INST develops starch-based ‘hemostat’ material
A starch-based ‘hemostat’ material has been developed by the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST). Starch-based ‘hemostat’ material concentrates the natural clotting factors in blood that are critical for stopping the blood flow. This is done by physically absorbing the excess fluid. But, the stopped bleeding can restart after the removal of non-biodegradable materials. The early-stage development of the starch-based ‘hemostat’ material has been published in the journal Materialia.
With the development of the starch-based ‘hemostat’ material, scientists expects to develop a versatile, potentially life-saving, and inexpensive product. The product has enhanced absorption capacity, improved absorption, inexpensive, biocompatible as well as biodegradable.
The Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology.
India plans to launch Chandrayaan-3 by first half of 2021
According to the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, a possible schedule for the launch of Chandrayaan-3 is planned to be implemented in the first half of 2021. The preparation of Chandrayaan-3 has been done by taking lessons from the previously launched Chandrayaan-2, a Moon mission which was launched in 2019, in which the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Vikram Lander lost contact following a hard landing on the Moon’s surface.
Chandrayaan-3 will be designed to increase design, capacity with a cost of around Rs 610 crore, including Rs 360 crore for the launch rocket. ISRO also decided to launch in the same area where Chandrayaan-2 launched, and would have a lander, rover and propulsion module like its predecessor.
Jitendra Singh also mentioned India’s manned space mission Gaganyaan project,where 4 biological and 2 physical science experiments related to microgravity have been done.
NASA named Mars 2020 rover as “Perseverance”
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) announced the name of the 5th Mars (red planet) rover as Perseverance. Previously the rover was known by its codename as Mars 2020.
The name was suggested by Alexander Mather, 7th standard student and was announced by Nasa’s director of science, Thomas Zurbuchen at an event in Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. Nasa’s naming competition asked children to submit their favoured name for the Mars 2020 rover began in August 2019, comprises 4,700 voluntary judges including teachers and space enthusiasts shortlisted nine names and was asked by the public to vote & select the word through online.
Perseverance: The rover has improved wheel design which is used to collect the samples from the martian rocks and helps scientists to determine about the ancient microbial life that existed in red planet. The Perseverance rover will be the 5th exploratory vehicle after Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity.
ISRO to launch Geo Imaging Satellite “GISAT-1”
The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch the Geo Imaging Satellite “GISAT-1”. GISAT-1 will be launched by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch of GISAT-1 has been tentatively scheduled at 17:43 Hrs IST on March 05, 2020.
“5G Hackathon” launched by Telecommunications Department
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched the ‘5G Hackathon’ in association with the government of India, academia and industry stakeholders. The aim of 5G Hackathon is shortlisting India’s focused cutting edge ideas that can be converted into workable 5G products and solutions.
The Hackathon will be spread across three phases. The event will culminate in a grand felicitation ceremony at India Mobile Congress on 16 October 2020. Winners of the various phases of the 5G Hackathon will share a total prize pool of Rs. 2.5 crore.
The 5G technology provides quantum leap over 4G in terms of speed, peak data rate, latency, spectrum efficiency, and connection density. The Hackathon will convert innovating ideas into products and solutions in different verticals and develop India specific use cases around 5G.
The 5G Hackathon is open to developers, students, start-ups, SMEs, academic institutions and registered companies in India and Non-resident Indians (NRIs). All Stakeholders can participate as individuals or as a team to present use cases for the 5G network in the Indian context.
ISRO to launch 10 Earth Observation Satellites in 2020-21
The Indian Space Research Organisation has revealed in its annual report for 2019-20 that it will launch 10 Earth Observation Satellites in 2020-21. The 10 earth observation (EO) satellites will include categories such as the first Geo Imaging Satellite, GISAT-1 along with three communication satellites and two navigation satellites.
The Indian Space Research Organisation’s annual report for 2019-20 plan also mentions 36 missions including satellites and their launchers.
About Earth Observation Satellites:
The Earth Observation Satellites (EO) are basically used for land and agriculture watch and also helps the military to keep an eye on the borders. The other satellites such as RISATs carries a synthetic aperture radar on them which provides all-weather, 24-hour information to security agencies.
