1. New species of frog discovered in Meghalaya cave
Tags: Science and Technology State News
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) recently discovered a new species of frog, Amolops siju, in the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
An Overview of the News
Researchers found the frog inside a cave in Meghalaya and named it Amolops siju after the cave in which it was found.
Three new species of cascade frog (Amolops) were also found in Arunachal Pradesh.
About Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was established in 1916 with the objective of survey, exploration and promotion of research on various aspects of animal life in India.
The primary objective of the ZSI is to study and document the biodiversity of India, including the classification, distribution and abundance of animal species.
ZSI is responsible for preparing national and regional animal databases, which serve as important tools for conservation planning and management.
Apart from its research activities, ZSI also plays an important role in providing taxonomic expertise and training to researchers, students and conservationists.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is the administrative ministry of the ZSI, and it redefined the objectives of the ZSI in December 1987 to focus on the conservation and management of biodiversity.
Formation - 1 July 1916
Objective - Animal Classification and Conservation
Headquarters - Kolkata
Place - West Bengal, India
Director - Dr. Dhriti Banerjee
Parent Organization - Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
2. A new Uranium Isotope 'Uranium-241' discovered
Tags: Science and Technology
A team of nuclear physicists of Japan has discovered a previously unknown uranium isotope with atomic number 92 and mass 241.
An overview of the news
The study has been published in the journal Physical Review Letters and the new isotope has been named Uranium-241.
How was uranium-241 found?
To discover uranium-241, researchers accelerated uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium-198 nuclei using the KEK Isotope Separation System (KISS).
In a process called multinucleon transfer, two isotopes exchange protons and neutrons, resulting in nuclear fragments with different isotopes.
The researchers identified uranium-241 and measured the mass of its nuclei using time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
Theoretical calculations suggest that uranium-241 may have a half-life of 40 minutes.
Significance of the discovery
The technique used by the team will help to better understand the shape of large nuclei associated with heavier elements.
The method of discovery can be used for more information on other heavy isotopes.
About Uranium Element
Uranium is a naturally occurring chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92.
It is a heavy metal that is radioactive and is found in small amounts in rocks and soil around the world.
Uranium has many isotopes, which are atoms that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Uranium has three isotopes in its natural state, U-234, U-235 and U-238.
Other isotopes that are not found in natural uranium are U-232, U-233, U-236, and U-237.
3. Union govt approves Indian Space Policy 2023 to enhance role of Department of Space
Tags: National Science and Technology National News
The Union government has approved the Indian Space Policy 2023 on 6th April.
An overview of the news
The Union Cabinet also approved the revised domestic gas pricing guidelines.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, the price of natural gas should be 10 percent of the monthly average of the Indian crude basket.
This step has been taken to ensure stable pricing in the regime and to provide adequate protection to the producers from adverse market movements.
This would provide an incentive to increase production.
Indian Space Policy 2023
Its aim is to boost the country's space department's role and give a larger participation to research, academia, startups, and industry.
The policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and private sector entities.
The policy will enhance the role of India's Department of Space, promote research, education, start-ups and industry.
The policy is expected to provide a framework for the country's space sector for the next decade.
Within 3 years, the number of startups has reached 150 in ISRO.
India's progress in the field of space exploration
India has been making significant progress in the field of space exploration in recent years, with the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-2 mission and the development of the Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send astronauts into space.
The country is also working on developing its own satellite navigation system, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
4. Skyroot Aerospace test-fires advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine
Tags: Science and Technology National News
In Nagpur, private space vehicle company Skyroot Aerospace test-fired its 3D-printed Dhawan II engine for a duration of 200 seconds on 4 April.
An overview of the news
This is the second cryogenic rocket that has been successfully test-fired by Skyroot, following the Dhawan-I engine that was tested in November 2021.
The achievement comes after the November 2022 launch of Vikram-S, making Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.
The engine has been developed by the company for its heavy vehicle Vikram II.
This cryogenic engine will be used as an advanced stage of the updated version of Vikram-II.
The cryogenic engine series is named after Dr. Satish Dhawan, a renowned Indian rocket scientist who played a key role in the development of the Indian space programme.
Utilisation of Skyroot’s cryogenic rocket engines
Skyroot's cryogenic rocket engines use two high-performance rocket propellants, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX), which require cryogenic temperatures (below -150 °C) for storage and operation .
Fully cryogenic engines are ideal for rocket upper stages due to their high specific impulse, which increases payload carrying capacity.
Skyroot Aerospace
Skyroot Aerospace is a spacetech start-up that aims to address growing concerns in the global space industry.
It provides low cost launch solutions to reach space in short time.
The startup's three launch vehicles - Vikram I, II and III - can carry payloads ranging from 200 kg to 700 kg to low Earth orbit.
Currently, the team is testing a 3D printed liquid propellant engine and a fully composite (carbon fiber) and high-performance solid rocket motor.
Headquarters - Hyderabad, Telangana
5. Indigenous Anti Tank Guided Missile, Amogha-III tested successfully
Tags: Defence Science and Technology
Bharat Dynamics (BDL) has successfully conducted a field firing test of its latest 3rd generation man-portable Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), Amogha-III.
About Amogha-III Missile
The Amogha-III Missile has been developed indigenously under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
It is a third generation fire-and-forget Anti-Tank Guided Missile.
Developed by the Research and Development Division of BDL, the missile also has a dual-mode IIR seeker with a range of 200 to 2500 metres.
