This compilation runs in total three parts:

Medical / Healthcare related (given in present article)
Agriculture,Environment & Biodiversity (EnB), Natural disasters, clean energy related
Space, IT, Electronics, Nano-tech, allied topics of physics/chemistry.

Although CSAT-2013 prelims paper didn’t contain much current affairs, but Hindu Science tech continues to remain important because it provides Science Theory/principles that can be asked in MCQs (in four statement true/false type questions) for example :
Q. Consider following statements

Honey has Acidic PH, and infant’s body cannot tolerate food with Acidic PH.
Infant’s body doesn’t have well developed immune system to fight the bacterial spores that are found in Honey.
Honey has a low glycemic index, therefore infant body cannot digest it properly.

For which of the above reason(s), do the doctors advice against feeding honey to infants?

Answer choices

only 1 and 2
only 2 and 3
only 2
All three.

Answer= (read this article, you’ll get it.)
Besides for CAPF and CDS, UPSC hasn’t stopped asking Sci-Tech current affairs MCQ, yet.
For the New syllabus of Mains:

Topics under New Mains Syllabus	Topics covered from Hindu Sci-Tech under this article
(GS-II) Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health	Government didn’t ban a dangerous pesticide despite warning from FAO and WHO. Ultimately led to the Mid-day Meal deaths in Chapra, Bihar. The mismanagement over drug-regulation. An anti-diabetic drug was banned in haste and then ban was revoked. Many drugs are banned just now, while they’ve been banned in developed countries for years. Government banning open sale of TB drugs to prevent drug-resistance. Government is not switching toward IPV vaccine for Polio, thus leading to case of vaccine derived polio virus. National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis (NPPCF)
(GS3) Awareness in the fields of bio-technology	Mitochontrial transfer, cloning Lab grown meat, liver and brain Resilin

Disclaimer

Just because I’m providing compilation for June, July, August, doesn’t mean “the end” of topics happened in that time-frame. You should ‘follow-up’ on your own, reading / researching the topics from other sources. Because nothing prevents UPSC from asking anything that is not covered/explained here.
I’ve covered only Thursday edition. However newspapers also have Science tech and allied news topics even in the Non-Thursday editions. And again, nothing prevents UPSC from asking anything from there. So one should keep habit of maintaining daily notes from the newspaper on his own.
In short, Mrunal.org is just a supplement and catalyst for the preparation- not a substitute of TheHindu, Indianexpress, Yojana, Kurukshetra and other standard reference sources. And same applies for any other website and coaching. UPSC Success requires lot of self-study on your own.

Diseases Related

#1: Vaccine Derived Polio + Need for IPV

How does Oral Polio Vaccine work?

Oral polio vaccine contains a live, attenuated (weakened) vaccine-virus.
When a child is vaccinated, the weakened vaccine-virus replicates in the intestine and enters into the bloodstream,
This triggers an immune response in the child, thus Child becomes immune to (wild) polio in future.

What is Vaccine-derived polio?

In rare cases, the live-weakened virus from Oral polio vaccine itself becomes mutated. Then child gets polio from the virus inside vaccine itself. This is known as Vaccine Derived Polio.

Why in News?

In July 2013, an infant from Beed District Maharashtra was infected with ^this Vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPVs) type 2 and got paralyzed.
Our Heath ministry’s approach was “thik-hai this is just an isolated case”. But WHO is worried and rushed a team to the Maharashtra.

What do Experts say?

That baby was not given sufficient number of polio doses (undervaccinated) so it seems baby infected by a vaccine-derived poliovirus from another person.
Not every child who gets infected with VDPV will become paralysed but this baby was already undernourished, hence paralyzed.

Will this remove India’s polio free status?

As per the WHO definition, only wild polio considered for deciding the polio-free status of a country.
Therefore, this Maharashtra case will not alter India’s polio status. Because it was from Vaccine derived poliovirus and not from wild variety of polio virus.
Although such technical juggling of definition will not bring that baby’s legs back, nor it will reduce the danger of polio among other India kids.

Then what should be done?

The root cause of the problem is the use of live, weakened polio virus in the oral polio vaccine (OPV)
But this virus are still alive and quite often undergoes genetic changes=> causes polio.
Thus, the very vaccine that is supposed to protect children against polio causes the disease.
Endgame / ultimate solution= introduce IPV (injectable polio-vaccine) instead of using oral polio vaccine. In just two injections of IPV, child becomes 100% immune to polio.

Challenges in introducing IPV?

we don’t have enough trained doctors/nurses to give injections to all kids in rural areas. + the recent case in Uttar Pradesh, where a rickshaw puller gave injection to baby and the baby died.
IPV is more expensive to produce than OPV.

#2: Malaria

Mosquito Bites

Mosquitoes are ___	meaning ___
crepuscular	They’re most active during dawn and dusk. However, they are all not active at night.
ectothermic	they seek warmth but are quite vulnerable to hot, dry conditions, hence hate direct sunlight.

Male vs Female Mosquitos

Male mosquito	Usually feed on nectar, juice and decaying matter, which serve as the energy source
female mosquito	need to ingest the blood meal that serves as the protein source for developing the eggs.

We experience more mosquito bites at night. Why?

Mosquitoes are known to be attracted UV light. They use UV light to find damp water sources.
But during daytime, Infra red light is more intense during day time is known to curtail mosquito activity.
During evening and night, Mosquitoes’ thermal and odour receptors become more efficient at detecting blood source.
A Mosquito can detect victim more quickly if the person is big or, pregnant, exhaling more CO and has sweetish smell or had a pint of beer.

Malaria Vaccine: Haem Synthesis

Haemoglobin inside human blood=helps in oxygen transport.
When Malaria parasite consumes this Hemoglobin=> generates “haem”.
Malaria Parasite needs Haem for its own energy production.
So, if we can destroy parasite’s genes responsible for haem synthesis=> then we can make a genetically attenuated parasite that might serve as a vaccine candidate for malaria.
IISc, Bangalore working on this logic.

#3: Fluorosis

Cause: drinking water with excess fluoride content.
water with moderate level=> dental enamel becomes defective.
water with high level floride=>bones in skeletal system get affected. stiffness and pain in the joints.
Fluorosis is a crippling disorder. Its effects are permanent and irreversible in nature. Meaning there is no cure / treatment
permissible fluoride limit, as per BIS is 1 ppm in drinking water. But At least 19 States have been identified with fluoride in water level above the safe limit.
Concerned at increasing cases of fluorosis, the Union government has asked the States to provide alternative source of drinking water to the people in areas with high concentration of fluorosis in groundwater.

National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis (NPPCF)

WHO?	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (AND NOT Ministry of Drinking water)
WHEN?	11^th FYP
WHERE	100 districts in 17 affected states
WHAT?	support provided for: 1 district lab with staff, carry out water and urine samples, + awareness.

#5: Iodised Salt

Iodised salt=essential to prevent mental retardation and goiter.
National Policy of Universal Salt Iodisation (1986)= recommends Iodine should be mixed in salt for 15 parts per million.
but In Chhattisgarh alone 70 per cent public doesn’t get access to iodised salt.

Success in Madhya Pradesh

Anjha Chulha (community kitchen), a state-wide joint feeding programme
It converges two existing national programmes, 1) Supplementary Nutrition Programme of the Integrated Child Development Services and 2) Midday Meal Scheme
Meals served at anganwadi centres and schools are prepared in a common kitchen, by trained staff, and iodised salt is used.

#4: Migraine

Two Types Of Headaches

Primary headache	secondary headache
more common among patients	less
They occur for no obvious reason. Example migraine, tension-type headache.	occur because of serious underlying conditions e.g. brain tumor, inflammatory diseases, abnormalities of the spinal fluid.
There are no tests for these headaches, only tests to rule out other causes.	can be detected through tests.

Migraine

Migraine is the commonest cause of all primary headaches
Migraine is a chronic disease, meaning you’ve to deal with for years.
Migraines are genetically inherited.
Migraine attacks are often linked to a trigger (unavoidable external conditions such as heat, sunlight or sweat)

#5: Aspergillosis

Aspergillus= one type of Fungus
Aspergillosis=disease caused by above Fungus
Australian researchers found it to be deadly in cats, dogs and men. + Common antifungal drugs failed to kill this fungus, hence more dangerous.

Research Related

HeLa Cell-line

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks died at an American hospital due to cervical cancer.
In that era, USA didn’t have any regulations for genetic research. So, the doctors used her biopsy sample to create HeLa celline, without her knowledge or consent.
Since then, these cells have been extensively used for a wide variety of biomedical research.
They even played a part in several Nobel-Prize-winning scientific discoveries.
Her family didn’t learn of the cells until 20 years after Lacks’s death, when scientists began using her children in research without their knowledge. Later even their medical records were released to the press and published without consent.
But now researchers have made an agreement with her family for controlled access to the HeLa genome sequence.

Flu Related

#1: H7N9 Bird flu: potential bioweapon?

This year, H7N9 bird flu virus killed many people in China.
Chinese authorities order the closure of poultry markets => outbreak under control.
But Scientists fear infections may rise again in the winter. There is always a chance that virus will undergo mutation and become more dangerous.
Hence they want to carry lab-experiment on H7N9 virus, increase its virulence in lab, and study its ability to spread between people.

Pro arguments

The proposed experiments should give scientists early warning of the kinds of virus-mutations that could spark a pandemic.
The work will be done in high-security laboratories to minimise the risk of the modified viruses escaping and causing any damage.
This will help in advance research into drugs and vaccines before pandemic breakout of H7N9.

anti-argument

This could help terrorists create lethal viruses as bioweapons.
If virus escapes the lab because of some natural disaster (e.g. earthquake, tornado, tsunami) =massive damage to population.

#2: MERC Coronavirus

2002	SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), appeared in China and next year exploded worldwide.
2012	Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV

Merc-COV:

It is a corona virus just like SARS.
Like SARS, it causes severe respiratory disease.
Like the SARS virus, it appears to have originated in bats.
MERS virus has crossed from bats into an animal that humans frequently come into contact with. But which animal exactly ? was it bird/pig/goat…that is yet to be found.
MERS-CoV can spread through close contact with a sick person, and such transmission has occurred in families as well as in hospitals.
The SARS virus mutated over time and gained the ability to pass more easily from one human to another. The big worry is that the MER-CoV might do something similar.

Lab grown organs

#1: Lab-Grown: Meat

Scientists have succeeded in growing meat “in vitro” (=outside body, in a lab/petri-dish)
using stem cells
But Cost of such meat burger- 2,50,000 euros.

