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Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards

Why in News Recently, the Union Minister of Science and Technology has given Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards to encourage...

06 Nov 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Metro Neo

Why in News The Centre is planning to approve national standard specifications for Metro Neo, a no-frills, low-cost urban rail transit system...

06 Nov 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Future Pandemics and Reduction Measures

Why in News Recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem (IPBES) has released a report which warns about...

05 Nov 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Combating Deep Fakes

This article is based on “Countering deep fakes, the most serious AI threat” which was published in The Hindu on 20/10/2020. It talks...

29 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Computation Analysis of Indian Genes

Why in News Recently, the results from the computation analysis of the 1029 sequenced genomes from India were published in the scientific journal,...

28 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Superconductivity at Room Temperature

Why in News Recently, researchers have created a material that is superconducting at room temperature, however, it only works at a pressure of 267...

28 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Monoclonal Antibodies for Covid-19

Why in News Recently, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune announced an agreement with Merck, a...

23 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
COVIRAP : A Quick Covid-19 Test

Why in News Recently, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a new low-cost Covid-19 diagnostic method named COVIRAP, developed by...

22 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Nobel Prize 2020

The Nobel Prizes regarded as the most prestigious awards given for intellectual achievement in the world are awarded annually from a fund bequeathed...

19 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Atomic Hydrogen Content of Galaxies

Why in News In a significant discovery, the Pune-based Nationwide Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) and Raman Analysis Institute (RRI),...

17 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Wheat Variety MACS 6478

Why in News The wheat variety called MACS 6478 has doubled the crop yield for farmers in Karanjkhop, a village in Maharashtra. Key...

16 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
The Big Picture: Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Vehicles

Why in News? Aimed at a significant push for hydrogen vehicles in the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified standards...

14 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
C-DAC’s MoUs on Supercomputing

Why in News Recently, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity)...

14 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2020

Why in News Recently, Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer A Doudna of the USA have been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for...

08 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Nobel Prize for Physics 2020

Why in News The Nobel Prize in Physics for the year 2020 was awarded to three astrophysicists Roger Penrose from the UK, Reinhard Genzel from...

07 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine 2020

Why in News Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or...

06 Oct 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Genetic Engineering: Promises & Perils

This article is based on “The dangers of genetic engineering” which was published in The Hindustan Times on 23/09/2020. It talks about...

23 Sep 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target

Why in News Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted successful flight-tests of the indigenously-designed Abhyas...

23 Sep 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
India based Neutrino Observatory

Why in News An India based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is going to be set up in Bodi West Hills, in Theni district, Tamil Nadu. Key Points About...

22 Sep 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries
Serial Interval and Covid-19

Why in News According to a recent research paper “Serial Interval of SARS-CoV-2 was Shortened Over Time by Non-pharmaceutical...

