Subject: Science and tech Context: SpaceX’s prototypeuncrewed “Mars ship” which is a part of the Starship spacecraft, successfully flew to an altitude of over 500 feet for a little less than 60 seconds Concept: Designed by SpaceX, Starship is a spacecraft and super-heavy booster rocket meant to act as a reusable transportation system for crew […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: A disease called Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) has killed seven and infected at least 60 in China Concept: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) belongs to the Bunyavirus family and is transmitted to humans through tick bites. The virus was first identified by a team of researchers […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: The catastrophic explosion at Beirut port has so far killed at least 100 people and injured around 4,000 Concept: Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a white, crystalline chemical which is soluble in water. It is common chemical ingredient of agricultural fertilisers, the nitrogen rich compound is also the main component of the […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: Seven biomedical firms have been selected to produce next-generation tests under US’ Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative. Concept: The aim behind the initiative is to significantly increase the number, type and availability of tests by millions per week. The RADx initiative will help develop new tests that will allow […]
Subject: Science and Tech Context: The National Seed Association of India (NSAI) has asked the Centre to put its agencies on high alert against Chinese seeds penetrating into Indian fields. It has suggested the government to have in place adequate plans to deal with the ‘seed terrorism’. What has happened? Mysterious seed packets, often labelled […]
Subject: Science and Tech Context: A time capsule will be placed around 2,000 feet underground at the Ram Temple construction site in Ayodhya. What is a time capsule? It is a container of any size or shape, which accommodates documents, photos and artefacts typical of the current era and is buried underground, for future generations to unearth. The time […]
Subject: Science and Tech What is Gene Editing? Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA. These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome. Several approaches to genome editing have been developed. A […]
Subject: Science and Tech Context: eVIN has now been adapted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the National Health Mission for use in the coronavirus pandemic. What is eVIN? eVIN is a system a system used to track information on vaccine supply chain and stocks across the country. It provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and […]
Subject: Science and Tech Context: Experts have been seeing multiple cases of “happy hypoxia” or “silent hypoxia” amongst 30-40 per cent of patients. What is happy hypoxia/ silent hypoxia? The silent hypoxia is a condition when the peripheral oxygen saturation remains good, but the partial pressure of oxygen is very low that shows up in […]
Subject: Science and tech Context: NASA astronauts safely returned to Earth inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule this afternoon, bringing their historic two-month mission at the International Space Station to an end Concept: This successful technology demonstration has long term ramifications and will likely change the course of space exploration. Behnken and Hurley, tallying 64 days […]