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Subject: Science and Technology

  • 5G Technology and India’s preparedness

     

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought inputs from telcos and other industry experts on the sale and use of radiofrequency spectrum over the next 10 years, including the 5G bands.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. In India, which of the following review the independent regulators in sectors like telecommunications, insurance, electricity, etc.?

    1. Ad Hoc Committees set up by the Parliament
    2. Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees
    3. Finance Commission
    4. Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission
    5. NITI Aayog

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2

    (b) 1, 3 and 4

    (c) 3, 4 and 5

    (d) 2 and 5

    What is 5G technology?

    • 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
    • It mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.

    Three bands of 5G

    • The low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange, the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
    • This means that while telcos can use and install it for commercial cellphones users who may not have specific demands for very high-speed internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialised needs of the industry.
    • The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers higher speeds compared to the low band but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
    • Telcos and companies, which have taken the lead on 5G, have indicated that this band may be used by industries and specialised factory units for building captive networks that can be moulded into the needs of that particular industry.
    • The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
    • Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G have been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (gigabits per second), while, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.

    Where does India stand in the 5G technology race?

    • On par with the global players, India had, in 2018, planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, with an aim to capitalize on the better network speeds and strength that the technology promised.
    • Indian private telecom players have been urging the DoT to lay out a clear road map of spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands so that they would be able to plan the rollout of their services accordingly.
    • One big hurdle, however, is the lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with some companies due to their AGR dues.

    Global progress on 5G

    • More than governments, global telecom companies have started building 5G networks and rolling it out to their customers on a trial basis.
    • In countries like the US, some companies have taken the lead when it comes to rolling out commercial 5G for their users.
    • A South Korean company, which had started researching on 5G technology way back in 2011, has, on the other hand, take the lead when it comes to building the hardware for 5G networks for several companies.

  • [pib] Who was Thiruvalluvar?

    The Prime Minister has extended his venerations to Thiruvalluvar on the Thiruvalluvar Day.

    Read everything about Sangam Literature from your basic sources.

    Who was Thiruvalluvar?

    • Thiruvalluvar is fondly referred to as Valluvar by Tamils was born during 4th -5th century CE.
    • His ‘Thirukkural’, a collection of 1,330 couplets (‘kurals’ in Tamil), are an essential part of every Tamil household.
    • It holds importance in the same way the Bhagavad Gita or the Ramayana are in traditional North Indian Hindu households.
    • Thiruvalluvar is revered as an ancient saint, poet, and a philosopher by Tamils, irrespective of their religion.
    • He is an essential anchor for Tamils in tracing their cultural roots; Tamils are taught to learn his couplets word-for-word and to follow his teachings in their day-to-day living.

    Also read:

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/sangam-era-older-than-previously-thought-finds-study/

  • NASA’s Curiosity Rover celebrates 3000 days on Mars

    The Mars rover ‘Curiosity’ has completed 3,000 Martian days.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which region of Mars has a densely packed river deposit indicating this planet had water 3.5 billion years ago?

    (a) Aeolis Dorsa

    (b) Tharsis

    (c) Olympus Mons

    (d) Hellas

    Curiosity Rover

    • Curiosity is an SUV-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Gale crater on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission
    • The main mission of Curiosity was “to search areas of Mars for past or present conditions favourable for life, and conditions capable of preserving a record of life.”
    • It has a suite of instruments:
    1. A gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, a tunable laser spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence instrument help study the rocks
    2. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (for close-up pictures) and a Mast Camera (to take photos of the surroundings)
    3. An instrument named ChemCam to vaporize thin layers of Martian rocks.
    4. Radiation Assessment Detector to study the radiation environment at the surface of Mars
    5. Rover Environmental Monitoring Station to measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, winds, plus ultraviolet radiation levels
    6. Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument to measure subsurface hydrogen

    Back2Basics: Martian Day/ Sol

    • Coincidentally, the duration of a Martian day aka ‘Sol’ is within a few per cent of that of an Earth day, which has led to the use of analogous time units.
    • A sol is slightly longer than an Earth day. It is approximately 24 hours, 39 minutes, 35 seconds long.
    • A Martian year is approximately 668 sols, equivalent to approximately 687 Earth days.
    • Mars has an axial tilt and a rotation period similar to those of Earth.
    • Thus, it experiences seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter much like Earth.

