General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - June 2017

Jun 2017

Aug 28, 2019

Intel launches First Artificial Intelligence Chip Springhill

Intel Corp launched its latest processor, its first using artificial intelligence (AI), designed for large computing centres.
The chip, developed at its development facility in Haifa, Israel, is known as Nervana NNP-I or Springhill and is based on a 10 nanometre Ice Lake processor that will allow it to cope with high workloads using minimal amounts of energy.
Intel said its first AI product comes after it had invested more than $120 million in three AI startups in Israel.
The new hardware chip will help Intel Xeon processors in large companies as the need for complicated computations in the AI field increases.

Microsoft, Indian School Of Business Sign MoU To Set Up AI Digital Lab

The giant Microsoft and Indian School of Business (ISB) have signed a MoU to set up an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Digital Lab and also offer an executive programme titled "Leading Business Transformation in the Age of AI" at the B-School's campus.
The collaboration with Microsoft India will enable the institution to use AI to understand new phenomena that are relevant for business as well as policy and subsequently disseminate the knowledge to business leaders who will lead to transform their businesses through artificial intelligence to compete effectively.
The ISB expects to see about 1,000 CXOs undergoing the three-day non-technical programme in the next three to four years.
The AI digital Lab powered by PlatiFi technologies, a Microsoft partner, will provide an opportunity for ISB to enhance its research eminence through unique insights that will be derived from the research conducted by the lab which will also likely to have a significant impact on business and policy not just in India but all over the world.

Indian Institute Of Petroleum Sets Up Plant To Turn Plastic Waste Into Diesel

Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated a plant at the Indian Institute of Petroleum which can turn plastic waste into diesel.
The scientists of IIP for discovering the technology after years of research, as it was a commendable step towards ensuring freedom from plastic.
The plant will also boost economic growth as it will produce 800 litres of diesel from one tonne of plastic waste which will be collected with the help of NGOs.

Spacecraft Carrying Russian Humanoid Robot Docks At ISS

An unmanned spacecraft carrying Russia's first humanoid robot to be sent into orbit successfully docked at the International Space Station, following a failed attempt.
The lifesize robot named Fedor -- short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research -- copies human movements, a key skill that allows it to help carry out tasks remotely.
It blasted off in a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan and is due to stay on the ISS until September 7, 2019 learning to assist astronauts in the space station.
An aborted docking had increased uncertainty over the future of Russia's space programme, which has suffered a number of recent setbacks.

Aug 27, 2019

'Meghdoot' App Launched

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, have launched a mobile application that will provide location, crop and livestock-specific weather-based agro advisories to farmers in local languages.
The application, called 'Meghdoot', has been developed following directions of the ministry of earth sciences. Kripan Ghosh, head of the agriculture meteorology division, Climate Research and Service (CRS) Centre, IMD, Pune the app was launched on the foundation day of the ministry of earth sciences.
The users can get district specific weather information, forecasts and crop advisories. The benefit of the app is instant access to district-specific agricultural information. For instance, crop advisories are currently circulated among farmers and put up on the IMD website in PDF format. This includes advisories for all districts. Through the app, farmers and other users can directly get information relevant to their respective districts.

Cartosat-3 Satellite To Be Launched By ISRO

India will launch its advanced cartography satellite, Cartosat-3, towards the end of October or early November, K Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
Sivan said Cartosat-3 will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket.
An earth observation or remote sensing satellite, Cartosat-3 is an advanced version with better spatial and spectral characteristics as compared to the Cartosat-2 series satellites.
Cartosat-3 will also have strategic applications with better pictures.

Atos, C-DAC Ink Pact For Collaboration On Quantum Computing, AI In India

The technology firm Atos signed a cooperation agreement with C-DAC (Center for the Development of Advanced Computing) for technological advancement in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and exa-scale computing.
The partnership includes the creation of a 'Quantum Computing Experience Center' at the C-DAC headquarters in Pune. Its objective is to bring together academic, scientific, research and industry users to quickly acquire skills and develop more experience in the field of quantum computing with the support of the Government of India.
The center will allow the advanced study of applications of quantum theory, creating new technologies and platforms for information security, connectivity and information technology

Centre For Avian Ecotoxicology Inaugurated In Coimbatore

A National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology was inaugurated at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithlogy and Natural Sciences (SACON).
The centre, inaugurated by Union Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar, would explore the impact of chemical contaminants on individual species of birds and, where possible, link them to population and communities.
The centre would study the movement of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, poly chlorinated biphenyls and drugs through food chain, and their harmful effects on birds.
Ecotoxicological studies assume significance at a time when ecological factors are unable to explain continued mortality of birds leading to population decline over a period of time.
Highlighting the near extinction of vultures, from 40 million to nearly one thousand in India, Javadekar said the Centre had banned diclofenac given to cattle, due to which the vultures were dying.
The Ministry through a project at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore funded modernising the facility at SACON, a centre of excellence, to handle the challenges posed by the continued entry of newer chemicals into the environment.

