MUON G-2 Subject : Science & tech Context : Newly published results of an international experiment hint at the possibility of new physics governing the laws of nature. Concept : The results of the experiment, which studied a subatomic particle called the muon, do not match the predictions of the Standard Model, on […]
DOUBLE MUTANT VARIANT B.1.617 Subject : Science & tech Context : The “double mutant” virus that scientists had flagged last month as having a bearing on the spread of the pandemic in India, has a formal scientific classification: B.1.617. Concept : The variant is common in India and has a couple of defining […]
CRYOGENIC ELECTRON MICROSCOPY Subject : Science & tech Context : Scientists use cryo-electron microscopy to unravel how ‘guardian’ of the genome works. Concept : Cryo-electron microscopy Cryo-electron microscopy is a specific type of electron microscopy that is based on the principle of forming a 3D image by collection and combination of thousands of […]
ALKALOIDS Subject : Science & tech Context : The Central government has decided to rope in the private sector to commence production of concentrated poppy straw from India’s opium crop to boost their yield of alkaloids, used for medical purposes and exported to several countries. Concept : Alkaloids are a group of naturally […]
AIR IONIZER Subject : Science & tech Context : Governments and businesses should encourage new technologies to control the spread of the virus and enable ‘opening’ of offices, schools, colleges and cinemas rather than lockdown Concept: An air ioniser (or negative ion generator or Chizhevsky’s chandelier) is a device that uses high voltage […]
SPUTNIK V Subject : Science & tech Context : Nod soon for Sputnik V rollout, amid virus surge. Concept : The vaccine has been called Sputnik V, named after the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik-I launched by the Soviet Union. It is the first Covid-19 vaccine to be approved. This vaccine has been […]
GENE TRANSFER Subject : Science & tech Context : In a first, gene-transfer between insects & plants has just been reported Concept : The finding, reported today in Cell1, is the first known example of a natural gene transfer from a plant to an insect. It also explains one reason why the whitefly […]
PLASMA Subject : Science & tech Context : Demand for plasma increases amid Covid case spike but donations low Concept : Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. Convalescent plasma, extracted from the blood of patients recovering from an infection, is a source of antibodies against the infection. The therapy involves using […]
DIPHTHERIA Subject : Science & tech Context : Researchers from India, the U.K. and Russia have analysed a large collection of 502 genomes sourced from over 16 countries and collected from over a period of 122 years of the bacterium that causes diphtheria – Corynebacteriumdiphtheriae. Concept : Diphtheria is primarily caused by the […]
DIGITAL RMB Subject : Science & tech Context : China in February 2021 launched the latest round of pilot trials of its new digital currency, with reported plans of a major roll-out by the end of the year and ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022. Concept : Officially titled […]