Then why bother with artificially grown lab meat? why not just eat normal meat from animals?

it help save more than 42 million cattle from being butchered every year in the U.S. alone

As per FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) report, when cattle is raised for meat alone, it leads to

18%	share in greenhouse gas emissions
30%	land use for just grazing and growing animal food/feed.

Such cattle is injected with variety of antibiotics => led to rise in drug-resistant bacteria=> they jump from animals to humans and cause variety of diseases.

#2: Lab-Grown: Tiny Brain

Austrian scientists have grown tiny brain (called Cerebral organoid) in their lab
using stem cells.
This tiny brain has many key features of the brain in a nine-week-old human embryo.

Limitations?

does not yet display all the brain regions organised in the fashion that would be found in a developing embryo.
Since there are no blood vessels to bring oxygen and nutrients to cells deep inside=> tiny brain will not develop beyond about four millimetres in size.

Benefits?

Microcephaly= is a genetic disorder, leads to greatly reduced brain size and associated mental disabilities.
Earlier scientists tried to experiment on mice-brain to understand this disease but did not succeed.
but now with tiny brain, they can do more research on Microcephaly disorder.
Ultimately they’ll be able to research on more common disorders like schizophrenia or autism

#3: Lab-Grown: Liver

Japanese scientists has used ‘induced pluripotent stem cells’ (iPS cells) cells to produce a rudimentary human liver that could function in mice.
iPS cells=created from normal cells, you don’t need stem cells. (recall earlier article about Yamanaka’s stem cell research).

OPPORTUNITIES	CHALLENGES
Will help patients with life-threatening liver damage.	These lab-grown liver buds are too small in size, must be produced in vast numbers
same principle can be used to make pancreas, kidneys and lungs in the lab.	It’ll take yet another 10 years before such a method is ready for clinical trials in humans.

Cloning John Lenon

Some Canadian dentist has a tooth of late British Pop legend John Lennon- he wants to clone it.

What is Clone?

A clone is a cell or an organism that is produced asexually from an ancestor. (=without sperm meeting egg)
A Clone cell genetically identical to its ancestor.
Thus the clone of Lennon, produced today, will be genetically the same John Lennon of the 70s.

Dolly Sheep cloning

Scientists chose three sheep: Molly, Polly and Polly

Polly (Black face)	they removed genetic material from her egg-cell.Thus her egg remained only an empty reaction vessel.
Molly (White face)	they took cells from her udder, extracted genetic material out of it, and planted in Dolly’s empty egg cell. Thus an embrayo created.
Holly	they planted above embryo in Holly’s womb. Thus holly served as a surrogate mother.

Result: Dolly sheep was born. White faced, inherited the genes from Molly only. The only male DNA of Dolly came from Molly’s father’s DNA contained in her somatic cells.

Whether Cloning of Humans should be allowed or not? => It’s a Group Discussion/Interview topic.
But whether Cloned John Lennon will be equally good singer-musician like original John Lennon=> Answer is No.
Because a Man does not live by body alone. What goes into the brain is interaction with the external world. Culture is not coded in our DNA. Experience, education, environment — all these matter.

Three-person IVF / Mitochondria Transfer

Why Mitochondria important?

Mitochondria crucial to the energy supply of cells.
Defective Mitochondria= disrupted energy supply to muscles, heart, liver and brain.
Mitochondrial diseases are incurable.
In Britain alone, around one in 6,500 children is born annually with a severe mitochondrial disease like muscular dystrophy.
Current methods can only reduce but not eliminate the risk; no treatment is available either.

Solution: mitochondrial transfer/ 3-Parent IVF

mom	gives egg but her DNA material has defective genes for Mitochondria. So that part related to Mitochondria is removed.
dad	sperm
donor (female)	gives DNA that has right ‘codes’ for healthy Mitochondria.

Thus, with help of genetic material from ^three people, an IVF baby is created. Embryo transferd to mother and baby is born without any disease related to mitochondria.

Why news/controversy/Anti-arguments:

UK government is planning to allow doctors to use ^this technique. But some MPs are against this method citing this is also stem-cell research, You are ‘playing God’ and interfering with his creation and hence against the (Christianity) religion.
This research will lead to “Designer babies” for example, pick DNA of Sachin for Stamina, DNA of Bacchan for Height, Hrithik Roshan for white skin and thus assemble an embryo like assembling a mobile phone or computer.
Designer babies are bad because then society will be divided into two parts: those with superior looks-body thanks to genetically engineering vs. those normally born. Hitler was also trying similar thing: remove all the Jews, handicapped and gypsies and create the strong Aryan race with pure genes.

Pro Arguments for Mitochondria-Transfer:

Mitochondria from a healthy woman donor doesn’t affect the appearance of the baby. It merely prevents baby from getting defective mitochondria related diseases. Thus the donor-lady is not ‘third’ parent.
Mitochondria are the power producers of a cell and do not in any way contribute to the traits that make us humans. Hence, any fear that the latest development is a slippery slope that would lead to producing ‘designer babies’ is unfounded.
The inheritance of donated mitochondria, will stop with the succeeding generation if the baby is male.

Cancer Immune Naked Mole Rats

Naked mole rats live underground
they can live for more than 30 years, almost seven times longer than normal rats.
They are also the only mammals that do not regulate their body temperature.
Unlike normal house rats, they’re immune to cancer.

Why in News?

Scientists use rats to do cancer study and test various anti-cancer drugs.
To induce cancer in a rat, the scientists exporse them to gamma radiation, transplanting tumours or injecting cancer-causing agents.
But when scientists tried these cancer-tools on naked mole rat=#epicfail, nothing happened. It didn’t develop cancer.

Reason?

Hyaluronan= a chemical found in all animals, helps to hold cells together, and controls when cells grow in number.
Cancer= unregulated growth of cells. So hyaluronan was thought to be involved in the progression of malignant tumours.
In Naked Mole rat, scientists found an unusually thick layer of ^this chemical.
Thick hyaluronan might have helped increase the elasticity of the rat’s skin, allowing it to live in small tunnels underground. This trait might be helping in preventing cancer cell growth as well.

Why beneficial? This mechanism may help us find cure for cancer.

Silver Antibiotic

Scientists are now interested in silver because Bacteria can’t develop resistance against silver.
silver – unlike most antibiotics – works in more than one way to kill bacteria.
Now, silver is combined with conventional antibiotics to make a killer combo. First silver will weaken the bacterial cell membrane, then conventional antibiotics will attack the bacteria.
Bacteria are broadly classified into two groups called Gram-negative and Gram-positive.
Gram-negatives have an extra cell membrane that protects the bacteria; this means that it is much more difficult for some antibiotics, such as gentamicin and vancomycin, to penetrate the cell.
But with added silver, even weak antibiotics can fight with such strong “gram negative” bacteria.

Neuro-science

#1: Human neurons and Carbon Dating

It is generally believed that brain cells stop growing in adults=>As your age increases, your memory capacity decreases.
But Sweden researchers measured the rate at which new neurons are added in the adult human brain, using Carbon dating method.

How does Carbon Dating work?

Carbon dating makes use of an isotope, carbon-14.
Carbon-14 is generated in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays strike nitrogen atoms. It then finds its way into different substances.
When scientists measure the amount of the isotope in them, they can calculate how much of it there was originally based on how quickly it is radioactively decaying.
This number can reveal the age of the substance, too.

#2: Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity = ability of the nervous system (brain) to modify its organisation in response to conditions imposed on it.
Experiment on animals showed that increase physical exercise=increases grey matter in the brain, promotes the formation of new nerve cells, blood vessels and connections (synapses) between neurons
Thus exercise helps improve your brain, apart from keeping obesity, type 2 diabetes, stroke and hypertension away from your body.

Banning Drugs and Chemicals

Mid Day Meal Deaths And Monocrotophos

In Chapra (Bihar) >20 kids died after eating Mid day meal, contaminated with pesticide known as Monocrotophos.
Monocrotophos is an organophosphorus pesticide.
Considered highly hazardous by FAO and World Health Organisation (WHO).
Already banned in Australia, China, the European Union and the United States, and in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
2004: WHO says this pesticide must be banned. But our (bogus) government refused saying Monocrotophos pesticide = cheaper than its competitors and more effective in controlling pests.
FAO+WHO+World Bank agree that Monocrotohpos and similar highly hazardous products should not sold in Developing countries because:
1. Marketing-Distribution channels are not properly developed=> anyone can buy such chemicals from anywhere and create havoc (same problem leading to Acid-throwing on girls.)
2. Small scale farmers lack knowledge, proper sprayers, and protective gear and storage facilities. They do not dispose the empty pesticide containers safely=>environmental problems.

International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management

Adopted by FAO member- countries,
It establishes voluntary standards of conduct for all public and private entities involved in pesticide management.
Code states that a hazardous pesticide should be banned if risk-assessment says that given pesticide cannot be handled without unacceptable risk to humans and the environment.
For monocrotophos, many governments have concluded that prohibition is the only effective option to prevent harm to people and environment.
But India hasn’t done it so far.

Open Sale of TB Drugs

Total more than 8 million TB patients in the world, among them more than 2 million just living in India alone.

TB treatment

through Government funded DOTs program	65% patients covered
Through private clinics	remaining 35%

What is the problem?

Patients receiving treatment through private clinics= they take drugs irregularly. As a result, disease resurfaces and TB bacteria becomes more resistant to the drugs.

What is the solution?

Govt mulling ban on sale of TB drugs in open market
Under the new initiative, patients going to private practitioners for treatment will get medicines free of cost from chemists but only after the doctor informs them through a dedicated call centre to be set up by the government.

Allied topic: DOTS therapy and MDR-TB. click me

Pioglitazone: Banned & unbanned

Oral Antibiotic drug. Works as “insulin sensitizer”.
major players, such as Ranbaxy, Cipla and Sun Pharma, manufacture the drug. Market >700 crores.
used by over 35 lakh diabetes patients across the country

2011	France bans this drug because it is believed to cause bladder cancer, anemia and even heart failure. but drug continues to be used in the US, the UK and other countries, albeit with a warning label.
2013	A doctor files petition to drug controller general of India (DGCI) to ban Pioglitazone after 8 cases related urinary bladder cancer were reported in the Chennai.
June 2013	Ministry bans the drugs, on advice of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). But Ministry didn’t consult Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB).
July 2013	Indian doctors protest against the ban. Government refers the matter to Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB). DTAB recommends lifting the ban with some conditions

Finally, ban is lifted, with following conditions

Drug will now be sold with a box warning (that the drug carries a significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects)
Doctors will also be told that pioglitazone should not be prescribed as the first line of treatment.

