassive black hole at the centre which sucks in surrounding objects.
    • Quasars are formed by the energy emitted by materials spiralling around a black hole right before being sucked into it.

    What makes this event special?

    • 90 per cent of quasars do not emit strong radio waves, making this newly-discovered one special.
    • It took 13 billion years for the quasar’s light to reach earth.
    • Named P172+18, the quasar emitted wavelengths had a redshift of 6.8.
    • Only three other ‘radio-loud’ sources with a redshift greater than six have been discovered so far and the most distant one had a redshift of 6.18.
    • The higher the redshift of the radio wavelength, the farther away is the source.

    As an object moves away from us, the sound or light waves emitted by the object are stretched out, which makes them have a lower pitch and moves them towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum, where light has a longer wavelength. In the case of light waves, this is called redshift.

  • Assam’s Sattras and their political significance

    In poll-bound Assam, the campaigns are sought to be held in the Bartadrava Than/Sattra (monastery) in Nagaon, which is the birthplace of renowned Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva.

    Q.Discuss the role of religion in India’s electoral politics. Discuss how identity politics is harmful to a harmonious society.

    What are Sattras?

    • Sattras are monastic institutions created as part of the 16th-century Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement started by Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1596).
    • As the saint travelled across Assam, spreading his teachings and propagating an egalitarian society, these Sattras/Thans were established as centres of religious, social and cultural reforms in the 16th century.
    • These institutions are of paramount importance and lie at the heart of Assamese culture.
    • Today, Sattras are spread across the state, promulgating Sankardeva’s unique “worship through art” approach with music (borgeet), dance (sattriya) and theatre (bhauna).

    Composition of Sattra

    • Each Sattra has a naamghar (worship hall) as its nucleus and is headed by an influential “Sattradhikar”.
    • Monks, known as bhakats, are inducted into Sattras at a young age.
    • They may or may not be celibate, depending on the kind of Sattra they are inducted into.

    What is Sankardeva’s philosophy?

    • Sankardeva propagated a form of Bhakti called eka-sharana-naam-dhrama.
    • He espoused a society based on equality and fraternity, free from caste differences, orthodox Brahmanical rituals and sacrifices.
    • His teaching focused on prayer and chanting (naam) instead of idol worship. His dharma was based on the four components of deva (god), naam (prayers), bhakats (devotees), and guru (teacher).

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to the cultural history of medieval India, consider the following statements:

    1. Siddhas (Sittars) of Tamil region were monotheistic and condemned idolatry.
    2. Lingayats of Kannada region questioned the theory of rebirth and rejected the caste hierarchy

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    What is the relationship between the Sattra and the State?

    • During the Ahom reign, the Sattras received a lot of donations in the form of land or money from the kings.
    • Unlike temples, Sattras did not require patronage because they were self-sufficient, grew their own food and could sustain themselves.
    • However, today, it is different. Annual grants from the state and central government are doled out to Sattras, in the hope of political support.

    Do Sattras matter in elections?

    • While Sattra votes may not decide the outcome of an election, it is undeniable that the Sattras and Sattradhikars have a lot of influence.
    • There are especially Sattra-based constituencies like Nagaon, Kaliabor, Majuli, Barpeta, Bartadadrva etc.
    • Assamese families usually have ties with one Sattra, or the other.
    • That is why politicians — regardless of party are often seen visiting Sattra.

  • Technology and Innovation Report, 2021

    According to UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2021, India is the greatest outperformer among developing countries to use, adopt and adapt frontier technologies than their per capita GDPs.

    Q.What do you mean by Frontier technologies? Discuss their potential for path-breaking technological change that will profoundly affect markets and societies. (250W)

    Technology and Innovation Report, 2021

    • The report critically examines the possibility of frontier technologies such as AI, robotics, and gene-editing widening existing inequalities and creating new ones.

    What are Frontier technologies?

    • Frontier technologies include AI, IoT, big data, blockchain, fifth-generation mobile telephony, 3D printing, robotics, drones, gene-editing, nanotechnology, and solar power — the ones that take advantage of digitalization and connectivity.
    • Frontier technologies are essential for sustainable development, but they also could accentuate initial inequalities.

    Country-Readiness Index

    • The country-readiness index released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) under this report.
    • The index analyzed the progress of countries in using frontier technologies, considering their national capacities related to physical investment, human capital, and technological effort.

    India’s performance

    • India’s actual index ranking was 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income was 108.
    • This meant that India overperformed other countries by 65 ranking positions.
    • It was followed by the Philippines, which overperformed by 57 ranking positions.

