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Subject: Science and Technology

  • 2020 Nobel for Hepatitis C Virus discovery

    Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which one of the following statements is not correct? (CSP 2019)

    (a) Hepatitis B virus is transmitted much like HIV.

    (b) Hepatitis B. unlike Hepatitis C, does not have a vaccine.

    (c) Globally, the number of people infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses arc several times more than those infected with HIV.

    (d) Some of those infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses do not show the symptoms for many years.

    Hepatitis C Virus

    • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a bloodborne virus and causes liver diseases. It refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver.
    • The novel virus caused several deaths in the 1960s and 1970s — but remained unknown until its discovery in the late 1980s.

    What are other Hepatitis Viruses?

    • Before the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, two other viruses were known to cause hepatitis in patients.
    • The Hepatitis A virus was known to spread mainly through contaminated food and water and caused a relatively milder form of liver inflammation.
    • Hepatitis B, discovered in the 1960s, was known to transmit mainly through infected blood and caused a more serious form of the disease.
    • Incidentally, the discovery of the Hepatitis B virus too was rewarded with a Nobel Prize in Medicine, given to Baruch Blumberg in 1976. There are vaccines available for this disease now.

    How Hepatitis C came to observation?

    • The discovery and identification of the Hepatitis B virus facilitated the development of a diagnostic test to detect its presence in blood.
    • Thereafter, only blood sanitized from this virus would be given to patients, but it was observed that even this sanitized blood was able to prevent only 20% of the blood-borne hepatitis cases.
    • It was then that the search for the new virus began.

    How is Hepatitis C treated?

    • Presently there is no vaccine available for HCV. However, it can be treated with antiviral medication.
    • Hepatitis A and B are preventable by vaccine.

    Back2Basics:

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/in-news-nobel-prize/

  • What is Ketogenic Diet?

    Ketogenic or Keto Diet is popularly followed as a weight loss diet across the world.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Regular intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is recommended in the diet since they are a good source of antioxidants. How do antioxidants help a person maintain health and promote longevity? (CSP 2014)

    (a) They activate the enzymes necessary for vitamin synthesis in the body and help prevent vitamin deficiency.

    (b) They prevent excessive oxidation of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the body and help avoid unnecessary wastage of energy.

    (c) They neutralize the free radicals produced in the body during metabolism.

    (d) They activate certain genes in the cells of the body and help delay the ageing process.

    What is Ketogenic Diet?

    • The Keto Diet is one of the most popular weight-loss diets the world over.
    • It consists of a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet.
    • It helps in weight loss by achieving ketosis — a metabolic state where the liver burns body fat and provides fuel for the body, as there is limited access to glucose.

    What constitutes a keto diet?

    • A classic keto generally requires that 90 per cent of a person’s calories come from fat, 6 per cent from protein and 4 per cent from carbs.
    • But there are many versions doing the rounds since this one was designed for children suffering from epilepsy to gain control over their seizures.

    How does it impact the body?

    • If we starve the body of carbohydrate, after burning out the glucose, the liver starts breaking down fats for energy.
    • Ketosis is common in all kinds of fasting, but in a keto diet, when one is feeding it by giving a lot of fats from outside without carbs, it can become mildly toxic.
    • It may lead to many nutrient deficiencies such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins (especially vitamin A, D, E, & K) and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, sodium.
    • Extreme carbohydrate restriction can lead to hunger, fatigue, low mood, irritability, constipation, headaches, and brain fog, which may last days to weeks

    What impact does it have on our kidneys?

    • Even the moderate increase in protein needs to be carefully monitored, especially in those who are already suffering from chronic kidney disease, as it could lead to kidney failure.
    • One should get a thorough assessment and make sure they have normal kidney function before choosing this diet.
    • This diet could lead to increased stress on the kidneys and result in kidney stones, as they are made to work overtime.

  • What is CBD Oil?

    These days, there are diverse opinions rising regarding the legalization of CBD oil in India after recent controversy rose after the alleged suicide of an actor.

    What is CBD oil?

    • CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant.
    • The two main active substances in it are cannabidiol or CBD and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
    • The high that is caused by the consumption of cannabis is due to THC.
    • CBD, however, does not cause a “high” or any form of intoxication.
    • CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant, then diluting it with a carrier oil like coconut or hemp seed oil.

    What are the effects of Cannabidiol?

    • Cannabidiol has effects on the brain, preventing the breakdown of a chemical that aggravates the pain and affects mood, and mental function. It can reduce pain and anxiety.
    • It also reduces psychotic symptoms associated with conditions such as schizophrenia as well as epilepsy.

    Is it legal in India?

