A SHOT OF HOPE WITH A GAME CHANGING VACCINE
Gravity of the situation Over the initial phase of the national lockdown (March 24 to April 14), India reported a 20-fold increase in confirmed SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 cases (468 to >10,000), and a 36-fold increase in deaths (9 to 330). Increased testing may partly account for this; but testing is still inadequate and this data represent underestimates. […]
EXPLAINED: TYPES OF HUMAN CORONAVIRUSES
What are coronaviruses? Coronaviruses are a large family of single-stranded RNA viruses that cause diseases in animals and humans. In humans, the viruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses such as the common cold. In the last two decades, more aggressive coronaviruses have emerged that are capable of causing serious illness and even […]
Intellectual Property Rights News for UPSC Exam
What are Intellectual Property Rights? Intellectual property rights (IPR) are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names and images used in commerce. They usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time. These […]
Innovations in Science and Technology for UPSC Exam
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), […]
Diseases in India for UPSC Exam
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome Acute encephalitis syndrome is a severe case of encephalitis transmitted by mosquitoes and is characterized by high fever and inflammation of the brain. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2006, coined the term AES to signify a group of diseases which seem similar to one another but are difficult to differentiate in the chaotic environment of […]
Aircrafts and Military Exercise for UPSC Exam
Apache Helicopter Eight US made Apache AH-64E stealth attack helicopters, has been inducted into IAF. The IAF has signed a contract with ‘The Boeing’ and the US government for 22 Apache attack helicopters. Apache is the most advanced multi-role heavy attack helicopter in the world. It’s modern capabilities includes, fire-and-forget, anti-tank missiles, air-to-air missiles, rockets, […]
CENS’S GOLD NANOSTRUCTURE SUBSTRATE
Why in news? Scientists have developed a substrate (the surface or material on which an organism lives, grows) for optical sensing applications using a gold nanostructure. Such substrates are sensitive to change in the refractive index of the surrounding medium and can detect biologically important molecules and chemicals in the laboratory. The substrate has potential […]
ORGANIC PSEUDOCAPACITOR: LOW-COST ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTION
Why in news? Scientists have developed a stable material for pseudocapacitors or supercapacitors which store electrical energy by electron charge transfer. The material can offer a low-cost scalable energy storage solution as an alternative to batteries. Details The team has developed the pseudocapacitive material, a hybrid xerogel structure (a solid formed from a gel by […]
A SEASON OF CHANGE: METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT
IMD’s Monsoon Forecast In the season of the abnormal, the IMD has announced that the monsoon this year would likely be normal. The agency follows a two-stage forecast system: indicating in April whether there are chances of drought or any other anomaly and then a second update, in late June, with a more granular look […]
THE RACE TO FIND A CURE FOR COVID-19
Why in news? While efforts to develop an anti-COVID-19 vaccine are encouraging, safety issues are paramount. The epicentre of the pandemic has shifted from Wuhan district in China to the highly developed Western world. With no specific therapy or vaccine available at present, it is imperative that we fast-forward the development of efficacious vaccines and […]