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Subject: Science and Technology

  • Festival in news: Nuakhai Juhar

    The PM has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai Juhar.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Tradition State
    1. Chapchar Kut festival : Mizoram
    2. Khongjom Parba ballad : Manipur
    3. Thang-Ta dance : Sikkim

    Which of the pairs given above is/are correct? (CSP 2018)

    a) 1 only

    b) 1 and 2

    c) 3 only

    d) 2 and 3

    Nuakhai Juhar

    • Nuakhai or Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha and Southern Chhattisgarh.
    • It is celebrated at the time when the newly grown Kharif crop (autumn crop) of rice started ripening.
    • According to the calendar it is observed on Panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
    • This is the most important social festival of Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand, where Odia culture is much predominant.

  • In news: Lingaraj Temple

    The Odisha government has announced to give a facelift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, akin to its pre-350-year structural status.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of- (CSP 2019)

    (a) Chalukya

    (b) Chandela

    (c) Rashtrakuta

    (d) Vijayanagara

    About Lingaraj Temple

    • Lingaraja Temple is a temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
    • It represents the quintessence of the Kalinga Architecture and culminating the medieval stages of the architectural tradition at Bhubaneswar.
    • The temple is believed to be built by the kings from the Somavamsi dynasty, with later additions from the Ganga rulers.
    • It is built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in the height to its predecessor.

    • Bhubaneswar is called the Ekamra Kshetra as the deity of Lingaraja was originally under a mango tree (Ekamra) as noted in Ekamra Purana, a 13th-century Sanskrit treatise.
    • The temple has images of Vishnu, possibly because of the rising prominence of Jagannath sect emanating from the Ganga rulers who built the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the 12th century.

  • Dwarf Planet Ceres

    The dwarf planet Ceres, which lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter now, has the status of an “ocean world”.

    Note various dwarf planets and the criteria making a planet dwarf, as mentioned in the B2b section.

    Ceres exploration

    • The dwarf planet was first spotted by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801, who assumed that Ceres was the missing planet between Mars and Jupiter.
    • It was classified as a dwarf planet in 2006 and is the first dwarf planet to be orbited by a spacecraft.
    • In 2015, NASA’s Dawn reached it to study its surface, composition and history.

    What does it mean to be an “ocean world”?

    • With a crust that mixes ice, salts, rock-forming minerals and other materials, Ceres looks to be a remnant “ocean world,” wearing the chemistry of its Old Ocean and records of the interaction on its surface.
    • The observations from Dawn suggest the presence of briny liquid (saltwater) water under Ceres’s surface.
    • Scientists have determined that Ceres has a brine reservoir located about 40 km deep and which is hundreds of miles wide, making the dwarf planet, “water-rich”.

    Why do researchers study Ceres?

    • Scientists are interested in this dwarf planet because it hosts the possibility of having water, something that many other planets do not have.
    • Therefore, scientists look for signs of life on Ceres, a possibility that has also maintained scientists’ interest in the planet Mars, whose atmosphere was once warm enough to allow water to flow through it.
    • Another reason why scientists are interested in that studying it can give insights about the formation of the Solar System since it is considered to be a fossil from that time.

    Back2Basics: Dwarf Planets

    • As of today, there are officially five dwarf planets in our Solar System.
    • The most famous is Pluto, downgraded from the status of a planet in 2006.
    • The other four, in order of size, are Eris, Makemake, Haumea and Ceres. The sixth claimant for a dwarf planet is Hygiea, which so far has been taken to be an asteroid.
    • These four criteria are – that the body orbits around the Sun, it is not a moon, has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit and has enough mass for its gravity to pull it into a roughly spherical shape.

  • [pib] Sarabhai Crater

    The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has named a crater captured by Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter after Vikram Sarabhai.

    Try this PYQ:

    What do you understand by the term Aitken Basin? (CSP 2012)

    (a) It is a desert in southern Chile which is known to be the only location on earth where no rainfall takes place

    (b) It is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon

    (c) It is a Pacific coast basin, which is known to house large amounts of oil and gas

    (d) It is a deep hypersaline anoxic basin where no aquatic animals are found

    Sarabhai Crater

    • “Sarabhai” Crater is named after Dr Vikram Sarabhai and around 250 to 300 kilometres east of this Crater is where the Apollo 17 and Luna 21 Missions had landed.
    • The crater captured in 3D images shows that the Crater has a depth of around 1.7 Kms taken from its raised rim and the slope of Crater walls is in between 25 to 35 degree.
    • These findings will help the Space Scientists to understand further the process of the lunar region filled with lava.

    Who was Vikram Sarabhai?

    • Sarabhai was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India.
    • He is internationally regarded as the Father of the Indian Space Program.
    • Known as the cradle of space sciences in India, the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) was founded in 1947 by him. He was the founder of ISRO.
    • He started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian satellite.
    • As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian cosmodrome.

  • What is Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)?

