Landsat 9 Subject – Science and Tech Context – NASA’s ‘new eye in the sky’ that will help study climate change Concept – The earth monitoring satellite, Landsat 9, is a joint mission of NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS). The first Landsat satellite was launched in 1972 and since then, Landsat […]
Soda Ash Subject – Science and Tech Context – ‘Focus on renewable energy to drive soda ash demand’ Concept – Soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), is an alkali chemical refined from the mineral trona or naturally occurring sodium carbonate-bearing brines (both referred to as natural soda ash), the mineral nahcolite […]
‘Clinicopathological Profile of Cancers in India: A Report of the Hospital Based Cancer Registries 2021’ Subject – Science and Tech Context – Proportion of all cancer cases higher in men: study Concept – The proportion of all cancer cases was higher in men (52.4%) than women (47.4%), noted the Indian Council of Medical […]
Metal-air Batteries Subject – Science and Tech Context – The need for India to grow out of (Chinese-dominated) lithium for energy storage is well recognised. Concept – Lithium is scarce, less safe, and lithium-ion has energy limitations. Metal-air batteries, which have a metal anode (electron giver) and atmospheric oxygen as the cathode (electron […]
Declining Vaccine Efficacy Subject – Science and Tech Context – Recent data suggest that the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines has been declining. Concept – The data indicate that while the protection against infection (as shown by effectiveness against symptomatic Covid) has declined (especially in Israel and USA), the protection against hospitalisation from Covid […]
mRNA Vaccines Subject – Science and Tech Context – While many low- and middle-income countries have received by far insufficient supply of vital COVID-19 vaccines so far, vaccine inequity has been most striking in Africa. Moderna said it will not enforce patents related to its vaccine during the pandemic, but it is yet […]
China’s Cryptocurrency ban Subject – Science and Tech Context – China’s blanket crypto ban sends most digital units tumbling Concept – Cryptocurrency investors and exchanges went into a tizzy after China’s central bank announced a blanket ban on all cryptocurrency transactions and mining activity in that country. China is not only one of […]
Artificial Intelligence’s religious biases Subject – Science and Tech Context – Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken over our lives much sooner than the futuristic movie Minority Report had predicted. Concept – In a paper published in Nature Machine Intelligence, Abid and his fellow researchers found that the AI system GPT-3 (an artificial intelligence […]
China’s Chang’e-5 Lunar Mission Subject – Science and Tech Context – On December 16, 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission delivered to Earth nearly 2 kg of rocky fragments and dust from the Moon. Concept – On December 16, 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission delivered to Earth nearly 2 kg of rocky fragments and […]
Havana Syndrome Subject – Science and Tech Context – CIA officer on India trip reports Havana Syndrome Concept – CIA officer on India trip reports Havana Syndrome. This is the first instance of the phenomenon being reported in India, at least on record, and could have diplomatic implications. What is Havana Syndrome? Havana […]