Rajya Sabha TV – Science Monitor (03 Jan 2015)

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

Headlines

1. 102^nd Indian Science Congress started - Mumbai;

Theme of 2014 –“Science & Technology for Human Development”  - 1200 delegates to attend the event;

2. 22^nd National Children’s Science Congress –concluded in Bangalore;

Theme “Understanding the weather” 

3. Centre Invites studies of 20 major river basins;

Impact of climate change on water system – National water Mission invites proposals - studies are expected to be commissioned shortly – six IITs & IISc will be involved in the project – Government plans to start a new scientific study on Rivers – down scale global climate model – study would provide valuable data/input to the policy decision & adaptation measures; Mission MoU with NIRD;  

Five goals of National Water Mission:

·         Focuses on the critical areas like depleting ground water – Aquifer mapping;

·         Flood management with focus of way to structural measures – building embankments

·         Working with Communities – Preparedness measure;

·         Comprehensive data base – water resources information system- in partnership with National Remote Sensing Agency; 

4. Reason found behind Taj’s browning;

Discoloring is due to the change in reflectant which inturn influenced by the particulate matters carbon & dust; Identified carbon & fine dust particles present in the atmosphere; Carbon Particulates of two type – (1) Black carbon and Light absorbing Organic carbon is very sticky – cause of discoloring/ browning;

5. Marine debris damaging coral reefs – study by NIOS Niational Institute of Ocean Science;
6. Significant achievements of Indian Science in 2014 (IN FOCUS)

·         2014 progressive year for India in terms of Science & Technology

·         ISRO launched Geostationary satellite, GSAT-14 – through GSLV-D5 launch Vehicle;

·         Strengthening Defence application – tested Prithvi II & launched AGNI IV missile;

·         India certified as polio-free on 11^th Feb 2014 by WHO; (Refer: Pulse Polio 1995-96) - Feb 2014 – Universal Health care – Polio eradication – completed three years without reporting any polio cases;

·         Field trails of 10 Genetically Modified crops reapproved – Rice, wheat, maize, cotton & sorghum approved for field trials.

·         IRNSS comprised of 7-satellite constellations – accurate position information services within the country and up to 1500km from country’s boundary line;

·         30^th June – PSLV –C23 – carried French earth observation satellite SPOT 7, German’s 14kg ISAT satellite, Canada’s satellite and satellite of Singapore;

·         June 2014 – Major Atmospheric Cerenkov experiment - MACE – Second largest gamma ray telescope in the world (Note 1: Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope or MACE Hanle, is the world's largest telescope at the highest altitude being established at Hanle, Ladakh. It is being built by ECIL, Hyderabad for BARC. It will help to explore the exciting energy range of gamma ray energy region in between satellite and the traditional Atmospheric Cerenkov experiments.) (Note 2: High energy gamma rays emitted from black hole or centers of galaxies, compact objects like pulsars  in our galaxy get absorbed in the atmosphere and do not reach the land. But when these rays interact with the atmosphere, the photons give rise to electron–positron pairs and there is a cascade of particles. When the particles move in the atmosphere at very high speed, they give rise to Cerenkov radiation. The blue and ultraviolet Cerenkov light is observed to infer the number of gamma rays hitting the atmosphere.)(Note 3: Advantage of High Altitude - A smaller facility in such place will be sufficient to achieve what a bigger facility will do closer to sea level. Telescopes of HAGAR were fabricated in Bangalore and the detectors in the focal plane were built in TFIR laboratories at Mumbai.)

·         Special (R.I.P)

o   Feb 6^th – Alison Jolly – Primatologist – studies of lemur biology;

o   March 1 – Alexandro Zaffaroni – Biotechnology companies in silicon valley – birth control  pills;

o   May 4^th Jean claude Bradley – Open Notebook Science logos ;

o   May 10 - Dr. Andres Carrasco – challenge pesticide regulators to reexamine one of the world most widely used;

o   …….. for more
http://www.theguardian.com/science/science+tone/obituaries 

7. History of Science
1. Swedish scientist Rolf Martin Zinkernagel – born on 6^th Jan 1944 – Nobel Laureate – discovered the immune system based on T-cells along with Peter Doherty; (Note: Killer T-cells)
2. Gerald M Durrel  - born on 7^th Jan 1902 – English naturalist – encouraged conservation of endangered species & captive breeding;
3. Physicist Stephen William Hawking – born on 8^th Jan 1942 – Developed Bekenstein Hawking Radiation principle – (Radiation from Black hole – quantum effect of gravitational force);
4. Dr Hargobin Khurana – born on 9^th Jan 1922 – American Biochemist of Indian Origin – RNA & genetic code  - Nobel prize in 1969;

Watch it here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtLTaGUC5vc&index=11&list=PLVOgwA_DiGzpd3_Iz7J-81Vh4QqU-ZGA9