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Herbicide Tolerant (HT) Bt Cotton

Why in News The illegal cultivation of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) Bt cotton has seen a huge jump as the sale of illegal seed packets has more than...

19 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
China’s Shenzhou-12 Manned Mission

Why in News Recently, a Chinese spaceship “Shenzhou-12” carrying a three-person crew docked with China’s new space station module...

18 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
AI: Promises & Perils

This article is based on “The promise and perils of Artificial Intelligence partnerships” which was published in The Hindustan Times on...

17 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Deep Ocean Mission

Why in News Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on the Deep Ocean...

17 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
New Shephard: Taking Tourists to Space

Why in News Recently, a company called Blue Origin concluded the online auction for the first seat on New Shephard, a rocket system meant to take...

15 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
PASIPHAE: A Sky Surveying Project

Why in news The Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP), a vital instrument for the PASIPHAE Project, is being developed at Inter-University...

14 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
EnVision Mission to Venus: European Space Agency

Why in News Recently, European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a new mission- EnVision mission to Venus. Key Points About: It is an European...

12 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Fast Radio Bursts

Why in News Recently, researchers from the Pune-based Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics...

11 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Supersonic Commercial Plane

Why in News The US airline United has announced plans to buy 15 new supersonic airliners and "return supersonic speeds to aviation" in the year...

09 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
CIBER-2: Counting of Stars

Why in News A NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) funded CIBER-2 sounding rocket’s launch window will open at the White Sands...

05 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Corbevax Covid-19 Vaccine

Why in News India has placed an advance order to block 300 million doses of a new Covid-19 vaccine, Corbevax. Key Points Corbevax: About: It...

05 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Satellite Internet

Why in News According to an estimate, 1,250 satellites will be launched annually this decade, with 70% of them for commercial purposes. Various...

04 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
China's 'Artificial Sun' EAST

Why in News Recently, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) achieved a peak temperature of 288 million degrees...

04 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
New Missions to Venus: NASA

Why in News Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced two new robotic missions to Venus. Earlier, scientists...

03 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
First Human Case of H10N3 Bird Flu

Why in News Recently, China has reported the first case of human infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu in Jiangsu province. Key...

03 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Disinfection System Vajra Kavach

Why in News Vajra Kavach is a simple disinfection process that enables Corona Warriors to reuse their masks and PPEs. The technology has been...

01 Jun 2021 Science & Technology
Launching Baby Squids and Tardigrades into Space

Why in News NASA will send baby squids and tardigrades (also called water bears) to the International Space Station for conducting various...

31 May 2021 Science & Technology
Havana Syndrome

Why in News Recently, two US officials have shown symptoms of a mystery illness that is linked to Havana Syndrome. In 2020, a report by the...

24 May 2021 Science & Technology
Zebrafish and its Importance in Human Spaceflights

Why in News A new research in zebrafish has demonstrated how induced hibernation (torpor) may protect humans from the elements of space, especially...

24 May 2021 Science & Technology
Coviself: Self Testing Kit

Why in News Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved India’s first self-use Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for Covid-19...