    • To speed up testing as well as improve the accuracy of testing COVID-19, the CSIR is working on developing “mega labs” where large machines, called Next Generation Sequencing machines (NGS), will be used for sequencing human genomes.
    • It is repurposed to sequence 1,500-3,000 viral genomes at a go for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus.

    Try this PYQ:

    What is Cas9 protein that is often mentioned in news? (CSP 2018)

    (a) A molecular scissors used in targeted gene editing

    (b) A biosensor used in the accurate detection of pathogens in patients

    (c) A gene that makes plants pest-resistant

    (d) A herbicidal substance synthesized in genetically modified crops

    What is NGS?

    • DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA.
    • It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine.
    • The advent of rapid DNA sequencing methods has greatly accelerated biological and medical research and discovery.
    • Next-generation sequencing (NGS), also known as high-throughput sequencing, is the catch-all term used to describe a number of different modern sequencing technologies.
    • These technologies allow for sequencing of DNA and RNA much more quickly and cheaply than the previously used Sanger sequencing, and as such revolutionized the study of genomics and molecular biology.

    Benefits

    • The genome sequencing machines can substantially detect the possible presence of the virus even in several instances where the traditional RT-PCR tests miss out on them.
    • This is primarily because the RT-PCR test identifies the SARS-CoV-2 virus by exploring only specific sections of the virus.
    • Having an edge, the genome method can read a bigger chunk of the virus genome and thereby provide more certainty that the virus in question is indeed the particular coronavirus of interest.
    • It can also trace the evolutionary history of the virus and track mutations more reliably.

    Back2Basics:

    PCR Test for Diagnosis of the COVID-19

  • abscisic acid (ABA)

    A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, has conducted a study on seed germination that could have a major impact on agriculture.

    What is the study about?

    • The study aims to determine the optimum timing of seed germination and thus ensure high plant yields.
    • It focused on the interplay between plant hormones like abscisic acid (ABA) which inhibit the sprouting of the seed and environmental cues like light (which promotes the sprouting process) and darkness.

    Note the following plant hormones and their functions:

    Hormone

    Function
    Ethylene Fruit ripening and abscission
    Gibberellins Break the dormancy of seeds and buds; promote growth
    Cytokinins Promote cell division; prevent senescence
    Abscisic Acid Close the stomata; maintain dormancy
    Auxins Involved in tropisms and apical dominance

    What is Abscisic Acid? 

    • Humans have glands that secrete hormones at different times to stimulate body processes such as growth, development, and the breaking down of sugars.  
    • Plants also have hormones that stimulate processes that are necessary for them to live.  
    • Abscisic acid is a plant hormone involved in many developmental plant processes, such as dormancy and environmental stress response.  
    • Abscisic acid is produced in the roots of the plant as well as the terminal buds at the top of the plant. 

    Function of Abscisic Acid 

    Abscisic acid is involved in several plant functions.  

    • Plants have openings on the bottom side of their leaves, known as stomata. Stomata take in carbon dioxide and regulate water content. Abscisic acid has been found to function in the closing of these stomata during times when the plant does not require as much carbon dioxide or during times of drought when the plant cannot afford to lose much water through transpiration. 
    • One of the crucial functions of abscisic acid is to inhibit seed germination. Abscisic acid has been found to stop a seed from immediately germinating once it has been placed in the soil. It actually causes the seed to enter a period of dormancy.  
    • This is of great benefit to the plants because most seeds are formed at the end of the growing season, when conditions would not be favorable for a new plant to sprout. The abscisic acid causes the seed to wait until the time when conditions are more favorable to grow. This ensures greater success in the plant’s ability to grow and reproduce successfully. 
    • ABA functions in many plant developmental processes, including seed and bud dormancy, the control of organ size and stomatal closure. It is especially important for plants in the response to environmental stresses, including drought, soil salinity, cold tolerance, freezing tolerance, heat stress and heavy metal ion tolerance.

  • SPT0418-47: The Baby Milky Way

    SPT0418-47, a golden halo glinting 12 billion light-years away is the farthest galaxy resembling our Milky Way was recently spotted by astronomers.

    Try this PYQ:

    Which of the statements about black holes in space is/are correct?  (CSP 2016)

    1. It is a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape.
    2. It can result from the dying stars.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    SPT0418-47

    • The galaxy, called SPT0418-47, is so far away that it took billions of years for its light to reach Earth and so our image of it is from deep in the past.
    • It was picked up by the powerful Alma radio telescope in Chile using a technique called gravitational lensing, where a nearby galaxy acts as a powerful magnifying glass.
    • This was when the Universe was 1.4 billion years old — just 10% of its current age — and galaxies were still forming.
    • It has features similar to our Milky Way — a rotating disc and a bulge, which is the high density of stars packed tightly around the galactic centre.

    What makes it special?

