Science

An expedition, to promote the maritime heritage of India and spread awareness about Coastal Security amongst the coastal communities in Maharashtra, was launched by the Indian Navy on 05 January 2020 from the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The expedition extends from Arnala fort, Northernmost fort of Maharashtra to Sindhudurg fort, the southernmost fort of Maharashtra, covering … Read more

Chronic NCDs comprise diabetes, high and low blood pressure, cancer, chronic respiratory problems, mental disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Malnutrition and infection at early age prevalent in poor are important triggers for NCDs. Low literacy and inadequate information among people are the main cause for non- awareness about these chronic diseases. Status of burden of Non … Read more

Uranium is one of the fissile material which is used for power generations. But All isotopes are not categorised as fissile. The certain minimum standards have to be met to qualify as fissile material: It should be able to sustain the chain reaction. It should have a high probability of fission when bombarded with slow/fast … Read more

NASA had announced that it will launch a space probe called Dragonfly on an ambitious mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. It will be launched in 2026 and arrive in 2034.  It will mark the first time that NASA will fly a multi-rotor vehicle for science on another planet. It will be having eight rotors and … Read more

On March 27, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit. The test was fully successful and achieved … Read more

INTEGRATED MISSILE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME:   Missile Type Remark Prithvi Short range Surface to Surface ballistic missile – The Prithvi missile is a family of tactical surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) and is India’s first indigenously developed ballistic missile. Development of the Prithvi began in 1983, and it was first test-fired on 25 February 1988 from Sriharikota, … Read more

The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) owes its origin to the foresight and initiative of two British Chemists, namely, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P.S. MacMahon. It occurred to them that scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for … Read more

Carbon dots are fluorescent nanoparticles that show similar physical and optical properties to the well-known semiconductor quantum dots. However, the building block of carbon dots is made primarily out of carbon, with some doped heteroatoms, creating a nanoparticle that is more biocompatible and less toxic compared with the quantum dots that commonly contain heavy metals. … Read more

  QUICK REVISION SERIES   ALLOTROPES OF CARBON: Concept of Allotropes:       An element, in different forms, having different physical properties but similar chemical properties is known as allotropes of that element. Carbon has three well known allotropes which are graphite, diamond and buck minster fullerene. These are formed by carbon atoms. Allotrope Type Properties Graphite Each … Read more

Defluoridation is the downward adjustment of the level of fluoride in drinking water. Worldwide, fluoride is one of the most abundant anions present in groundwater. Fluoride is more present in groundwater than surface water mainly due to the leaching of minerals. Groundwater accounts for 98 percent of the earth’s potable water. An excess of fluoride … Read more

Salient Features: The Policy categorises biofuels as “Basic Biofuels” viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and “Advanced Biofuels” – Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category. The Policy expands the scope of … Read more

Pathogenic Bacteria These bacteria cause great losses to plant and animal popula­tion by causing several diseases. Reduction of Soil Fertility Some facul­tative anaerobic bacteria are available mostly in the oxygen deficient soil which reverse the nitrifying process, thereby causing the loss of a part of its combined nitrogen. They break down the nitrates in a … Read more

  Science and Technology hold the key to the progress and development of any nation. Technology plays a Fundamental role in wealth creation, improvement of the quality of life and real economic growth and transformation in any society. The role of Science and Technology in our daily life is altering the way people live, behave, … Read more

Neutrino Ans:   Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles which make up the universe and second most abundant particle in the universe after photon. Neutrinos are similar to electron with one crucial difference that they don not carry electric charge.   Indian -based Neutrino observatory Ans:   It is being set up in Bodhi west Hill, … Read more

:  Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere and it is in inert form. But when it converts into reactive form like ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrogen di oxide, it become dangerous for the ecosystem in many ways. Nitrogenous gases also play an important role in global climate change. Nitrous oxide is a particularly … Read more

Most of the nuclear reactors work on the principle of nuclear fission. The energy released in the reaction is used to turn water into steam. The steam is used to run the turbine. Diff types of nuclear reactor: Type of reactor Characteristics Light water reactor 1.    Boiling water reactor ·         Reactor core heats water which … Read more

At present, loss of specific species, groups of species (extinction) or decrease in number of particular organisms (endangerment) are taking place in different parts of the world at a rapid pace. These losses are often manifestations of degradation or destruction in the ecosystem or habitat. DNA Banks More plant conservationists are turning to DNA technologies … Read more