17 Sep 2020 Scientific Innovations & Discoveries

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		'article_id' => (int) 6939,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Union Minister of Science and Technology has given<strong> Gandhian Young Technological Innovation</strong> (GYTI) <strong>Awards</strong> to encourage technology students to move towards setting up biotechnology and other start-ups.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GYTI awards constitute <strong>two categories</strong> of awards:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Students Innovations for Advancement of Research Explorations-Gandhian Young Technological Innovation</strong> (SITARE-GYTI):<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Given To:</strong> Every year to the most promising technologies developed by the students in life sciences, biotechnology, agriculture,<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/medical-devices-in-india-issues-and-challenges" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> medical devices</strong></a>, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Given By:</strong> The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector enterprise, set up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technological Innovations-Gandhian Young Technological Innovation</strong> (SRISTI-GYTI):<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Given To:</strong> Every year to students in other engineering disciplines except for the ones covered by SITARE-GYTI.</li>
<li><strong>Given By:</strong> Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technological Innovations (SRISTI), a developmental voluntary organisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Initiatives Aimed at Boosting Start-Ups</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Scientific Social Responsibility Policy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, the government is working on a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/scientific-social-responsibility-policy#:~:text=Definition%3A,linkages%20between%20science%20and%20society." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scientific Social Responsibility Policy</strong> </a>with a focus on how efforts of scientists can benefit all sections of society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the flagship programme of BIRAC, which provides <strong>support to young startups and entrepreneurial individuals.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>largest early-stage biotech funding programme in India</strong> with the funding<strong> grant of up to Rs. 5 million</strong> to best in class innovative ideas to build and refine the idea to proof-of-concept.</li>
<li><strong>Aims:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Foster generation of ideas with commercialisation potential.</li>
<li>Upscale and validate proof of concept.</li>
<li>Encourage researchers to take technology closer to market through a start-up.</li>
<li>Stimulate enterprise formation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Encouraging Youth for Undertaking Innovative Research through Vibrant Acceleration (E-YUVA) Scheme:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will engage a number of universities and technology institutes to serve as mentors, which will help to create a pan-India network to encourage a larger number of student entrepreneurs.</li>
<li>It aims to <strong>promote a culture of applied research and need-oriented</strong> (societal or industry) entrepreneurial innovation among young students and researchers.</li>
<li>It is implemented through E-YUVA Centres (EYCs) to inculcate entrepreneurial culture through fellowship, pre-incubation and mentoring support.</li>
<li>It provides<strong> support for students under the following two categories:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>BIRAC&rsquo;s Innovation Fellows (for postgraduates and above).</li>
<li>BIRAC&rsquo;s E-Yuva Fellows (for undergraduate students).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biologically-inspired Resilient Autonomic Cloud</strong> (BioRAC) helps more and more students who try to set up start-ups and <strong>help India become <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/atma-nirbhar-bharat-abhiyan-challenges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atmanirbhar</a></strong> (self-reliant).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>BioRAC employs <strong>biologically inspired techniques and multi-level tunable redundancy techniques to increase attack and exploitation resilience</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/edge-computing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>cloud computing</strong></a>, helping it tolerate and minimise the impact of novel <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cyber-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>cyber-attacks.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1670367" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6937,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Metro Neo',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Centre is planning to approve national standard specifications for<strong> Metro Neo, a no-frills, low-cost urban rail transit system targeted at tier 2 and tier 3 cities.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Metro Neo is a <strong>mass rapid transit system providing low-cost, energy-efficient and eco-friendly urban transport solutions</strong> for tier 2 and tier 3 cities.</li>
<li>Drawing traction power from overhead wires, Metro Neo will<strong> not run on track but on road.</strong> It is <strong>suitable for places</strong> where the traffic demand is around 8,000 passengers one way in peak time.</li>
<li>Metro Neo systems are <strong>lighter and smaller than conventional Metro trains.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They <strong>cost about 25% of conventional systems</strong> but with <strong>similar facilities,</strong> and are <strong>cheaper than the other budget option Metrolite,</strong> which costs about 40% of the normal Metro.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> Maharashtra government</strong> has already given a green signal for this state-of-the-art Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) for <strong>Nashik.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Metro Trains and Metrolite:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> metro rail system</strong> being developed at present is <strong>of high capacity</strong> which is required for bigger cities with very high ridership and Peak Hour Peak Direction Traffic (PHPDT).</li>