    • The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) outlaws the recreational use of cannabis.
    • The NDPS Act, however, does not apply to the leaves and seeds of cannabis plants. In case the CBD is extracted from the leaves of the cannabis, then technically it is not illegal.
    • CBD oil manufactured under a licence issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can be legally used.
    • However, the use of cannabis as a medicine is not much prevalent in India.

    Now try this PYQ:

    Q. Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria. Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine?

    A) Malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium

    B) Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection

    C) Vaccines can be developed only against bacteria

    D) Man is only an intermediate host and not the definitive host

  • Cat Que Virus

    In a study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, scientists have noted the presence of antibodies against the Cat Que virus (CQV) in two human serum samples.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which one of the following statements is not correct?

    (a) Hepatitis B virus is transmitted much like HIV.

    (b) Hepatitis B, unlike Hepatitis C, does not have a vaccine.

    (c) Globally, the number of people infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses is several times more than those infected with HIV.

    (d) Some of those infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses do not show the symptoms for many years.

    What is the Cat Que Virus?

    • For CQV, domestic pigs are considered to be the primary mammalian hosts.
    • Antibodies against the virus indicate that the virus has formed a “natural cycle” in the local area and has the ability to spread in pigs and other animal populations through mosquitoes.
    • CQV belongs to the Simbu serogroup and infects both humans and economically important livestock species.
    • It was first isolated in 2004 from mosquitoes during the surveillance of arbovirus activity in northern Vietnam.
    • In this study, researchers reported a CQV strain (SC0806), which was isolated from mosquito samples collected in China in 2006 and 2008.

    Impact on humans

    • Humans can get infected through mosquitoes as well.
    • In the study, scientists note that because of positivity in human serum samples and the replication capability of CQV in mosquitoes, there is only a “possible disease-causing potential” of CQV in the Indian scenario.

  • [pib] 20 years of Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT)

    In the cold, dry desert of Ladakh, 4500 meters above the mean sea level, for two decades, the 2-m diameter optical-infrared Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) has been scanning the night sky for 20 years in search of stellar explosions, comets, asteroids, and exo-planets.

    Chandra X-Ray observatory and now, it is Himalayan Chandra Telescope. Do you the key difference? The former is a NASA project while the HCT is the Indian one.

    Himalayan Chandra Telescope

    • The HCT is a 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureate Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar.
    • It contains a modified Ritchey-Chretien system with a primary mirror made of ULE ceramic which is designed to withstand low temperatures it experiences.
    • The telescope was manufactured by Electo-Optical System Technologies Inc. at Tucson, Arizona, USA.
    • It is mounted with 3 science instruments called Himalaya Faint Object Spectrograph (HFOSC), the near-IR imager and the optical CCD imager.
    • It is remotely operated from Hosakote, about 35 km northeast of Bangalore via an INSAT-3B satellite link which allows operation even in sub-zero temperatures in winter.

    Significant feats

    • The telescope has been used in many coordinated international campaigns to monitor stellar explosions, comets, and exo-planets, and has contributed significantly to these studies.
    • Some of the thrust research areas are the study of solar system bodies like; comets, asteroids, the study of star formation processes and young stellar objects, the study of open and globular clusters and variable stars in them.
    • It has helped in analysis of elements in the atmosphere of evolved stars, star formation in external galaxies, Active Galactic Nuclei, stellar explosions like novae, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and so on.

  • [pib] UVIT: India’s first multi-wavelength astronomical observatory

    The satellite that detected the first extreme-UV rays in the Universe from the cosmic noon celebrated its 5th birthday today.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.“Event Horizon” is related to:

    (a) Telescope

    (b) Black hole

    (c) Solar glares

    (d) None of the above

    Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT)

    • The UVIT is a remarkable 3-in-1 imaging telescope.
    • Weighing all of 230 kg, the UVIT can simultaneously observe in the visible, the near-ultraviolet (NUV) and the far-ultraviolet (FUV).
    • UVIT comprises of two separate telescopes. One of them works in the visible (320-550 nm) and the NUV (200-300 nm).
    • The second works only in the FUV (130-180 nm).

    Its achievement

    • It has carried out 1166 observations of 800 unique celestial sources proposed by scientists both from India and abroad.
    • It has explored stars, star clusters, mapping of the large and small satellite galaxies nearby to our own Milky Way galaxy called the Magellanic Clouds.
    • It is an energetic phenomenon in the Universe such as the ultra-violet counterparts to gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, and so on.
    • Its superior spatial resolution capability has enabled astronomers to probe star formation in galaxies as well as resolve the cores of star clusters (3 times better than the last NASA mission, GALEX).
    • Observations from UVIT has recently led to the discovery of a galaxy located at a distance of about 10 billion light-years from Earth and emitting extreme ultraviolet radiation that can ionize the intergalactic medium.

