General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - December 2018

Dec 2018

Aug 02, 2024

Earth's Endangered Species Might Be Sent to the Moon in 'Noah's Ark' To Avoid Extinction

In an effort to save endangered species from possible catastrophic occurrences on Earth, scientists announced an ambitious plan to store their DNA on the moon. In the unlikely event that these species go extinct on Earth, the imagined lunar "Noah's Ark" would serve as a backup for their preservation.
The idea is to build a biorepository-a dedicated space on the moon-to house frozen biological materials. Live tissue samples from a variety of animal species would be stored in this facility, acting as a backup in the event that these species became extinct.
The north or south poles of the moon, where craters cast a constant shadow and the temperature stays extremely freezing at about -200 degree Celsius, would be the perfect place for this biorepository.

Aug 01, 2024

Thales, Garuda Join Hands to Build Secure Drone Operations in India

Aerospace industry leaders Thales and Garuda Aerospace announced a collaboration to promote the development of the drone ecosystem in India.
As part of the agreement, Thales will provide expertise in the field of unmanned traffic management (UTM) solutions, UAV detection and system integration, while Garuda will bring its skills in the manufacture and use of UAVs, as well as its expertise in the Indian market.
Established in 2015, Garuda Aerospace has a vast fleet of over 2,500 drones and 4,000 pilots across 400 districts.
This collaboration aims to foster innovation and advance the development of technological solutions that can enable safe and secure drone operations and help the growth of drone-based applications in the country.

SEBI Launches AI Chatbot 'SEVA' for Investors

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced 'SEVA,' an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist investors with a range of functions. This initiative aims to enhance investor experience and accessibility to crucial market information.
SEVA provides investors with essential details about the securities market, including the latest master circulars.
The chatbot offers guidance on the grievance redressal process, helping users navigate their concerns and complaints.
SEVA includes speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionalities, catering to users with varying accessibility needs. Additionally, it supports follow-up questions to refine responses and improve user engagement.

Jul 31, 2024

DAE Launches ODOS Initiative for Research Access

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) launched the One DAE One Subscription (ODOS) initiative to provide access to national and international research papers and scientific journals to thousands of scientists, engineers, and young students across the country.
The DAE initiative is a significant step towards bringing together the DAE's 60 units and subunits under one umbrella for read and publish access. By signing consortium agreements with M/s. Wiley India Private Limited and M/s. Springer Nature Group, DAE secured access to 1353 Wiley journals and 2,686 Springer Nature titles, providing a platform for the DAE community to access the most recent research advancements.
The ODOS initiative is also expected to make the current state of science available to everyone, thereby accelerating the pace of research and innovation in India. The initiative is part of the government's efforts to promote One Nation One Subscription (ONOS), a national initiative that aims to make scientific knowledge accessible to all citizens.

India's Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor Approaches Finish Line

India's atomic energy program crossed a big hurdle, the country's most advanced and most complex nuclear reactor the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) located at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu finally got approval from India's atomic regulator to start loading the nuclear fuel and then to go ahead and initiate the controlled chain reaction. "It is a huge milestone for India's self-reliant atomic energy program," confirmed Dinesh Kumar Shukla, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board who added that the "PFBR is an inherently safe reactor".
This development now marks the use of plutonium as a nuclear fuel and more importantly the first steps at using thorium as an atomic energy source. India has limited reserves of uranium and all plutonium is anyways generated in atomic plants as natural plutonium does not exist, on the other hand, India has huge reserves of thorium and hence the country is mastering and developing complex technology to use thorium as fuel.

Jul 30, 2024

Ministry of Earth Sciences Celebrates 18th Foundation Day

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) celebrated its 18th Foundation Day at its Prithvi Bhavan Headquarters, marking nearly two decades of significant contributions to Earth system sciences. Founded on July 27, 2006, MoES has been at the forefront of scientific research and services. The Ministry's achievements span across all spheres of earth system sciences: air or atmosphere, water or hydrosphere, land or lithosphere, solid earth or cryosphere, life or biosphere and their interactions, reflecting its commitment to scientific and technological progress.
MoES launched the following publications to commemorate its 18th Foundation Day:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD)—a sub-ordinate office of MoES, released the 'Standard Operation Procedure on "Cyclone Warning in India" and 'Competency Framework for Monitoring and Forecasting High-impact Weather Events'.
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa—an autonomous institute of MoES, released a consolidated report on the 14th Indian Arctic Expedition (2023-24), including India's maiden winter Arctic Expedition (launched on December 18, 2023).
The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi—an attached office of MoES, released a catalogue entitled 'Taxonomy and Systematics of Anomuran Crabs (Paguroidea, Chirostyloidea and Galatheoidea) from the Indian EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)'.
The first issue of the MoES Newsletter, envisaged to be a quarterly publication highlighting news, events, and updates from MoES, was also released.

SpaceX and NASA Set Crew-9 Launch for August 18

SpaceX and NASA said that they plan to launch the space agency's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Aug. 18. The announcement cames a day after the Federal Aviation administration cleared SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to return to space following a rare mid-flight failure earlier this month (July), which had grounded it.
NASA and SpaceX will embark on their ninth crew rotation mission to the ISS, with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Jul 28, 2024

OpenAI Launches SearchGPT, a New Era in AI-Powered Search

In a bold move that could reshape the landscape of internet search, OpenAI, the company behind the revolutionary ChatGPT, announced the development of an AI-powered search engine called SearchGPT. This initiative represents a significant challenge to Google's dominance in the $200 billion search market and marks a new chapter in the ongoing AI revolution.
At present, access to the prototype is limited to a select group of users. However, OpenAI has ambitious plans for the future, intending to integrate these capabilities into ChatGPT, their flagship AI model.
The introduction of SearchGPT represents a significant leap forward in search technology. Users can expect to receive fast and efficient answers to their internet queries without the need to sift through multiple links. This streamlined approach to information retrieval could revolutionise how we interact with the vast knowledge base of the internet.

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