Scientists discovered the nearest known planet “2MASS 1155-7919 b”
The scientists from Rochester Institute of Technology has discovered the nearest-known ‘baby giant planet’ which is named as “2MASS 1155-7919 b”. The scientists has used the data from Gaia space observatory to find the baby giant planet.
The newly discovered baby giant planet which is named as “2MASS 1155-7919 b” lies about 330 light-years from our solar system. The planet is closer to Earth and is located in the Epsilon Chamaeleontis Association. This planet orbits a star that is about 5 million years old. The planet has only ten times the mass of Jupiter.
Microsoft rolls out the K12 Education Transformation Framework in India
Microsoft rolled out its K12 Education Transformation Framework more widely to schools across India at the second edition of the Microsoft Education Days in Gurgaon. Microsoft Education Days 2019 brought together more than 700 school leaders, educators, students and Microsoft partners to deliberate on the future of learning.
It featured sessions moderated by Microsoft leaders and Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts on using technologies like AI, Teams, Minecraft and Flipgrid to collaborate and create unique learning experiences. Teachers and students from schools across India also demonstrated the innovative ways in which they are digitally transforming education by bringing in AI, gamification, personalization and simplifying STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning for students.
NVIDIA announces world’s largest GPU-accelerated cloud-based supercomputer
NVIDIA has announced a new kind of GPU-accelerated supercomputer in the cloud on Microsoft Azure. NDv2 supercomputer is designed to handle demanding AI and high-performance computing applications, using up to 800 NVIDIA V100 Tensor Core GPUs interconnected on a single. Mellanox InfiniBand backend network, making it the world’s largest GPU-accelerated cloud-based supercomputer. It enables customers to rent an AI supercomputer on-demand from their desk, and match the capabilities of large-scale on-premises supercomputers.
ISRO to launch Cartosat-3, 13 commercial nano satellites on Nov 25
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch its earth imaging and mapping satellite Cartosat-3 along with 13 commercial nano satellites from the US, on November 25.
The satellites would be launched by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
The Cartosat-3 is a "third generation agile advanced satellite" having high resolution imaging capability.
NASA renames Ultima thule to Arrokoth after Nazi controversy
Nasa has renamed a distant space rock after a controversy over the old name's Nazi connections.
The object was previously known as Ultima Thule. That name was chosen to mean something like "farthest place", but immediately attracted controversy because "Thule" is a word that has been associated with Nazis in the past.
The rock – which was studied in the farthest flyby ever conducted by a spacecraft – will now be known as Arrokoth, a Native American term that means sky, the space agency said.
NASA detects huge X-ray burst from outer space
NASA has detected a massive thermonuclear explosion coming from outer space, caused by a massive thermonuclear flash on the surface of a pulsar -- the crushed remains of a star that long ago exploded as a supernova.
The explosion released as much energy in 20 seconds as the Sun does in nearly 10 days.
NASA unveils its first electric airplane
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has launched its 1st all-electric experimental aircraft named the X-57 “Maxwell”. It is NASA’s 1st crewed X-plane (experimental plane) in nearly 2 decades adapted from Italian Tecnam P2006T aircraft.
The first delivery of the all-electric experimental aircraft was taken from Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in California, United States(US). The aircraft is expected to be operational by late 2020.
IIT-Madras launches affordable standing wheelchair
Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, in collaboration with Phoenix Medical Systems, launched the country’s first indigenously-designed standing wheelchair. The assistive device helps the wheelchair-bound move from a sitting to standing position, and vice-versa, independently.
The wheelchair was launched at IIT Madras Research Park in the presence of Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, researchers, industry and testing partners, students and faculty.
Harsh Vardhan inaugurates global Mega Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’
Union Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Earth Science has inaugurated India’s 1-ever multi-venue Mega science exhibition, ‘Vigyan Samagam 2019’, in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The exhibition organized by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the National Council of Science Museums(NCSM), Ministry of Culture, the exhibition will be open till December 31, 2019 for public display and will showcase the world from micro to macro, unveiling the efforts of the international community in understanding the Universe.
Scientists discover 6 new lizard species in Western Ghats
Six new lizard species of 'Dravidogecko' family have been identified in the Western Ghats by a group of scientists, who claim it to be a significant development as only one species of the genus was known so far.