Analgin: Banned

Painkiller drug.
Sold under the brand name Novalgin
Adverse effect: decreases WBC (white blood cell count)=>fatal.
Analgin is banned in many countries including US, France, Nepal but the medicine continued to be sold in India as an over-the-counter drug for years.
Anyways finally government woke up and banned It (along with diabetic drug Pioglitazon)

Dextropropoxyphene: Banned

Use?= mild pain killer and local anaesthetic effects

Who banned?	directorate of food and drugs administration
How banned?	under Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940.
Why banned?	because already banned in USA, the UK, the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Japan. This drug has potentially life-threatening effects convulsions, hypotension etc.

Food related

#1: Honey

Is it safe to give Honey for babies?

Honey contains spores from a certain bacteria, which find their way into honey comb from dust and soil.
These bacterial spores have no effect on adults.
but for children, honey can cause death/paralysis, since the immune system of infants has not matured.
Therefore, Paediatricians around the world strictly advise against feeding honey to infants.
But if your child is above one year, honey is perfectly safe and can even offer lasting relief from chronic cough.

Diabetes?

What?	Glycemic index?
Honey	55
sugar	68

Food with Higher glycemic index= bad because

Foods with a higher glycemic index lead to a higher rise in blood sugar levels= problem for diabetic patients.
Even in normal person, such food causes the body to keep releasing insulin from the pancreas to process all that sugar. High insulin levels in the blood=> lead to obesity.

Honey and Healing property?

before the discovery of antibiotics, honey was widely used in healing
Honey has Acidic PH=>prevents the growth of many bacteria
Honey has hydrogen peroxide=>gives antiseptic value
Honey has phytonutrients=> prevent colon and other cancers.

Honey and Weightloss?

It is a myth that honey does not add fat to your body.
Honey has just as much carbohydrates as sugar so it is best to restrict its use, especially if you’re trying to lose weight or are diabetic.

Raw vs Processed Honey?

Raw honey (that which has been directly collected from the honey comb and has not been processed and packaged) => more effective anti-bacterial agent than the processed honey.
when raw honey is subjected to excessive heat and preservatives during food-processing, many nutrients/compounds are lost.

Honey Energy?

honey is a mixture of glucose and fructose, both forms of simple sugar. And much like ordinary sugar, it is absorbed fairly quickly into your blood stream and has almost the same effect on your body.

Food additives are Poisonous

Not much relevent from exam point of view, but before you eat junk food, wafers next time, do check the labels to protect your own health:

Coloring Agents

Children like bright colored food. Therefore most baked goods (cupcakes, frosting) and fast foods (like pastas, cereals and some ready-to-mix sauces) come in eye-catching colours. Problem:

food coloring agent	causes
blue#1	cancer
Red#40	ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in children (which affects their ability to concentrate and focus).
Red#3	used as artificial colour to cherries. Causes thyroid tumors
Carmine/Conchineal extract	Derived from insect. Gives pinking blush to candies, fruit juices etc.While these are generally safe to consume, it can cause adverse reactions in some people.

Sweetners

aspartame	used as a sugar substitute in “diet” soda, ice-creams etc. but it is neurotoxin (affects the brain) carcinogen (has the potential to cause cancer).
Acesulfame-K	used in gums and gelatin (used in jellies) .causes cancer

Preservative

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)	Ingredient in many a restaurant-style Chinese meal.also found in most packaged foods, from potato chips to soups and canned meatsIncreases obesity , causes liver inflammation.
Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite (E 250)	used in canned pickles. causes cancer.

Breads

Potassium Bromide Used in banking breads. It gives a creamy white colour, and elasticity to bread. But potassium bromate is a known carcinogen, but in the US and in India, it is still legal.
therefore, it is better to use brown bread and ensure that you purchase a loaf that is freshly baked.

Animal related

#1: Resilin, the rubber like protein

Resilin is a rubber-like protein
It helps dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects to flap their wings, jump and chirp
Resilin can stretch to three times its original length, then spring back to its initial shape without losing its elasticity.
Scientists looking for its application in nanosprings, biorubbers, biosensors etc.
Scientists have modified resilin with gold nanoparticles for possible use in medical diagnostics.

#2: Animals do self-medication

Sparrows	pick up used cigarette butts and place them in their nests to reduce the parasite infection affecting the eggs and baby birds in the nests!
Mongooes	feeds on chota-chand plant, before fighting cobras. Thus Nepalis found out that Chota Chand is an antidote for snake bite.
Goat	From observing the goats eating the coffee plant, Men found that coffee was a stimulant.
Caterpillars	chew on some medicinal plants to survive longer and produce healthier eggs.
Fruit Flies	lay their eggs on food with high ethanol, to ward off infection by parasites
Chimanzees	swallow whole leaves of some plants and defecate them in order to “flush” out intestinal parasites

It would thus appear that the practice of natural medicine, including Ayurveda, has its origin from the plant and animal kingdom.

Misc.

Active Travel

‘Active travel’ means walking, cycling or use of public transport
World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends active travel address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Apoptosis

It is the biological process clearing dead cells.
apoptotic cells= Cells that are aging, damaged or infected and about to die,
immune cells (phagocytes) engulf and destroy the apoptotic cells.
If a dying cell is not cleared it will go into a post-apoptotic stage called necrosis=> leads to inflammatory diseases like lupus in humans.

Pain Management Techniques

Steroid Injections	effective for patients suffering from arthritissteroid injections greatly reduce inflammation (especially at the site of a nerve compression) and can offer great relief from tortuous knee paibut have side effects
Nerve Heating	The heat is transmitted to the tip of a needle => applied directly to the paint transmitting nerves=>relieves pain and doesn’t hamper with any other body processes
Prolotherapy	Procedure involves injecting an combo of anaesthetic + irritant, into the site of pain. it also stimulates natural healing processes.
Antidepressent	when your pain is an obvious outcome of psychological issues, anti-depressants are prescribed These pills will restore the chemical seratonin in your brain, a lack of which can lead to chronic pain. But they should be taken as a long-term course in order to be effective.

Elastic Energy and Human Shoulder

Humans do not have any of the characteristics so essential for hunting — speed, strength, agility, claws or sharp canines to hunt down and kill a prey.
Hence the ability to throw a spear or stone at high speed and great precision to kill/injure an animal =part of evolution.
We can throw balls/stones/spears accurately because of the anatomical features that allow the storage of elastic energy at the shoulder.
The human shoulder acts much like a slingshot during a throw. It stores and releases large amounts of elastic energy is stored in the stretched ligaments and tendons.
Chimpanzees, on the other hand, do not have much mobility at the waist hence cannot throw objects at great speed.

we see topics related to Agriculture + Environment and Biodiversity (EnB)

UPSC Syllabus	topics in this article
CSAT Prelims	giant clams [EnB] theoretic stuff related to fruit runaway greenhouse effect, ocean acidification Fruit ripening etc.
(GS1) changes in water-bodies and the effects of such changes.	Ocean Acidification, Dimethylsulphide
(GS3) economics of animal-rearing.	Kalamasi fowls breeding and Tribal development. Goat rearing by small farmers using scientific methods.
(GS3) Achievements of Indians in science & technology	Solar Backpack “Lumos” designed by an Indian Couple.
(GS3) Conservation	House-sparrow, Tiger corridors.
(GS3) Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life	flow batteries.
(GS3) indigenization of technology and developing new Technology.	bio refinery in Hyderabad
(GS3) environmental pollution and degradation	runaway greenhouse effect, ocean acidification
(GS3) Disaster and disaster management.	Uttarakhand Tragedy Dopplar Radar Crisis Mapping Google person finder

Note: topics related to IT, Space and Nano-tech will be covered the part 3 of 3,

[Agro]: Economics of Animal Rearing

#1: Fowl Breeding & Tribal Development (MP)

Indian farmers doing backyard poultry for many years.
The birds grow by scavenging on kitchen and other waste. They help in
- egg sale=side income
- Cheap source of protein for farmer’s family.

Then what is the problem?

Poultry sector is focusing more on commercial poultry rearing like broilers for meat and eggs.
As a result, many indigenous species about to become extinct.
One such breed is the Kalamasi or Kadaknath fowl breed: found in Bhil and Bhila tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh.

Kalamasi/Kadaknath Fowls

black in color. Meat is softer than that of other desi birds, contains less fat and more protein,
Because of these qualities, Kalamasi fowls commend good prices. 1 year old bird sells for >Rs.600 (while other desi varieties fetch barely Rs.100-150)
But this breed is slowly becoming extinct.

Economics:

These fowls can be reared quite easily. Don’t need any special attention or round the clock caretaking.
They’re good scavengers= feed cost gets considerably reduced. (in each bird sells for more than Rs.600 after one year)
They can be housed in large bamboo baskets or inside store rooms. Don’t need elaborate shelter like in professional broilers.
Their hens grow fast, start laying eggs from sixth month of age onwards. In a year a single hen lays 80-120 eggs.

Benefits to Tribal of Madhya Pradesh

Government provides vaccination, training for feed-marketing.
The tribal beneficiaries rearing this breed are today able to get an income of Rs.80,000-90,000 a year.
Less rural-urban migration. Encourages people to stay in villages, continue farming operations along with fowl rearing.

#2: Goats rearing, Small Marginal Farmers (Kerala)

From time immemorial Indian peasants have always been rearing animals for extra income. But there are challenges:

Pasture lands shrinking=> Less green fodder
Rich farmers with pumpsets and borewells so grow green fodder but it is not possible for small and marginal farmers.
Lack of veterinary services in remote areas.

Case study: Goat rearing in Kozhikode District of Kerala

Government support: Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR)

Aim: help small farmers and landless laborers to do goat rearing with minimum cost.

How?

Farmers given Breeding charts: to fully exploit the reproductive efficiency of female goats.
In a large herd, synchronization of estrus cycle by administering PGF2 alpha injection.

Careful rearing of baby goats for 120 days after birth. They’re given concentrated feed prepared specifically by the institute’s experts. Farmers can also make them by mixing rice, wheat, maize, horsegram etc.

+ Baby goats are given liver tonics mixed with fish oil => increase appetite and aid good healthy growth, goad quickly fattens for slaughtering.

Economics/benefits

DESI METHOD OF REARING	NOW WITH SCIENTIFIC REARING
Animal will weigh 10 kg in 6 months	within 4 months the goat will weigh 25+ kg =provides big returns in quick time.

Farmers with only few cents of land can also grow goats.
They don’t need not spent much time grazing them out in the open.

expense of feeding one baby goat	Rs.1200 per month x 4 months = 3600
Income from selling that goat after 4 months.	close to Rs.7000
profit	You calculate for the aptitude practice.