  • NASA’s Sonification Project

    While telescopes offer glimpses of outer space by translating digital data into stunning images, NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Center (CXC) has gone a step further by unveiling a new ‘sonification’ project that transforms data from astronomical images into audio.

    Don’t get confused with the ‘Chandra‘ considering it as an ISRO Project.

    What is the project?

    • Users can now ‘listen’ to images of the Galactic Centre, the remains of a supernova called Cassiopeia A, as well as the Pillars of Creation Nebula, which are all located in a region around 26,000 light-years away from Earth.
    • The data has been collected by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope — each of which is represented by a different musical ‘instrument’.

    What is data sonification?

    • Data sonification refers to the use of sound values to represent real data. Simply put, it is the auditory version of data visualization.
    • In NASA’s recent Chandra project, for instance, data is represented using a number of musical notes.
    • With this data sonification project, users can now experience different phenomena captured in astronomical images as an aural experience.
    • The birth of a star, a cloud of dust or even a black hole can now be ‘heard’ as a high or low pitched sound.

    How did NASA translate astronomical images into sound?

    • NASA’s distant telescopes in space collect inherently digital data, in the form of ones and zeroes, before converting them into images.
    • The images are essentially visual representations of light and radiation of different wavelengths in space, that can’t be seen by the human eye.
    • The Chandra project has created a celestial concert of sorts by translating the same data into sound. Pitch and volume are used to denote the brightness and position of a celestial object or phenomenon.
    • So far, the astronomers behind Project Chandra have released three examples made using data collected from some of the most distinct features in the sky — the Galactic Centre, Cassiopeia A, and Pillars of Creation Nebula.

    (1) The Galactic Centre

    • The first example is that of the Galactic Centre, which the rotational centre of the Milky Way galaxy is.
    • It comprises a collection of celestial objects — neutron and white dwarf stars, clouds of dust and gas, and most notably, a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*, that weighs four million times the mass of the sun.
    • Based on data gathered by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, an image is rendered using X-ray, visible and infrared light before being translated into sound.
    • The translation begins on the left side of the image and then moves to the right.
    • Stars and other compact sources are represented using individual short notes, while a longer humming sound is used to denote clouds of gas and dust.

    (2) Cassiopeia A

    • Located around 11,000 light-years away from Earth in the northern Cassiopeia constellation, Cassiopeia A is one of the most well-known remnants of a once-massive star that was destroyed by a supernova explosion around 325 years ago.
    • The image shows the supernova remnant as a ball of different coloured filaments.
    • Each colour represents a particular element — red is used for silicon, yellow for sulfur, purple denotes iron, while green is used for calcium. Each of these filaments is also assigned its own unique sound.
    • Unlike with the sonification of the Galactic Centre, where the translation plays from left to right, here the sounds move outwards from the centre of the circular structure.

    (3) The Pillars of Creation

    • The iconic Pillars of Creation is located in the centre of the Eagle Nebula, which is also known as Messier 16.
    • The Hubble Star Telescope was used for images of the celestial structure, which comprises wispy towers of cosmic dust and gas.
    • Here too, different colours are used to represent elements — blue for oxygen, red for sulphur and green for both nitrogen and hydrogen.
    • Like with the Galactic Centre, this sound translation also plays from left to right. However, the sound has an eerie effect, with sharp whistles representing stars and low howls indicating the presence of gas clouds.

    Significance of the project

    • The sonification project aims to “incorporate NASA science content into the learning environment effectively and efficiently for learners of all ages”.
    • Over the years, NASA has been working towards making data about space accessible for a larger audience.
    • The projects like this allow audiences — including visually-impaired communities — to experience space through data.

    Back2Basics: Chandra X-Ray Observatory

    • The Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) is a Flagship-class space telescope launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999.
    • Chandra is sensitive to X-ray sources 100 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope, enabled by the high angular resolution of its mirrors.
    • Since the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs the vast majority of X-rays, they are not detectable from Earth-based telescopes; therefore space-based telescopes are required to make these observations.
    • Chandra is an Earth satellite in a 64-hour orbit, and its mission is ongoing as of 2020.
    • The telescope is named after the Nobel Prize-winning Indian astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.

  • Ocean Services, Modelling, Applications, Resources and Technology (O-SMART) SCHEME

    The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has informed about the progress of O-SMART Scheme.

    Do you know?