<li>Seeing the success of metro rail in the country, several other <strong>cities with lower projection of ridership</strong> are also <strong>aspiring for a rail based mass rapid transit system,</strong> which could be fulfilled by<strong> Light Urban Rail Transit System</strong> named <strong>"Metrolite"</strong> with lesser capacity at much less cost. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>'Metrolite' would also act as a <strong>feeder system to high capacity Metro.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other New Modes of Urban Mobility <a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1604650119_image6.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1604650119_image6.png" style="float: right;" width="300" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Hyperloop Transportation System:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a transportation system where a <strong>pod-like vehicle</strong> is propelled through a near-vacuum tube connecting cities at <strong>speeds matching that of an aircraft.</strong></li>
<li>The hyperloop concept is a<strong> brainchild of Tesla founder Elon Musk.</strong> The hyperloop system is being designed to transport passengers and freight.</li>
<li>The USA-based Hyperloop Transport Technology (HTT) has claimed that it <strong>costs USD 40 million per kilometre to build a hyperloop system while building a high-speed train line would cost almost twice.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> Maharashtra government</strong> had signed an agreement with<strong> Virgin group</strong> to build a Hyperloop in 2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pod Taxi:</strong> <a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1604650136_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1604650136_image5.jpg" style="float: right;" width="300" caption="false" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2017, the <strong>National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)</strong> had called the expression of interest (EOI) for launching <strong>India&rsquo;s first driverless pod taxi systems</strong> on a 70 km stretch from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi to Manesar in Haryana. Pod Taxi Scheme is also called the<strong> Personal Rapid Transit (PRT).</strong></li>
<li>PRT consists of <strong>driverless vehicles</strong> in the shape of pods, which <strong>can hold two to six people each,</strong> and run along a predetermined course at <strong>80-130 km per hour.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India grapples <strong>with a host of mobility-related challenges</strong> like pollution and traffic congestion, thus it is essential to ramp up and optimise mobility services.</li>
<li>The <strong>focus</strong> has to be on promoting green, clean mobility. Electric vehicles are already on high priority on the government&rsquo;s agenda.</li>
<li>Further, mobility services should be convenient to access by the public and secure, even for the fringes of the demographic, including women, children and the elderly.</li>
<li>Cities are<strong> engines of economic growth.</strong> Thus, for a fast urbanising country such as India, we need such a fuel efficient mass rapid transit system to achieve <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong> </a>and ensure movement of people instead of moving vehicles.</li>
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		'article_id' => (int) 6923,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Future Pandemics and Reduction Measures',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the<strong> Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem</strong> (IPBES) has released a <strong>report which warns about future <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pandemics</a></strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener">,</a> their more frequent emergence, a faster pace of spread and more damage to the world killing more people than <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>, unless significant measures are taken.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body, <strong>established by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a></strong> (UN) in 2012.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It <strong>aims to strengthen the science-policy interface</strong> for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Pandemics of the Century:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1604563595_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1604563595_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="650" caption="false" /></a></strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Covid-19 is at least the sixth pandemic to have taken place in the last century since the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/spanish-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spanish Influenza</a> Pandemic of 1918.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In March 2020, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation</strong></a> (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Three</strong> of the pandemics were caused<strong> by influenza viruses,</strong> one by <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/hiv-new-hope" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Human Immunodeficiency Virus</strong></a> (HIV) followed by<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome</strong> </a>(SARS) and now Covid-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Causes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Almost all the pandemics so far, have been<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> zoonoses</strong></a> (diseases caused by germs that spread between animals and people).</li>
<li>More than 70% of emerging diseases, such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ebola-global-health-emergency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ebola</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/genetically-modified-aedes-aegypti#:~:text=Zika%20virus%20is%20a%20mosquito,%2C%20Asia%2C%20and%20the%20Pacific." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Zika</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-outbreak-in-kerala" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nipah</strong></a>, are <strong>caused by microbes found in animals</strong> which <strong>spread due to contact</strong> among wildlife, livestock and people.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The estimated value of the legal international wildlife trade in 2019 was about USD 107 billion, a 500% increase since 2005 and a 2000% increase since the 1980s.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Covid-19&rsquo;s origins also lie in microbes carried by animals</strong> but its <strong>emergence has been entirely driven by human activities</strong> like all pandemics.</li>