[Agro] Research: New Varieties

Himalayan Wonder	India’s first throneless rose plant variety. by a research institute in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh Regions around Pune-Banglore= known for commercial rose cultivation. They’re interested in this new throneless variety of rose.
Yamuna Safed-5	New garlic variety by National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) in Nasik, suitable for growing in Northen states such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan. These Garlic Bulbs are white and big in size, matures quickly and and shelf life is also good.
Onion Bulbets	By National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation, Nashik They’ve devised new technique for successful Kharif onion nursery production, during heavy rains. Jan-Feb: Onion bulbets raised in nursey beds July-Aug- they’re transplanted to the farm This method increases the yield of onion.

[Agro]:Fertilizer/Manure related

#1: Liquid Manure

Present day farming require external inputs such as fertiliser and pesticides.
but they’re expensive + harmful to soil and environment.
Now a new technology developed to produce liquid manure from cow dung and cow urine, by a farmer in TN.

How?

The basic principles= Fermentation + Sedimentation.
Cow dung + cow urine +10 parts of water=>mix in barrel, let it ferment for a day.
Next day add one kg of jiggery, along with decomposed fruits, vegetables or practically any vegetative matter available in the farm.
Only indigenous cow dung and urine must be used because the microbial activity in local cow waste is more than in other cross bred animals.
After a week farmers can use this liquid solution as manure via drip irrigation. Hence it is called “Liquid Manure”.

Benefits?

increases the water holding capacity of the soil
Improves the beneficial micro organisms present in the soil.
Only Rs.800 investment to buy a plastic barrel.Rest of the inputs can be easily sourced from the farm itself. Hence even small and marginal farmers can do it.
farmer can save Rs.4,000-20,000 per hectare in fertilizer

#2: Vermicompost

Chemical fertilizers=decrease soil fertility after prolonged use.
Vermicompost is an organic manure (bio-fertilizer) by earth worm
Earthworm can be grown on animal dung, poultry droppings, vegetable and other kinds of biodegradable wastes. They feed on such items, produce a compost.

Benefits of Vermicompost?

odorless, clean, organic material
contains adequate quantities of N, P, K (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and several micronutrients that are essential for plant growth.
Contains organic matter= makes the soil productive.
Eco-friendly, non-toxic, consumes low energy input for composting.

#3:Organic cultivation

Case study: Enabavi, a small village in Warangal district, Andhra
The farmers grow paddy, pulses, millets, cotton, chilli, tobacco and vegetables.

BEFORE	AFTER
In the 1970s, like many other Indian villages, they also went through the same process of using more and more chemicals to increase the productivity. By 1995 problems started showing up. Even though they increased Investments on seeds-fertilizers-pesticides, the returns were not good.	The village started shifting to non-chemical farming about a decade ago. By 2006, entire area was converted to organic farming. There is strong social regulation within the community towards organic cultivation.
average spending on chemical fertilizers and pesticides: ~Rs.3,500 per crop per acre	They started using tank silt, poultry manure, vermicompost and farm yard manure. They set up their own compost manufacturing units in their fields and started following various ecological practices
Seeds: ~ Rs. 500 per acre for seeds	depend on their own seed for many crops, except for cotton
The traders would dictate the price for the produce in addition to charging interest for the inputs supplied	The farmers do not spend a single rupee anymore for buying all the inputs.
Sale of agro-produce through Middlemen @APMC	They process their paddy and sell directly to consumers and also through a marketing channel called Sahaja Aharam in Hyderabad.

Lessons from this village:

Sustainable farming can be profitable.
social regulation, learning from each other.
the benefits of conviction born out of experience and most importantly, the way out of agricultural distress by taking control over one’s own farming,

[Agro]: Misc.

#1: Fungus as Bio-control Agent

Trichoderma viride (Tv), a soil fungus =bio control agent
controls diseases in trees such as root rot, leaf blight etc.
Good alternative for chemical based fungicides
Farmers can make it by themselves using agricultural wastes to reduce cost

#2: Fruit Ripening

Fruits are classified into two groups

CLIMACTERIC	NON- CLIMACTERIC
ripen even after harvest	do not ripen after harvest
Banana, apple, avocado, banana, ﬁg, mango, papaya, passionfruit, pear and tomato	Grapes, blueberry, cherry, citrus, cucumber, pineapple and strawberry.
ethylene gas is used in godowns to hasten the ripening (e.g. for Banana). Similarly Calcium carbide is used to ripen Mangoes.	not needed / wont work.

Q. It is impossible to peel the skin of a plantain fruit when it is raw but the same can be done very easily when fully ripe. Why?

Raw banana fruit is firm and not peelable since the cell cementing material is made of non-soluble calcium pectin.
But On ripening the non-soluble pectin will become soluble and hence the softness.

Enough of Agro related, now moving on to Environment and Biodiversity [EnB]

[EnB] Flora-Fauna

#1: Giant Clams

Clam = one type of mollusk. (Octopus, Squid-fish are other examples of mollusk)

Giant Clam= an endangered species of clam (although IUCN red list puts it in ‘Vulnerable’ category but Thehindu says it’s an endangered species). Then who is right? That we’ll know once CSAT-2013 official answer key comes out and we find whether Swamp Deer was endangered or not! If UPSC answerkey says Swamp deer was endangered that’d mean UPSC had setup question from IUCN list.
Anyways back to topic: Giant Clams are found in the tropical coral reefs, including Andaman Nicobar.
All the species of Giant Clam are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

But Why in News?

UK based charity organization gave money to Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Money will be used create database of Giant clams in Andaman-Nicobar.

#2: House-Sparrow: official bird of Delhi

STATE	OFFICIAL STATE BIRD
Jammu and Kashmir	Black Necked Crane
Haryana	Black Francolin
Gujarat	Greater Flamingo
Maharashtra	Yellow Footed Green Pigeon.
Delhi	House-sparrow (declared State Bird in 2013)

March 20 = World House Sparrow Day

Why House-sparrow population declining?

Less tress=not place to setup nests +increase in air pollution
Buildings use glass facades= they show reflection of trees. Birds crash into the glass panel mistaking it for a tress. They get injured, even die.
House sparrows and their chicks need protein, which means they need a lot of insects. But urban junta uses chemical pesticides in their gardens=> No worms, insects or pests left for the birds to feed. Thus, use of pesticides invariably affects house sparrow population.
Cities have less number of open vegetable markets= lack of waste food for the birds.
Earlier Sparrows fed on open bags of rice and cereals in the markets. The traders too didn’t try to avoid them as they consumed only a little and also preyed on small pests in rice bags. But these bags have now been replaced with sealed plastic bags at many places=no grain leakage=no food for birds.
Even in places where grain-bags are kept open, the birds avoid them owing to the use of pesticides. A house sparrow weighs just a few milligrams and feeding on cereals with pesticides, even in micro levels, could kill them.
Even in Rural areas, reduced grain spillage and improved storage facilities + use of pesticides & herbicides=sparrow population declined.

#3: Forest Corridors for Tiger breeding

2010 data: 1,700 tigers in 39 tiger reserves.
Nowadays, Tiger reserves are surrounded by farms, villages and towns.
Such small and enclosed tiger reserves=> Habitat fragmentation=>inbreeding among tigers.
Inbreeding=> new generations will have genetic disorders. They’ll be more vulnerable to environmental changes.
If tiger reserves are connected through forest corridors, then tiger from one region can move to different area=> decreases inbreeding and promotes gene flow between isolated tiger populations.
Thus forest corridors= imp. for genetic variation among tigers.
Challenge: Tiger corridors in central India face threats from road widening, railway lines construction and coal mining.

#4: Antarctic Conservation

commission for conservation of Antarctic marine living resources (CCAMLR)
Members: 24 countries and the European Union.

Recent proposals	by
designate Ross Sea as marine protected area (MPA) in the Antarctic	US+NZ
designate seven marine protected areas in East Antarctica covering more than 1 million square kilometres	Australia+France+EU

But Russia voted against both proposals during meeting, hence no result.

[EnB] Clean Energy Related

#1: Bio-refinery: Bioplastics, BioHydrogen

Bio-electric Chemical Treatment System=designed by a research organization in Hyderabad, they’ve also filed for Patent.

input	affluent/toxic water discharged from chemical factories and households.
output	futuristic green fuels

bio-hydrogen: This system uses anaerobic reactors to produce the environmentally sustainable bio-hydrogen instead of methane.
bio-electricity: from anaerobic bacterial metabolism, by putting external electrodes in the reactor

bio-plastics: During above anaerobic processing, volatile fatty acids generated. These fatty acids are used for making bio-plastics. These bio-plastics could replace to some extent synthetic plastics in future.

Project funded by the Ministry of Non-Renewable Energy.

#2: Biofuel: Anti-Arguments

The amount of energy produced by biofuels is only a little more than the amount of energy invested in growing and manufacturing them.
Biofuels are nothing but a byproduct of sunlight. A combination of solar cells, batteries and electric cars, is 600 times more effective at harnessing sun’s energy than biofuels.
Their energy-efficiency is not so good. Even if all agricultural land in Germany was directed to biofuels, we will get only enough to replace up to 20% of all fuel consumption in Germany.
At present Germany uses only 20% of agricultural land for crops used for biomass production. The money farmers earn for this is probably double compared to growing wheat. As a result of that Germany, which was a big exporter of wheat, now imports it. Because farmers decreased wheat cultivation.
Several studies had shown that global crop production needed to double by 2050, to meet demands from
- Increasing human population
- Demand from meat-industry (recall geography location factor article: how corn is used to fatten the cattle in USA. Similarly poultry rearing also need corn, soybean as feed.)
- demand from dairy-industry

Therefore it is a bad idea to devote agricultural land for biofuels.

#3: Nuke Energy post Fukushima

2011	Fukushima nuclear plant accident in Japan
2022	Germany plans to shut down all of its Nuclear plants.

IAEA Chief (Yukiya Amano) said following:

After Chernobyl disaster in 1986, there was a “period of stagnation” in nuclear industry
But, after the Fukushima accident construction of new nuclear plants continued in many countries,
In the next few years five countries — Bangladesh, Jordan, Nigeria, Turkey and Vietnam — will join the nuclear energy club
Nuke Energy is safe, reliable, low greenhouse gas emission, gives steady supply of electricity @stable prices.

#4: Lumos: Solar Backpack

Lumos=Solar backpack designed by an Indian couple
It is water-, impact- and shock-proof
allows you to charge your gadgets through solar energy.
These backpacks have a sleek, flexible solar panel, unlike conventional panels (large, rigid plates used for rooftop installation).

#5: Flow Batteries

Renewable energy	problem
wind	depends on speed of the wind, not continuous
solar	doesn’t work on cloudy day

Therefore, such “renewable” sources cannot be connected directly to the electric grid (Because they don’t work on 24/7).
Instead, you’ve to store this solar/wind electricity in a battery and use this ‘charged’ battery to run electric appliances.