  • Sulawesi Cave Paintings

    A team of archaeologists in Indonesia has discovered what may be the world’s oldest known cave painting dating back to more than 45,000 years.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.There are only two known examples of cave paintings of the Gupta period in ancient India. One of these is paintings of Ajanta caves. Where is the other surviving example of Gupta paintings?

    (a) Bagh caves

    (b) Ellora caves

    (c) Lomas Rishi cave

    (d) Nasik caves

    Sulawesi Cave Paintings

    • The cave painting depicts a wild boar endemic to the Sulawesi island of Indonesia, where the painting was found.
    • The central Indonesian island, which occupies an area of over 174,000 sq. km, is situated between Asia and Australia.
    • It has a long history of human occupation.

    Significance of the painting

    • The archaeologists’ note that the dated painting of the Sulawesi warty pig seems to be the world’s oldest surviving representational image of an animal.
    • The painting was made using red ochre pigment and depicts a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes.
    • These pigs have been hunted by humans for tens of thousands of years and are the most commonly depicted animal in the ice age rock art of the island.
    • It suggests that they have long been used as food and form a “focus of creative thinking and artistic expression” for people of that time.

    Must read:

    Chapter 1 | Stone Age – Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic

    How did the archaeologists date it?

    • The painting was first discovered in 2017 as part of surveys the team was carrying out with the Indonesian authorities.
    • For these painting archaeologists used a method called U-series isotope analysis, which uses calcium carbonate deposits that form naturally on the cave wall surface to determine its age.
    • They used a calcium carbonate deposit, also referred to as “cave popcorn” that had formed on the rear foot of one of the pig figures.
    • They were able to figure out a minimum age for the painting at around 45,500 years, which means the painting was made before this.

    Sulawesi: Oldest human habitat

    Try memorizing these Islands of the Indo-Pacific in their East-West alternations.

    • Sulawesi island contains some of the oldest directly dated rock art in the world and also some of the oldest evidence for the presence of hominins beyond the southeastern limits of the Ice Age Asian continent.
    • Hominins include modern humans, extinct human species and our immediate ancestors.
    • Homo sapiens are the first modern humans who evolved from their hominid predecessors between 200,000-300,000 years ago.
    • It is estimated that these modern humans started migrating outside of Africa some 70,000-100,000 years ago.
    • Even so, it is not yet clear as to when modern humans first colonised Sulawesi.

  • Kashmir’s ancient art of papier-mache

    This newscard is an excerpt of the original article published in The Hindu.

    Tap to know about other Geographical Indicators in news.

    Kashmiri papier-mache

    • It is a handicraft of Kashmir that was brought by Muslims saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia in the 14th century to medieval India.
    • It is based primarily on paper pulp, and is a richly decorated, colourful artefact; generally in the form of vases, bowls, or cups (with and without metal rims), boxes, trays, bases of lamps, and many other small objects.
    • These are made in homes, and workshops, in Srinagar, and other parts of the Kashmir Valley, and are marketed primarily within India, although there is a significant international market.
    • The product is protected under the Geographic Indication Act 1999 and was registered by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks.

    Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)

    • The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines a GI as “a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin”.
    • GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, handicrafts, industrial products, wines and spirit drinks.
    • Internationally, GIs are covered as an element of intellectual property rights under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
    • They have also covered under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.

  • Progression to electric vehicles: Challenges and opportunities for India

    Article highlight India’s preparedness for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and steps taken by the government in this direction.

