T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) and Nova Explosions

T Coronae Borealis (T CrB): Location: T CrB is situated approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown). Binary System: It consists of two stars: White Dwarf: A dense remnant of a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and collapsed. Red Giant: An ancient star that is in the later stages of its stellar evolution and is being str

Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)

 LUCA represents the most recent common ancestor of all current life forms on Earth. It is a theoretical construct, rather than a specific species, that provides insights into the origin and early evolution of life. LUCA is considered the point in evolutionary history where the three primary domains of life—Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya—diverged. Key Characteristics of LUCA:

Uranium Contamination in India

Recent studies conducted by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) have indicated that the newly proposed national standard of 30 µg/L for uranium concentration in drinking water might be overly stringent. The current safety level, set at 60 µg/L, is considered to be safe based on recent evaluations. This study highlights the ongoing debate about the appropriate safety limits for ura

Transposons

Transposons, often referred to as "jumping genes," are DNA sequences capable of moving from one location to another within the genome. Historically termed "junk" DNA due to their seemingly non-functional nature, and "selfish" DNA because they primarily propagate themselves, transposons are now recognized for their significant roles in genetic variation, evolution, and

Genetically Modified (GM) Crops

Why in the News? The Supreme Court recently delivered a split verdict on the validity of the Union Government's decision to approve the environmental release of genetically modified (GM) mustard crops in 2022. Details of the Split Verdict: Judge 1: Found the approval by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) in 2022 to be "vitiated" (defective) and contrary to th

EARTHCARE MISSION

The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission, a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to enhance our understanding of the complex interactions between clouds, aerosols, and radiation and how these factors influence Earth’s climate. Objective: The mission's primary goal is to provide

Quantum Science

The designation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by the United Nations serves several key purposes: Raising Awareness: This initiative aims to increase global awareness and understanding of the transformative potential of quantum technologies. Quantum physics has made remarkable strides in recent decades, with applications ranging from quantum computing and qu

Syndiniales & Corallicolids

The international team of researchers collected samples of corals from across the Mediterranean Sea and analysed the bacteria that live with the corals. The researchers found that the presence of a group of parasitic single-celled organisms called Syndiniales made it more likely that a coral could survive heat stress. The presence of Corallicolids, a group of single-c

Day and Night Microphysics

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has been issuing alerts with maps from various weather monitoring satellites. Day and Night Microphysics RGB Imager It is image created by combination of Red, Green and Blue colours. Aim – To study various atmospheric characteristics. Radiometer – A device that measures the p

Chang’e 6 Mission

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently announced that the Chang’e 6 sample return mission is on track to land on the surface of the Moon in the first half of 2024. The Chang'e 6 mission is a planned lander designed to return samples from the lunar south pole.The mission aims to land on the Moon, collect samples from the lunar surface, and retu

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)-FACTS

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) succeed the incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lamps of previous centuries as the world’s light-source of choice. About Light-Emitting Diodes A diode is an electronic component which has two points of contact, or terminals, called its anode and cathode. A diode’s primary purpose is to allow current to flow in only one direction. A

MV Vasiliy Golovnin

MV Vasiliy Golovnin, an expedition vessel chartered by India, commenced its journey recently. The journey is from Cape Town to Antarctica for the 43rd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) Voyage. The expedition includes 21 members from India, two from Mauritius, and one from Bangladesh.

Superconductivity

Context: A group of scientists affiliated with research institutes in China and Japan have reported finding a sign of superconductivity in a material that was at the centre of a controversy last year over similar claims. The sign in question is called the Meissner effect.  About: Superconductivity is an inherent property found in various materials, including chemical elements (e.g., mer

Light Detection and Ranging – LiDAR

Lidar, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system — generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characte

Education and Research Network (ERNET)

The Education and Research Network is an autonomous scientific society of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. ERNET was established in 1986 to provide a networking infrastructure for the research and education community with its headquarters are in New Delhi. ERNET's mandate is to support the needs of academic and research institutions thr

Fog Pass Device

A Fog Pass Device is a GPS-based navigation device that helps train loco pilot navigate through dense fog. It provides on-board real-time information (Display as well as voice guidance) to Loco Pilots. It gives information regarding location of fixed landmarks such as Signal, Level Crossing gate (Manned & Unmanned), Permanent Speed Restrictions, Neutral Sections e

AI Copyright Lawsuit

The New York Times (NYT) filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for using its copyrighted work to train and generate Artificial Intelligence products. Why NYT filed allegation against AI firms? Use of copyrighted materials- NYT claims that Open AI and Microsoft are free-riding on its journalism, stealing its audience. It argues that Open AI and Microsoft’s use is not transfo

PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)

The Union Cabinet Chaired by the Prime Minister of India has approved the overarching scheme ‘PRITHvi Vigyan’ (PRITHVI). Implemented by – Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). The research & development and operational (services) activities of MoES are carried out by 10 Institutes of MoES. Timeline – 2021-26, at an overall cost of Rs. 4,79

Leap Year, 2024

A leap year has 366 days in a year as opposed to the regular 365 days. The extra day is added to February, the shortest month of the year, as February 29.

Chemistry Nobel Prize 2023

Chemistry Nobel Prize 2023     Why in the News? The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots” and have been lauded as pioneers in the exploration of the nanoworld. Work of the Awardees: In 1980s, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov succeeded in

Nobel Prize for Physics 2023

Nobel Prize for Physics 2023   Why in the News? Recently Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier have been awarded Nobel Prize in physics, 2023 for their contribution to making it possible to watch electrons move. Significance of their work: Atoms or molecules make movements, or changes took place generally in picoseconds (10^-12) or femtosecond

Legionella bacteria

The UK govt has put the asylum-seekers on a housing barge after the detection of traces the bacteria causing Legionnaire’s disease were found in the onboard water system. The bacteria can be found in lakes and Ponds and also in other water systems. If such water containing thus bacteria is consumed, the bacteria can reach the lungs and cause pneumonia and a mild flu-like illn

Block chain Technology

Block chain Technology A distributed ledger technology that enables a layer of trust and eliminates the need for a third party to validate the transactions. It is an amalgamation of various technologies such as distributed systems, cryptography. Blocks are secured with proper security against tampering using any cryptographic hash algorithms. Transactions are validated and ve