Problem: conventional batteries	solution: flow batteries
Conventional batteries include a porous membrane between the anode and the cathode to prevent short-circuits while facilitating charge-carrying ions to move between them. But this membrane increase battery’s weight, reduce its efficiency, bring structural defects and life-cycle limitations.	by MIT, USA. They’ve membrane-less hydrogen-bromine fuel cell. Using liquid bromine and hydrogen gas. It is rechargeable. doesn’t have membrane like conventional batteries. Has more power density than conventional batteries.

#6: Electricity from cattle waste

Project in an Agro-university in Ludhiana.
cattle waste=> bio gas=>generator=>electricity.
The electricity is being used for chaffing green fodder, machine milking, operating the fans, coolers and foggers installed inside the animal sheds.
waste slurry obtained from the bio gas plant is used as manure for crops.
Their next plan is to separate methane and carbon dioxide from biogas, then bottle the carbon dioxide for industrial use
Ministry of renewable energy is giving them subsidy.

[EnB] Climate Change related

#1: Runaway Greenhouse effect

In a life sustaining planet e.g. Earth, the Solar absorption and radiation levels are balanced=> life can exist.
But if the solar radiation absorbed by the planet exceeds the thermal radiation given out by the planet then result=>

uncontrollable heating of planet’s surface
rapid water evaporation from oceans and rivers.

This is known as runaway greenhouse effect. Ultimate result: planet becomes inhospitable, life cannot exist. It is believed that once Venus planet had ocean but all the water evaporated thanks to runaway greenhouse effect.

#2: Ocean Acidification

Oceans absorb more 25% carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
this carbon dioxide dissolves in the water =>forms carbonic acid.
This way, the oceans act as a carbon dioxide sink
But when CO₂ increase in atmosphere=>Carbonic acid also increases in sea-water= Ocean acidification (OA).
Problem? By 2100, the corals and starfishes might become extinct due to this Ocean Acidification.
Corals spend their entire life in one place. They secrete calcium carbonate =>form coral reefs.
These coral reefs provide support to variety of fishes and marine organisms.
But Higher Ocean acidification and warmer climates = less new coral reefs formed + even the existing coral reefs get damaged.
When Coral reefs are reduced=>indirectly many species will be affected.

Thus Ocean acidification poses grave danger to all marine species.

#3: Dimethylsulphide

It is a volatile organic compound.
Released by certain species of phytoplankton and algae.
When dimethylsulphide mixes with air, it reduces the amount of solar energy reaching Earth’s surface
Thus, dimethylsulphide cools the atmosphere.
But Ocean Acidification harms the population of phytoplankton + algae=> less dimethylsulphie emitted =more global warming.

#4: Climate Change and Apple Taste

Factor	determines Apple’s ____
Acid concentration	sourness
soluble solids	sweetness

As per the Japanese study, when temperature rose during the fruit maturation period, there was a change in the taste and texture of the fruit.
Meaning, due to climate change in last decades, the taste-texture of apple must have changed. Apples would have tasted differently 100 years ago.

[EnB] Disaster Management Related

Since the main-subject of this article is Sci-tech compilation, I’m only doing basic coverage of Uttarakhand cloudburst, without going into all details. Otherwise article will become extremely lengthy.

Himalayan Tsunami

What is cloudburst?

Extreme amount of precipitation
in a short span of time.
creates flash-flood conditions.
Often accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Why cloudburst?

A cloudburst can occur anytime and at any place which is affected by convective weather systems.
India surrounded by oceans from three sides. Hence favorable location for convective weather systems.

Convective weather system in:	result
Bay of Bengal	rainfall over the Indian subcontinent
Western Pacific Ocean	Diverts rain-bearing winds away from the Indian subcontinent.

During Cloudburst, massive coagulated clouds with heavy water content hover, over a very small location.
The dead weight of the cloud is so massive and unbearable that it simply collapses under its own weight=>extreme precipitation within a short span of time=>flash flood.

Additional factors

MONTH	WHAT HAPPENED?
March April May 2013	heavy snow in Himalayas
14-16 June 2013	Non-stop Intense rainfall. It helped the snow to melt fast from Chorabari Glarier. but How can water help ice melt? Water has a higher heat capacity than air. The molecules in liquid water are more tightly packed than the molecules in air Therefore, when water molecules touch snow=> greater rate of heat transfer. (Compared to when air touches the snow) This accelerates the process of snow melting. e.g heavy snow melting fromChorabari glacier=> water level increased in the river Mandakini and Chorabari Lake.
16 June 2013	Cloudburst over Chorabari Lake. Lake exploded from water. => flash floods.

These flash floods washed the mud, stones and slush (Partially melted snow) from mountains into rivers.
Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers were already flowing with lot of water (due to snow-melting).

Now imagine two situations:

Police uses water cannon on the mob.
Police mixes stones, ball bearings and ice cubes into their water tank and then uses water cannon on the mob. This time, you know the water will hurt a lot more.

Same way, the rivers filled with mud, snow, ice- rushes through the hills and cliffs- they will cause more erosion, sweep away whatever comes in their way. Thus, all those shops, hotels, apartments were constructed very close to the river banks got washed away.

Additionally landslides destroyed the road network in the mountains hence relief couldnot reach on time.

Why is it called Man-Made Disaster?

Cloudbursts have happened in past also, but the amount of death and damage in Uttarakhand is unprecedented. Why?

#1: Roads causing landslides

Himalayan Mountains will remain steady if not tampered with much. But

the huge expansion of roads and transport.
heavy machines plying the earth everyday.
Even dynamites are used to cut the mountains and make roads.

^All these activities had already rendered the mountains unstable. Then rainfall=>landslides. roads blocked=rescue force can’t go in, victims can’t go out.

#2: Too much construction

In 2012, Ministry of Environment and Forests gives a notification under Environment Protection Act. This notification declares the region Gaumukh and Uttarakashi, along the Bhagirathi river, as an eco-sensitive zone. Meaning following activities had to be banned:
1. Hydro project in Bhagirathi = too many hydropower projects, changing river courses, poor structural safety
2. Mining= use of dynamites, weakened the mountains
3. Construction activities, especially hotels and resorts, guest houses and travel lodges on the river bed. Everyone trying to make mint money from pilgrims/tourists yet none of them were build with sound engineering or structural safety.

#3: Fragile Polity of the State

Uttarakhand has seen 6 different Chief Ministers within last 13 years. Meaning average tenure of a CM is ~2 years.
This has resulted in lack of continuity and failure in getting a firm grip on the issues plaguing the state- including disaster management.
Successive CAG reports have made scathing remarks on the lack of disaster management preparations in the Uttarakhand state. Yet no action was taken.
political fragility has resulted in ad-hoc and unplanned development.
Successive governments have failed in creating any sort of medium term or long-term plan or vision for the state.
To put this in other words, when governments change too quick- the main goal of MLAs and Ministers is how to extract maximum cash from builders, mining mafias and corrupt bureaucrats who want transfer-posting in plump position. Hence, Disaster management doesn’t even come in their top-100 priority list of such politicians.

#4: Careless organizations

IMD	IMD was unable to alert State-authorities in time. It didn’t have Doppler radars in the Himalayan region to predict onset of cloudbursts. Only after this disaster happened, Dept. of sci.tech now talks about setting up Doppler radars in the region.
NDRF	National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was formed after Tsunami in 2003. but has grossly failed both in planning and implementation. It didn’t even have sufficient life-jackets in Rudraprayag.

Overall, there was no accountability and no coordination.

Can we Predict Cloudbursts?

Nephology=study of clouds
But unlike cyclones, forecasting a cloudburst= mission almost impossible.
Cloudburst can occur even outside the monsoon seasons (e.g. March to May, if the weather conditions are right).
A cloudburst can occur @anytime @anyplace in a short span of time. (but it usually favors mountainous regions)
The specific location and time of cloud burst can be predicted in NOWCAST mode only, i.e. a few hours in advance.
To detect these sudden developments, you need a Doppler Weather Radar (DWR).

Doppler Weather Radar (DWR)

By and large, Meteorologists use there are three different types of weather radars:

RADAR	UTILITY
conventional	gives information only about the rainfall estimation
Doppler	Measuring rainfall, winds and clouds.
polarisation radar (or multi-parameter radar)	measure , winds, rainfall (including shape and number of raindrops)

One Doppler Weather Radar costs ~10 crore, can cover an area ~400 km.
IMD wants to modernize its Radar system. BHEL is manufacturing S-Band Doppler Radars for IMD. They’ll be setup a 12 locations across India, including Mumbai.
And since the Uttarakhand Tragedy, now Department of Sci-Tech is setting up Doppler Weather radars in Himalayas

Benefits of Doppler Weather Radar?

Radar uses the Doppler Effect in microwaves. When Microwaves are reflected from objects at different times, this Radar detects their relative position. Thus Doppler Radar can detect even tiny water particles in clouds and in which direction they’re moving.
Doppler radar has a detection range of ~400 kms. It can transmit information about a cloud, its distance from land, its composition, which direction it is moving and even minute details like the number and size of water droplets found in a cloud.
We can predict the amount of rainfall to an area, 2-3 hours in advance. Thus, if a flood-like situation is likely to happen in Mumbai, BMC could be alerted to avert a 2005-like disaster.
can predict thunderstorms as well.

Crisis Mapping

Crisis mapping is the real-time data gathering and analysis during natural disaster or riots, elections etc.
During Uttarakhand tragedy, International Network of Crisis Mappers came to help.
These crisis mappers monitor different channels of information on Uttarakhand. Example

official sources,
blogs, social media, facebook twitter
NGOs
news media

Using such data, the Crisis Mappers generate ‘situation reports’

They also update with vital information an online crisis map set up by the Google: (http://google.org/crisismap/2013-uttrakhand-floods? gl=in)

^That google crisis map has information on rescued people, cleared areas, people stranded, relief camps, medical centres, road networks and so on.
Thus, crisis mapping helps bridge the gap between

information-seekers vs providers
government vs public
situation on the ground vs action that needs to be taken

Ushahidi = open-source platform for crisis mapping during 2010 Haiti Earthquake. They even had an international SMS number was created for people to input information relating to the quake.

Google Person Finder

Google Person Finder is a web application available in Hindi and English. (link: http://google.org/personfinder/)
Allows individuals to post and search for the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster.
All data entered into Google Person Finder is available to the public and searchable by anyone.
Also lets Press agencies, non-governmental agencies etc. contribute to the database and receive updates.

[EnB] Misc.