    Why electric mobility matters for India

    • It is important for India because such vehicles are sustainable and profitable in the long term.
    • Reducing dependence on crude oil will save the government money, reduce carbon emissions, and build domestic energy independence.
    • India’s transition to electric vehicles will allow us to fine-tune our infrastructure.
    • This will also influence India’s foreign policy as our energy security dependence will shift from West Asia to Latin America.
    • India imported 228.6 MT of crude oil worth $120 billion in 2018–19, which made it the third-largest oil importer in the world in terms of value.

    Government policies

    •  Under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles and its updated (Fame 2) version, the government has allocated $1.3 billion in incentives.
    • A proposal for a $4.6 billion subsidy for battery makers has also been proposed by the NITI Aayog.
    • These policies are embedded with the vision to have 30% electric vehicles plying the roads by 2030.

    Developing domestic  battery manufacturing capacity

    • At present, India’s lithium-ion battery demand is fulfilled by imports from China, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.
    • In the last two years, India’s lithium imports have tripled from $384 mn to $1.2 bn.
    • With its policy intervention to support battery manufacturers by supplying lithium and cobalt, this industry is more likely to grow domestically to support India’s goal to switch to electric mobility.
    • In 2019, NALCO, Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL) formally signed a joint venture agreement to form Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) to scout for strategic mineral assets like lithium and cobalt abroad for commercial use and for supplying to meet the domestic requirement for battery manufacturers.
    • Developing domestic battery manufacturing capacity may fundamentally change India’s relationship with resource-rich Latin America as the government plans to buy overseas lithium reserves.
    • In Latin America, most of the production comes from Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia which holds about 80% of the explored lithium of the world.
    • Currently, India’s biggest trading partners in Latin America are Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, and majority of trade is concentrated on crude oil which includes 14%-20% of India’s total crude oil imports.
    • This may soon shift to lithium and cobalt.

    Conclusion

    The Indian government’s initiation to take the front seat in electric mobility and preemptive action to send a high-level delegation to have a precise understanding of the availability of lithium and possibilities of joint ventures will supply domestic markets and drive international markets.

  • National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications (NM-QTA)

    The detailed project report for a National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications (NM-QTA) has been drawn out and finalised.

    Q.Discuss various applications of quantum technology for strategic and economic development.

    Story so far

    • In last year’s budget session, it was proposed that â‚č8,000 crores be set aside to develop quantum science and technology.
    • The detailed project report is now ready and in the next couple of months, this mission might get approval.
    • Recognising the importance of quantum technology, the Department of Science and Technology has also initiated a programme called QuEST to explore the possibilities and engage with the researchers.

    About NM-QTA

    • The mission will function under the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
    • It will be able to address the ever-increasing technological requirements of society and take into account the international technology trends.
    • The mission will help prepare next-generation skilled manpower, boost translational research and also encourage entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development.

    Why need such a mission?

    • Quantum technologies are rapidly developing globally with hugely disruptive potential.
    • The range of quantum technologies is expected to be one of the major technology disruptions that will change the entire paradigm of computation, communication and encryption.
    • It is perceived that the countries who achieve an edge in this emerging field will have a greater advantage in garnering multifold economic growth and dominant leadership role.
    • It has become imperative both for government and industries to be prepared to develop these emerging and disruptive changes.
    • It will establish standards to be applied to all research and help stimulate a pipeline to support research and applications well into the future.

    Recent applications

    • Recently, DRDO has successfully demonstrated communication between its two labs using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology.
    • In June 2020, China demonstrated quantum communication technology using the satellite Micius, by conducting a secret conference between two ground stations about 1,120 km apart.
    • They used the satellite not to transmit the entire communication, but to simultaneously send a pair of secret keys to the two ground stations.
    • Other potential applications include secure communication, fast computers that established quantum supremacy, sensors and quantum-inspired devices.

    Back2Basics: Quantum Technology

    • Quantum Technology is based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the nature of energy and matter on the atomic and subatomic level.
    • It concerns the control and manipulation of quantum systems, with the goal of achieving information processing beyond the limits of the classical world.
    • Its principles will be used for engineering solutions to extremely complex problems in computing, communications, sensing, chemistry, cryptography, imaging and mechanics.
    • This key ability makes quantum computers extremely powerful compared to conventional computers when solving certain kinds of problems like finding prime factors of large numbers and searching for large databases.