    India’s ambitious Deep Ocean Mission is an umbrella scheme under O-SMART initiative. Bottom of Form

    O-SMART Scheme

    • The services rendered under the O-SMART will provide economic benefits to a number of user communities in the coastal and ocean sectors, namely, fisheries, offshore industry, coastal states, Defence, Shipping, Ports etc.
    • It seeks to address issues relating to SDG-14, which aims to conserve the use of oceans, marine resources for sustainable development.
    • It also provides the necessary scientific and technological background required for the implementation of various aspects of Blue Economy.
    • The State of Art Early Warning Systems established Scheme will help in effectively dealing with ocean disasters like Tsunami, storm surges.
    • The technologies being developed will help in harnessing the vast ocean resources of both living and non-living resources from the seas around India.
    • A fleet of research vessels viz., Technology Demonstration vessel SagarNidhi, Oceanographic Research Vessel SagarKanya, Fisheries and Oceanographic Research Vessel SagarSampada and Coastal Research Vessel SagarPurvi have been acquired to provide required research support.

    Some of the modified objective

    The objectives of O-SMART are:

    • To generate and regularly update information on Marine Living Resources and their relationship with the physical environment in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),
    • To periodically monitor levels of seawater pollutants for health assessment of coastal waters of India, to develop shoreline change maps for assessment of coastal erosion due to natural and anthropogenic activities,
    • To develop a wide range of state-of-the-art ocean observation systems for the acquisition of real-time data from the seas around India,
    • To generate and disseminate a suite of user-oriented ocean information, advisories, warnings, data and data products for the benefit of society,
    • To develop high-resolution models for ocean forecast and reanalysis system,
    • To develop algorithms for validation of satellite data for coastal research and to monitor changes in the coastal research,
    • Acquisition of 2 Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs) as replacement of 2 old CRVs for coastal pollution monitoring, testing of various underwater components and technology demonstration,
    • To carry out exploration of Polymetallic Nodules (MPN) from a water depth of 5500 m in the site of 75000 sq.km allotted to India by United Nations in Central Indian Ocean Basin, to carry out investigations of gas hydrates,
    • Exploration of polymetallic sulphides near Rodrigues Triple junction in 10000 sq. km of the area allotted to India in International waters by International Seabed Authority/UN and,
    • Submission of India’s claim over continental shelf extending beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone supported by scientific data, and Topographic survey of EEZ of India.

    Also read:

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

  • Brucellosis: A bacterial disease

    As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues, the health commission has announced this week that a leak in a biopharmaceutical company last year caused an outbreak of brucellosis disease.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following kinds of organisms:

    1. Bacteria
    2. Fungi
    3. Flowering plants

    Some species of which of the above kinds of organisms are employed as bio-pesticides?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    What is Brucellosis?

    • Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that mainly infects cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs.
    • Humans can get infected if they come in direct contact with infected animals or by eating or drinking contaminated animal products or by inhaling airborne agents.
    • According to the WHO, most cases of the disease are caused by ingesting unpasteurized milk or cheese from infected goats or sheep.
    • Symptoms of the disease include fever, sweats, malaise, anorexia, and headache and muscle pain.
    • While some signs and symptoms can last for long periods of time, others may never go away. Human to human transmission of the virus is rare.
    • These include recurrent fevers, arthritis, swelling of the testicles and scrotum area, swelling of the heart, neurologic symptoms, chronic fatigue, depression and swelling of the liver or spleen.

  • Social media and dilemmas associated with it

    Internet has transformed our life like no other technologies. However, it has created several problems as well. The article analyses such issues.

    Examining the role of social media

    • The first reason for the examination of role is the impending US presidential election.
    • Ghosts of Cambridge Analytica, are returning to haunt us again.
    • The second reason is the COVID pandemic.
    • Social media has emerged as a force for good, with effective communication and lockdown entertainment, but also for evil, being used effectively by anti-vaxxers and the #Unmask movement to proselytize their dangerous agenda.

    Understanding the problems associated with social media

    • The big problem with social networks is their business model.
    • The internet was created as a distributed set of computers communicating with one another, and sharing the load of managing the network.
    • This was Web 1.0, and it worked very well. But it had one big problem—there was no way to make money off it.
    •  The internet got monetized, Web 2.0 was born.
    • Come 2020, search and social media advertising has crossed $200 billion, rocketing past print at $65 billion, and TV at $180 billion.
    • This business model has led to a “winner-takes-all” industry structure, creating natural monopolies and centralizing the once-decentralized internet.
    • The emergence of Web 3.0, a revolution that promises to return the internet to users.

    Way forward

    • One principle of the new model is to allow users explicit control of their data, an initiative aided by Europe-like data protection regulation.
    • Another is to grant creators of content—artists, musicians, photographers, —a portion of revenues, instead of platforms taking it all (or most).
    • The technologies that Web 3.0 leverages are newer ones, like blockchains, which are inherently decentralized.
    • They have technology protection against the accumulation of power and data in the hands of a few.
    • Digital currencies enabled by these technologies offer a business model of users paying for services and content with micro-transactions, as an alternative to advertiser-pays.

    Conclusion

    The path to success for these new kinds of democratic networks will be arduous. But a revolution has begun, and it is our revulsion of current models that could relieve us of our social dilemmas.