SCIENTISTS OPPOSE STUDY INTO ‘QUALITIES’ OF INDIGENOUS COWS
According to a concept note on the DST website SUTRA-PIC or ‘Scientific Utilization Through Research Augmentation Prime Products from Indigenous Cows’, has five themes: Uniqueness of Indigenous Cows Prime products from Indigenous Cows for Medicine and Health Prime products from Indigenous Cows for Agricultural Applications Prime products from Indigenous Cows for Food and Nutrition Prime […]
GOVT. PLANS RESEARCH ON ‘INDIGENOUS’ COWS
Why in news? The government has unveiled a programme to research on ‘indigenous’ cows. To be funded by multiple scientific ministries, the initiative, SUTRA PIC [Scientific Utilization Through Research Augmentation Prime Products from Indigenous Cows], is led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) More about SUTRA PIC It has the Department of Biotechnology, […]
ISRO MAKING PREPARATIONS TO LAUNCH GISAT-1 IN MARCH FIRST WEEK
GISAT-1 — Geo Imaging Satellite — will be the first of two planned Indian EO spacecraft to be placed in a geostationary orbit of around 36,000 km. It will apparently be in a fixed spot looking over the Indian continent at all times. With this satellite, which has high-resolution cameras, we can keep a constant […]
SCIENTISTS RADIO-TAG INDIAN PANGOLIN
Scientists have, for the first time, radio-tagged the Indian pangolin, an endangered animal, that is rarely sighted in forests here. The Indian pangolin, which resembles an ant-eater but dons a thick scaly skin, is hunted for meat and use in traditional Chinese medicine Researchers say tagging the animal will help understand the habits of the […]
HOMO LUZONENSIS: NEW HUMAN SPECIES FOUND IN PHILIPPINES
There’s a new addition to the family tree: an extinct species of human that’s been found in the Philippines. It’s known as Homo luzonensis, after the site of its discovery on the country’s largest island Luzon. Its physical features are a mixture of those found in very ancient human ancestors and in more recent people. […]
1.97 LAKH PASSENGERS SCREENED FOR NCOV
Why in news? More than 1.97 lakh passengers travelling in 1,818 flights had been screened for the novel coronavirus India had also provided support to other countries in tackling the challenge posed by the nCOV disease. Three positive cases have been reported so far from Kerala All these cases have travel history from Wuhan They […]
NASA, ESA SET TO SEND SOLAR ORBITER PROBE TO MAP SUN’S POLES
Why in news? NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are gearing up to send a new probe toward the Sun to take a unique look at its blazing poles, an unprecedented view expected to help researchers grasp how the star’s vast bubble of energy affects Earth and humans in space. Using the gravitational influence […]
HOW POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS POLLUTE THE AIR?
Why in news? Recent findings from researchers at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi on the efficacy of a specific air purifier technology have revealed more about a class of pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. Details: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can associate with other particulate matter, […]
CHEOPS SATELLITE
Details: European Space Agency (ESA) had launched the CHaracterizing ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS)– its first mission focused on exoplanets With its cover opened, CHEOPS is now ready for its mission of observing exoplanets, in particular, to search for habitable planets.
‘TERMINATOR TAPE’ CAN PULL DOWN DEAD SATELLITES AND MINIMIZE SPACE DEBRIS
Details: Tethers Unlimited has demonstrated an easy solution to get rid of satellites once they are of no use. The solution involves a 230-feet long strip of conductive tape, which is delightfully called the Terminator Tape. The Terminator Tape is a small module about the size of a notebook. Weighing less than two pounds, it […]