    What is Quantum Mechanics?

    • It is a fundamental theory in physics which describes nature at the smallest – including atomic and subatomic – scales.
    • At the scale of atoms and electrons, many of the equations of classical mechanics, which describe how things move at everyday sizes and speeds, cease to be useful.
    • In classical mechanics, objects exist in a specific place at a specific time.
    • However, in quantum mechanics, objects instead exist in a haze of probability; they have a certain chance of being at point A, another chance of being at point B and so on.

  • ‘Recoiling’ Black Holes

    A supermassive black hole, which is estimated to weigh up to 100 billion times the mass of the Sun, is seemingly missing, leaving astronomers perplexed.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant ‘blackholes’ billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

    (a) ‘Higgs boson particles’ were detected.

    (b) ‘Gravitational waves’ were detected.

    (c) Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through ‘wormhole’ was confirmed.

    (d) It enabled scientists to understand ‘singularity’.

    The ‘missing’ black hole

    • The black hole is supposed to be located in Abell 2261, an enormous galaxy cluster that is about 2.7 billion light-years away from our planet.
    • So, when we look at a celestial object, we are looking at how it appeared that long ago in the past.
    • At 2.7 billion light-years away, the Abell galaxy is at an overwhelmingly large distance away from us.

    What could have happened?

    • Every large galaxy in the universe has a supermassive black hole at its centre, whose mass is millions or billions of times that of the Sun, says NASA.
    • The black hole at the centre of our galaxy– the Milky Way– is called Sagittarius A*, and is 26,000 light-years away from Earth.
    • Scientists have been using data gathered in 1999 and 2004 to look for the centre of the Abell galaxy, but have so far been unable to find its black hole.
    • A reason for this could be that Abell’s black hole has been ejected from the centre of the galaxy.

    Recoil of Black Holes

    • When two black holes merge, they release what is known as gravitational waves– invisible ripples travelling at the speed of light, which squeeze and stretch anything in their path.
    • As per the theory of gravitational waves, during such a merger, when the amount of waves generated in one direction is stronger than another, the new big black hole can be sent away from the centre of the galaxy into the opposite direction.
    • This is known as a “recoiling” black hole.
    • So far, though, scientists are yet to find definitive evidence for recoiling black holes and are still to discover whether supermassive black holes can merge and release gravitational waves.
    • As of now, only mergers of significantly smaller black holes have been verified.

    Why it is significant?

    • The researchers assert that this may have happened because of the merging of two smaller galaxies to form Abell– a process in which both of their black holes merged to form an even bigger black hole.
    • If this hypothesis turns out to be true, it would mean a major breakthrough in astronomy.

    Back2Basics:

  • Mukundpura CM2

    An asteroid which made its landfall in Mukundpura village near Jaipur has been named after the same village and is under the study of Geological Survey of India, Kolkata.

    Try this question from CSP 2014:

    Q.What is a coma, in the content of astronomy?

    (a) Bright half of material on the comet

    (b) Long tail of dust

    (c) Two asteroids orbiting each other

    (d) Two planets orbiting each other

    Mukundpura CM2

    • The meteorite named Mukundpura CM2 was classified to be a carbonaceous chondrite.
    • This is a type of stony meteorite, considered the most primitive meteorite and a remnant of the first solid bodies to accrete in the solar system.
    • The composition of carbonaceous chondrites is also similar to the Sun.
    • Chondrites are silicate-droplet-bearing meteorites, and this Mukundpura chondrite is the fifth carbonaceous meteorite known to fall in India.

    Why it is important to study meteorites?

