Science and technology current affairs

Space junk

• Definition: Space junk includes defunct satellites, rocket stages, and other debris left in orbit or disintegrated during re-entry.
• Pollutants Released: Burning satellites release aluminum, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and black carbon, which accumulate in the stratosphere.
• Ozone Layer Threat: Aluminum oxide acts as a catalyst for ozone depletion, counteracting the success of the Montreal Protocol that reduced CFCs.
• Stratospheric Changes: Pollutants like copper and other metals can alter atmospheric chemistry and promote cloud formation.
• Climate Impacts: Soot particles absorb solar energy, potentially warming the atmosphere and disrupting natural climate patterns.
• Long-Term Ripple Effects: Alterations in the upper atmosphere may indirectly harm ecosystems, weather patterns, and human health on Earth.

One Day One Genome Initiative

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) have launched the ‘One Day One Genome’ initiative to showcase India’s microbial diversity.
About One Day One Genome Initiative:
• Ministry: Department of Biotechnology
• Launch: November 9, 2024, by Shri Amitabh Kant at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.
• Aim: To highlight India’s microbial diversity and showcase its importance in environment, agriculture, and human health.
• Coordinating Agency: Biotechnology research and Innovation council (BRIC) in collaboration with the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG).
• Features:
◦ Sequencing one bacterial genome daily to uncover microbial potential.
◦ Provides freely accessible, annotated bacterial genome data.
◦ Includes graphical summaries, infographics, and genome assembly/annotation details.
◦ Supports research in environment management, agricultural development, and human health improvement.
◦ Promotes public and scientific engagement to stimulate innovation and community benefits.

•Diabetes

◦ Diabetes is a chronic condition where the body fails to regulate blood glucose levels effectively due to insufficient insulin production or impaired insulin response.
• Types of Diabetes
◦ Diabetes mellitus:
▪ Diabetes mellitus, the most prevalent form of diabetes, occurs when the body cannot effectively produce or utilize insulin, leading to unregulated blood sugar levels.
▪ It is categorized into two main types:
▪ Type 1 Diabetes (T1D):
▪ Autoimmune condition; pancreas produces little or no insulin.
▪ Typically affects children and young adults.
▪ Type 2 Diabetes (T2D):
▪ Caused by insulin resistance and reduced insulin production.
▪ Associated with lifestyle factors like obesity and inactivity.
◦ Gestational Diabetes:
▪ Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women, leading to elevated blood sugar levels without an obvious cause.
▪ Develops during pregnancy and usually resolves after childbirth.
◦ Diabetes Insipidus:
▪ Diabetes insipidus arises when the hypothalamus fails to produce or respond to antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which helps the kidneys regulate body water levels.
▪ Without this hormone, the kidneys excrete a large volume of diluted and odourless urine.

T-90 Bhishma Tank:

• Origin: The T-90 Bhishma is a main battle tank of the Indian Army, procured from Russia in 2001, with deliveries starting in 2004.
• Specifications:
◦ Weighs approximately 47 tonnes.
◦ Measures 9.6 meters in length and 2.8 meters in width.
◦ Can reach speeds up to 60 km/h, making it highly maneuverable in various terrains like forests and marshes.
• Firepower:
◦ Equipped with a 125 mm smoothbore gun, capable of firing different types of shells.
◦ Features an anti-aircraft gun that can target within a range of 2 kilometers and fire up to 800 shells per minute.
• Advanced Features:
◦ Sports a new turret weapon station with an upgraded 125 mm gun.
◦ Integrated with a highly automated digital fire control system (FCS) to effectively target enemy tanks, self-propelled guns, and other armored targets.
◦ Includes a guided missile system capable of destroying armored targets, even those with explosive reactive armor (ERA), with a range of up to 5 kilometers.
• Crew:
◦ Operated by a crew of three: commander, gunner, and driver.
• Protection:
◦ Equipped with a Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) protection system to safeguard the crew in hazardous environments.

LSAM 12 (Missile Cum Ammunition Barge)

The Indian Navy marked a significant milestone with the launch of the ‘Missile Cum Ammunition Barge, LSAM 12 (Yard 80)’, the sixth vessel in the series of eight barges designed to transport ammunition and supplies.

About LSAM 12 (Missile Cum Ammunition Barge)
• Project details: Sixth barge of the 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barge project, aimed at enhancing the operational logistics of the Indian Navy.
• Manufacturer: Built by M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd, Visakhapatnam, an MSME shipyard.
• Contract: Agreement for building the barges was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and SECON on 19 Feb 2021.
• Purpose: Facilitates the transportation, embarkation, and disembarkation of ammunition and supplies to naval platforms at jetties and outer harbours.
• Design and testing: Indigenously designed under the regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping with model testing conducted at the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam.
• Make in India initiative: Symbolizes India’s push for self-reliance in defense manufacturing and aligns with the Government’s Make in India policy.

Charon moon

• Largest moon of Pluto: Charon is the largest of Pluto’s five moons, roughly half the size of Pluto itself.
• Discovery: It was discovered on June 22, 1978, by James W. Christy and Robert S. Harrington at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
• Size and mass: Charon is about 1,214 kilometers (754 miles) in diameter, and its mass is more than one-tenth of Pluto’s mass.
• Double dwarf planet system: Due to its size and mass relative to Pluto, they are often referred to as a double dwarf planet system.
• Mutual tidal locking: Charon and Pluto always show the same face to each other, a phenomenon known as mutual tidal locking.
• Orbital period: Charon orbits Pluto every 6.4 Earth days at a distance of about 19,640 kilometers (12,200 miles).
• Surface composition: Recent findings include carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide, in addition to previously known substances like water ice and ammonia-bearing compounds.
• Kuiper belt object: Charon is located in the Kuiper Belt and serves as an invaluable target for studying icy bodies beyond Neptune’s orbit.