Google Launches Its Smart Display 'Nest Hub' In India For Rs 9,999

Google launched Nest Hub, its smart speaker with screen, in India for Rs 9,999.
The device is available on Flipkart, Tata Cliq, Croma, and Reliance Digital in chalk and charcoal colour options.
Google Nest Hub features a 7-inch touchscreen panel and is compatible with Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Macbook and supports Bluetooth 5.0 along with Wi-Fi.
The device comes with built-in Google Assistant, YouTube app and live albums from Google Photos.
Apart from YouTube, It offers all the major Google applications such as Calendar, Google News, Duo and Play Store.
One can also access some third-party apps such as Spotify, Voot, Gaana and JioSaavn.

Aug 26, 2019

Chandrayaan 2 Sends First Moon Picture

Chandrayaan 2, a day old in its orbit around the moon, started undergoing phased manoeuvres to shorten the elliptical orbit in preparation for the September 7, 2019 landing. ISRO compressed the current elliptical orbit to 4,412 km at the far end from the moon.
ISRO chief K. Sivan said the crucial process of taking up soft landing of the Vikram Lander will be taken up in the early hours of September 7, 2019.
Elaborating about the complexity involved, he said the speed of the spacecraft needs to be brought down to "zero".
The Mare Orientale basin and Apollo craters are identified in the picture.

Aug 25, 2019

NASA Found More Than 40 Pieces Of Debris Created By India's Anti Satellite Test

More than 40 pieces of debris created by India's anti-satellite test, are still moving around in space even as majority of the debris has disintegrated, a survey conducted by NASA has found.
A report in Orbital Debris Quarterly News journal, published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Orbital Debris Program Office, has found that of the 101 pieces that were big enough to be tracked, 49 continue to be in the orbit.
According to the report, it is possible that more pieces created by the test, albeit much smaller in size, are floating in space, but they are not being tracked.
On March 27, 2019, India had shot down its Microsat-R satellite with the intention of demonstrating that it can shoot down space-based infrastructure of an enemy country. The test made India only the fourth country to have demonstrated this capability.

Lens That Works Like Human Eye

A team of researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a new lens that functions a lot like the human eye.
Not only is the instrument capable of focusing in real-time thanks to an elastomer muscle, it features none of the bulk of a traditional spherical lens. It can even do some things the human eye can't, including adjusting for astigmatism and image shift, two variables that lead to blurry vision.
The flat lens design this new artificial eye takes advantage of is called a metalens. It uses tiny nanostructures to focus light. In this way, it's able to focus the entire visible light spectrum at a single point.
By contrast, traditional lenses use multiple elements to achieve the same feat, which is why they get so bulky.
Prior to this latest breakthrough, the SEAS team says they were only able to manufacture metalenses that were "the size of a piece of glitter." By contrast, their latest invention is larger at approximately one centimeter in diameter Bigger, in this case, is better because it makes it more feasible to use the technology in a host of modern applications.

"Gaganyaan" Programme Envisages Two Unmanned And One Manned Flight To Mars

A human mission to Mars has always been the next big dream for space enthusiasts, with space barons like SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Blue Origins CEO Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactics founder Sir Richard Branson along with NASA aiming to send humans to deeper space, and eventually Mars, in years to come.
India, which created history nearly five years back with becoming the first country to enter Mars orbit in its maiden attempt with "Mission Mangal", is also looking to send a manned mission to send a manned mission to space by 2022.
India also has ambitions to land a probe on Mars, as its lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 gets ready to drop the Vikram lander on Moon on September 7, 2019.
The country's ambitious "Gaganyaan" programme envisages two unmanned and one manned flight to space.
India's human space mission, which is one of the pet projects of the Prime Minister, is estimated to cost around Rs 10,000 crore and the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) and Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) is targeting to send an astronaut to space by 2022.

Aug 24, 2019

NASA Names Rolling Stone On Mars After Rolling Stones

NASA has named a small rock on Mars after the Rolling Stones, which will appear on working, informal maps of the Red Planet.
"Rolling Stones Rock" was unveiled during the Stones' concert in Pasadena, California with Robert Downey, Jr. on hand to make the announcement.
The name came after a team of scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory noticed that a small rock, just a bit larger than a golf ball, had been propelled about three feet by the thrusters of the Mars InSight lander as it touched down.

Europa Clipper Mission To Jupiter's Moon Will Search For Alien Life

NASA has confirmed the next phase of Europa Clipper mission which will explore life on Jupiter's Galilean moon Europa. The US space agency says that it targets to have the spacecraft ready for launch by 2023.
NASA has confirmed the next phase of development of the Europa Clipper mission – an interplanetary mission to Jupiter's smallest moon Europa.
The US space agency has cleared the mission to progress through its final design phase, followed by the construction and testing of the entire spacecraft.
The latest development comes over 2 years after NASA originally announced its plans for the Galilean moon.
To recall, NASA had announced the Europa Clipper mission in 2017. The mission will be conducting an in-depth exploration of Jupiter's moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon can have suitable conditions for sustaining life and increase our insights in to astrobiology.

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