Rajya Sabha TV – Science Monitor (01 Nov 2014)

Weekly update on all the happening in Science & Technology, in and around the nation;

Headlines

1. First Indigenously developed Diagnostic Test kit for “Celiac Disease” – Kit developed by International centre for genetic engineering & biotechnology in collaboration with Transnational Health science and AIIMS and M/s J.Mitra company; funded by Dept. of Biotech - ;

Intestinal Disorder (lifelong disorder) Celiac Disease – Auto-Immune disorder – Novel test kit with two tests – affordable, rapid, sensitive & more specific; Symptoms of the disease: recurring abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss; Two type of Diagnosis: (i) Celiac Microlisa - based on indirect ELISA; (ii) Celiac Card – a point of care test that gives result in 20 minutes.

2. ISRO MOM’s scientist felicitated for Mars Mission success by Kerala Govt.
3. Climate Experts meet in Copenhagen (40^th Session of IPCC)

Delegates from more than 100 countries to participate – to discuss issues related to climate change – To approve & adopt “UN’s Synthesis Report”- report in integrated findings of the previous contributions – part of 5^th Assessment report – IPCC complied in last 13 months – guide for the nation working to fight Climate change – Study based on physical science of Climate change, impact, adaptation, vulnerability, and on mitigation; Synthesis Report most crucial component of the 5^th Assessment Report – Up-to-date, influential scientific report on Climate Change; Note: IPCC – world body (IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to assessing science related to climate change setup by 1988 by WMO & UNEP endorsed by UNGA; Functions of IPCC: Regular assessment of climate change – to help nations & policy makers, provides impact, future risk and offer solutions towards adaptation & mitigation of climate change;

4. Scientist use Nanotechnology to produce hydrogen - By CSIR’s Lab NISE (Network of Institute for Solar Energy) & NEERI, & IISc 

depleting energy resource & rapidly increasing pollution; Novel, more efficient, cleaner source of Energy; Hydrogen can produce large amounts of energy with little or no pollution;   Hydrogen effective replacement for non-renewable resources like coal & petroleum; Used extremely small particles of carbon & Platinum; Particles were less than 1/10^th of a micro meter in size;  Generated about 64 milligram of hydrogen gas per gram of nanoparticles; Process: Carbon nanoparticle from the burning of soya oil – tiny platinum particles deposited on these carbon nano particles – in the presence of light, ethanol, water; at nanometer scale platinum exhibit certain properties – it separates the charged hydrogen particles from the ethanol & stabilizes the atom by discharging them;

5. Gangotri glacier rapidly melting – rapidly disintegrating for last 3 years – reports almora based GB Pant Institute – monitoring since 1999;

Observed disintegration in the snout of Gangotri glacier for last 3 years; The disintegration on the right side of the snout taking place at a rapid rates; The glacier has retreated more than 1,500 metres in the last 70 years; Global warming one of the major reasons for glacial retreat; Apart from the impact of climate change, the melting of the tributaries like Raktvarn, Chaturangi, Thelu Glaciers are also reason; Main tributary of Ganga – Bagirathi river originates from the Gangotri glacier;

6. NASA’s rocket exploded after liftoff in Virginia

NASA space program – setback – Rocket was built & launched by company Orbital Science Corp – Unmanned cargo rocket Antares – (First accident since NASA turned to private operators) – was carrying food, supplies, equiments for the astronauts in ISS(International Space Station);

7. Space Diplomacy (IN FOCUS)

International cooperation in Space arena – space diplomacy – Novel concept; It can boot economic development; it is important in strengthening foreign relations; international cooperation help developing countries without reinventing the existing technology; it can help reduce poverty and promote sustainable development; Idea is very crucial in the context of South Asia Countries; Countries like Pak, Bang, Sri, Maldives, Afghan, Nepal – exploring National Satellite programme in collaboration with US & China;

It is proposed that, India & china with its robust space technology to provide technical assistance to these nations;

India shares disaster management data with over 30 countries; India provides telemedicine support to Afghanistan & African Countries; Note: ISRO acquired own launch capability in 1980; India first offered to launch foreign satellite in 1999; till now ISRO have launched 40 satellites; ISRO a reliable, low-cost launch facility;

Such efforts of  cooperation & collaboration provides Space-Space  platform for accurate forecast of Weather, disaster risk reduction and crop harvest projection & etc;

in the light of 57^th anniversary celebration of Russia’s Sputnik – first artificial satellite launched on Oct, 1957 – created new technological frontier; Space technology considered the reflections of the scientific progress & technical strength of the country; Russia, US, China, France & Japan are considered to be the technological superpower in the area of space science; India joined this elite club with its successful launch of Mangalyaan in its maiden attempt and 3 series of satellite in IRNSS;

Bangladesh working on its first satellite Bangabadhu;

India announced launch of dedicated SAARC satellite, (Af, Ban, Bhutan, Ind, Maldv, Nep, pak, Sri) as they share common Geophysical, Metrological, Oceanographic factors; Idea discuss in the SAARC summit, Dhaka, 1998;

8. History of Science
1. Mahendra lal sircar – Born Nov 1833 – Indian Physician & Philanthropist  - promotes science & scientific temper; set up the Indian Association for the cultivation of Science in West Bengal; Father of science movement in India;  
2. John Burdon Sanderson Halden – Born Nov 1892 – Geneticist & Evolution Biologist – Born in Britian – later shifted to India (Become Indian Citizen) – joined Indian statistical Institution – contributed the mathematical theory of Evolution; Triggered new Darwinian thinking;
3. Chandra Shekhar Venkataraman – Born Nov 1887 – Indian Physicist – Nobel prize for the Scattering effects; Raman effect used as a tool for analyzing the energy of atomic bonds; Elastic (Incident photon & reflected photon with same energy) & Inelastic scattering;
4. Madam curie – French Scientist – Born Nov 1867 – work on Radioactivity (Nobel prize in Physics 1903);  Discovery of Radium & Pollonium (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1911)
5. Engineer Jack St. Clair Kilby – Born Nov 1923 – Nobel Prize in Physics (2000) – for the contribution to the realization of the Integrated Circuit;
9. S & T activities across India & Abroad – Science Express Segment
1. National Workshop on Scaling up Good Practices for Climate Change Adaptation – MOEFCC – to declare a finalized Comprehensive action plan on Climate Change Adaptation fund ;
2. Gigantic Sunspot – AR12192
3. New snake species in Odisha – Kanjam District;
4. Periyar Ecological reserve – Butterfly survey – after long gap of 22 years – most species in WG region;
5. Mental arithmetic champian – 6^th world champion – Indian origin Thakar – 13 year old student; also compited in Maths Olympiad;
6. BARC celebrates –founder’s day105^th Anniversary of Dr. Homi Bhabha;

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