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Subject: Science and Technology

  • Arecibo Radio Telescope

    A massive radio telescope at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory — one of the world’s largest — collapsed on after sustaining severe damage, following 57 years of astronomical discoveries.

    Try this PYQ:

    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.

    Arecibo Telescope

    • The Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), was an observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico owned by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
    • It was the world’s largest single-aperture telescope for 53 years, surpassed in July 2016 by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in China.
    • The second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world, it had withstood many hurricanes and earthquakes since it was first built in 1963.

    Its contributions

    • Being the most powerful radar, scientists employed Arecibo to observe planets, asteroids and the ionosphere.
    • It made several discoveries over the decades, including finding prebiotic molecules in distant galaxies, the first exoplanets, and the first millisecond pulsar.
    • In 1967, Arecibo was able to discover that the planet Mercury rotates in 59 days and not 88 days as had been originally thought.
    • In the following decades, it also served as a hub in the search for extraterrestrial life, and would look for radio signals from alien civilizations.
    • In 1993, scientists Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the observatory in monitoring a binary pulsar.
    • It provided a strict test of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity and the first evidence for the existence of gravitational waves.

  • Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP)

    A powerful new telescope ASKAP, in Australia has mapped vast areas of the universe in record-breaking time, revealing a million new galaxies and opening the way to new discoveries.

    Note all important telescopes in news and their features. Some of them are – Thirty Meter Telescope, Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, Spitzer, Chandra etc.

    What is ASKAP?

    • ASKAP is a telescope designed over a decade ago and located about 800 km north of Perth.
    • It became fully operational in February 2019 and is currently conducting pilot surveys of the sky before it can begin large-scale projects from 2021 onward.
    • ASKAP surveys are designed to map the structure and evolution of the Universe, which it does by observing galaxies and the hydrogen gas that they contain.
    • One of its most important features is its wide field of view, because of which it has been able to take panoramic pictures of the sky in great detail.
    • The telescope uses novel technology developed by CSIRO- the Australian space agency, which is a kind of a “radio camera” to achieve high survey speeds and consists of 36 dish antennas, which are each 12m in diameter.
    • The survey team has been able to observe over 83 per cent of the sky visible from ASKAP’s site in Western Australia.

    Significance of the results

    • The present Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS) taken by the ASKAP telescope is like a “Google map” of the Universe.
    • Mapping the Universe on such a scale enables astronomers to study the formation of stars and how galaxies and their supermassive black holes evolve and interact with each other.
    • Significantly, the images the telescope has taken are on average deeper and have better spatial resolution compared to those taken during other surveys of the sky.
    • The aim of the RACS survey is to generate images that will aid future surveys undertaken using the telescope.

  • Looming heath crisis in the form of antimicrobial resistance

    Rapidly rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses the threat of the next health crisis if not addressed with urgency. The article examines the severity of the issue.

    The severity of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

    • Globally, about 35% of common human infections have become resistant to available medicines.
    • About 700,000 people die every year because available antimicrobial drugs — antibiotics, antivirals, antiparasitic and antifungals — have become less effective at combating pathogens.
    • Resistance to second- and third-line antibiotics — the last lines of defence against some common diseases — are projected to almost double between 2005 and 2030.
    • In India, the largest consumer of antibiotics in the world, this is a serious problem.

    Responsible factors

    •  Microorganisms develop resistance to antimicrobial agents as a natural defence mechanism.
    • Human activity has significantly accelerated the process.
    • The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials for humans.
    • Livestock and agriculture but other factors also contribute.

    Research points  to role of environment and pollution

    • Once consumed, up to 80% of antibiotic drugs are excreted un-metabolised, along with resistant bacteria.
    • Their release in effluents from households and health and pharmaceutical facilities, and agricultural run-off, is propagating resistant microorganisms.
    • Wastewater treatment facilities are unable to remove all antibiotics and resistant bacteria.
    • In India, there is capacity to treat only about 37% of the sewage generated annually.
    • Water, then, may be a major mode for the spread of AMR, especially in places with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.
    • Wildlife that comes into contact with discharge containing antimicrobials can also become colonised with drug-resistant organisms.

    Initiative to tackle the AMR

    • The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) identified antimicrobial resistance as one of six emerging issues of environmental concern in its 2017 Frontiers Report.
    • UN agencies are working together to develop the One Health AMR Global Action Plan (GAP) that addresses the issue in human, animal, and plant health and food and environment sectors.
    • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) issued draft standards which set limits for residues of 121 antibiotics in treated effluents from drug production units.
    • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and MoEF&CC constituted the inter-ministerial Steering Committee on Environment and Health, with representation from WHO and UNEP.

    Way forward

    • The Centre and State governments in India can strengthen the environmental dimensions of their plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
    • It is important to promote measures that address known hotspots such as hospitals and manufacturing and waste treatment facilities.

    Consider the question “Being the largest consumer of antibiotics in the world, India faces a grave threat from growing anti-microbial resistance. What are the factors responsible for it? Suggest the ways to deal with it.”

    Conclusion

    We saw how quickly a pandemic can spread if we are not ready. This is an opportunity to get ahead of the next one.

