Optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that source, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, light often includes invisible forms of radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared, in addition to visible light. Materials such as tungsten diselenide (WSe2) and molybdenum diselenide […]
Artificial gravity
A team from the University of Colorado is working on making a device which could create artificial gravity in space Artificialgravityis a force that simulates the effect of gravity in a spaceship. It is not caused by the attraction to the Earth but is instead caused by acceleration or centrifugal force. Artificial gravity or rotational gravity is thus the appearance of […]
Short Wave Transmission
Prasar Bharati has asked All India Radio to come up with a proposal to phase out Short Wave (SW) transmitters. About SW: Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave radio frequencies, the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), and generally extends from 3-30 MHz (10 to 100 meters), above the medium […]
FIRST-EVER DIGITAL GEOLOGICAL MAP OF MOON
Why in news? The first ever digital, unified, global, geological map of the moon was released virtually by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Lunar Planetary Institute on April 22, 2020. Details Data from recent satellite missions to the moon and resources data from NASA’s Apollo Missions […]
FIRST MERGER OF TWO BLACK HOLES WITH UNEQUAL MASSES DETECTED
Why in news? In another first, scientists at the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors announced a signal from Blackhole Mergers unlike anything they’ve ever seen before – While many black hole mergers have been but this particular signal was the first where the two black holes had distinctly different masses. Details The event, dubbed […]
SEWAGE SURVEILLANCE CAN ESTIMATE COMMUNITY SPREAD
Why in news? Sampling sewage for viral particles is a time-tested method of environment surveillance and is routinely resorted to for understanding circulation of several viruses — wild and vaccine-derived polio, rota virus, Hepatitis E and typhoid — in the community. Now, researchers in France have found that sewage surveillance can help in understanding the […]
NO NEW COVID CASES AFTER MAY 16 IN INDIA, SAYS STUDY
Why in news? A study showed that the lockdown had slowed the rate of transmission and increased the doubling time, the period it took for cases to double, to about 10 days. Though India continues to show a rising trend in cases, this projection also showed a forecast that says new cases would cease by […]
PLASMA THERAPY TO BEGIN IN KARNATAKA
Why in news? The first plasma therapy in Karnataka for COVID-19 patients will begin on 25th April 2020, and will be carried out jointly by the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMRCI) and the HCG Hospital. Read about Plasma therapy here:
CSIR LAB DEFENDS SANITISATION TUNNEL
Why in news? In the wake of several advisories advocating against the use of sanitisation tunnels as part of efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Pune-based CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) and the Mumbai-based Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) issued a joint statement on 23rd April 2020 asserting that the advisories “did not […]
INDIAN TEST KITS MUST FOR RELIABILITY
The need of the hour For reliable antibody testing kits, India will have to make its own, according to independent epidemiologists and biotechnologists. Much like home-based pregnancy tests, antibody tests are valuable because they give results quickly and only needs a pinprick’s worth of blood. However, they can only detect antibodies produced by the immune […]