The study indicates the importance of Western Ghats, the world heritage mountain range traversing the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, as a 'biodiversity hotspot,' the researchers said.
The study and sample collection was done over the last four years and the research paper describing the new species was published in the Zootaxa journal of New Zealand on Monday, Bengaluru-based herpetologist R Chaitanya, who led the research
Saturn overtakes Jupiter as planet with most moons
The solar system has a new winner in the moon department.
Twenty new moons have been found around Saturn, giving the ringed planet a total of 82, scientists said Monday. That beats Jupiter and its 79 moons.
NASA’s First Astrobee Robot “Bumble” Starts Flying in Space
On June 14, a robot named Bumble became the first Astrobee robot to fly under its own power in space. Astrobee is a free-flying robot system that will help researchers test new technologies in zero gravity and perform routine work alongside astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Bumble and a second Astrobee, 'Honey,' launched to the space station in April. A third robot named 'Queen' is scheduled to launch in July.
Robots that can operate on their own in space, such as Astrobee, can be caretakers for NASA's lunar gateway and will play a significant part in NASA's future missions to explore the Moon and Mars.
Before Bumble's first solo flight, the Astrobee team at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley verified that Bumble can find its position and was ready to navigate within the space station.
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to Retire in 2020
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope will be switched off permanently on January 30, 2020, after nearly 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a statement.
By then, the spacecraft will have operated for more than 11 years beyond its prime mission
Facebook backs Meesho in first startup investment in India
Social networking giant Facebook Inc. has invested in Bengaluru- and California-based Meesho, an online marketplace for resellers, five years after first acquiring an Indian startup.
Facebook had bought Bengaluru-based Little Eye Labs in 2014. Its US peers Google and Twitter Inc. have also either invested in an Indian company or bought one. Twitter had, in 2015, acquired mobile-based customer engagement platform ZipDial while Google made its first direct investment in an Indian company in December 2017 when it backed daily tasks management app Dunzo.
Facebook's investment will help Meesho enable independent entrepreneurs to build businesses and grow their customer base via social channels, the startup said in a tweet.
New app to help students wishing to study in the U.S.
The U.S. Embassy organised its fifth annual ‘Student Visa Day’ on Wednesday and launched ‘EducationUSA India’, a mobile application to provide Indian students with “current, comprehensive and accurate information about studying in the U.S.”.
During the event, the embassy catered exclusively to students seeking admission to universities based in the U.S. and facilitated their visa process.
The app is available on both iOS and Android-based mobile phones.
Astronomers Capture First-ever Image of A Black Hole
In a major breakthrough, astronomers on Wednesday unveiled the highly anticipated image, which shows a dark core, encircled by a fiery orange halo of white-hot gas and plasma.
"You have probably seen many, many images of black holes before, but they were all simulations or animations. And this [image] is so precious to all of us because this one is finally real," Professor Heino Falcke of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an international collaboration behind the image said at a news conference in Brussels.
Google Launches Its 1st Drone Delivery Service In Australia
Google parent Alphabet has beaten Amazon to launch one of the first commercial drone delivery businesses. Alphabet made its first delivery in Canberra after getting approval from the country’s civil aviation authority.
Wing, the company’s drone delivery arm, was testing drone delivery in Australia since 2014 and delivered medicines, chocolate to 3,000 homes in the last 18 months.
South Korea Launches World's First National 5G Networks
South Korea launches the world’s first fully-fledged 5G mobile networks on Friday, a transformational leap that already has superpowers sparring for control of an innovation that could potentially change the day-to-day lives of billions of people.
The superfast communicationsNSE -0.48 % heralded by fifth-generation wireless technology will ultimately underpin everything from toasters to telephones; from electric cars to power grids.
ISRO Launches PSLV C-45 Carrying EMISAT And 28 Nano Satellites
India scripted history by successfully launching EMISAT, a military satellite, and 28 foreign nano satellites on-board its polar rocket from here Monday, in a complex mission which marked many a first for ISRO.
The rocket, PSLV-C45, in its 47th mission, injected the 436 kg EMISAT, aimed at electromagnetic measurement, and 28 co-passenger satellites belonging to Lithuania, Spain, Switzerland and the US, into their designated orbits