Nobel Prize in Medicine 2024 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for their foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.
About Nobel Prize in Physics 2024
1. John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton were awarded the prize for their foundational contributions to artificial neural networks and machine learning.
2. John Hopfield  developed the Hopfield Network, a recurrent neural network based on Hebbian learning principles.
3. Hopfield’s work drew inspiration from physics, likening neural networks to magnetic atom interactions, facilitating tasks like pattern completion and image denoising. His 1982 research linked neural networks to statistical physics, bridging biological concepts with computational techniques.
4. Geoffrey Hinton advanced the Boltzmann Machine, contributing to the development of Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs). Hinton’s work on RBMs enabled the progression of deep learning in artificial neural networks, leading to breakthroughs across various fields.
4. The duo’s contributions have influenced machine learning’s integration into everyday applications, such as AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

India Eliminates Trachoma as a Public Health Problem
Why in news?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recognized that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health issue. India is now the third country in the WHO Southeast Asia Region to achieve this significant public health milestone.

About Trachoma
1. About: It is the leading infectious cause of blindness globally.
2. Caused by: It is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular bacterium.
3. It occurs via direct or indirect contact with eye or nose discharges from infected individuals, particularly young children who are the main reservoir. Certain fly species can also spread the infection.
4. Prevalence: In endemic areas, active trachoma is common among preschool children, with prevalence rates reaching up to 60-90%.
5. Transmission: It is primarily transmitted within households; close contact with infected individuals increases risk. Although an individual’s immune system can clear single infections, frequent re-infections are common in endemic areas.
6. Disease Progression: Repeated infections lead to scarring inside the eyelid (trachomatous conjunctival scarring), which can cause the eyelashes to turn inward (trachomatous trichiasis). This results in pain, light intolerance, and potential corneal scarring, eventually leading to irreversible blindness if untreated.
7. Impact on Women: Women are blinded up to four times more often than men, likely due to frequent close contact with infected children.
8. Environmental Factors Influencing Transmission: Inadequate hygiene practices, Overcrowded living conditions, Limited access to water and Insufficient sanitation facilities.
9. Geographic Distribution: Hyperendemic in rural, impoverished areas across Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Responsible for blindness or visual impairment in approximately 1.9 million people, accounting for 1.4% of global blindness. Africa is the most affected continent with significant control efforts underway.
10. Countries Eliminating Trachoma: As of October 2022, 15 countries, including Cambodia, China, Gambia, and others, have been validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.

Nanozymes

A recent study by the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI) has shown that nanozymes, which are nanomaterials functioning like enzymes, can improve collagen’s integrity and resistance to enzymatic degradation.
• Traditional collagen crosslinking methods often involve harsh chemicals that risk damaging the protein, but nanozymes achieve this under mild conditions, preserving collagen’s structure.
• This breakthrough has significant implications for creating durable collagen-based biomaterials used in wound healing and tissue engineering.
• The study highlights a manganese-based nanozyme that enhances collagen’s stability through a tannic acid-tyrosine linkage, making it resistant to collagenase, an enzyme that typically degrades collagen.
• Another related study explores how biomolecules interact with enzyme-like catalytic sites in metal-organic frameworks, offering new avenues for more precise artificial enzymes in medical applications.

Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)

1. About: The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was established in 1961.
2. Objectives of CSTT: The primary objective of CSTT is to standardize and evolve scientific and technical terminology in Indian languages to ensure clarity and uniformity in usage across academic and professional spheres.
3. Aim: CSTT aims to encourage the use of Hindi and other Indian languages as mediums of instruction in higher education, particularly in technical and scientific disciplines, where English has traditionally been dominant.

Missions Related to Venus
Past missions:
Venera Series (1961-1984): Soviet Union’s series of successful Venus missions including flybys, orbiters, landers, and balloons.
Pioneer Venus (1978): NASA mission studying Venus’ atmosphere, cloud structure, and surface using radar.
Magellan (1989): NASA mission mapping Venus’ surface using radar imaging.
Akatsuki (2010): JAXA mission studying Venus’ atmospheric circulation.
Future missions:
VERITAS (2026): NASA radar mission to map Venus’ geology.
DAVINCI (2026): NASA mission to study Venus’ atmosphere.
EnVision (2030s): ESA radar mission mapping Venus’ surface.

Project 200

Bengaluru-based startup Bellatrix Aerospace unveiled “Project 200,” an innovative satellite designed to operate at Ultra-Low Earth Orbit (180-250 km) during the Bengaluru Space Expo 2024.
1 This orbit could revolutionize satellite capabilities, enhancing applications like high-resolution Earth observation and telecommunications.
2 The startup’s breakthrough propulsion technology will allow satellites to operate at this low altitude for years, overcoming the challenges of atmospheric drag.
3 This new technology reduces communication latency by half, improves image resolution by three times, and significantly lowers satellite costs, marking a major shift in satellite operations.

thermobaric weapons

Russia’s use of ODAB-1500 thermobaric weapons in Ukraine has garnered attention due to their extremely destructive effects.
About Thermobaric weapons:
1 Thermobaric weapons use the atmosphere’s oxygen to fuel an explosion.
2 Release a fuel cloud that ignites, causing a high-temperature explosion.
3 Results in an immense blast wave and a vacuum effect by consuming nearby oxygen.