The missile can be fired in lock-on-before launch (LOBL) mode and its anti-armour tandem warhead can penetrate in excess of 650 mm beyond Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA).
About Anti-tank Guided Missile (ATGM)
An anti-tank guided missile is a guided missile designed primarily to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles.
These missiles can be carried by a single soldier as a large tripod-mounted weapon.
6. New butterfly species discovered in Kerala
Tags: Science and Technology State News
Recently, a group of researchers discovered a butterfly subspecies from the fringes of Akkulam and Vembanad lakes in Kerala.
An overview of the news
The name of this subspecies of discovered butterfly is Caltoris bromus Sadashiv.
It belongs to the skipper butterfly family of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).
It is the first Bromus swift butterfly to be documented in the Western Ghats.
Caltoris is an Indo-Australian genus with more than 15 species found in Southeast Asia.
Caltoris bromus is one of them and its two other subspecies are Caltoris bromus bromus and Caltoris bromus yanuka.
About Vembanad Lake
It is the largest lake in Kerala and the longest lake in India.
The source of the lake is related to four rivers – Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala.
The Vallam Kali (Nehru Trophy Boat Race) is a snake boat race held every year in August in Vembanad Lake.
In the year 2002, it was included in the list of wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention.
The Government of India has identified the Vembanad wetlands under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
7. NASA announces four-member team of astronauts to travel to the Moon
Tags: Science and Technology International News
For the first time in five decades, NASA announced a team of four astronauts for its human spaceflight mission to the Moon.
An overview of the news
The team of four astronauts will fly around the moon for a 10-day mission next year.
NASA has announced the four astronauts who will go to lunar orbit and return with the Artemis 2 mission.
Who are these Artemis 2 astronauts?
These four Artemis 2 astronauts are - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch.
NASA’s Reid Wiseman will be the commander of the Artemis 2 mission.
Victor Glover will serve as the pilot for Artemis 2. Glover was previously the pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 mission.
Jeremy Hansen will represent the Canadian Space Agency during the mission.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch will be the mission specialist for Artemis 3.
Koch visited the space station in 2019, where she was part of the first all-woman spacewalk in history.
The Artemis II flight team will have three American and one Canadian astronauts, the first since the historic Apollo mission ended in 1972.
Artemis 2 mission
The Artemis 1 mission will allow NASA to test the foundation of its latest human space exploration capabilities.
This includes the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and all associated ground systems.
Artemis 2 will be the first crewed mission to test all of these.
About NASA
NASA was formed under the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 19, 1948, in place of its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Headquarters- Washington D.C.
Administrator - Bill Nelson
8. ISRO successfully conducts landing experiment of the Reusable Launch Vehicle
Tags: Science and Technology National News
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 2 April successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX).
An overview of the news
The test was conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka.
A Chinook Helicopter of the Indian Air Force carried the launch vehicle to a height of 4.5 kms and released it in mid-air.
The RLV took off at 7.10 am and landed at the ATR airstrip at 7.40 am.
It is noteworthy that the rocket can be launched again with the help of a reusable launch vehicle.
This has successfully achieved the autonomous precise landing of the Space vehicle.
ISRO had developed the navigation system, instrumentation and sensors on its own.
With this successful test, the dream of developing a reusable spacecraft in India can become a reality.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
It was established on 15 August 1969.
It is the national space agency of India. It launches its space rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Chairman: S Somnath
9. ISRO releases images of Earth captured by its EOS-06 satellite
Tags: Science and Technology
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently released images of Earth captured by the EOS-06 satellite.
An overview of the news
The images are a mosaic generated by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC).
The images have been captured by the Ocean Color Monitor (OCM) payload on board EOS-06 by NRSC.
About EOS-06 satellite
Earth Observation satellite (EOS-6) is the third-generation satellite in the Oceansat series.
It provides continued services of Oceansat-2 with enhanced payload capability.
It was launched by ISRO onboard the PSLV-C54 along with eight Nano-satellites on 26 November, 2022.
It provides continued services of Oceansat-2 with enhanced payload capability and carries four payloads OCM-, Sea Surface Temperature Monitor, Ku-Band Scatterometer, and ARGOS.
Objectives of the Mission
Ensuring data continuity of ocean color and wind vector data to maintain operational applications.
To improve the applications, adjusting the number of bands in the optical region for some additional datasets such as sea surface temperature and fluorescence.
Develop related algorithms and data products.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
ISRO was set up on 15 August 1969.
Chairman of ISRO: S Somnath
Headquarters of ISRO : Bengaluru, Karnataka
Space Station from where ISRO launches rockets :
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
10. India's first quantum computing based telecom network link activated
Tags: Science and Technology National News
The first quantum computing-based telecom network link has been activated in India and is located between Sanchar Bhawan and National Informatics Center (NIC) office at CGO Complex in New Delhi.
An Overview of the News
Telecom Network Link provides quantum secure communications, making it highly resistant to hacking attempts and cyber threats.
Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav inaugurated a small exhibition of quantum computing firms, inviting them to run pilot projects for communication networks and the Indian Railways.
Using quantum computing, the telecommunications sector will benefit from faster and more secure communications, which can lead to improved network reliability and better user experiences.
About Quantum Computing
It uses qubits instead of classical bits to perform calculations, enabling it to perform calculations much faster than classical computers.
Quantum computers use quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and complexity to perform calculations.
Potential applications of quantum computing include such revolutionary fields as cryptography, chemistry and materials science.
Challenges facing quantum computing include the issue of qubit decoherence and the high cost of building and maintaining quantum computers.