21 May 2021 Science & Technology

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		'title' => 'Herbicide Tolerant (HT) Bt Cotton',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The illegal cultivation of <strong>Herbicide Tolerant (HT) <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/impacts-of-bt-cotton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bt cotton</a></strong> has seen a huge jump as the sale of illegal seed packets has more than doubled from 30 lakh in 2020 to 75 lakh in 2021.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bt Cotton:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bt cotton is the<strong> only transgenic crop</strong> that has been<strong> approved by the Centre for commercial cultivation</strong> in India.</li>
<li>It has been <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/genetically-modified-seeds" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>genetically modified (GM)</strong></a> to produce an insecticide to combat the <strong>cotton bollworm,</strong> a common pest.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Herbicide Tolerant Bt (HTBt) Cotton:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The HTBt cotton variant adds another layer of modification, making the plant <strong>resistant to the herbicide glyphosate,</strong> but has not been approved by regulators.</li>
<li><strong>Fears</strong> include glyphosate having a carcinogenic effect, as well as the unchecked spread of herbicide resistance to nearby plants through pollination,<strong> creating a variety of superweeds.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need for Using HTBt Cotton:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Saves Cost:</strong> There is a shortage of the labour needed to do at least <strong>two rounds of weeding for Bt cotton.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>With HTBt, simply one round of glyphosate spraying is needed</strong> with no weeding. It saves Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 8,000 per acre for farmers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Support of Scientists:</strong> Scientists are also in favour of this crop, and even the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization (WHO)</strong> </a>has said it does not cause cancer. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>But the government has still withheld approval for HTBt.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues Emanating from Illegal Sale of HTBt Cotton:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As it is not approved by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/geac-seeks-information-from-bangladesh-on-bt-brinjal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)</strong></a>, illegal sale takes place in Indian markets.</li>
<li><strong>Farmers are at risk</strong> with such illegal cotton seed sale as there is <strong>no accountability of the quality of seed, it pollutes the environment,</strong> the <strong>industry is losing legitimate seed sale and the government also loses revenue</strong> in terms of tax collection.</li>
<li>It will not only <strong>decimate small cotton seed companies</strong> but also <strong>threatens the entire legal cotton seed market</strong> in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) functions under the <strong>Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC).</strong></li>
<li>It is responsible for the appraisal of activities involving large-scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle.</li>
<li>The committee is also responsible for the appraisal of proposals relating to the release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and products into the environment including experimental field trials.</li>
<li>GEAC is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of MoEF&amp;CC and co-chaired by a representative from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Regulators only limit their checking/regulation to licensed dealers and seed companies while illegal activity of HT seed sales is <strong>carried mostly by unorganised </strong>and<strong> fly-by-night operators.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thus, focus must be shifted to catching them and taking exemplary and strong punitive action.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Collective action</strong> of both centre and state government is required. The Centre has made the policy to ban this variant. But it is the State governments that must also work in tandem with the central government.</li>
<li><strong>Environmental impact assessment</strong> should be carried out by independent environmentalists, as farmers do not and cannot assess the long-term impact of GM crops on ecology and health.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sale-of-illegal-htbt-cotton-seeds-doubles/article34852355.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8636,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'China’s Shenzhou-12 Manned Mission',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a Chinese spaceship <strong>&ldquo;Shenzhou-12&rdquo;</strong> carrying a <strong>three-person crew</strong> docked with China&rsquo;s new <strong>space station</strong> module <strong>Tianhe-1.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This has come after the launch of the <strong>Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft,</strong> which carried vital supplies for the space station.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Shenzhou-12 craft</strong> connected with the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/china-s-permanent-space-station" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Tianhe space station module</strong></a> about six hours after takeoff from the <strong>Jiuquan launch center in Gobi Desert.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> three-man crew</strong> will spend<strong> three months on the Tianhe module,</strong> which is orbiting at some <strong>340km to 380km</strong> above the earth.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>China is the<strong> third country after</strong> the former <strong>Soviet Union</strong> and the <strong>United States</strong> to carry out a<strong> manned mission</strong> on its own.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This is the <strong>first of two manned space missions</strong> planned for this year, part of an intense schedule of launches aimed at completing the <strong>Chinese space station in 2022.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>At least <strong>five more missions</strong> are planned for the year, with the <strong>Shenzhou-13</strong> manned mission, also carrying three astronauts, set for later this year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The three astronauts are the first to take up residency in the main living module and <strong>will carry out</strong> experiments, test equipment, conduct maintenance and prepare the station for receiving two laboratory modules next year.</li>
<li>It was <strong>China&rsquo;s seventh crewed mission to space</strong> but marked<strong> a number of firsts for the country &ndash;</strong> the first manned one during the construction of China&rsquo;s space station, the first in nearly five years after the country&rsquo;s <strong>last manned mission in 2016</strong> and China&rsquo;s<strong> longest crewed space mission</strong> to date.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Purpose of the Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will help test technologies related to<strong> long-term astronaut-stays</strong> and health care, the recycling and life support system, the supply of space materials, extravehicular activities and operations, and in-orbit maintenance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China&rsquo;s Space Station:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China is <strong>not a participant in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-fact-for-prelims-27-february-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Space Station (ISS)</a>,</strong> largely as a result of US objections to the Chinese program's secrecy and close military ties. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The ISS is a joint project between <strong>five participating space agencies: NASA</strong> (United States), <strong>Roscosmos</strong> (Russia), <strong>JAXA</strong> (Japan), <strong>ESA</strong> (Europe), and b (Canada).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, <strong>China has been stepping up cooperation with Russia and a host of other countries,</strong> and <strong>its station may continue operating beyond the ISS, </strong>which is <strong>reaching the end of its functional life.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Recent Space Missions of China:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China's Mars Probe:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In May 2021 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tianwen-1-china-s-mars-mission-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>China&rsquo;s Tianwen spacecraft</strong></a> landed on Mars carrying a <strong>rover, the Zhurong.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will conduct scientific investigations into the planet&rsquo;s soil, geological structure, environment, atmosphere and water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China&rsquo;s Moon Probe:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In November 2020, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chang-e-5-mission-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Chang&rsquo;e-5 mission</strong></a> landed on the moon&rsquo;s less explored far side and brought back the first lunar samples by any country&rsquo;s space program since the 1970s.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China and Russia</strong> have also unveiled an ambitious plan for a joint <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-lunar-research-station-russia-and-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Lunar Research Station</strong> </a>running through 2036. That could compete and possibly conflict with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lunar-evacuation-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Multinational Artemis Accords (MAA).</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>MAA is a blueprint for space cooperation that supports NASA&rsquo;s plans to return humans to the moon by 2024 and to launch an historic human mission to Mars.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1624012224_image%200.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1624012224_image 0.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinese-astronauts-dock-with-space-station/article34841851.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'AI: Promises & Perils',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/the-promise-and-perils-of-ai-partnerships-101623837070390.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;The promise and perils of Artificial Intelligence partnerships&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindustan Times on 16/06/2021. It talks about the promises and perils associated with Artificial intelligence.</p>
</div>
<p>Historically, Technology competition has been a main aspect of geopolitics. In this day and age, it can be increasingly reflected in geopolitical battles between the US and China. One such technological competition can be easily witnessed in the field of <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/ethical-challenges-posed-by-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artificial intelligence (AI)</a>.</strong></p>
<p>Artificial intelligence is that activity devoted to making machines intelligent or to make them think like humans. AI has emerged as one technology of particular importance because of its role as an accelerator, its versatility, and its wide applicability.</p>
<p>However, AI can also be used for a host of undesirable purposes &mdash; generating misinformation, criminal activity, and encroaching upon personal privacy or inducing technological unemployment.</p>
<p>Therefore, as the global community seeks to leverage the promises of AI, they should also confront similar challenges when it comes to the development and deployment of AI and develop a human-centric approach to AI.</p>
<h3>Promises of AI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Some Primary advantages of AI are as follows:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>AI drives down the time taken to perform a task. It enables multi-tasking and eases the workload for existing resources.</li>
<li>AI enables the execution of hitherto complex tasks without significant cost outlays.</li>
<li>AI operates 24x7 without interruption or breaks and has no downtime</li>
<li>AI augments the capabilities of differently abled individuals</li>
<li>AI has mass market potential, it can be deployed across industries.</li>
<li>AI facilitates decision-making by making the process faster and smarter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>360-degree Effect:</strong> Based on these advantages, AI can be used in many positive ways &mdash; to foster innovation, increase efficiency, improve development, and enhance consumer experience.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For India, AI deployment will be tied closely to inclusive growth and its development trajectory, with potentially positive implications for agriculture, health, and education, among other sectors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Driven by recent breakthroughs in machine learning &amp; Big data, AI is a good bellwether for the possibilities and challenges of international cooperation on emerging technologies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Perils Associated With AI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Promoting Prejudices and Inequalities:</strong> It shouldn&rsquo;t be forgotten that AI systems are created by humans, who can be biased and judgemental. Thus, AI can promote prejudices and inequalities, if initial training of the AI algorithms are biased.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, it can lead to AI facial recognition and surveillance technology to discriminate against people of color and minorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Comprising Privacy:</strong> AI systems learn by analyzing huge volumes of data and they keep adapting through continuous modelling of interaction data and user-feedback. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thus, with the increasing use of AI, the right to privacy can be under threat due to unauthorized access to one&rsquo;s activity data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disproportionate Power and Control:</strong> Technology giants are investing heavily in regard to artificial intelligence, both at the scientific/engineering and also at the commercial and product development level.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These big players have an unmatched advantage when compared to any ambitious competitor out there which is a symptom of data-oligarchic society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Technological Unemployment:</strong> AI companies are building intelligent machines that perform tasks typically carried out by low-income workers. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example self-service kiosks to replace cashiers, fruit-picking robots to replace field workers, etc.</li>
<li>Moreover, the day is not far when many desk jobs will also be edged out by AI, such as accountants, financial traders, and middle managers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>International Cooperation:</strong> Given that various governments have only recently established AI policies, and in some cases are still formulating them, international cooperation is still very much a work in progress. in the setting of standards at the multilateral level.</li>
<li><strong>Building Resilient Supply Chains:</strong> Beyond talent, additional challenges like, securing the necessary infrastructure; ensuring resilient supply chains, alignment on standards, governance, ensuring critical minerals and other raw materials required for the development of the necessary physical infrastructure, needs to be addressed.</li>
