Type: Prelims Only

Central Idea

• India is set to significantly enhance its supercomputing capabilities by installing an 18-petaflop system this year.
• This development aims to improve complex mathematical calculations, particularly in weather forecasting, by providing greater processing power and accuracy.

Understanding Supercomputers

• A supercomputer is a high-performance computer capable of processing massive amounts of data at extraordinary speeds.
• Performance is measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) rather than million instructions per second (MIPS).
• Supercomputers have the ability to perform trillions (peta) of FLOPS.

India’s Journey in Supercomputing

• India’s supercomputing journey began in the late 1980s when the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) was established in response to technology embargoes imposed by the United States.
• Since then, India has steadily progressed, unveiling the PARAM 800 in 1991, which was the world’s second-fastest supercomputer at the time.
• The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015 with a budget of ₹4,500 crore, has been instrumental in propelling India’s supercomputing capabilities.
• The mission aims to create a network of supercomputers across academic and research institutions in the country, supporting academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups.

Current Supercomputing Infrastructure

• India’s most powerful civilian supercomputers, Pratyush and Mihir, have a combined capacity of 6.8 petaflops.
• Pratyush is located at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, while Mihir is housed at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) in Noida.
• These supercomputers became operational in 2018 after an investment of ₹438 crore.
• Both institutions are affiliated with the MoES.

Acquisition of New Supercomputers

• The new supercomputers, sourced from French corporation ATOS, were procured as part of a deal signed between the Indian and French governments in December 2018.
• The Government aims to acquire high-performance computers worth ₹4,500 crore by 2025, with an estimated cost of ₹900 crore for the new earth-sciences Ministry computers.

Enhanced Capabilities and Future Outlook

• Upgrading the supercomputing systems every 4-5 years is essential to improve performance.
• The new system will enhance resolution from the current 12×12 km to 6×6 km, providing greater clarity and accuracy in local weather forecasts.
• The ultimate goal is to represent areas using 1 km-square grids, enabling the prediction of rapidly evolving weather phenomena such as cloudbursts.
• The current fastest high-performance computing system in the world is the Frontier-Cray system at Oakridge National Laboratory in the United States, with a peak speed of 1 exa-flop (equivalent to 1,000 petaflops).

Way forward

To further enhance India’s supercomputing capabilities and maintain technological advancements, the following steps can be considered:

• Continued investment in research and development to stay at the forefront of supercomputing technology.
• Collaboration with international partners and organizations to leverage global expertise.
• Encouraging academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups to utilize the supercomputing infrastructure for scientific breakthroughs and innovation.
• Strengthening the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) by expanding its network and providing adequate resources.
• Regularly upgrading supercomputing systems to keep up with evolving computational demands and maintain competitiveness on a global scale.

Also in news

Recently, India’s AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’ has been ranked at No. 75 in the world at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany.

About Airawat

• The supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’ has recently been named in the 61st edition of the Top 500 Global Supercomputing List.
• Installed at C-DAC in Pune, ‘AIRAWAT’ is an AI supercomputer implemented under the National Program on AI by the Government of India.
• The manufacturer of ‘AIRAWAT’ is Netweb Technologies.
• ‘AIRAWAT’ PSAI stands out as India’s largest and fastest AI supercomputing system, boasting an impressive speed of 13,170 teraflops.

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Central Idea

• Comb jellies, or ctenophores, are marine animals with jelly-like bodies and iridescent combs.
• They represent an ancient animal lineage and have a distinct nervous system.
• A recent study published in Science examined the comb jelly nervous system and made surprising discoveries.

What are Comb Jellies?

• Comb jellies, also known as ctenophores, are marine animals that belong to the phylum Ctenophora. They are fascinating creatures with a unique and delicate appearance.
• Despite their name, comb jellies are not actually true jellyfish.
• They have a gelatinous, transparent body that is often luminescent and adorned with rows of cilia, or comb-like structures, which give them their characteristic shimmering appearance.

Findings of the new study

• The researchers aimed to investigate how nerve net neurons in comb jellies connect.
• Contrary to expectations, synapses (junctions between neurons) were absent in the nerve net.
• Instead, nerve-net neurons were continuously connected by a single plasma membrane.

Significance of ctenophores

• In the 1950s, electron microscopy confirmed the separate-cell nature of neurons connected by synapses.
• Ctenophores challenge this notion by having a syncytial nerve net, as observed in the new study.
• Ctenophores attracted attention due to their status as a potential early animal lineage.
• Whole-genome sequencing studies supported the theory that ctenophores branched off early in animal evolution.

Evolution of ctenophore nervous systems

• The evolution of ctenophore nervous systems remains unclear to biologists.
• Leonid Moroz proposed a controversial theory of independent nervous system evolution in ctenophores and other animals.
• Ctenophores exhibit a unique nervous system lacking classical neurotransmitter pathways and common neuronal genes.
• The absence of muscle-based movement and reliance on cilia might have driven the evolution of a different signal conduction system.

Questions for further research

• Researchers aim to study the development of nerve net neurons in ctenophores.
• They seek to determine if adult ctenophores retain syncytial nerve nets or develop synapses.
• The uniqueness of ctenophore nervous systems provides valuable insights into the evolution of the nervous system.
• Comparative analyses of unique animal systems like ctenophores aid in understanding neuronal function and treating disorders.

Conclusion

• Understanding the functional and evolutionary significance of syncytial nerve net neurons in ctenophores requires further research.
• This study serves as a crucial foundation for investigating the evolution of nervous systems in animals.
• Comparative studies on small marine creatures like ctenophores offer insights into the fundamental principles of brain function.

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Central Idea

• The human nose has historical and cultural importance beyond its practical functions.
• Different societies have their own standards of beauty related to nose shape and proportion.
• The nose is significant in art, literature, and remnants of ancient civilizations.

Who were the Neanderthals?

Genetic association study on Human Nose

• A recent study used 2D images and automated measurements of facial landmarks to conduct a genetic association study.
• The study involved over 6,000 Latin American individuals and identified 42 new genetic loci associated with the human nose.
• Some of these loci, including 1q32.3, were replicated in other populations like Asians, Europeans, and Africans.

Role of Neanderthal Genes and ATF3 Gene

• The genetic locus 1q32.3, associated with midface height, has contributions from Neanderthals.
• The ATF3 gene, located in this locus, is regulated by FOXL2, which is involved in skull and face development.
• Changes in nose shape may have evolutionary implications, helping humans adapt to different climates.

Neanderthal Genomes and Human Traits

• Genomic loci from Neanderthals and Denisovans have influenced various traits and diseases in modern humans.
• Evidence suggests these genomic contributions affect pathogen response, skin conditions, blood conditions, cancers, and mental health.
• Understanding the genetic interactions between archaic and modern human genomes aids in comprehending genetic diversity and adaptability.

Human Origins and Interbreeding

• Human migrations out of Africa, interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans, and extinct archaic hominids have shaped human traits.
• Recent studies highlight that early humans diverged in Africa from multiple ancestral roots, with varying degrees of genetic components from archaic humans in different populations.

Implications and Future Research

• Studying the interbreeding event and its consequences deepens our understanding of genetic heritage.
• The knowledge gained could lead to new avenues for disease study, treatment, and appreciation of human genetic diversity.
• Continued research on the interplay between archaic and modern human genomes is an exciting frontier in genomics.

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