  • Honey Adulteration in India

    10 out of 13 popular honey brands failed a key test of purity, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has claimed in an investigation.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following kinds of organisms:

    1. Bat
    2. Bee
    3. Bird

    Which of the above is/are pollinating agent/agents?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Adulteration in honey

    • The CSE has resorted to the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) testing to ascertain the composition of a product at the molecular level.
    • The NMR test is not required by Indian law for honey that is being marketed locally but is needed for export.
    • Current regulations specify around 18 parameters that honey must comply with for producers to label it ‘pure honey.
    • Among the tests employed as per Indian regulations is one to check whether the honey is adulterated with C4 sugar (cane sugar) or C3 sugar (rice sugar).
    • Most samples cleared these tests but failed another test called the Trace Marker for Rice test, to test for rice syrup adulteration.

    Significance of the CSE study

    • Adulteration of honey is a global problem with several countries, including India, devising regulations and new tests to check it.
    • It also destroys the livelihoods of bee-keepers who found it unprofitable to make pure honey because sugar-syrup honey was often available at half the price.
    • Some Indian companies in the honey business were importing synthetic sugar syrups from China to adulterate honey.
    • This shows how the business of adulteration has evolved so that it can pass the stipulated tests in India.

    Back2Basics: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

    • NMR spectroscopy is a crucial analytical tool for organic chemists.
    • It is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are perturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with a frequency characteristic of the magnetic field at the nucleus.
    • It is widely used to determine the structure of organic molecules in solution and study molecular physics and crystals as well as non-crystalline materials.
    • It is also routinely used in advanced medical imaging techniques, such as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

  • [pib] XP100: The premium grade Petrol

    The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched world-class premium-grade Petrol (with Octane number 100) in the country.

    What is XP100?

    • It is petrol developed by Indian Oil with octane number 100.
    • The availability of XP100 puts India in an elite group of countries, having access to such high-quality oil. It will provide high quality and power to the engine.
    • It will be rolled out in 15 identified cities across the country in two phases.
    • Worldwide, 100 Octane petrol has a niche market for luxury vehicles that demand high performance and is available only in six countries like Germany, USA, etc.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Lead, ingested or inhaled, is a health hazard. After the addition of lead to petrol has been banned, what still are the sources of lead poisoning?

    1. Smelting units
    2. Pens pencils
    3. Paints
    4. Hair oils and cosmetics

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 1 and 3 only

    (c) 2 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    What is Octane numbering of Petrol?

    • Octane number, also called Antiknock Rating, a measure of the ability of a fuel to resist knocking when ignited in a mixture with air in the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine.
    • Engine knock is a tapping, pinging sound that gets louder and more obnoxious as we accelerate.
    • The octane number is determined by comparing, under standard conditions, the knock intensity of the fuel with that of blends of two reference fuels: iso-octane, which resists knocking, and heptane, which knocks readily.
    • The octane number is the percentage by volume of iso-octane in the iso-octane–heptane mixture that matches the fuel being tested in a standard test engine.

  • Japan’s Hayabusa2 Probe

    A Japanese spacecraft is nearing Earth after a yearlong journey home from a distant asteroid with soil samples. It is set to land in Australia.

    Try this PYQ:

    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.

    Hayabusa2 Probe

    • Hayabusa2is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese space agency, JAXA.
    • It follows on from the Hayabusa mission which returned asteroid samples in 2010.
    • It was launched on 3 December 2014 and rendezvoused with near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu on 27 June 2018.
    • It surveyed the asteroid for a year and a half and took samples. It left the asteroid in November 2019.
    • It carries multiple science payloads for remote sensing, sampling, and four small rovers that investigated the asteroid surface to inform the environmental and geological context of the samples collected.

  • 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.

  • What is Federated Learning?

    An improvement in a Machine Learning (ML) model, called ‘federated learning’, is said to enable companies to develop new ways of collecting anonymous data without compromising their privacy.

    Data privacy is the right of a citizen to have control over how personal information is collected and used. Data protection is a subset Right of Privacy under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

    What is ‘federated learning’?

    • Federated learning is an ML method used to train an algorithm across multiple decentralised devices or servers holding data samples.
    • It doesn’t exchange data with the devices, meaning there is no central dataset or server that stores the information.
    • Standard ML models require all data to be centralised in a single server. Implementation of federated learning eliminates the need for maintaining a storage hub.
    • The term was first introduced in a 2016 Google study titled ‘Communication-efficient learning of deep networks from decentralized data.’
    • Google emphasised mobile phones and tablets, stating that modern devices contain special features like speech recognition and image models that can store large amounts of data.
    • Since then, Google has used the technique is various products, including Gboard, which provides text and phrase suggestions to the keyboard.

    How this works

    • Federated learning aims to train an algorithm, like deep neural networks, on multiple local datasets contained in local nodes, without explicitly exchanging data.
    • The general principle involves simply exchanging parameters between these nodes. Parameters include a number of federated learning rounds, the total number of nodes, and learning rate.
    • The distinct advantage of the model is its ability to reduce privacy and security risks by limiting the attack surface to only the device, rather than the device and the cloud, Google stated in the study.

    Why need such technology?

    • Smart home devices like speakers and smartwatches collect and share data with other devices and systems over the network.
    • These Internet of Things (IoT) devices are equipped with sensors and software that store a user’s private information like body measurements and location.
    • This large chunk of stored data is used by the device makers to improve their products and services.

    Applications

    • Federated learning is said to have application in healthcare, where hospitals and pharmaceutical companies can exchange data for treating diseases without sharing private clinical information.