Harithavanam	man-made forest in Kerala. On the banks of the Mangalapuzha river. The man-made forest renders almost all the functions of a natural forest except that there are no wild animals.
miniscule monkeys	Scientists had been studying fossil primate skeleton from China, since 2003 Conclusion: Early ancestors of human beings might be “miniscule monkeys” smaller than rats
Sumatra Haze	Fire in Sumatra’s jungle=> haze=> air pollution in three nations: Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Dinosaurs

hardly relevant for UPSC but for the sake of timepass

#1: Nasutoceratops: New “Vegetarian” Dinosaur

Translates to “big-nosed horned face.”
New horned dinosaur species discovered in Utah desert of USA.
Belongs to the group of plant-eating, rhinoceros-like dinos.
Nasuceratops used their horns to deter rivals for sexual selection and Deflect predators similar to modern-day elk or deer.

#2: T-rex was indeed the Villain Dinosaur

Paleontologist	Scientist that studies fossil organisms.
Predator	Hunts his prey by himself. E.g. Lion, Tiger
Scavenger	Any organism that feeds on dead animals hunted by others + and other decaying organic matter. Example: Vultures, Hyenas, Raccoons, certain bacteria and insects.
T.Rex	That Non-Vegetarian Villain-Dinosaur, you’ve seen in Hollywood movies.

What is the issue?

Some paleontologists believe that T. rex was a scavenger, not a predator. Meaning all Hollywood movies where T-Rex is villain= scientifically bogus. Because T.Rex didn’t kill anyone during his time! He was merely a humble dinosaur who ate dead carcasses left by Predator dinosaurs.
But now Paleontologists found tooth marks of a T.Rex on a vegetarian (herbivore) dinosaur’s tail. From scientific analysis, they found vegetarian dinosaur was alive when it got bitten by T.Rex
Meaning T.Rex was a predator who would hunt in live animals, and NOT a scavenger. It means Hollywood scriptwriters are indeed correct: T-Rex was indeed the villain dinosaur.

Mock Questions

MCQs

Correct Statements about Giant Clams
1. They’re a variety of earthworms.
2. Found in the black, lava soil of Deccan plateu.
3. Considered Vulnerable as per IUCN database.
4. None of Above
Incorrect Match
1. Jammu and Kashmir: Black Francolin
2. Gujarat: Greater Flamingo
3. Delhi : House-sparrow
4. None of Above
Correct Statements
1. The use of chemical pesticides in garden has led to decline in Sparrow population, this is an example of Biomagnification.
2. Habitat fragmentation is undesirable because it leads to inbreeding among a species.
3. Both
4. None
Incorrect Match
1. Yukiya Amano: IAEA
2. Thomas Bach: International Olympic Committee
3. Deepak Sandhu: National Green Tribunal
4. None of Above
Runaway Greenhouse effect occurs when
1. When the Thermal radiation given out by the planet, exceeds the solar radiation absorbed by the Planet.
2. When the solar radiation absorbed by the planet exceeds the thermal radiation given out by the planet.
3. When the solar radiation absorbed by the planet equals the thermal radiation given out by the planet.
4. When the Thermal radiation given out by the planet, equals the solar radiation absorbed by the Planet.
Find correct statement about Dimethylsulphide
1. It is responsible for the Ocean Acidification.
2. It is responsible for Algae bloom.
3. It is responsible for the runaway greenhouse effect.
4. None of Above
Correct Statement about fruits
1. Non- climacteric fruits are those who ripen even after harvest.
2. Climacteric fruits are those who do not ripe under ethylene treatment.
3. Mango is an example of Non-Climacteric fruit
4. None of above.

Descriptive

2 Marks (20 words)

Bioplastics
BioHydrogen
Lumos
Flow Batteries

Google Person Finder
Chorabari glacier
Himalayan Wonder
Yamuna Safed

5 Marks (50 words)
1. Eco sensitive Zones
2. Tiger Corridor
3. Environment (Protection) Act (EPA)
12 marks (120 words)
1. Suggest the measures to improve population of House sparrows in Urban India.
2. Examine the opportunities and challenges in the use of Biofuels in India.
3. What is Organic farming? How does it help in sustainable rural development?
25 marks (250 words)
1. Eco-development, not zero development, is required for the protection of environment. Evaluate this stand in context of Uttarakhand Tragedy.
2. With suitable examples, explain how Livestock farming backed by Agricultural Extension services can help weaker sections of society.
3. What do you understand by Crisis Mapping? Discuss its role in Disaster Management.
4. Uttarakhand tragedy was a man-made disaster. Comment.

200 Marks (essay)

“Thoughtless conservation” and “reckless development” are destructive to nature as well as livelihoods.
Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster.

An economy disembodied from society is a disaster waiting to happen.

IT Related

#1: Internet.Org

In mobile phones, the Data- transfer (internet plan) is still quite expensive in the third world.
Hence Mark Zuckerberg (facebook) + Nokia, Samsung, Erriccson etc. mobile handset companies formed a consortium “internet.org”
They’ll research on data-compression technologies, so that same mobile apps, can run on less data.
They’ll gangup with app developers, mobile operators and device manufacturers to to introduce business models to get more people internet access.
Benefit: low-cost, low-data versions of basic Internet services available to everyone. Will help reducing digital divide.

#2: FOIA Machine

India has R.T.I, similarly USA has Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The FOIA Machine (foiamachine.org) is an online open-source platform.
It automates the process of filing the “RTI” in USA and tracks its progress.
Recently Indian government also launched online portal to http://rtionline.gov.in to help citizens file RTIs online.

Similar public records projects

UK	whatdotheyknow.com
Netherlands	Nulpunt
Germany	fragdenstaat

#3: PRISM program/NSA

America’s National Security Agency (NSA), has been monitoring communications between the US and foreign nationals over the internet for a number of years, under a project called Prism.
Some of the biggest internet companies, including Apple, Google, Yahoo, Skype are involved. Although these companies deny knowledge of PRISM project.

How does it work? Many conspiracy theories. For example:

Lots of data bound for those companies passes over “content delivery networks” (CDNs), internet. NSA could be monitoring those CDNs.
CISCO provide routers, network hardware to those companies. These hardware may have backdoors access to NSA.
The companies themselves let the NSA spy over the personal information.

Why in News/ Why problem?

Obvious issue of invading privacy of individuals.
These US Companies might be prosecuted in EU courts for handling over private database of EU citizens to NSA.
Curious part = NSA claims their budget for PRISM project is only $20 million dollars. So experts wonder, how can NSA run such large complicated spying operation with such a small budget?

#4: Amazon E-selling

Currently, India’s e-commerce market=~$1 billion and is expected to reach >$75 billion by 2020.
Amazon=an American e-commerce company similar to our flipkart.
India’s FDI regulations do not allow online multibrand retailers to sell their own products.
Therefore, Amazon has entered in India through a marketplace model.
Under this model, Amazon will not stock and sell its own products but help third-party sellers to exhibit their products on its web platform (amazon.in).
For more on single-brand/multibrand FDI related, read the earlier food processing article click me

#5: Cyber defense

India’s cyber-threats include:

by countries (mostly China)	by individuals (Paki and Chinese hacker, + local crooks)
cyber espionage cyber war	cyber crime cyber terrorism

Military grade cyber-weapons such as Stuxnet and flame, pose grave danger to nations, companies and individuals around the world.

Stuxnet

Computer virus developed by Americans, to disrupt Natanz nuclear site in Iran.

But other organizations across the world, including in India, operating with the Siemens system suffered from collateral damage from the attack.

Flame

A virus written solely for data gathering, or espionage.
It can gather data from harddisk, computer microphones and web cameras even nearby Bluetooth devices and report data back to its command and control network located around the world.
Iran has claims this virus wiped the hard drives of its oil refineries.
Kaspersky (famous antivirus company) says flame is twenty times more complicated than Stuxnet.
Flame’s creator is also unknown. But since flame’s function is not confined to stealing credit-card/bank passwords only- It means flame was created by some government agency (rather than individual hacker).

Some more points:

STRONG CHINA	WEAK INDIA
Since 2003, the People’s Liberation Army has trained more than 30,000 cyber warriors and another 150,000 in the private sector. According to several reports, Chinese goal is to build the world’s best ‘informationised armed forces’.	Since 2000-01, Pakistani cyber criminals defacing Indian websites and writing derogatory messages against India. Recently even Chinese hacked into computers of Indian government organizations. India’s strategy for cyber defense = “thik hai / chalta hai / firefighting”

#6: National Cyber Security Policy-2013

by Department of Electronics and Information Technology. This Policy aims:

To protect cyberspace from cyber-threats.
To protect private data of citizens and minimize damage from cyber-attacks.
With help of government organizations + pvt.players.

|:| Two Government organizations

National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)	Indian Computer emergency response team (ICERT)
under National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) NTRO is a technical intelligence agency set up after the Kargil conflict.	Already exists under Department of Electronics and IT.
Nodal agency for critical information infrastructure protection in the country.	Nodal agency to coordinate all matters related to cyber security (except matters under NCIIPC.)
will protect Nation’s critical IT infrastructure in energy (natural gas, coal, oil and power), finance and banking, transportation (civil aviation and railways), space, law enforcement, security, telecom, defense, etc. will work on 24/7 basis. will design/acquire new processes for IT protection.	provide early warning and response to security threats ICERT will function as an umbrella organization. Under this, sectoral will be created to work on 24/7 basis. provide Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents

|:| To businessmen/companies

Provide tax reliefs/Fiscal benefits to businessman if they adopt cyber-security practices.
Encourage all public/private organizations, to have a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), responsible for cyber security.
Encourage and mandate them to use certified IT products.
certification for compliance to cyber security
Classify IT infrastructure based on risk perception so that adequate security protection measures can be under taken.

|:| To law enforcement agencies

Legislative reforms to help law-enforcement agencies in investigation and prosecution of cybercrime.
International cooperation / collaboration with agencies of other countries.

|:| To E-governance

Ensure that all organizations keep a specific budget cyber security and emergency.
Cyber crisis management plan for all e-Governance initiatives in the country, to reduce the risk of disruption.
To engage Private IT experts/org. to assist e-Governance initiatives.

|:| Fancy things common to all policies

R&D	encourage cost-effective, tailor made desi solutions for IT security Try to commercialize and export such desi software/technology Setup center of excellence.
HRD	In next five year, get 5 lakh workers in cybersecurity field. formal-informal training centers for cybersecurity via PPP training/capacity building for law-enforcement agencies
PPP	Public-private consortium to enhance the availability IT products based on open standards. PPP for setting up training institution for IT security.
COOP	Bilateral and multi-lateral coop. with other countries for cyber security. Increase desi-videsi coop. among security agencies, CERTs, Defence agencies and the judiciary. To create a think tank for cyber security policy inputs, discussion and deliberations. Cooperation-collaboration with stakeholders.
WINE AND DINE	Hold workshops / seminars, create awareness about IT security among web users. Regular cyber security drills & exercises at various levels.