Radioactivity is a physical process. As the name implies it is the act of emitting radiation spontaneously. In simple terms if atomic nucleus is unstable and want to loose some energy, it will release energy in the form of radiations. There are several types of particles or waves that may shoot out of a radioactive … Read more

Newton’s First Law of Motion states that a body continue to be in its state of rest or of uniform motion along a straight line, unless it is acted upon by some external force to change the state (1) If no net force acts on a body, then the velocity of the body cannot change i.e. … Read more

Symbiosis is a close ecological relationship or association between the individuals of two (or more than two) different species.   In symbiosis, at least one member of the pair benefits from the relationship. The other member may be injured (parasitism, relatively unaffected (commensalism), may also benefit (mutualism). In other words, at least one member of the … Read more

When there are changes in the condition like temperature, light or nutrients the symbiotic linkage between algae and zooxanthellae gets deteriorated, causing them to turn white. In coral bleaching the density of zooxanthellae decline and the concentration of photosynthetic pigment decline which lead to decline in color. 20% of the coral reefs have already been … Read more

Parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis, a reproductive strategy that involves development of a female (rarely a male) gamete (sex cell) without fertilization. It occurs commonly among lower plants and invertebrate animals (particularly rotifers, aphids, ants, wasps, and bees) and rarely among higher vertebrates. An egg produced parthenogenetically may be either haploid (i.e., with one set of dissimilar chromosomes) … Read more

Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field. In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating magnetic and electric fields.   Properties of electromagnetic waves: EM waves are composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields at right angles to … Read more

Applications of tissue culture Rapid Clonal Propagation A clone is a group of individuals or cells derived from a single parent individual or cell through asexual reproduction. All the cells in callus or suspension culture are derived from a single explants by mitotic division. Therefore, all plantlets regenerated from a callus/suspension culture generally have the … Read more

Biopiracy is the practice of commercially exploiting naturally occurring genetic material or biochemical. Most of the indigenous people possess a traditional knowledge that mainly comprises of genetic diversity and biological feature of the natural environment from generation to generation. Some of the traditional knowledge that is relevant to global survival includes the following components. Medicinal … Read more

Q.  Comets Ans:   Comets originate in outer solar system and are formed of cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust that orbit the sun. When a comet’s orbit bring it close to the sun ,it heat up and spewn dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets.   Q.  Dark … Read more

Nanotechnology has the potential to completely revolutionise all the three key aspects of healthcare sector-Diagnosis, prevention and Treatment. It can completely change the healthcare sector for the next generation. Nanotechnology will help medical professionals in today’s most excruciating medical issues, such as repairing of damaged organs, diagnosis and treatment of cancer cells, removal of obstruction … Read more

Asteroids Ans:   They are small bodied rock that moves around the sun. the asteroid belt in our solar system is found between the Mars and the Jupiter.   Meteoroids Ans:   Due to the collision of two asterroids small fragments break off from each other . These fragments are called Meteoroids.     Meteors Ans:   when … Read more

A) What is ultrasound waves and outline its benefits? Waves which have frequency more than 20,000 Hz and which are not audible to human ears but audible to dogs, cats , bats, whales. Ultrasounds are used in various different fields. They are used to detect objects and measure distance. Ultrasound imagining is used in the … Read more

  Implantations of nanotransmitters and nanosensors within individuals have opened gates for monitoring and treating them at the microscopic level with the use of nanodevices. But this crosses traditional bounderies of care in the hospitals as persons can get the treatment done while siting in their homes . Pateients at home could have access to … Read more

The Mission envisages empowering national academic and R&D institutions spread over the country by installing a vast supercomputing grid comprising of more than 70 high-performance computing facilities.  These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academic … Read more

Conventional breeding, especially of crops, livestock and fish, focuses principally on increased productivity, increased resistance to diseases and pests, and enhanced quality with respect to nutrition and food processing. Advances in cellular genetics and cell biology methods in the 1960s contributed to the so-called ‘green revolution’ that significantly increased varieties of staple food crops containing … Read more

Surrogacy is a practise in which surrogate mother agrees to carry and give birth to child for intended couples. Surrogacy, also known as womb for rent.Surrogate mother is a woman who bears a child for another couple, inspires hope in them and changes their life forever i.e. An Angel.Intended couple are the ones who cannot … Read more

Applications of atmospheric pressure Drinking Straw  When drinking with a straw, one has to suck the straw. This causes the pressure in hte straw to decrease. The external atmospheric pressure, which is greater, will then act on the surface of the water in the glass, causing it to rise through the straw. Rubber Sucker  When … Read more