<li><strong>Right Steps Taken:</strong> AI technological revolution brings great opportunities for prosperity and growth &mdash; but it has to be ensured that the technology will be applied and used in the right direction.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this regard, some steps are already being taken in different parts of the world, like Explainable AI (XAI) and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/right-to-be-forgotten-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>European Union&rsquo;s GDPR &mdash; General Data Protection Regulation).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The critical decisions made in the near future could have transformative effects for international cooperation on AI, which, in turn, could decisively shape the contours of what some have described as the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-industrial-revolution-4-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Fourth Industrial Revolution.</strong></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f5fff8;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>As the global community seeks to leverage the promises of Artificial Intelligence, they should also confront similar challenges when it comes to the development and deployment of it. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8629,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Deep Ocean Mission',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-committees-formed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs</strong></a> has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on the<strong> Deep Ocean Mission (DOM).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/govt-plans-isro-like-ocean-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> blueprint of the DOM</strong></a> to explore the deep recesses of the ocean was unveiled in 2018. Earlier, MoES had also rolled out the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/draft-blue-economy-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>draft Blue Economy Policy.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1623930284_image5.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1623930284_image5.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cost of the Mission has been estimated at Rs. 4,077 crore <strong>over a five-year period</strong> and will be<strong> implemented in phases. MoES</strong> will be the <strong>nodal ministry</strong> implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.</li>
<li>It will be a <strong>mission mode project to support the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/blue-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Economy</a> Initiatives</strong> of the Government of India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Blue Economy</strong> is the<strong> sustainable use of ocean resources</strong> for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> technology and expertise</strong> needed in such missions is now available with only five countries - US, Russia, France, Japan and China.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>India will now be the sixth country to have it.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Major Components:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A <strong>manned submersible will be developed to carry three people</strong> to a depth of 6,000 metres in the ocean with a <strong>suite of scientific sensors and tools.</strong></li>
<li>An <strong>Integrated Mining System</strong> will be also developed for mining<strong> polymetallic nodules</strong> at those depths in the central Indian Ocean. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Polymetallic nodules</strong> are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The exploration studies of minerals <strong>will pave the way for commercial exploitation in the near future,</strong> as and when commercial exploitation code is evolved by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/un-begins-talks-to-regulate-the-high-seas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Seabed Authority</strong></a>, an <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations (UN)</strong></a> organisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It entails developing a suite of observations and models <strong>to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables</strong> on seasonal to decadal time scales.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Technological Innovations for Exploration and Conservation of Deep-sea Biodiversity:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Bio-prospecting of deep sea flora and fauna</strong> including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep sea bio-resources will be the main focus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will explore and identify <strong>potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization</strong> along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Energy and Freshwater from the Ocean:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/ocean-energy#:~:text=Ocean%20Thermal%20Energy%20Conversion%20(OTEC,1%2C000%20meters%2C%20to%20extract%20energy.&amp;text=In%20Closed%20cycle%20method%2C%20a,the%20steam%20runs%20a%20turbine." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)</strong> </a>powered <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/desalination-plants-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>desalination plants</strong></a> are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>OTEC is a technology which <strong>uses ocean temperature differences</strong> from the surface to depths lower than 1,000 meters, <strong>to extract energy.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering.</li>
<li>It will translate research into <strong>industrial application and product development</strong> through on-site business incubator facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Oceans,</strong> which cover<strong> 70% of the globe,</strong> remain a key part of our life. About <strong>95% of the Deep Ocean remains unexplored. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Three sides of India are surrounded by the oceans</strong> and around<strong> 30% of the country's population living in coastal areas,</strong> the ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has a unique maritime position. Its <strong>7517 km long coastline is home to nine coastal states and 1382 islands.</strong></li>
<li>The Government of India's <strong>Vision of New India by 2030</strong> announced in February 2019 highlighted the Blue Economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Oceans are also a<strong> storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines, modulator of weather and climate and underpin life on Earth.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Considering the importance of the oceans on sustainability, the UN has declared the decade, <strong>2021-2030 as the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-day-for-biological-diversity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. </a></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Blue Economy Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-norway-task-force-on-blue-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development</a> :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was inaugurated jointly by both the countries in 2020 to develop and follow up joint initiatives between the two countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sagarmala Project:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sagarmala-seaplane-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sagarmala project</strong></a> is the strategic initiative for port-led development through the extensive use of IT enabled services for modernization of ports.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>O-SMART:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has an umbrella scheme by the name of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-approves-o-smart-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>O-SMART</strong></a> which aims at regulated use of oceans, marine resources for sustainable development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/integrated-coastal-zone-management-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Integrated Coastal Zone Management</strong></a>:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It focuses on conservation of coastal and marine resources, and improving livelihood opportunities for coastal communities etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Fisheries Policy :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has a National Fisheries policy for promoting 'Blue Growth Initiative' which focuses on sustainable utilization of fisheries wealth from marine and other aquatic resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1727525" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8605,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'New Shephard: Taking Tourists to Space',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a company called <strong>Blue Origin</strong> concluded the online auction for the<strong> first seat on New Shephard,</strong> a rocket system meant to take tourists to space.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It takes its first human flight on 20<sup>th</sup> July, 2021, which marks the <strong>52<sup>nd</sup> anniversary of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/apollo-11-50-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin&rsquo;s moon landing</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>New Shephard:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>New Shephard has been named after <strong>astronaut Alan Shephard &ndash; the first American to go to space &ndash; </strong>and<strong> offers flights to space over 100 km above the Earth</strong> and accommodation for payloads.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>rocket system that has been designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line.</strong></li>
<li>The idea is to provide <strong>easier and more cost-effective access to space</strong> meant for purposes such as academic research, corporate technology development and entrepreneurial ventures among others.</li>
<li>It will <strong>also allow space tourists to experience microgravity</strong> by taking them 100 km above the Earth.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Microgravity</strong> is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless. The effects of microgravity can be seen when astronauts and objects float in space.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Karman Line</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Karman line is the<strong> internationally recognized boundary of space.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1623749428_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1623749428_image3.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The line is named after <strong>Theodore von K&aacute;rm&aacute;n (1881&ndash;1963),</strong> a Hungarian American engineer and physicist, who was active primarily in aeronautics and astronautics.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He was the first person to calculate the altitude at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to support aeronautical flight and arrived at 83.6 km himself.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> F&eacute;d&eacute;ration A&eacute;ronautique Internationale (FAI) defines Karman Line as the altitude of 100 kilometres</strong> above Earth&rsquo;s mean sea level.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>FAI is the world<strong> governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, other organizations do not use this definition. <strong>There is no international law defining the edge of space, and therefore the limit of national airspace.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Space Tourism</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Space tourism is about <strong>humans travelling into space for recreational purposes. </strong>It seeks to<strong> give laypeople the ability to go to space for recreational, leisure or business purposes.</strong></li>
<li>It will <strong>make space more accessible to those individuals who are not astronauts</strong> and want to go to space for non-scientific purposes.</li>
<li>Three private companies &ndash; Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are now spearheading the human endeavour to explore space.</li>
<li>Their progress will decide whether space travel will one day become as accessible as air travel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Previous Space Tourists:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The first space tourist was<strong> US millionaire Dennis Tito,</strong> who in 2001 paid USD 20 million to hitch a ride on a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gaganyaan-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Russian Soyuz spacecraft</strong></a> to visit the international space station and spent eight days there.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>After Tito, there were <strong>only seven other private citizens who travelled to space until 2009</strong> when the Russian space agency wound up the business of selling tickets to private citizens.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Space Adventures</strong> is the <strong>only private company</strong> to send paying customers to orbital space so far. In 2004, test pilot <strong>Mike Melville became the first private astronaut to fly beyond the Karman Line.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Huge Market:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>There is an estimated market of 2.4 million people for such flights.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Base for Testing:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It <strong>can provide a base for testing supersonic travel</strong> between different destinations on earth, significantly compressing travel time. Besides, <strong>it heralds the entry of the private sector into this arena.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Climate Change:</strong> Soot or black carbon that results from rocket emissions accumulated in the stratosphere (approximately 5 to 31 miles above the Earth) cannot be washed away by rain or winds, as it is in the lower atmosphere. As a result, black carbon may linger in the stratosphere for years, <strong>causing exponentially more <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-development-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change.</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Health:</strong> It can cause health concerns as passengers could also face motion sickness and disorientation, which can <strong>affect vision, cognition, balance and motor control.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are <strong>crucial safety, comfort and health factors to consider.</strong> Training, medical screenings and liability waivers will need to be examined before tourists head to space.</li>
<li>Space tourism will be a small subsector of the industry, but <strong>it will bolster the entire New Space industry.</strong></li>
<li>Once space tourism does become mainstream, it will also positively impact many socioeconomic factors on Earth: <strong>creating jobs, educating citizens about space and fostering a new solar-based energy infrastructure. </strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-new-shephard-the-rocket-system-designed-to-provide-cost-effective-access-to-space-7358063/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8602,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'PASIPHAE: A Sky Surveying Project',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in news</h3>
<p>The <strong>Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP),</strong> a <strong>vital instrument for the PASIPHAE Project,</strong> is being <strong>developed at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), India.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Polar-Areas Stellar-Imaging in Polarisation High-Accuracy Experiment (PASIPHAE) </strong>is<strong> an international collaborative sky surveying project.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Astronomical Polarimetry</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Polarimetry,<strong> a technique to measure the polarisation of light,</strong> is a powerful tool that allows astronomers to infer information about celestial objects, from passing comets to distant galaxies, that can not be obtained using other techniques.</li>
<li><strong>Polarization</strong> is<strong> a property of light that represents the direction that the light wave oscillates.</strong></li>