On a lighter note:

The sacred-unwritten rule of government policies=> they must mention “sustainable development”. I’m surprised that clichéd word is not used anywhere in this police. Secondly, policy doesn’t contain any fancy term/catchy name/scheme named after you know who. It means the bureaucrat who wrote this policy, is indeed an intelligent person who didn’t wish to harass UPSC aspirants.
This cyber security policy specifically mentions: safeguard “citizen’s” private data. Does it mean foreigner’s personal data will not be safeguarded!? Recall that in UIDAI/Adhar, BJP’s criticism is: official policy every “resident” will get UIDAI number – meaning even Illegal Bangladeshis who’re ‘residents’ of India but not citizens, will benefit.

#7: Google Person Finder

Already discussed under Part 2 of 3 => Uttarakhand Tragedy click me

#8: Misc Topics/Terms of IT

Not much relevant from UPSC point of view, but might help in IBPS and other PSU exams where computer related current affairs is asked.

Waze	Google acquired this company for nearly 1 billion dollar. Waze is a social navigation site. Now when a Waze user report accidents, traffic jams, construction delays and more on Waze, the updates will also appear on the Google Maps app.
Doug Engelbart	The inventor of the computer mouse. Also helped develop ARPANet, the government research network that led to the Internet.
Windows 8.1	its next update of the Windows operating system, Windows 8.1 Preview apps include Facebook, Flipboard and NFL among other apps. Steve Ballmer= Microsoft CEO.

Gadgets/Equipment/Electronics

#1: -200° C refrigerator by IIT Madras

Using a compressor that is routinely used in domestic refrigerators and air-conditioners.
The system was operated non-stop at about -200 degree C for three months.

How?

Three refrigerators are arranged in a series and together help in bringing down the temperature in steps

A conventional refrigeration system uses a single liquid coolant that absorbs heat and becomes vapour at a constant temperature. But they used a mixture of coolants where the conversion of liquid to vapour occurs over a range of temperatures — 100 degree C or more

Use/Benefits?

food preservation, preservation of biological tissues,
long-term preservation of blood,
in semiconductor industry to improve the vacuum levels
Cooling of electronics — including telescopes and infrared sensors.
This principle has been extended to develop a novel low cost nitrogen liquefier for
- Veterinary hospitals for storing bull semen,
- Many scientific establishments and small industries that use liquid nitrogen to improve tool life.

#2: E-Ink, Electrophoretic display and Earl

Electrophoretic Display= One type of thin display, consumes very low power. Example, Amazon’s e-book reader “Kindle”.

What is Electrophoresis?

They use tiny particles of titanium dioxide and a special blank ink called “E-ink”.
Titanium Dioxide + E-Ink=> sandwiched between two parallel conductive plates.
These particles move according to the electric charge and thus you can see the display on the screen.

What is E-Ink?

E-ink is similar to print ink and does not emit light.
Hence in direct sunlight, you can easily read a display using E-ink. (unlike LCD screens in smartphones/tablets/laptops, which are hard to in sunlight)

What is Earl?

is a tablet that runs Android system
Specially designed to consume minimum power, so you can use it for outdoor camping, where recharging facilities are not available.
It has electrophoretic display, the screen is static and requires zero power to hold an image, which means that maps will stay on the screen forever
+ built-in GPS chipsets, weather sensors and radio communication technology.
Earl can provide 20 hours of battery life and recharge itself in 5 hours of direct sunlight.
Earl project is crowd-funded

#3: 3-D printer

a printer that builds objects layer by layer
with extreme precision
using CAD drawings as reference

Benefits:

3-D printing has limitless possibilities, as it can create almost anything with just raw material and a computer generated model
Medical: specialized items for rare transplants can be created rather than wasting precious time. E.g. American doctors created a windpipe splint for a six week old baby boy whose airways were collapsing.
Space: NASA has created an injector plate for its rocket, using 3D printer. This inject plate helps deliver fuel and oxygen to the rocket propulsion system.
3D printed parts: low cost (for such sophisticated purpose).
Can even make toys! recall the Makerbot replicator click me

#4: Wi-vi

Wi-Vi= use of wifi to see through the wall.
Concept similar to radar and sonar imaging.
It transmits a low-power wi-fi signal and uses its reflections to track moving humans. Even if a person is in closed rooms or hiding behind a wall, he’ll be detected.
Use?: anti-theft alarms + Can be used by police/army during counter-terrorism operations

NanoTech related

#1: Nano Batteries from Rice Husk

Nano silicon=> can be used as Anode in high-performance batteries for future electric vehicles and portable devices.
They’re superior to graphic anodes.
They’re more resilient to Heat, easy to store and dispose.
Have higher charging capacity than lead batteries + longer operational life.
Problem=Nano-Silicon very expensive at the moment. Researchers working on method to produce Nano-silicon particles from rice husk.
In rice husk, silica existed naturally in the form of nanoparticles and accounted for as much as 20 per cent of its dry weight.

#2: Nano Painting: Mini Lisa

American researchers have “painted” the Mona Lisa on a substrate surface approximately 30 micrometers in width—or one-third the width of a human hair.
This painting is called “Mini Lisa,”
This Nano-painting technique will be useful in Nano manufacturing of devices+ nanoelectronics, optoelectronics and bioengineering.

#3: Carbon Nanotubes and Ampacity

Ampacity = the maximum amount of current a conductor can carry before losing its electrical properties.
Lately researchers focused more on boosting conductivity than ampacity.
But Japanese researchers embedded carbon nanotubes in copper, the resulting new material’s ampacity gets boosted to a massive 10,000 per cent than copper’s.
This new material is called CNT-Cu (for carbon nanotubes–copper),

Benefits?

It reduces the amount of copper required to assemble a conductor.
+ 100 times higher performance.

Principle?

As electrons move inside the conductor, they are often scattered by atoms in their path.
As the current density increases, scattering also increases until, at a threshold called the conductor’s rating, the material can no longer conduct the electrons, resulting in electro migration.
CNT-Cu achieves higher ampacity by suppressing electro migration.

#4: Metatronics

In metatronics, nano rods and the spaces between mimic the behaviour of resistors, capacitors and inductors.
These patterns respond to light the way capacitors, resistors and inductors do to electricity
will help make smaller and more complicated electrical circuits

Space/ISRO/NASA Related

#1: IRNSS, the Desi GPS

How does American Global Positioning System (GPS) work?

They’ve a constellation of 24 orbiting satellites, supported by a global network of ground stations. Thus GPS covers every part of the world.

What is IRNSS?

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) to run Indian global positioning system.
Government approved project in 2006, with budget of ~Rs.1500 crores.
Given this small budget, it is beyond the aukaat of ISRO to maintain 24 satellites, cover entire globe, Hence our Desi GPS will use just seven satellites, and try to cover India + 1,500 km beyond its borders.
hub of the whole system is the ISRO Navigation Centre at Byalalu, near Bangalore.

7 Satellites

Click to Enlarge this chart

IRNSS will run using 7 satellites:

3 satellites	These three of the satellites will be placed over the equator, in the geostationary orbit. they match the Earth’s rotation and therefore appear from the ground to remain at a fixed position in the sky.
+4 satellites	will be in pairs in two inclined geosynchronous orbits. From the ground, these satellites will appear to travel in figures of ‘8’ during the course of a day.

All seven IRNSS satellites will be at a height of about 36,000 km, taking a whole day to circle the Earth.
If necessary, the coverage area around India could be enhanced by adding four satellites

1^st IRNSS satellite launch

WHEN?	1^st July 2013
WHERE?	Satish Dawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
HOW?	using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C22)

Scientific principle

Microwaves

IRNSS satellites transmit signals in two microwave frequency bands known as L5 and S.
Since these microwave signals travel at the speed of light, the delay between a signal’s transmission and its reception allows a receiving device to compute its distance from the satellite involved.
With data from those satellites, the receiver (the GPS-like gadget) can then work out its own position.

Atomic Clocks

Navigation satellites periodically transmit their precise position in orbit along with the exact time when each transmission takes place.
Navigation satellites therefore need to carry extremely accurate clocks.
Each IRNSS satellite is equipped with rubidium atomic clocks, to keep precise time.

Two services	IRNSS will offer two services: Standard Positioning Service: that will be accessible to anyone Restricted Service: Will be available only to the military and other government-authorized users.
Accuracy	American GPS: 15 meters Our IRNSS: 20 meters.
Equipment	The standard GPS receiver (in your smartphones and tablets) will not work with IRNSS. You’ll need a special receiver equipment to use navigation data from IRNSS.

GSLV (D5)

GSLV was already covered under space-tech compilation article click me
was in news because ISRO planned to launch it in Aug’13 but #epicfail thanks to fuel leak.

#2: GAMMA Ray Telescope

Official name= Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). Has 27 countries including India.
No telescope based at one point on Earth can see the whole sky. Therefore, CTA project aims to set up two observatories.

Observatory In ____	Will Focus On
Northern hemisphere	extract galactic sources
Southern hemisphere	center of the galaxy

One proposed northern hemisphere location is in Hanle, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir.

Advantages of Ladakh site?

very clear and dark skies throughout the year
a large number of photometric and spectroscopic nights at par with other similar places in the world, like La Palma in Canary Islands and Arizona desert, U.S.

Advantages of Gama Ray Telescope?

While existing telescopes, like MAGIC (Canary Islands) and VERITAS (Arizona) are efficient up to the 100-GeV energy mark, the CTA will be able to reach up to 100,000 GeV with the same efficiency.
Gamma rays originate from sources like dark matter annihilation, dying stars and supermassive black holes and then travel through space. Therefore, by studying Gama Rays, we can study those bodies.
When gamma-rays hit atoms in Earth’s upper atmosphere, these Gamma Ray Telescopes will observe and track them back better to their original sources.

#3: Sun’s Magnetic flip

outer layers of the Sun consist of variety of charged particles
these particles are in constant motion, and they influence the alignment of the Sun’s magnetic field.
Thus, every 22 years, the Magnetic field of Sun changes by 180 degree, this is called Magnetic flip.
This period is called a solar cycle.
NASA has been monitoring this, and predicted that next flip will happen in late-2013.

Why bad?

It could influence cloudiness and the climate on Earth, even cause storms..
can even disrupt satellites.

#4: Chang’E-3: China’s moon mission

Chinese Space Mission for Moon.

Change’E = Chinese Godess living on Moon.

