General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - August 2021

Aug 2021

Oct 03, 2024

BharatGen: India's First Government-Funded Multimodal AI Initiative

BharatGen was inaugurated in New Delhi, marking a significant step in India's commitment to generative AI. The initiative aims to enhance public service delivery and citizen engagement by developing foundational models in language, speech, and computer vision. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for various portfolios, emphasised BharatGen's role in positioning India as a global leader in generative AI, similar to the transformative impact of UPI.
BharatGen, led by IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), focuses on creating generative AI systems that produce high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages. The project is implemented by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IOE at IIT Bombay, with contributions from several premier institutions, including IIIT Hyderabad and IIM Indore.
The initiative is distinguished by four key features:
Multilingual and Multimodal Models: BharatGen will create foundational models that cater to diverse Indian languages and formats.
Bhartiya Dataset: The project will prioritize the development and training of AI systems using India-centric datasets.
Open-Source Platform: BharatGen will promote an open-source ecosystem for generative AI research in India.
Focus on Data Sovereignty: The initiative emphasises collecting and curating data that accurately represents India's linguistic and cultural diversity.

Sep 30, 2024

Earth's New Mini Moon: Asteroid 2024 PT5 Orbits for Two Months

Earth welcomed a temporary 'mini-moon' in the form of a small asteroid named 2024 PT5, which is orbiting our planet from September 29 to November 25, 2024. Discovered by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas) in August 2024, this asteroid measures approximately 33 feet wide and originates from the Arjuna asteroid belt, a region filled with various space rocks.
Asteroids like 2024 PT5 are not uncommon; similar mini-moons have been observed in the past. For instance, the asteroid 2022 NX1 has orbited Earth multiple times, with its next expected return in 2055. After 2024 PT5 exits Earth's orbit, it will remain in proximity until its closest approach on January 9, 2025. Researchers believe it will again return to Earth's orbit in approximately 30 years.

Sep 29, 2024

Tech Mahindra and University of Auckland Partner for AI and Quantum Research (29)

Tech Mahindra signed an MoU with the University of Auckland (UoA) to promote innovation in AI, machine learning (ML), and quantum computing. The collaboration will target sectors like healthcare, banking, financial services, insurance, and government, enhancing industry-academic partnerships to boost graduate employability. Focus areas include spiking neural networks, 1-bit large language models (LLMs), and post-quantum cryptography, particularly in healthcare applications such as drug discovery and personalized digital biomarkers.
AI and ML technologies, including spiking neural networks, 1-bit LLMs, and quantum security, will be central to the collaboration, aiming for innovations in drug discovery and personalized healthcare globally.
The partnership will drive joint research between Tech Mahindra and UoA, integrating academic insights with industry use cases for global markets. Generative AI will be introduced to Indigenous communities, and internships will offer hands-on experience in emerging technologies.

Sep 25, 2024

Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Poised to Make History as Pilot of Axiom-4 Mission to the ISS

In a monumental step for India's space program, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will pilot the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025.
The Ax-4 mission is the result of a bilateral agreement between India and the US. Over a year ago, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the US.
It was announced that an Indian astronaut would travel to the ISS.
Following this, ISRO signed a space flight agreement with Axiom Space, an American provider of human spaceflight services.

Sep 24, 2024

Russian Cosmonauts Break Record for Longest ISS Flight

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub set a new record for the longest single mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), surpassing the previous record held by cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin, and NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio, who spent 370 days onboard from September 2022 to September 2023. Kononenko and Chub arrived at the ISS on September 15, 2023, via the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft and returned to Earth on the Soyuz MS-25 on September 23, 2024, totaling 374 days in space.
The previous record of 370 days, 21 hours, 22 minutes, and 16 seconds was set by Prokopyev, Petelin, and Rubio.

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