<li>Two decades ago, an Indian astrophysicist Sujan Sengupta, put forth an idea, that the light emitted by a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/luhman-16-binary-brown-dwarf-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>cloudy brown dwarf</strong></a>, or reflected off an <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-super-earth-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>extrasolar planet</strong></a>, will be polarised.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the PASIPHAE Survey:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an <strong>opto polarimetric survey</strong> aiming to <strong>measure the linear polarization from millions of stars.</strong></li>
<li>The survey<strong> will use two high-tech optical polarimeters to observe the northern and southern skies,</strong> simultaneously.</li>
<li>The survey <strong>will be conducted</strong> concurrently from the<strong> South African Astronomical Observatory in Sutherland,</strong> South Africa in the <strong>southern hemisphere,</strong> and the <strong>Skinakas Observatory in Crete, Greece,</strong> in the <strong>north.</strong></li>
<li>It will focus on <strong>capturing starlight polarisation</strong> of very faint stars that are so far away that polarisation signals from there have not been systematically studied.</li>
<li>The distances to these stars will be obtained from measurements of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/milky-way-s-violent-birth-decoded" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GAIA satellite.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>GAIA is on a<strong> mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our Galaxy,</strong> the Milky Way, in the process revealing the composition, formation and evolution of the Galaxy. It is<strong> a European Space Agency astronomical observatory mission.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Scientists from the University of Crete, Greece, Caltech, USA, <strong>IUCAA, India,</strong> the South African Astronomical Observatory and the University of Oslo, Norway, are involved in this project, steered by the Institute of Astrophysics, Greece.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of the Project:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since its birth about 14 billion years ago, the <strong>universe has been constantly expanding,</strong> as evidenced by the presence of <strong>Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation</strong> which fills the universe.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>Milky Way Galaxy contains a lot of dust clouds</strong> that are present in the form of clusters. When <strong>starlight passes through these dust clouds,</strong> they<strong> get scattered and polarised.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The PASIPHAE polarimetric map<strong> will be used to perform magnetic tomography of the Milky Way Galaxy.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>That is, it will <strong>deduce the 3-dimensional structure of the magnetic field and the dust that resides in our own Galaxy.</strong></li>
<li>This map will <strong>provide invaluable information for future CMB B-mode experiments</strong> searching for inflationary <a href="/infographics/info-paper3/gravitational-waves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>gravitational waves.</strong></a></li>
<li>The <strong>B-mode experiment</strong> was used <strong>to test the theory of cosmic inflation</strong> and distinguish between inflationary models of the very early universe by making precise measurements of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).</li>
<li>According to the <strong>theory of inflation,</strong> the <strong>early Universe expanded exponentially fast for a fraction of a second</strong> after the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/evidence-of-supernova-remnants" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Big Bang.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Beyond studies of the early Universe, the survey will <strong>lead to leaps forward in some of the most actively pursued areas in Astrophysics,</strong> including high-energy astrophysics, stellar astrophysics, and interstellar medium dynamics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was <strong>planned in 2013</strong> after the success of the <strong>RoboPol experiment survey during 2012-2017.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>WALOP and its predecessor RoboPol <strong>share the photometry (measurement of the brightness of celestial objects) principle.</strong></li>
<li>But the<strong> WALOP will be capable of observing hundreds of stars concurrently</strong> present both in the northern and the southern skies as opposed to RoboPol, which has a much smaller field of view in the sky.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Working Principle:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>WALOP will operate on the principle that at any given time, the data from a portion of the sky under observation will be split into four different channels.</li>
<li>Depending on the manner in which light passes through the four channels, the polarisation value from the star is obtained. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>That is, each star will have four corresponding images which when stitched together will help calculate the desired polarisation value of a star.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Installation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A WALOP each will be mounted on the 1.3-metre Skinakas Observatory, Crete, and on the 1-metre telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory located in Sutherland.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-how-pasiphae-will-peep-into-the-unknown-regions-of-the-sky-7357628/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8592,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'EnVision Mission to Venus: European Space Agency',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently,<strong> European Space Agency (ESA)</strong> has announced a new mission-<strong> EnVision mission</strong> to <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-missions-to-venus-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venus</a>.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an European Space Agency (ESA) led mission with contributions from the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).</strong></a></li>
<li>It is likely <strong>to be launched sometime in the 2030s.</strong> Once launched on an Ariane 6 rocket, the spacecraft will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16 more months to achieve orbit circularisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aim:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The mission will carry a range of instruments to study the <strong>planet&rsquo;s atmosphere and surface, monitor trace gases in the atmosphere</strong> and<strong> analyse its surface composition. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>EnVision will follow another ESA-led mission to Venus called<strong> &lsquo;Venus Express&rsquo; (2005-2014)</strong> that <strong>focussed on atmospheric research and pointed to volcanic hotspots</strong> on the planet&rsquo;s surface.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Missions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>US:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>NASA has announced two new robotic missions to Venus - <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-missions-to-venus-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>DAVINCI+ and VERITAS</strong></a>. It will be launched between 2028-2030.</li>
<li>Mariner series 1962-1974, Pioneer Venus 1 and Pioneer Venus 2 in 1978, Magellan in 1989.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Russia:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Venera</strong> series of space crafts 1967-1983, <strong>Vegas</strong> 1 and 2 in 1985.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Japan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Akatsuki spacecraft</strong> has been studying the planet&rsquo;s atmosphere since 2015.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Initiative:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India plans to launch a new orbiter named <strong>Shukrayaan to Venus in 2024.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of Studying Venus:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will help to learn <strong>how Earth-like planets evolve</strong> and what conditions exist on Earth-sized <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-super-earth-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>exoplanets</strong></a> (planets that orbit a star other than our sun).</li>
<li>It will help in <strong>modelling Earth&rsquo;s climate,</strong> and serves as a cautionary tale on how dramatically a planet&rsquo;s climate can change.</li>
<li>Scientists speculate about the existence of life on Venus in its distant past and the <strong>possibility that life may exist</strong> in the top layers of its clouds where temperatures are less extreme.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2020, scientists detected the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/phosphine-on-venus-a-sign-of-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>presence of phosphine</strong></a> (a chemical produced only through biological processes) in the atmosphere of Venus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>DAVINCI+</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DAVINCI+ is short for<strong> &lsquo;Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging&rsquo;</strong> and is the first US-led mission to the planet&rsquo;s atmosphere since 1978.</li>
<li>It will try to <strong>understand Venus&rsquo; composition</strong> to see how the planet formed and evolved.</li>
<li>This mission also consists of a descent sphere that will <strong>pass through the planet&rsquo;s thick atmosphere</strong> and make observations and take measurements of noble gases and other elements.</li>
<li>It will also try to return the first high resolution photographs of a geological feature-<strong>tesserae.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Tesserae</strong> may be comparable to Earth&rsquo;s continents. The presence of tesseraes may suggest that Venus has tectonic plates like Earth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>VERITAS</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>VERITAS is short for<strong> &lsquo;Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy&rsquo;</strong> and will map the planet&rsquo;s surface to determine its geologic history and understand the reasons why it developed so differently from Earth.</li>
<li>It will orbit Venus with a radar that will help to create a three dimensional reconstruction of its topography which might be able to confirm if processes such as plate tectonics and volcanism are still active there.</li>
<li>This mission will also map the emissions from Venus&rsquo;s surface that may help in determining the type of rocks that exist on Venus.</li>
<li>It will also determine if active volcanoes are releasing water vapour into the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-european-space-agencys-envision-mission-to-venus-7354821/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8585,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Fast Radio Bursts',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, researchers from the <strong>Pune-based Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR)</strong> and the <strong>National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA),</strong> have assembled the largest collection of <strong>Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs)</strong> catalogue.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The data is from <strong>Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME).</strong></li>
<li>In 2020, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> spotted <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/radio-burst-in-milky-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>FRB for the first time in the Milky Way.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Fast Radio Bursts:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>FRB are<strong> bright bursts of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ham-radio#:~:text=Radio%20waves%20have%20the%20longest,radio%20and%20television%20communication%20systems." target="_blank" rel="noopener">radio waves</a></strong> (radio waves can be produced by astronomical objects with changing magnetic fields) whose <strong>durations lie in the millisecond-scale,</strong> because of which it is difficult to detect them and determine their position in the sky.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was first<strong> discovered in 2007.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1623408883_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1623408883_image2.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a>A defining property of these bursts is their <strong>dispersion</strong> (scattering or separation), the bursts <strong>produce a spectrum of radio waves,</strong> and as the waves travel through matter, they spread out or disperse with bursts at higher radio frequencies arriving at telescopes earlier than those at lower frequencies.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Dispersion</strong> can result in <strong>signal degradation in many applications, especially over large distances.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This dispersion allows researchers to learn about two important things:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>They can measure this dispersion to<strong> learn about the stuff that radio bursts pass through as they travel toward Earth</strong></li>
<li>They can indirectly <strong>determine how far apart things are.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>FRBs Catalogue &amp; Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new catalogue significantly<strong> expands the current library of known FRBs,</strong> and is already <strong>yielding clues as to their properties.</strong></li>
<li>For instance, the newly discovered bursts appear to fall in <strong>two distinct classes: those that repeat, and those that don&rsquo;t.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>repeaters looked different,</strong> with <strong>each burst lasting slightly longer</strong> and emitting more focused radio frequencies than bursts from single, non-repeating FRBs.</li>
<li>These differences strongly suggest that emission from repeaters and non-repeaters is generated either by different physical mechanisms or in different astrophysical environments</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The bursts were <strong>evenly distributed in space, seeming to arise from any and all parts of the sky.</strong></li>
<li>Bright FRBs occur at a rate of about<strong> 800 per day</strong> across the entire sky - the most precise estimate of FRBs overall rate to date.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Origin of FRBs:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>FRBs have been spotted in various and distant parts of the universe, as well as in our own galaxy. Their <strong>origins are unknown and their appearance is highly unpredictable.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>CHIME</strong> project has nearly quadrupled the number of fast radio bursts discovered to date. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The telescope has detected <strong>535 new FRBs</strong> in its first year of operation itself, <strong>between 2018 and 2019.</strong></li>
<li>With more observations, astronomers hope soon to <strong>find the origins of the FRBs.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Chime:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a<strong> novel radio telescope that has no moving parts.</strong> Originally <strong>conceived to map the most abundant element in the universe - hydrogen -</strong> over a good fraction of the observable universe, this unusual telescope is <strong>optimized to have a high mapping speed.</strong></li>
<li>It is located at the<strong> Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory,</strong> operated by the <strong>National Research Council of Canada in British Columbia, Canada.</strong></li>
<li>The telescope <strong>receives radio signals each day from half of the sky as the Earth rotates.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Studying FRBs:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The unique properties of fast radio bursts and their host galaxies combined with recent technological advancements have given researchers <strong>hope that these phenomena can be used to answer some long-standing questions </strong>about the <strong>universe.</strong></li>