    Global performance

    • China was at position 25; both India and China performed well in research and development.
    • This was reflective of their abundant supplies of qualified and highly skilled human resources available at a comparatively low cost.
    • The Philippines has a high ranking for the industry—because of high levels of foreign direct investment in high-technology manufacturing, especially electronics.
    • The United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom were “best prepared” for frontier technologies, the report highlighted.
    • Most of the best-prepared countries are from Europe, except the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United States. Some transition economies, such as Russia, also perform well on the index.

    Major takeaways of the report

    The report urges all developing nations to prepare for a period of deep and rapid technological change that will profoundly affect markets and societies.

    • Developing countries should align science, technology, and innovation policies with industrial policies.
    • New technologies can re-invigorate traditional production sectors and speed up industrialization and economic structural transformation.
    • It is up to policymakers to reduce this risk and make frontier technologies contribute to increasing equality, says the report.
    • Low-and middle-income developing countries and the least developing countries cannot afford to miss the new wave of rapid technological change.

  • [pib] Devasthal Optical Telescope

    Indian Scientists have indigenously designed and developed a low-cost optical spectrograph called Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT).

    Devasthal Optical Telescope

    • The ‘Made in India’ optical spectrograph is named as Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera (ADFOSC).
    • It is indigenously designed and developed by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital.
    • DOT locates sources of faint light from distant quasars and galaxies in a very young universe, regions around supermassive black-holes around the galaxies, and cosmic explosions.
    • Such spectroscopes were so far imported from abroad involved high costs.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.“Event Horizon” is related to:

    (a) Telescope

    (b) Black hole

    (c) Solar glares

    (d) None of the above

    Special features

    • It is about 2.5 times less costly compared to the imported ones and can locate sources of light with a photon-rate as low as about 1 photon per second.
    • It has been successfully commissioned on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), the largest in the country and in Asia, near Nainital Uttarakhand.
    • This instrument uses a complex arrangement of several lenses made of special glasses, polished to better than 5-nanometer smoothness to produce sharp images of the celestial sky.
    • Photons coming from distant celestial sources, collected by the telescope, are sorted into different colours by the spectrograph and are finally converted into electronic recordable signals.
    • It uses an in-house developed Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera cooled to an extremely low temperature of -120 0

  • Replicating success in space and pharmaceuticals in knowledge economy

    The article underlines India’s success in pharma and space, and also analyses the reasons for India’s inability to replicate the success in other areas.

    India’s success in space and pharmaceuticals

    • The launch of Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) comes weeks after India allowed the export of COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil.
    • Taken together, these two examples of technological and scientific cooperation draw attention to the diplomatic potential of India’s knowledge economy.
    • The credit for India’s competitive pricing of satellite launches and pharmaceuticals exports goes entirely to Indian engineering, scientific and technological talent.

    Decrease in capability for knowledge-based diplomacy

    • Indian science and technology had something to offer the developing world that the developed economies of the West were either unwilling to provide or did so at much higher cost.
    • Overseas students were drawn to Indian universities and institutions because they offered good quality education at a fraction of the cost of developed country institutions.
    • The appeal of education in India for overseas students has waned.
    • Indian expertise was sought by global organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
    • Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), had acquired a global profile with business in Africa and Asia.
    • The development of India’s dairy and livestock economy also attracted global interest.

    Factors responsible

    • India lost this leadership in the knowledge economy, barring sectors like space, pharma and information-technology, for two reasons.
    • First, a flight of Indian talent that began in the 1970s and has since accelerated. This has sharply increased in recent years.
    • Second, China has emerged as a major competitor offering equally good, if not better quality, S&T products and services at lower cost.

    Consider the question “India’s success in pharma and space indicates its potential. What are the challenges India faces in replicating the success in these two sectors in other areas of the economy?

    Conclusion

    Global success of space and pharma points to the diplomatic potential of the knowledge industry and to India’s “soft power”. However, the fact that they are the exception rather than the rule points to the lack of political and intellectual support to the development of India’s knowledge base and an inadequate commitment to excellence.

  • ISRO places Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite

    The successful launch of Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation marks a new high point in space cooperation between the two countries.

    Note why Amazonia-1 Satellite is distinct in itself. It paves for statement based MCQs.

    Amazonia-1 Satellite

    • The Amazônia-1 or SSR- is the first Earth observation satellite entirely developed by Brazil.
    • It is optimized to peer at the cloud-covered region of its namesake, the Amazon forest since it has infrared capabilities that allow it to look at the forest cover regardless of the weather.
    • Brazil plans to use the satellite to “alert deforestation” in the region, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said in an Amazonia 1 mission description.

    Significance of the launch

    • This confirms the infinite potential of the India-Brazil partnership to overcome our development challenges through high technology.
    • The launch also marked the first dedicated mission of ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd. (NSIL).