    • Meteorites are representative of asteroids.
    • Asteroids are the remnant debris of the inner solar system formation process and thus offer the formation history or the building blocks of the planets.
    • Therefore, by studying meteorites in the laboratory and asteroids by exploration and sample return mission we try to reconstruct the activity of early solar system events.
    • Also, asteroids are often rich in volatiles and other minerals and can be exploited for future planetary exploration.

    Do you know?

    Meteorites are broadly classified into three groups – stony (silicate-rich), iron (Fe–Ni alloy), and stony-iron (mixed silicate–iron alloy).

    Details of its study

    • The study revealed that Mukundpura CM2 had experienced varying degrees of alteration during the impact.
    • Some minerals like forsterite and FeO olivine, calcium aluminium rich inclusion (CAI) minerals escaped alteration.
    • Few magnetites, sulphides and calcites were also found.
    • Detailed spectroscopic studies revealed that the meteorite had very high (about 90%) phyllosilicate minerals comprising both magnesium and iron.
    • Further X-ray studies showed it also had aluminium complexes.

    Relevance to asteroids

    • The results of the Mukundpura CM2 study are relevant to the surface composition of near-Earth asteroids Ryugu and Bennu.
    • In October 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples from Bennu and is expected to return in September 2023.
    • Last month, Japan’s Hayabusa-2 mission landed on Earth with samples from Ryugu.

    Back2Basics:

  • Lithium deposits in Karnataka

    Alongside a move to tap into the global lithium value chain, India has initiated a concerted domestic exploration in Karnataka’s Mandya district.

    Lithium reserves in Karnataka

    • Preliminary surveys by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), an arm of the Department of Atomic Energy has carried out the exploration.
    • AMD is carrying out surface and sub-surface exploration for lithium in potential geological domains of the country.
    • Their research has shown the presence of 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources in the igneous rocks of the Marlagalla-Allapatna region of Karnataka’s Mandya district.

    Must read:

    Global producers of lithium

    • Australia and Chile have swapped positions as the world’s leading lithium-producing country over the past decade. In 2019, the world’s Top 5 lithium producers were:
    1. Australia – 52.9% of global production
    2. Chile – 21.5%
    3. China – 9.7%
    4. Argentina – 8.3%
    5. Zimbabwe – 2.1%
    • The U.S. ranked 7th with 1.2% of the world’s lithium production.

    In 2019, the world’s Top 5 lithium reserves by country were:

    1. Chile – 55.5% of the world’s total

    2. Australia – 18.1%

    3. Argentina – 11.0%

    4. China – 6.5%

    5. U.S. – 4.1%

    Why is the exploration significant?

    • India currently imports all its lithium needs.
    • The find in Mandya is extremely small in quantitative terms, but it marks some initial success in the attempt to domestically mine the silver-white metal by way of hard-rock extraction of the ore.
    • The domestic exploration push comes at a time when India has stepped up its economic offensive against China, a major source of lithium-ion energy storage products being imported into the country.
    • The Marlagalla-Allapatna area is seen as among the most promising geological domains for potential exploration for lithium and other rare metals.

    What lies ahead?

    • India is seen as a late mover in attempts to enter the lithium value chain, coming at a time when EVs are predicted to be a sector ripe for disruption.
    • 2021 is likely to be an inflexion point for battery technology – with several potential improvements to the li-ion technology, and alternatives to this tried-and-tested formulation in advanced stages of commercialization.

    Back2Basic: Li-Ion battery

    • Whittingham developed the first functional lithium-ion battery in 1976, Goodenough brought in a major improvement in 1980, while Yoshino made the first practical-use lithium-ion battery in 1985.
    • Commercially manufactured lithium-ion batteries, based on what Yoshino had developed, made their first appearance in 1991.

    Its’ working

    • Batteries convert chemical energy into electricity.
    • A battery comprises two electrodes, a positive cathode and a negative anode, which is separated by a liquid chemical, called an electrolyte, which is capable of carrying charged particles.
    • The two electrodes are connected through an electrical circuit.
    • When the circuit is on, electrons travel from the negative anode towards the positive cathode, thus generating an electric current, while positively charged ions move through the electrolyte.