<li>It can be <strong>used to understand the three&ndash;dimensional structure of matter</strong> in the universe and to learn about<strong> poorly understood early moments in the evolution of the universe.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/science-technology/how-535-new-fast-radio-bursts-can-help-answer-deep-questions-about-the-universe-77380" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8559,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Supersonic Commercial Plane',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>US airline United has announced plans to buy 15 new supersonic airliners</strong> and "return supersonic speeds to aviation" in the year 2029.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Airline has agreed to <strong>purchase the Overture aircraft from Boom Supersonic</strong> (a Denver-based start-up), with the <strong>planes able to fly at Mach 1.7 faster than the speed of sound.</strong></li>
<li>The new supersonic &ldquo;Overture&rdquo; aircraft will <strong>become the world&rsquo;s fastest commercial airliner</strong>, reducing travel time by about half of today&rsquo;s planes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Concorde</strong>, the British-French turbojet-powered commercial airliner, <strong>was the first aircraft to carry passengers at supersonic speed.</strong> Supersonic planes flew passengers <strong>from 1976 until 2003.</strong></li>
<li>But eventually <strong>had to discontinue</strong>, due to cost and other concerns.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Supersonic Plane:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Supersonic aircraft are planes that <strong>can fly faster than the speed of sound.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Usually, supersonic planes can travel at the <strong>speed of around 900 kmph, twice the speed of normal aircraft.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>technology for supersonic flights is actually over 70 years old</strong>, but only recently has been used for commercial flying.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Before 1976, when the first commercial supersonic flight took off, the planes were <strong>used entirely for military purposes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Boom&rsquo;s Overture Supersonic Aircraft:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Overture aircraft would <strong>travel at the speed of Mach 1.7 or 1,805 kmph</strong> with <strong>a range of 4,250 nautical miles.</strong></li>
<li>In a single flight, it could <strong>carry 65 to 88 passengers</strong> and reach <strong>an altitude of 60,000 ft.</strong></li>
<li>Trial flights are scheduled to begin in 2026, with commercial use coming three year later.</li>
<li>It will <strong>build upon Concorde&rsquo;s legacy</strong> through faster, more efficient and sustainable technology.</li>
<li>The company has claimed to produce an eco-friendly aircraft with &ldquo;<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-transforming-to-a-net-zero-emissions-energy-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>net-zero carbon emissions</strong></a>'', set to fly with 100% <strong>sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Sustainable aviation fuels</strong> include <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indias-first-biofuel-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>biofuels</strong></a> and synthetic kerosine that are manufactured using renewable and sustainable materials.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It aims for <strong>&ldquo;zero overland noise.&rdquo;</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This essentially means that it will cruise at supersonic speeds only over water, ensuring that no <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sonic-boom" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>sonic boom</strong></a> or excessive noise reaches the surfaces where people live.</li>
<li>It will be equipped with <strong>advanced aerodynamics</strong> and c<strong>arbon composite materials.</strong></li>
<li>This will be able to <strong>cut significant development and maintenance costs</strong> in ways which the Concorde planes could not.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges with Supersonic Planes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>High Manufacturing Cost:</strong> The costs of making &ldquo;sustainable&rdquo; supersonic planes are extremely high.</li>
<li><strong>Environmental Cost:</strong> The very nature of its flying using excessive amounts of fuel and energy is likely to have high environmental costs.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Despite the use of sustainable fuels, the <strong>greenhouse gas emissions</strong> are not nullified.</li>
<li>The plane consumes high amounts of fuel in order to take off, that too in a market where sustainable fuels aren&rsquo;t readily available.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Excessive Noise Pollution:</strong> The speed of the planes result in producing excessive amounts of noise pollution in the environment.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The &ldquo;Sonic Boom&rdquo; created by these planes feels like an explosion to the human ear.</li>
<li>This, thus, limits where and when the supersonic planes can fly. They can only reach their actual speed until they are far enough from people and completely over the ocean.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Regulatory Approvals:</strong> To fly such planes can be unsuccessful, especially for transatlantic flights. Getting clearance from regulators around the world would be a challenging task, since the supersonic planes in the past have already been flagged for these hurdles.</li>
<li><strong>Too Costly:</strong> It would not be economically feasible for everyone. Only the very rich can afford supersonic planes, as a ticket is likely to be way more costlier than a first class ticket of a regular plane.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/amp/s/indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-in-proposed-return-of-supersonic-flying-the-benefits-and-concerns-7348378/lite/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=editors&amp;ust=1623229519013000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2U3RX2U6P5KOy7ANV9wzYz" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8537,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'CIBER-2: Counting of Stars',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NASA</strong></a> (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)<strong> funded CIBER-2 sounding rocket&rsquo;s</strong> launch window will open at the <strong>White Sands Missile Range</strong> in New Mexico, USA.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> aim</strong> of CIBER-2 mission is <strong>to look for evidence of extra stars</strong> that may have been missed in stellar head counts.</li>
<li>The <strong>ESA (European Space Agency) infrared space observatory Herschel</strong> also counted the number of galaxies in infrared and measured their luminosity previously.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sounding Rocket:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sounding rockets take their name from the nautical term<strong> "to sound,"</strong> which means to <strong>take measurements.</strong></li>
<li>Since 1959, NASA-sponsored space and earth science research has used sounding rockets to test instruments used on satellites and spacecraft and to provide information about the <strong>Sun, stars, galaxies</strong> and <strong>Earth's atmosphere and radiation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About CIBER-2 (Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment-2):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The mission is the <strong>latest in a series of sounding rocket launches</strong> that began in 2009. The count from the first CIBER mission paved the way to reorganize the research and give the counting of stars another run.</li>
<li>The CIBER-2 instrument will<strong> launch aboard a sounding rocket,</strong> a small suborbital rocket that will carry scientific instruments on brief trips into space before it falls back to Earth for recovery.</li>
<li>Once above Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere, CIBER-2 will <strong>survey a patch of sky about 4 square degrees -</strong> for reference, the full Moon takes up about half a degree &ndash; that includes dozens of galaxy clusters.</li>
<li>It <strong>will not actually count individual stars</strong> but it will instead detect the <strong>extragalactic background light,</strong> which is all of the light that has been emitted throughout the history of the Universe.</li>
<li>From all of this extragalactic background light, the CIBER-2<strong> will focus on a portion of this called cosmic infrared background,</strong> which is emitted by some of the most common stars. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Essentially, this approach is aiming to look at how bright this light is to give scientists an estimate of how many of these stars are out there.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rough Estimate of Stars:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To get a rough estimate of the total number of stars in the universe, scientists have calculated the <strong>average number of stars in a galaxy &ndash;</strong> some estimates put it at about <strong>100 million,</strong> though it could be 10 or more times higher.</li>
<li><strong>Multiplying it by the number of galaxies,</strong> taken to be about<strong> 2 trillion</strong> (also very tentative), there are<strong> one hundred quintillion stars (or 1 with 21 zeros after it).</strong></li>
<li>But this calculation <strong>assumes that all stars are inside galaxies,</strong> which might not be true and this is what the <strong>CIBER-2 instrument will try to find out.</strong></li>
<li>The European Space Agency (ESA) says<strong> there could be 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-are-the-number-of-stars-in-the-universe-counted-nasa-rocket-launch-white-sands-missile-range-7344254/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8533,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Corbevax Covid-19 Vaccine',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India has placed an advance order to block 300 million doses of a new <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> vaccine, <strong>Corbevax.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corbevax:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> It is India&rsquo;s indigenous <strong>Covid-19 vaccine</strong> which is currently <strong>undergoing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covaxin-approved-for-human-clinical-trials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phase 3 clinical trials.</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Working:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is a <strong>&ldquo;recombinant protein sub-unit&rdquo;</strong> vaccine.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It means it is made up of a <strong>specific part of SARS-CoV-2</strong> - the <strong>spike protein</strong> on the virus&rsquo;s surface.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>spike protein allows the virus</strong> to enter the cells in the body so that it can replicate and cause disease.</li>
<li>However, when this <strong>protein alone is given to the body,</strong> it is not expected to be harmful as the rest of the virus is absent.</li>
<li>The body is expected to <strong>develop an immune response</strong> against the injected spike protein.</li>
<li>Therefore, when the real virus attempts to infect the body, it will already have an immune response ready that will make it unlikely for the person to fall severely ill.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Difference between Corbevax and Other Covid-19 Vaccines:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They are either <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hgco19-mrna-vaccine-candidate" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>mRNA vaccines</strong></a> (Pfizer and Moderna), <strong>viral vector vaccines</strong> (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covishield-and-covaxin-approved-for-restricted-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covishield</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sputnik-v-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sputnik V</strong></a>) or <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/inactivated-virus-vaccine-in-focus-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inactivated vaccines</strong></a> (<strong>Covaxin</strong>, Sinovac-CoronaVac and Sinopharm&rsquo;s Vero Cell).</li>
<li><strong>Viral vector and mRNA</strong> vaccines <strong>use a code to induce our cells</strong> to make the spike proteins against which the body has to build immunity. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In the case of Corbevax, protein itself is given.</li>
<li><strong>mRNA vaccines</strong> work by using messenger RNA (mRNA), which is the molecule that essentially puts DNA instructions into action. Inside a cell, mRNA is used as a template to build a protein.</li>
<li><strong>Viral vector vaccines</strong> use a modified version of a different virus (the vector) to deliver important instructions to our cells.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inactivated vaccines include killed particles of the whole SARS-CoV-2 virus,</strong> attempting to target the entire structure of the virus.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Corbevax, like the mRNA and viral vector Covid-19 vaccines, targets only the spike protein, but in a different way.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Types of Vaccine</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Live-attenuated Vaccines:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Live vaccines use a <strong>weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ</strong> that causes a disease.</li>
<li>Because these vaccines are so <strong>similar to the natural infection</strong> that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response.</li>
<li>The limitation of this approach is that these vaccines usually <strong>cannot be given to people with weakened immune systems.</strong></li>
<li>Live vaccines are used against: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-impact-on-measles-immunization-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Measles</strong></a>, <strong>mumps, rubella (MMR combined vaccine), Rotavirus, Smallpox</strong> among others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate Vaccines:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They<strong> use specific pieces of the germ -</strong> like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the germ). They give a very strong immune response.</li>
<li>They can also be used on people with weakened immune systems and long-term health problems.</li>
<li>These vaccines are used to protect against: <strong>Hib</strong> (Haemophilus influenzae type b) disease, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hepatitis B</strong></a>, <strong>HPV (Human papillomavirus),</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pneumococcal-conjugate-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pneumococcal disease</strong></a> among others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Toxoid Vaccines:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Toxoid vaccines <strong>use a toxin made by the germ that causes a disease.</strong> Toxoid vaccines are used to protect against:<strong> Diphtheria, Tetanus.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/corbevax-vaccine-biological-e-india-7344928/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8522,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Satellite Internet ',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>According to an estimate, 1,250 satellites will be launched annually this decade, with 70% of them for commercial purposes.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Various private companies are <strong>aiming to deliver broadband satellite Internet</strong> around the world <strong>through</strong> their fleet of <strong><a href="/printpdf/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Low Earth Orbit (LEO)</a> satellites.</strong></li>