The Union Minister of Earth Sciences has recently launched the Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI) device. The device is developed for effective dissemination of emergency information and communication on Ocean States Forecast and mapping of Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) to fishermen. Ocean States Forecast provides the accurate state of the ocean … Read more

With the increase in Urbanisation and modernisation there is an increase in pollution, unhealthy lifestyle, environmental toxins which in turn increases the risk of disease.  The major health problems associated with modern lifestyle are as follows: Rise in pollution due to unplanned Pollution related problems like Asthama, Lung related disease etc. are on rise. Life … Read more

A dialysis machine tries to mimic some of the functions of a human kidney. One of the primary jobs of a kidney is to remove urea and certain salts from the blood so they can exit the body in urine. In a dialysis machine, blood from the patient runs through tubes made of a semi-porous … Read more

Digestion is the process of break down of complex food substance into simple molecules.  Digestion is carried out by our digestive system by mechanical and biochemical method. The digestive system consists of alimentary canal and the associate glands. The process of digestion is accomplished by mechanical and chemical processes. The buccal cavity performs two major … Read more

A deficiency disease is caused due to the deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals. The deficiency of vitamin lead to the vitamin deficiency disease. Vitamin/Mineral Deficiency disease Symptoms Vitamin A Loss of vision Poor vision, loss of vision in darkness Vitamin B1 Beri beri Weak musles and very little energy to work Vitamin C Scurvy … Read more

Electrical transformers can be classified into different categories depending upon their end-use, construction, supply, and purpose. On the Basis of Design Core Type Transformer This transformer features two horizontal sections with two vertical limbs and a rectangular core with a magnetic circuit. Cylindrical coils (HV and LV) are placed on the central limb of the core … Read more

The basis of ABO grouping is of two antigens- Antigen A and Antigen B. The ABO grouping system is classified into four types based on the presence or absence of antigens on red blood cells surface and plasma antibodies. Group A – contains antigen A and antibody B. Group B –contains antigen B and antibody A. Group … Read more

Issues attached with scientific research in India are as follows: The system is also largely run by scientists-turned-bureaucrats and “nepotism, patronage culture” are prevalent. Notably, Indian scientists perceive success as ‘becoming an administrative head in research institutions’, rather than advancing research. Also, the prevalent incompetence across the spectrum has taken a toll on ‘peer reviewing’ … Read more

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day.Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.Symptoms are generally mild and include fever, … Read more

The immune system is a complex network of cells and organs that work together to defend against Foreign substances. There are various cells associated with immune system: B-cell: It is a type of white blood cell that makesantibodies. Antibodies are large Y-shaped proteinswhich bind to specific antigens. This signals theother cells of the immune system … Read more

e-Cigarettes are battery powered devices that work by heating a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales and exhales.  The e-cigarette liquid typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings, and other chemicals.   Why Blanket ban: e-Cigarettes usually contain nicotine which makes product addictive. e-Cigarettes cause health hazards for youth, young adults, and pregnant women. … Read more

 Pratyush is an array of computers that will be used for weather and climate research. Pratyush is the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world dedicated to weather and climate research and follows machines in Japan, USA and the United Kingdom. Pratyush is an array of computers that can deliver a peak power of 6.8 petaflops … Read more

1) GSAT-7A:    GSAT-7A with a lift-off mass of 2250 kg, is a geostationary satellite carrying communication transponders in Ku-band. The Satellite is built to provide communication capability to the users over the Indian region. It was launched by the GSLV-F11 launchpad.  It is ISRO’s 7th flight with indigenous upper stage cryogenic engine.  The four liquid … Read more

Hydrogen bombs are thermonuclearweapons which employs fusion of isotopes ofhydrogen. The result is greatly increased explosivepower when compared to single-stage fissionweapons.The energy released in a Hydrogen bombis several magnitudes higher than anAtom bomb. A fusion bomb is more sophisticated anddifficult to make, since it requires a muchhigher temperature — in the order ofmillions of degrees … Read more

The Codex Alimentarius is the food code that has become the global food standard for consumer foods, food producers and processors, national food regulatory agencies and international trade practices. The code has enormous impact and its influence extends to every continent. The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by the UN Food and Agricultural … Read more

Yamanaka genes are group of four essential genes in our body that are responsible for regenerating old cells or growing new cells.They are also know as OSKM(Oct4,Sox2,Klf4 &Myc) & are named after Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka. Significance of Yamanaka Genes: Major significance is that the introduction of these genes can convert adult cells into pluripotent stem … Read more