    • This is the first time a bulge has been seen this early in the history of the Universe, making SPT0418-47 the most distant Milky Way look-alike.
    • Thus the infant star system challenges our understanding of the early years of the Universe.
    • Researchers expect these young star systems to be chaotic and without the distinct structures typical of mature galaxies like our Galaxy.
    • This unexpected discovery suggests the early Universe may not be as chaotic as once believed and raises many questions on how a well-ordered galaxy could have formed so soon after the Big Bang.

    Back2Basics: Milky Way

    • The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy’s appearance from Earth.
    • It appears like a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye.
    • From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within.
    • Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610.
    • Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe.
    • Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis, observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies.

  • Perseids Meteor Shower

    The Perseids meteor shower is going to be active from August 17-26.

    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

    What is the Perseids meteor shower?

    • The Perseids meteor shower peaks every year in mid-August. It was first observed over 2,000 years ago.
    • The Perseids occur as the Earth runs into pieces of cosmic debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle.
    • The cloud of debris is about 27 km wide, and at the peak of the display, between 160 and 200 meteors streak through the Earth’s atmosphere every hour as the pieces of debris.
    • They travel at the speed of some 2.14 lakh km per hour; burn up a little less than 100 km above the Earth’s surface.

    What are Meteor Showers?

    • Meteors are bits of rock and ice that are ejected from comets as they manoeuvre around their orbits around the sun.
    • As meteors fall towards the Earth, the resistance makes the space rocks extremely hot and, as meteorites pass through the atmosphere, they leave behind streaks of glowing gas that are visible to the observers and not the rock itself.
    • Meteor showers, on the other hand, are witnessed when Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by a comet or an asteroid.
    • When a meteor reaches the Earth, it is called a meteorite and a series of meteorites, when encountered at once, is termed as a meteor shower.
    • According to NASA, over 30 meteor showers occur annually and are observable from the Earth.

    Where do the Perseids come from?

    • The comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, takes 133 years to complete one rotation around the sun.
    • The last time it reached its closest approach to the sun was in 1992 and will do so again in 2125.
    • Every time comets come close to the sun, they leave behind dust that is essentially the debris trail, which the Earth passes through every year as it orbits around the Sun.

    Back2Basics:

     

  • [pib] Krishi Megh: A Cloud-based Data Recovery Centre

    Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has launched the Krishi Megh Data Recovery Centre.

    Do not get confused with the name ‘Krishi Megh’. One might mistakenly relate it to some weather forecasting tool of the Indian Meteorological Department.

    Krishi Megh

    • The Krishi Megh has been set up at National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad.
    • It has been set up under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), funded by both the government and World Bank.
    • It has been built to mitigate the risk, enhance the quality, availability and accessibility of e-governance, research, extension and education in the field of agriculture in India.
    • Currently, the main data centre of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is at the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI) in New Delhi.

    Back2Basics: Cloud Storage

    • It is a cloud computing model that stores data on the Internet through a cloud computing provider who manages and operates data storage as a service.
    • It is delivered on demand with just-in-time capacity and costs, and eliminates buying and managing your own data storage infrastructure.
    • It gives agility, global scale and durability, with “anytime, anywhere” data access.

  • Submarine Cable Connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands

    PM has launched the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Andaman & Nicobar Islands to the mainland.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Consider the following statements regarding optical fibres:

    1. A layer called the cladding, which has a refractive index more than that of the core, surrounds the core of the optical fibre.
    2. Light is propagated in an optical fibre by refraction and internal reflection.

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?(CSP 2010)

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    What is a submarine communications cable?

    • A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to transmit telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea.
    • The optical fibre elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable will be deployed.
    • Compared to satellites, using internet connection through submarine cables is more reliable, cost-efficient and of large capacity.

    About the project

    • About 2,300 km of submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1,224 crore to provide better connectivity in the UT.
    • The project envisages better connectivity from Chennai to Port Blair and seven other Islands — Swaraj Deep (Havelock), Long Island, Rangat, Hutbay (Little Andaman), Kamorta, Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay (Great Nicobar).
    • The project is funded by the government through the Universal Service Obligation Fund under the ministry of communications.
    • The foundation stone for the project was laid by PM Modi in December 2018 at Port Blair.

    Expected outcomes

    • The OFC will enable the delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, at par with other parts of India.
    • The submarine optical fibre cable link will deliver bandwidth of 2 x 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands.
    • 4G mobile services, which were constrained due to limited backhaul bandwidth provided via satellite, will also see a major boost.

    Benefits of the project

    • Better connectivity in the region will facilitate the delivery of e-governance services such as telemedicine and tele-education.
    • E-commerce: Small enterprises will benefit from opportunities in e-commerce, while educational institutions will utilise the enhanced availability of bandwidth for e-learning and knowledge sharing.
    • Business Process Outsourcing services and other medium and large enterprises too also benefit from better connectivity.
    • Low cost internet:The internet bills in Andaman and Nicobar will also come down substantially.