<li>The idea of a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/space-internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>space internet</strong> </a>system is not new. It is being used through <strong>Geostationary Satellite</strong> for selective users.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Satellite Internet and LEO Technology:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Positioning of Satellites:</strong> LEO satellites are <strong>positioned around 500km-2000km from earth, compared to stationary orbit satellites</strong> which are approximately <strong>36,000km away.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Latency:</strong> Latency, or the time needed for data to be sent and received, is contingent on proximity. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>As LEO satellites orbit closer to the earth, they are able to <strong>provide stronger signals and faster speeds</strong> than traditional fixed-satellite systems.</li>
<li>Additionally, because signals travel faster through space than through fibre-optic cables, they also have the potential to rival if not exceed existing ground-based networks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Higher Investment:</strong> LEO satellites <strong>travel at a speed of 27,000 kph</strong> and complete a full circuit of the planet in 90-120 minutes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>As a result, individual satellites can only make direct contact with a land transmitter for a short period of time thus requiring massive LEO satellite fleets and consequently, a<strong> significant capital investment.</strong></li>
<li>Due to these costs, of the three mediums of Internet &ndash; fibre, spectrum and satellite &ndash; the latter is the most expensive.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Geostationary Satellite Internet:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Positioning of Satellites:</strong> Geostationary orbit is <strong>located at a height of 35,786 km over the Earth&rsquo;s surface</strong>, directly <strong>above the Equator.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Most of the existing space-based Internet systems use satellites in geostationary orbit.</li>
<li>Satellites in this orbit <strong>move at speeds of about 11,000 km per hour, </strong>and <strong>complete one revolution of the Earth at the same time that the earth rotates once on its axis.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To the observer on the ground, therefore, a satellite in a geostationary orbit appears stationary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> The signals from one geostationary satellite can <strong>cover roughly a third of the planet</strong> &mdash; and three to four satellites would be enough to cover the entire Earth.</li>
<li><strong>Easier Connectivity:</strong> As satellites appear to be stationary, it is easier to link to them.</li>
<li><strong>Latency Issues:</strong> The transmission from a satellite in geostationary orbit has a <strong>latency of about 600 milliseconds.</strong> The geostationary satellites are located at higher altitudes compared to LEO, thus the longer the distance that needs to be covered results in greater latency.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Related Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&lsquo;Five to 50&rsquo; service (OneWeb):</strong> OneWeb, a private company, has successfully launched constellations of 218 satellites in LEO. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The company only has one more launch to complete before it obtains the capacity to enable its <strong>&lsquo;Five to 50&rsquo; service</strong> of offering internet connectivity to all regions <strong>north of 50 degrees latitude.</strong></li>
<li>The Five to 50 service is expected to be switched on by June 2021 with global services powered by 648 satellites available in 2022.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Starlink:</strong> It is a venture of SpaceX.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/space-internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Starlink</strong></a> currently has 1,385 satellites in orbit and has already started beta testing in North America and initiating pre-orders in countries like India.</li>
<li>However, Starlink&rsquo;s satellites fly closer to the earth and therefore, the company requires a larger fleet to provide global connectivity than OneWeb.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Project Kuiper:</strong> It is <strong>a project of Amazon</strong> announced in 2019.</li>
<li><strong>Loon Project:</strong> Google launched its &lsquo;Loon&rsquo; project in 2013, using high-altitude balloons to create an aerial wireless network. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>After testing the service in rural Kenya, Google&rsquo;s parent company, Alphabet, abandoned the project in 2021.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues in LEO Satellites Launch:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Regulation Issues:</strong> During the days of the Sputnik and Apollo missions, governments dominated and regulated space-based activities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, today, the balance of power has shifted from countries to companies.</li>
<li>As a result, there are questions related to who regulates these companies, especially given the large number of nations that contribute to individual projects.</li>
<li>It makes the regulatory framework complicated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Logistic Challenge:</strong> There are logistical challenges with launching thousands of satellites into space as well.</li>
<li><strong>Difficulty in Space Observation:</strong> Satellites can sometimes be seen in the night skies which creates difficulties for astronomers as the satellites reflect sunlight to earth, leaving streaks across images.</li>
<li><strong>Interruptions:</strong> Satellites travelling at a lower orbit can also <strong>interrupt the frequency</strong> of those orbiting above them.</li>
<li><strong>Space Junk:</strong> There are already almost 1 million objects larger than 1cm in diameter in orbit, a byproduct of decades of space activities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Those objects, colloquially referred to as &lsquo;space junk,&rsquo; have the <strong>potential to damage spacecraft</strong> or collide with other satellites.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/oneweb-satellites-starlink-project-kuiper-7341366/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8521,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'China's 'Artificial Sun' EAST',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, China&rsquo;s<strong> Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)</strong> achieved a peak temperature of <strong>288 million</strong> degrees Fahrenheit, which is over <strong>ten times hotter</strong> than the sun.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>China is not the only country</strong> that has achieved high plasma temperatures. In 2020, <strong>South Korea&rsquo;s KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research)</strong> <strong>reactor</strong> set a new record by maintaining a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tokamak</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The tokamak is an <strong>experimental machine</strong> designed to harness the <strong>energy of fusion.</strong></li>
<li>Inside a <strong>tokamak</strong>, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel.</li>
<li>Like a conventional power plant, a <strong>fusion power plant uses</strong> this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of <strong>turbines and generators.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The EAST reactor is <strong>an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device</strong> located at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, China.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Establishment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>EAST first became operational in 2006.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Purpose:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The purpose of the artificial sun is <strong>to replicate the process of nuclear fusion, which is the same reaction that powers the sun.</strong></li>
<li>This is part of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-thermonuclear-experimental-reactor-iter-assembly" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)</strong></a> facility, which will become the world&rsquo;s <strong>largest</strong> nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes <strong>operational in 2035.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>ITER Members</strong> include China, the European Union, <strong>India</strong>, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Working:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is <strong>based on the Nuclear Fusion Process</strong> that is carried out by the Sun and the Stars.</li>
<li>For nuclear fusion to occur, <strong>tremendous heat and pressure are applied on hydrogen atoms</strong> so that they fuse together. The <strong>nuclei of deuterium and tritium</strong> - both found in hydrogen - are <strong>made to fuse together</strong> to <strong>create a helium nucleus</strong>, a neutron along with a whole lot of energy.</li>
<li>The gaseous hydrogen fuel <strong>is heated to temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius</strong> so that it <strong>forms a hot plasma</strong> (electrically charged gas) of <strong>subatomic particles.</strong></li>
<li>With the help of a strong magnetic field, the plasma is kept away from the walls of the reactor to ensure it does not cool down and lose its potential to generate large amounts of energy. The <strong>plasma is confined for long durations for fusion to take place.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Tokamaks in China:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Apart from the EAST, China is currently operating the <strong>HL-2A reactor</strong> as well as <strong>J-TEXT.</strong></li>
<li>In <strong>December 2020, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/china-s-artificial-sun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HL-2M Tokamak</a></strong>, China&rsquo;s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device, was successfully <strong>powered up for the first time</strong> &mdash; a key milestone in the <strong>growth of China&rsquo;s nuclear power research capabilities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is significant as far as <strong>China&rsquo;s Green Development</strong> is concerned.</li>
<li><strong>Nuclear fusion</strong> is a process through which <strong>high levels of energy are produced without generating large quantities of waste.</strong> Unlike fission, fusion <strong>also does not emit greenhouse gases</strong> and is considered a safer process with lower risk of accidents.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Nuclear Reactions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Description:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A nuclear reaction is the process in which <strong>two nuclei, or a nucleus</strong> and an <strong>external subatomic particle</strong>, collide to produce <strong>one or more</strong> new nuclides.</li>
<li>Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause <strong>a transformation</strong> of at least one nuclide to another.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Types:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Nuclear Fission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The nucleus of an <strong>atom splits</strong> into <strong>two daughter nuclei.</strong></li>
<li>This decay can be <strong>natural spontaneous splitting</strong> by radioactive decay, or can actually be simulated in a lab by achieving necessary conditions (bombarding with neutrons, alpha particles, etc.).</li>
<li>The resulting fragments tend to have a combined mass which is less than the original. The <strong>missing mass</strong> is usually converted into <strong>nuclear energy.</strong></li>
<li>Currently <strong>all commercial</strong> nuclear reactors are based on <strong>nuclear fission.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Nuclear Fusion:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Nuclear Fusion is defined as the <strong>combining of two lighter nuclei</strong> into a <strong>heavier one.</strong></li>
<li>Such nuclear fusion reactions are the source of energy in the Sun and other stars.</li>
<li>It takes considerable energy to force the <strong>nuclei to fuse.</strong> The conditions needed for this process are extreme &ndash; <strong>millions of degrees</strong> of temperature and millions of pascals of pressure.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>hydrogen bomb</strong> is based on a thermonuclear fusion reaction. However, a nuclear bomb based on the fission of uranium or plutonium is placed at the core of the hydrogen bomb to provide initial energy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-chinas-artificial-sun-experimental-fusion-reactor-that-has-set-a-new-record-7341397/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8513,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'New Missions to Venus: NASA',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> announced <strong>two new robotic missions to Venus.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier, scientists obtained <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/recent-findings-about-venus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>new data about Venus by bouncing radio waves</strong> </a>off the planet.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aim:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two sister missions aim to <strong>understand how Venus became an inferno-like world capable of melting lead at the surface.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>DaVinci Plus:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will be the first of the two, <strong>it will analyze the thick, cloudy Venusian atmosphere</strong> in an attempt to <strong>determine whether the inferno planet ever had an ocean and was possibly habitable.</strong> A small craft will plunge through the atmosphere to measure the gases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Veritas:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will be the second one seeking a <strong>geologic history by mapping the rocky planet&rsquo;s surface.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new missions will <strong>give fresh views of the planet&rsquo;s atmosphere, made up mostly of carbon dioxide, down to the core.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Previous Missions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>US:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Mariner</strong> series 1962-1974, <strong>Pioneer</strong> Venus 1 and Pioneer Venus 2 in 1978, Magellan in 1989.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Russia:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Venera</strong> series of space crafts 1967-1983, <strong>Vegas</strong> 1 and 2 in 1985.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Japan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Akatsuki</strong> in 2015.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Europe:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Venus Express</strong> in 2005.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Initiative:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India plans to launch a new orbiter named <strong>Shukrayaan</strong> to Venus in 2024.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Venus</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is the <strong>second planet from the Sun and sixth in the solar system in size and mass.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1622708274_image%201.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1622708274_image 1.png" style="float: right;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>second brightest</strong> natural object in the night sky <strong>after the Moon</strong>, probably that is the reason why it was the <strong>first planet to have its</strong> <strong>motions plotted across the sky</strong>, as early as the second millennium BC.</li>
<li>Unlike the other planets in our solar system, <strong>Venus and Uranus spin clockwise</strong> on their axis.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>hottest planet</strong> in the solar system because of the <strong>high concentration of carbon dioxide</strong> which works to produce an intense <strong><a href="/infographics/info-paper3/greenhouse-gas-emission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">greenhouse effect</a>.</strong></li>
