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.