Chang’E-1	created a complete photographic mosaic of the moon
Chang’E-2	took higher-resolution images of the whole Moon. created a very high-definition map of Sinus Iridium (a region in the Moon)
Chang’E-3	will land a rover to the Moon by the end of 2013.

#5: Man on Mars by 2021

(hardly MCQ worthy but interesting concept)

NASA	we can send astronauts to Mars at the earliest by 2033
Imperial College London	it is possible to land astronauts on Mars by 2021! Here is how..

The main challenge is how to construct a spaceship that is big enough to hold enough fuel for both to and fro journey. So, instead of sending one rocket, send two rockets.

First rocket

Will have robots + empty fuel tanks.
Robots will dig up ice on Mars. Once the ice is melted, we can use solar electricity to produce hydrogen and oxygen to fill the fuel tanks.

Second rocket

Will send three men and reach Mars in 9 Months. They’ll use above fuel tanks for their return journey.

Space related Places in news

#1: Sun’s Twin

Brazilian Astronomers found a twin-star of Sun, known as HIP 102152.
250 light years away.
The constellation of Capricornus (The Sea Goat) nearly four billion years older than Sun.

Benefit of studying Sun’s Twin?

will help increase our understanding of Sun.
will allows scientists to predict what may happen to our own Sun when it reaches that age.
During Big Bang, Lithium was created along with hydrogen and helium.

Astronomers observed that when star gets old, its lithium content decreases. Sun’s lithium content appears to be normal for its age at the moment.

#2: Europa

Europe= Jupiter’s moon.
Earlier, NASA’s Voyager2 and Galileo spacecrafts took some photos.
They found ice-covered world + signs of a liquid water ocean under Europa’s surface. Hence NASA Believes Europa could hold life forms.

#3: Dione: Saturn’s Moon	Astronomers found an ocean anywhere from 5 to 30 miles deep, trapped beneath a frozen surface of Dione. And if water is found in any planet/moon=chance that there will be Alien lifeform.
#4: Solander Point	Nasa’s Opportunity rover=> on Mars. During Mars-winter, it will just camp at a slope called Solander Point=> to survive in harsh winter and get Sunlight for power. Opportunity rover has survived five Martian winters since it landed on Mars in 2004.
#5: Mount Sharp	Mount Sharp= in the middle of Gale Crater on Mars. From this area, Scientists hope to find evidence about how the ancient Martian environment changed and evolved. Hence in July 2013, NASA’s curiosity rover was directed to move in this area, to collect samples.

#6: Pareidolia and Martian Rat

Humans have long known to display a tendency for identifying shapes or hearing sounds from random sources and attaching significance to them. e.g. in clouds you’ll see shapes of bear, car etc.
Scientists call this psychological phenomenon of deciphering shapes from random patterns = Pareidolia.
You can see sample photos here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

Why in news?

In Sept 2012, the Curiosity rover took photos from Mars, before collecting sand samples.
When these photos posted on internet, several bloggers claimed they saw a rat in the picture.

#7: Laguna Negra / Lake Lender

Titan=largest moon of Saturn.
NASA plans to parachute a robot into a sea on Titan.
For this, NASA doing experiments in Lake Lander in Laguna Negra region of Chile. (in the Andes mountains)

Because Lake Lander has a few characteristics an alien sea. It’s surrounded by a barren environment with a thin atmosphere and is vulnerable to storms, avalanches, and possibly volcanoes.

#8: Tunguska Devastation

in the early 1900s, a gigantic fireball devastated hundreds of square kilometres of uninhabited Siberian forest around the Tunguska river
The first scientists thought it was a meteorite but no traces of meteorite were found on the crash site.
So, they deducted, it must be Comet. Because Comets are essentially muddy ice balls, they could cause such a devastation and then ice would have evaporated=hence no evidence.
But now, scientists have found evidence that the Tunguska devastation was indeed caused by a meteorite and not by a comet.

Physics/Chemistry related

#1: International Linear Collider (ILC)

ILC= next-generation particle collider. it’ll be setup in Japan (most likely candidate)
ILC will complement the Large Hadron Collider, of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) located in Geneva, Switzerland
Together ILC + LHC =will help better understanding of Higgs Boson, Dark matter and unlock the secrets of the universe.

#2: Arihant Reactor

INS Arihant is the first Indian nuclear-powered submarine.
Arihant reactor= compact pressurised water reactor (PWR) aboard INS Arihant
developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
Uses enriched uranium and ordinary water as both the moderator and coolant
Its enriched uranium is supplied by Rare Materials Plant (RMP) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) at Ratnahalli, Karnataka.

#2: New Element in Periodic Table

New super-heavy element has 115 Atomic Number.
It is yet to be named officially but temporary name is “Ununpentium”.
Was discovered by a Russian scientist way back in 2004.
At present, International committee of scientists looking into its research data, may be included in the official periodic table.

#3: Gold origin

Gold is rare on Earth in part because it’s also rare in the universe.
Gold cannot be created within a star (unlike elements like carbon or iron)
Now scientists believe, gold would been created because of short gamma ray bursts in the galaxy.

NASA’s Hubble telescope observed following:

Two dead neutron stars collided.
Short gamma-ray burst (GRB) produced.
Then kilonova was produced (= explosion is so powerful that it can be 1,000 times brighter than a typical star explosion, called a nova.)
After this blast, a unique glow that persisted for days at that location.
Scientists believe this glow signifies presence of heavy elements—including gold.

#4: Fire vs Sun

Q. Fire does not exist in the absence of air but how is it possible for the sun to have immense heat and chemical reactions in the absence of air?

fire	sun
Fire is a chemical reaction that needs a fuel and oxygen present in air to exist.	this is a nuclear reaction Sun mainly consists of two gaseous elements: hydrogen and helium. In the nuclear reaction occurring in the sun, called a fusion reaction, four hydrogen nuclei combine to form one helium nucleus and also release a large amount of energy.
Fire needs fuel, oxygen and a little initial heat to start a reaction; remove any of them and fire ceases to exist.	The sun doesn’t need any oxygen and can continue to produce heat by the continuous conversion of hydrogen to helium.

Mock Questions

Correct Statement
1. An Electrophoratic screen consumes more electricity than an LCD screen.
2. Titanium dioxide is used in Electroporetic screens.
3. Both
4. None
What is Ampacity?
1. The maximum amount of voltage, a galvanometer can carry before losing its electrical properties.
2. The maximum amount of current, a conductor can carry before losing its electrical properties.
3. It is a measure of the degree to which an electrical component opposes the passage of current
4. None of above
Incorrect pair?
1. Europa: Jupiter
2. Diaone: Saturn
3. Titan: Saturn
4. Solander Point: Mercury
The main purpose of Internet.org consortium is:
1. Implementation of IPv6 protocol across the world.
2. Protection of web users’ personal privacy against government backed invasion such as Project PRISM.
3. Protection of freedom of speech on the internet.
4. None of Above
Incorrect Statement
1. Gamma rays cannot travel beyond Earth’s upper atmosphere.
2. A comet is a small, icy celestial body that orbits around the sun.
3. Both
4. None of above.

Descriptive

5 marks
1. Wi-vi
2. Internet.org
3. International Linear Collider (ILC)
4. Gamma Ray telescope
5. ICERT
6. Kindle
7. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre
8. Earl Tablet
9. applications of 3-D printer.
12 marks
1. Define Nano-Technology. Discuss its applications in Medicine and electronics.
2. Define digital divide and list the measures taken by government to bring down digital divide in India.
3. National Cyber Security Policy-2013 will improve India’s preparedness for countering cyber threats. Comment.
4. Examine the need for an international policy on cyber security.
5. Write a note on ISRO’s IRNSS project.
Essay (200m)
1. The balance between freedom and security is a delicate one.
2. Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.
3. Freedom is an internal achievement rather than an external adjustment.
4. Men have become the tools of their tools.

Interview

Indian Government should also fund a project to build our own version of flame/stuxnet virus. Agree/Disagree. Why?
India shouldn’t waste money on building IRNSS, there is already a fully functional GPS system. Tax payers’ money is better served in food security and poverty removal. Agree/Disagree. Why?
[source -mrunal]

Diseases Related

#1: Vaccine Derived Polio + Need for IPV

#2: Malaria

Mosquito Bites

Malaria Vaccine: Haem Synthesis

#3: Fluorosis

#5: Iodised Salt

#4: Migraine

#5: Aspergillosis

Research Related

HeLa Cell-line

Flu Related

#1: H7N9 Bird flu: potential bioweapon?

#2: MERC Coronavirus

Lab grown organs

#1: Lab-Grown: Meat

#2: Lab-Grown: Tiny Brain

#3: Lab-Grown: Liver

Cloning John Lenon

Dolly Sheep cloning

Three-person IVF / Mitochondria Transfer

Cancer Immune Naked Mole Rats

Silver Antibiotic

Neuro-science

#1: Human neurons and Carbon Dating

#2: Neuroplasticity

Banning Drugs and Chemicals

Mid Day Meal Deaths And Monocrotophos

International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management

Open Sale of TB Drugs

Pioglitazone: Banned & unbanned

Analgin: Banned

Dextropropoxyphene: Banned

Food related

#1: Honey

Food additives are Poisonous

Coloring Agents

Sweetners

Preservative

Breads

Animal related

#1: Resilin, the rubber like protein

#2: Animals do self-medication

Misc.

Active Travel

Apoptosis

Pain Management Techniques

Elastic Energy and Human Shoulder

[Agro]: Economics of Animal Rearing

#1: Fowl Breeding & Tribal Development (MP)

Kalamasi/Kadaknath Fowls

#2: Goats rearing, Small Marginal Farmers (Kerala)

[Agro] Research: New Varieties

Himalayan Wonder

Yamuna Safed-5

Onion Bulbets

[Agro]:Fertilizer/Manure related

#1: Liquid Manure

#2: Vermicompost

#3:Organic cultivation

[Agro]: Misc.

#1: Fungus as Bio-control Agent

#2: Fruit Ripening

[EnB] Flora-Fauna

#1: Giant Clams

#2: House-Sparrow: official bird of Delhi

#3: Forest Corridors for Tiger breeding

#4: Antarctic Conservation

[EnB] Clean Energy Related

#1: Bio-refinery: Bioplastics, BioHydrogen

#2: Biofuel: Anti-Arguments

#3: Nuke Energy post Fukushima

#4: Lumos: Solar Backpack

#5: Flow Batteries

#6: Electricity from cattle waste

[EnB] Climate Change related

#1: Runaway Greenhouse effect

#2: Ocean Acidification

#3: Dimethylsulphide

#4: Climate Change and Apple Taste

1^st IRNSS satellite launch