<li>A <strong>day on Venus is longer than a year.</strong> It takes Venus <strong>longer to rotate once on its axis than to complete one orbit of the Sun.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>That&rsquo;s <strong>243 Earth days to rotate once</strong> - the longest rotation of any planet in the Solar System - and only <strong>224.7 Earth days to complete one orbit of the Sun.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Venus &amp; Earth:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Venus has been called <strong>Earth&rsquo;s twin</strong> because of the <strong>similarities in their masses, sizes, and densities and their similar relative locations</strong> in the solar system.</li>
<li>No planet approaches closer to Earth than Venus; at its nearest <strong>it is the closest large body to Earth other than the Moon.</strong></li>
<li>Venus has <strong>90 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason For Studying Venus:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will help to learn <strong>how Earth-like planets evolve and what conditions exist on Earth-sized <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-super-earth-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exoplanets</a></strong> (planets that orbit a star other than our sun).</li>
<li>It will help in modelling <strong>Earth&rsquo;s climate</strong>, and serves as a cautionary tale on how dramatically a planet&rsquo;s climate can change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/nasa-picks-venus-as-hot-spot-for-two-new-robotic-missions-7341904/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8511,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'First Human Case of H10N3 Bird Flu',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>China</strong> has reported the <strong>first case of human infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu</strong> in Jiangsu province.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>H10N3 is <strong>a subtype of the Influenza A virus</strong> which is <strong>commonly known as the bird flu virus.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>a low pathogenic, or relatively less severe, strain of the virus in poultry</strong> and the <strong>risk of it spreading on a large scale is very low.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Among animals, it can <strong>spread through respiratory droplets</strong>, similar to <strong>flu</strong> and <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The strain is <strong>not a very common</strong> virus, <strong>only about 160 isolates of the virus have been reported in the past 40 years</strong> (till 2018), that too, mostly in wild birds or waterfowl in Asia and some parts of North America. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>None</strong> had been detected <strong>in chickens as of now.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are <strong>many different strains of avian influenza in China and some sporadically infect people</strong>, generally those working with poultry.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, there have been <strong>no significant numbers of human infections with bird flu since the H7N9 strain</strong> killed around 300 people <strong>during 2016-2017.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Bird Flu</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Bird flu</strong>, also known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bird-flu-threat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Avian influenza (AI)</strong></a>, is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of <strong>food-producing birds</strong> (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.) as well as <strong>pet birds and wild birds.</strong></li>
<li>Occasionally <strong>mammals, including humans</strong>, may contract avian influenza.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Types of Influenza Viruses:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Influenza viruses are grouped into three types; <strong>A, B, and C.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Only type A</strong> is known to <strong>infect animals</strong> and is <strong>zoonotic</strong>, meaning it can also infect humans. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Avian influenza virus subtypes</strong> include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), A(H9N2) and A(H10N3).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Type <strong>B and C mostly infect humans</strong> and typically cause mild disease.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Classification:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Influenza viruses</strong> are classified into subtypes based on <strong>two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA)</strong> and <strong>Neuraminidase (NA).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For example, a virus that has an HA 7 protein and NA 9 protein is designated as subtype H7N9.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1)</strong> virus occurs mainly in birds and is highly contagious among them.</li>
<li><strong>HPAI Asian <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gene-editing-to-halt-human-flu-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">H5N1</a></strong> is especially deadly for poultry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Avian Influenza outbreaks can lead to devastating consequences for the country, particularly the poultry industry.</li>
<li>Farmers might experience a high level of mortality in their flocks, with rates often around 50%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prevention:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Strict <strong>biosecurity measures</strong> and <strong>good hygiene</strong> are essential in protecting against disease outbreaks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Eradication:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If the infection is detected in animals, <strong>a policy of culling infected and contact animals</strong> is normally used in an effort to rapidly contain, control and eradicate the disease.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Status:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Fresh cases of bird flu</strong> were reported in different states of India <strong>between December 2020-January 2021</strong> causing alarm across the country.</li>
<li><strong>Previously in 2019</strong>, India was <strong>declared free from Avian Influenza (H5N1)</strong>, which had also been <strong>notified to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>OIE</strong> is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide. It is headquartered in Paris, France.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-reports-human-case-of-h10n3-bird-flu/article34694809.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8502,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Disinfection System Vajra Kavach',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Vajra Kavach</strong> is a simple disinfection process that enables Corona Warriors to <strong>reuse their masks and PPEs.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The technology has been developed under the <strong>NIDHI-PRAYAS</strong> program initiated by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/science-technology-and-innovation-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1622549004_Images5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1622549004_Images5.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About Vajra Kavach:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Vajra Kavach&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ultraviolet-light-and-viruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UV (Ultra Violet)</strong></a> disinfection system<strong> removes any possible traces of the disease-causing SARS-Cov-2 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Covid-19)</a> virus</strong> from<strong> Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), N95 masks, coats, gloves and gowns.</strong></li>
<li>It <strong>enables reuse</strong> of PPEs and other materials used by healthcare workers.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It thus protects not only them, but our environment too, by<strong> helping reduce biomedical waste generation.</strong> It is also making personal protective equipment more available, affordable, and accessible.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NIDHI-PRAYAS:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NIDHI-PRAYAS is<strong> National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovation PRomoting and Accelerating Young and aspiring Innovators &amp; startups.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Department of Science &amp; Technology</strong> has launched a<strong> NIDHI</strong> program under which programmes for setting up of <strong>incubators, seed fund, accelerators</strong> and <strong>&lsquo;Proof of concept&rsquo; grants</strong> for innovators and entrepreneurs have been launched.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Under<strong> NIDHI, PRAYAS</strong> programme has been initiated in which established <strong>Technology Business Incubators (TBI)</strong> are supported with <strong>PRAYAS grant</strong> to support innovators and entrepreneurs with grants for<strong> &lsquo;Proof of Concept (PoC)&rsquo;</strong> and developing prototypes.</li>
<li><strong>PoC</strong> is evidence that a business idea works.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A maximum grant of<strong> Rs. 220 lakh</strong> is given to a<strong> TBI</strong> for establishing a <strong>PRAYAS Centre</strong> which includes <strong>Rs.100 lakh for PRAYAS SHALA, Rs. 20 lakh</strong> for operational cost of <strong>PRAYAS Centre</strong> and maximum of <strong>Rs. 10 lakh</strong> to one innovator for developing prototype. Funding for ten innovators is given to the TBI in a year.</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To enable translation of an innovative idea to a prototype.</li>
<li>To provide a platform for faster experimentation and modify approaches in the idea to market journey.</li>
<li>To generate innovative solutions relevant to local and global problems.</li>
<li>To attract a large number of youth who demonstrate problem solving zeal and abilities.</li>
<li>To work on their new technology/knowledge/innovation based startups.</li>
<li>To enhance the pipeline in terms of quality and quantity of innovative startups to the incubators.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1723073" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8489,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Launching Baby Squids and Tardigrades into Space',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NASA</strong> </a>will send <strong>baby squids</strong> and<strong> tardigrades (also called water bears)</strong> to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/crew-2-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Space Station</strong></a> for conducting various scientific studies.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Study:</strong> These animals are part of<strong> two separate scientific studies.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Behavior of Tardigrades (water bears) in a spaceflight environment.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tardigrades" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Tardigrades</strong> </a><strong>can adapt to extreme conditions on Earth,</strong> including high pressure, temperature and radiation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact of microgravity conditions</strong> on the relationship between bobtail squids and beneficial microbes.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The squids are a part of the<strong> UMAMI (Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions) study</strong> which examines the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of the Study:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Host-microbe Relationship:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>On Earth,</strong> it will help to find ways to <strong>protect and even enhance the complex relationship between animals and beneficial microbes,</strong> ensuring better human health and well being.</li>
<li><strong>In space,</strong> the findings will help space agencies <strong>develop better measures to protect astronauts from adverse host-microbe alterations</strong> on long-duration missions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Longer Spacefights: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>The study on Tardigrades</strong> will allow researchers to study their hardiness close up, and possibly identify the genes that allow them to become so resilient. This will help in safer and longer spaceflights.</li>
<li><strong>Similarly, a recent research in<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/alternative-anti-cancer-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> zebrafish</a></strong> has demonstrated how<strong> induced hibernation (torpor)</strong> may protect humans from the elements of space, especially radiation, during space flight.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Space Station</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ISS is a <strong>habitable artificial satellite -</strong> the single largest man-made structure in low earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998.</li>
<li>It circles the Earth in roughly 92 minutes and completes 15.5 orbits per day.</li>
<li>The ISS programme is a <strong>joint project between five participating space agencies:</strong> NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada) but its ownership and use has been established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.</li>
<li>It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields.</li>
<li>Continuous presence at ISS has resulted in the longest continuous human presence in low earth orbit.</li>
<li>It is <strong>expected to operate until 2030.</strong></li>
<li>Recently, China <strong>launched an <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/china-s-permanent-space-station" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unmanned module of its permanent space station</a></strong> that it plans to complete by the end of 2022.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The module, named<strong> "Tianhe", or "Harmony of the Heavens",</strong> was launched on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/long-march-5b-rocket-by-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Long March 5B</strong></a>, China's largest carrier rocket.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has also set its eye on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-to-set-up-its-own-space-station" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>building its own space station</strong></a> in<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/types-of-orbit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> low earth orbit</strong></a> to conduct microgravity experiments in space in 5 to 7 years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-nasa-is-sending-water-bears-and-baby-squid-to-the-international-space-station-7337170/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8434,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Havana Syndrome',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, two US officials have shown symptoms of a <strong>mystery illness</strong> that is linked to <strong>Havana Syndrome.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2020, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/havana-syndrome" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>a report</strong></a> by the <strong>National Academies of Sciences (NAS), US</strong> found <strong>directed microwave radiation</strong> to be the <strong>plausible cause</strong> of the <strong>Havana syndrome.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Increasing</strong> number of cases is being considered a<strong> mass psychogenic illness.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Mass Psychogenic Illness</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mass psychogenic illness is when people in a group start feeling sick at the same time even though there is no physical or environmental reason for them to be sick. They could think they've been exposed to something dangerous, like a germ or a toxin (poison).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Academy of Sciences</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> non-profit, Government Organisation in the United States of America.</strong></li>
<li>NAS was founded in 1863 as a result of an Act of Congress, which was approved by Abraham Lincoln.</li>
