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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - December 2018

Dec 2018

Jul 18, 2022

Kerala Becomes First State to have Own Internet Service

Kerala is the first and only state in the country to have its own internet service, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who made the announcement.
The announcement followed the Department of Telecommunications' granting of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence to the IT infrastructure project of the Kerala Fiber Optic Network Ltd, which aims to provide everyone in the state access to the internet.
K-Fon or Kerala Fiber Optic Network Ltd is a state government initiative that aims to eliminate the digital gap. As per the government, the infrastructure created by this project is expected to complement the state's current telecom ecosystem.

Astronomers Detect Mysterious Fast Radio Burst with a 'Heartbeat' Pattern

Astronomers detected a strange and persistent radio signal from a far-off galaxy that appears to be flashing with surprising regularity, similar to a 'heartbeat'.
The signal is classified as a Fast Radio Burst (FRB), an intensely strong burst of radio waves of unknown astrophysical origin that typically lasts for a few milliseconds at most.
However, this new signal, labelled FRB 20191221A, persisted for up to three seconds -- about 1,000 times longer than the average FRB.
Within this window, the team, including from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), detected bursts of radio waves that repeat every 0.2 seconds in a clear periodic pattern, similar to a beating heart.
FRB 20191221A is currently the longest-lasting FRB, with the clearest periodic pattern, detected to date. The source of the signal lies in a distant galaxy, several billion light-years from Earth.

Jul 16, 2022

Samsung Develops World's Fastest Graphics DRAM Chip

Samsung developed a new graphics dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chip with a faster speed and improved power efficiency.
The 24-gigabit Graphics Double Data Rate 6 (GDDR6) adopts third-generation, 10-nanometer technology and boasts a data processing speed that is over 30 per cent faster than existing products.
The new DRAM chip can process graphic images at a rate of up to 1.1 terabytes per second, which Samsung claims is the fastest in the world and equivalent to processing 275 full HD movies in a second.
Graphics DRAMs are widely used in high-powered 3D games, personal computers, notebooks or devices that play videos with a high resolution.

Jul 15, 2022

Apple Ends Decades-long Relationship with Chief Designer Jony Ive

Apple finally ended its decades-long relationship with its chief design designer Jony Ive, the person behind the look and feel of the iPhone or the MacBook that you use today.
Ive left Apple in 2019 to start an independent design company called LoveFrom. He then looked forward to working with Apple "for many years to come".
As per reports, Apple has now ended its consulting agreement with Ive.
Apple had in 2019 signed a contract with Ive that was valued more than $100 million.

Jul 14, 2022

NASA's James Webb Detects Water on Distant Planet Orbiting Sun-like Star

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope detected signs of water, along with evidence for clouds and haze, in the atmosphere of a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star over a thousand light years away.
The observation is the most detailed of its kind to date, demonstrating Webb's unprecedented ability to analyse distant atmospheres. WASP-96 b is one of more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets in the Milky Way.
Located roughly 1,150 light-years away in the southern-sky constellation Phoenix, it represents a type of gas giant that has no direct analogue in our solar system.

Agnikul Launches India's First Rocket Facility for 3D-printed Engines

Indian space-tech start-up Agnikul opened of its Rocket Factory-1, India's first-ever rocket facility dedicated to 3D printed space engines at scale.
The unit, located at IIT Madras Research Park, was unveiled by N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space.
Agnikul's Rocket Factory-1 houses a metal 3D-printer and a host of other machines to enable end-to-end manufacturing of a rocket engine under one roof. The factory has been designed to make two rocket engines a week. Agnikul had signed an agreement with EOS in 2021 as the latter's 3D printing partner for engines.

Jul 13, 2022

Adani Data Networks, Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea to Bid for 5G Spectrum

According to a list issued by the Department of Telecom, billionaire Gautam Adani-led Adani Data Networks, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea applied to participate in the upcoming 5G auction.
The spectrum auction, scheduled to start on July 26, may see aggressive bids for some frequency bands, with the entry of Adani Data Networks and established players Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel looking to strengthen their hold in the industry.

SpaceX Booster Rocket Engulfed in Huge Fireball during Test Launch

A prototype of a booster rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX went up in flames in the United States during ground-test firing in Boca Chica, Texas, in what is being viewed as a setback for Musk's aim of launching the next-generation Starship spacecraft to orbit this year.
The explosion of Booster 7, a prototype of Super Heavy for SpaceX's next-gen Starship deep-space transportation system, was severe and unexpected.

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