<li>The organisation <strong>offers its reports to the Government</strong> with regard to the Science and Technology projects.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In late 2016,</strong> a few diplomats from the<strong> USA and their employees</strong> had reported certain usual symptoms during their stay in <strong>Havana, Cuba.</strong></li>
<li>They experienced some<strong> odd physical sensations</strong> and heard <strong>peculiar sounds,</strong> after which they<strong> started feeling sick.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>US</strong> had even <strong>accused Cuba</strong> of carrying out <strong>sonic attacks.</strong> But Cuba denied the accusations of the sonic attacks and refused awareness of any such illness or syndrome.</li>
<li>Ever since <strong>many bodies and institutions</strong> have been researching the cause of the <strong>Havana syndrome</strong> and many plausible factors have been discovered till date.</li>
<li>The symptoms of the syndrome include Nausea, Severe headaches, Fatigue, Dizziness, Sleep problems, Hearing loss.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A few of those who had been affected more faced<strong> chronic issues like vestibular processing and cognitive problems.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Microwave Weapons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Direct Energy Weapon (DEW):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>They are a type of <strong>direct energy weapons,</strong> which aim <strong>highly focused energy</strong> in the form of <strong>sonic, laser, or microwaves,</strong> at a target.</li>
<li>They release <strong>electromagnetic radiations</strong> which cause sensations in the human body.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Electromagnetic radiation heating the water in the human body makes a person feel dizziness and nausea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Countries with Microwave Weapons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A number of countries are thought to have developed these weapons to<strong> target both humans </strong>and<strong> electronic systems.</strong></li>
<li><strong>China had first</strong> put on display its microwave weapon, <strong>called Poly WB-1,</strong> at an air <strong>show in 2014.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>US</strong> has also developed a <strong>prototype microwave-style weapon,</strong> which it calls the<strong> &ldquo;Active Denial System&rdquo;,</strong> which is the first non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel system with an extended range greater than currently fielded non-lethal weapons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Plans for Directed Energy Weapons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong> </a><strong>has</strong> announced its plans to develop <strong>(DEWs)</strong> using<strong> high-energy lasers </strong>and<strong> microwaves.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Development of DEWs</strong> is seen as particularly important in the context of India&rsquo;s worsening security environment, especially its ties with China.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These weapons are a cause of concern as they <strong>can affect both machines and human beings.</strong></li>
<li>They <strong>can cause long-term damages without leaving a single mark on the human body.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/may/23/growing-mystery-of-suspected-energy-attacks-draws-us-concern-2306527.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8432,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Zebrafish and its Importance in Human Spaceflights',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A new research in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/alternative-anti-cancer-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>zebrafish</strong></a> has demonstrated how <strong>induced hibernation (torpor)</strong> may protect humans from the elements of space, especially radiation, during space flight.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Study:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The researchers <strong>exposed zebrafish to radiation</strong> like what would be experienced on a six-month journey to Mars.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>They observed signs of oxidative stress <strong>(imbalance between <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/free-radicals-may-not-be-all-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">antioxidants</a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/free-radicals-may-not-be-all-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free radicals</a>)</strong>, DNA damage, stress hormone signaling and changes to the cell-division cycle.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The researchers then <strong>induced torpor in a second group of zebrafish</strong> which were then exposed to the same dose of radiation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The results showed that <strong>torpor lowered the metabolic rate within the zebrafish and created a radioprotective effect</strong>, protecting against the harmful effects of radiation.</li>
<li>Torpor, <strong>a form of hibernation</strong>, is a brief spell of suspended animation. It usually lasts less than a day. When in torpor, an animal's metabolism, heartbeat, breathing, and body temperature are greatly reduced.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Zebrafish</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Scientific Name:</strong> <em>Danio rerio</em></li>
<li><strong>Habitat:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a small (2-3 cm long) freshwater fish found in the <strong>tropical and subtropical regions.</strong> The fish is native to <strong>South Asia&rsquo;s Indo-Gangetic plains</strong>, where they are mostly found in the paddy fields and even in stagnant water and streams.</li>
<li>They are classified as a <strong>species of least concern</strong> on the <strong>IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Organism for Biomedical Research:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They have been used to study vertebrate development, evolution, genetics, and disease due to its adequate <strong>regeneration capacity of almost all its organs</strong>, including the brain, heart, eye, spinal cord.</li>
<li>Zebrafish have a <strong>similar genetic structure</strong> (around 70%) to humans.</li>
<li>As a vertebrate, the zebrafish has the same major organs and tissues as humans. Their muscle, blood, kidney and eyes share many features with human systems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Need of the Study:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recent technological advancements might have made space travel more accessible. However, long-term space travel is incredibly <strong>detrimental to human healt</strong>h.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The study could help in understanding how a form of <strong>hibernation, known as induced torpor (a state of reduced metabolic activity)</strong> may provide radio-protective effects.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Hibernation is a physiological condition found in many species.</li>
<li>It <strong>protects them against harsh conditions</strong>, such as food scarcity and low environmental temperatures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Replicating hibernation may therefore <strong>protect astronauts</strong> against the <strong>harsh conditions of space flight</strong>, which include challenges such as <strong>radiation exposure, bone and muscle wastage, advanced ageing and vascular problems.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>European Space Agency (ESA)</strong> is also conducting research into the impacts of <strong>hibernating astronauts not just for health reasons</strong>, but because it could <strong>reduce the amount of consumables required for a space journey</strong> and allow the <strong>mass of a spacecraft to be reduced by a third.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges of Space Travel</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Radiation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Any space flight is outside <strong>Earth&rsquo;s protective magnetic field</strong>, where radiation is much higher as compared to International space stations. (International space station is just within the earth&rsquo;s protective atmosphere; even then radiation is 10 times higher when compared to earth.)</li>
<li><strong>Radiation exposure</strong> increases <strong>cancer risk, damages the central nervous system, can alter cognitive function, reduce motor function and prompt behavioural</strong> <strong>changes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Isolation and Confinement:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Behavioural issues</strong> among astronauts crammed in a small space over a long period of time, are inevitable.</li>
<li>Sleep loss, circadian desynchronization, and work overload compound this issue and may lead to performance decrements, adverse health outcomes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Distance from Earth:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As distance of space flight increases from earth, communication delay increases. For example, there will be a communication delay of 20 minute in space travel to Mars.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gravity:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Different planets have <strong>different gravitational pull</strong>, for example astronauts would need to live and work in three-eighths of Earth&rsquo;s gravitational pull on Mars. Additionally, explorers will experience total weightlessness during the course of travel.</li>
<li>To further complicate the problem, when astronauts transition from one gravity field to another, it&rsquo;s usually quite an intense experience.</li>
<li>Blasting off from the surface of a planet or a descent through an atmosphere is many times the force of gravity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hostile/Closed Environments:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NASA has learned that the <strong>ecosystem inside the spacecraft</strong> plays a big role in everyday astronaut life. Microbes can change characteristics in space, and microorganisms that naturally live on your body are transferred more easily from person to person in closed habitats like the space station.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/want-to-visit-mars-zebrafish-may-help-77017" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8417,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Coviself: Self Testing Kit',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/elisa-antibody-kits" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)</strong></a> approved India&rsquo;s first <strong>self-use Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a></strong> named as <strong>CoviSelf.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is developed by <strong>MyLab Discovery Solutions,</strong> a Pune-based molecular company.</li>
<li><strong>ICMR</strong> is the <strong>apex body in India</strong> for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, and is <strong>one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It <strong>uses a RAT</strong> and gives<strong> results within 15 minutes.</strong> This test is <strong>synced with a mobile app,</strong> CoviSelf, which will <strong>help directly feed the positive case&rsquo;s report on the ICMR portal.</strong></li>
<li>ICMR has advised this <strong>test only for those who have symptoms or are high-risk contacts of positive patients</strong> and need to conduct a test at home.</li>
<li>This test is<strong> not advised for general screening in public places</strong> of hawkers, show owners, or commuters.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Rapid Antigen Test</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>test on swabbed nasal samples that detects antigens</strong> (foreign substances that induce an immune response in the body) that are found on or within the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sars-cov-2-new-variants" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SARS-CoV-2</strong></a> virus.</li>
<li>It is a<strong> point-of-care test,</strong> performed outside the conventional laboratory setting, and is used to quickly obtain a diagnostic result.</li>
<li>Like<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/radt-vs-rt-pcr" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction)</strong></a>, the <strong>RAT too seeks to detect the virus</strong> rather than the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/neutralising-antibodies-against-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>antibodies</strong></a> produced by the body.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While the <strong>mechanism is different,</strong> the most significant <strong>difference between the two is time.</strong></li>
<li>In an RT-PCR test, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/microrna" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RNA (Ribonucleic acid)</strong></a> is extracted from the swab collected from the patient. It is then converted into <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-dna-technology-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)</strong></a>, which is then amplified.</li>
<li>RT-PCR test takes a minimum of 2-5 hours whereas the maximum duration for interpreting a positive or negative test in RAT is 30 minutes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Benefits of Self Testing:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Cost Effective:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Swab collection in this case is fairly simple and quick, and <strong>reduces overall testing expenditure</strong> and the <strong>stress of booking appointments</strong> in labs.</li>
<li>It is <strong>cheaper than RT-PCR and a RAT</strong> in the laboratory.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduced Risk of Transmission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A person testing himself at home rather than visiting a hospital or lab, or calling a technician at home, <strong>reduces the risk of transmission to others.</strong></li>
<li>Reliable self-collection and self-testing will <strong>reduce population movement, reduce Covid-19 exposure risk.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduced Burden:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Self-testing will <strong>reduce the burden on laboratories that are currently working 24 hours</strong> up to full capacity with manpower that is already saturated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Mass Surveillance:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Cheap rapid tests can <strong>help in accomplishing the aim of mass surveillance</strong> even if their sensitivity to capture accurate results are inferior to other tests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reliability:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The reliability of results remains a major concern. The likelihood of the<strong> sample not being collected correctly, or the swab stick getting contaminated, is high.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>False Sense of Security:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>RAT comes with a <strong>high chance of false negatives.</strong> If a Covid-infected person is asymptomatic and tests negative, the test may give a<strong> false sense of security. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenge to Response Measures:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Shifting the responsibility</strong> of reporting test results <strong>from health professionals and laboratories to individuals</strong> could <strong>lead to underreporting,</strong> and <strong>make response measures</strong> such as contract tracing and quarantine of contacts even <strong>more challenging.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Self-tests<strong> can be effective if the patient follows isolation norms,</strong> feeds correct data and is able to interpret the results accurately.</li>
<li>However while a RAT serves <strong>as a quick mass surveillance tool, over-dependence on it for testing is not advisable.</strong> It can supplement, not form, the bulk of testing.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/icmr-approves-mylabs-covid-19-self-testing-kit-coviself-7322605/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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