<li>About 30% of emerging infectious diseases are attributed to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-use-changes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>land-use change</strong></a>, <strong>agricultural expansion </strong>and <strong>urbanisation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Future Possibilities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, there are over <strong>1.7 million &lsquo;undiscovered&rsquo; viruses</strong> that exist in mammals and birds, out of which <strong>up to 827,000 could have the ability to infect humans.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduction Measures:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pandemic risk can be lowered by<strong> reducing the human activities that drive the loss of biodiversity,</strong> by greater <strong>conservation of protected areas</strong> and through measures that <strong>reduce unsustainable exploitation</strong> of high biodiversity regions.</li>
<li>These measures will help in <strong>reducing the contact between wildlife-livestock and humans,</strong> thereby <strong>helping prevent the spread</strong> of new diseases.</li>
<li>Policy options like launching a<strong> high-level intergovernmental council on pandemic prevention,</strong> countries setting<strong> mutually-agreed goals or targets</strong> regarding the environment, animals and people, and <strong>reducing zoonotic disease risk in the international wildlife trade</strong> by forming intergovernmental &lsquo;health and trade&rsquo; partnerships will also reduce the risks substantially.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Pandemic</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the WHO, a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Epidemic</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An epidemic is a large outbreak, one that spreads among a population or region. It is less severe than pandemic due to a limited area of spread.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/likelihood-of-future-pandemics-their-damage-potential-ipbes-6945649/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'title' => 'Combating Deep Fakes',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/countering-deepfakes-the-most-serious-ai-threat/article32966578.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Countering deep fakes, the most serious AI threat&rdquo;</a> which was published in The Hindu on 20/10/2020. It talks about the dangers associated with the Deep Fakes.</p>
</div>
<p>Technological advancement that has fueled media creation today, has provided opportunities for all people, regardless of their demography, ethnicity, religion etc. It can give people a voice, purpose, and ability to make an impact at scale and with speed.</p>
<p>However, as access to synthetic media technology increases, so does the risk of exploitation. One such aspect of media creation is <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deep-fakes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deep fakes</a>. Deep Fakes are the digital media (video, audio, and images) manipulated using <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/artificial-intelligence-and-deepfakes-misuse-and-way-forward" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artificial Intelligence</a>.</p>
<p>Deep fakes have evolved from mere annoyance to high stake warfare for creating social discord, increasing polarisation, and in some cases, influencing an election outcome. It allows hyper-realistic digital falsification that can inflict damage to individuals, institutions, businesses and democracy.</p>
<h3>Dangers Associated With Deep Fake</h3>
<p>Deep Fake makes it possible to fabricate media &mdash; swap faces, lip-syncing, and puppeteers &mdash; mostly without consent and bring threat to psychology, security, political stability, and business disruption.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>New Front of Warfare:</strong> A deepfake could act as a powerful tool by a nation-state to undermine public safety and create uncertainty and chaos in the target country.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Nation-state actors with geopolitical aspirations, ideological believers, violent extremists, and economically motivated enterprises can manipulate media narratives using deepfakes.</li>
<li>It can be used by insurgent groups and terrorist organisations, to represent their adversaries as making inflammatory speeches or engaging in provocative actions to stir up anti-state sentiments among people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Targeting Women:</strong> The malicious use of a deepfake can be seen in pornography, inflicting emotional, reputational, and in some cases, violence towards the individual.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pornographic deep fakes can threaten, intimidate, and inflict psychological harm and reduce women to sexual objects. Deepfake pornography majorly targets women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Damage to Personal Reputation</strong>: Deepfake can depict a person indulging in antisocial behaviours and saying vile things.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These can have severe implications on their reputation, sabotaging their professional and personal life.</li>
<li>Even if the victim could debunk the deep fake, it may come too late to remedy the initial harm.</li>
<li>Further, Deepfakes can be deployed to extract money, confidential information, or exact favours from individuals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Undermining Democracy:</strong> A deepfake can also aid in altering the democratic discourse and undermine trust in institutions and impair diplomacy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>False information about institutions, public policy, and politicians powered by a deepfake can be exploited to spin the story and manipulate belief.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disrupting Electioneering:</strong> A deepfake of a political candidate can sabotage their image and reputation. A well-executed one, a few days before polling, of a political candidate spewing out racial epithets or indulging in an unethical act can damage their campaign.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A high-quality deepfake can inject compelling false information that can cast a shadow of illegitimacy over the voting process and election results.</li>
<li>Leaders can also use them to increase populism and consolidate power.</li>
<li>Deepfakes can become a very effective tool to sow the seeds of polarisation, amplifying division in society, and suppressing dissent.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Enhancing Media Literacy:</strong> Media literacy for consumers and journalists is the most effective tool to combat disinformation and deep fakes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Improving media literacy is a precursor to addressing the challenges presented by deepfakes.</li>
<li>Media literacy efforts must be enhanced to cultivate a discerning public.</li>
<li>As consumers of media, they must have the ability to decipher, understand, translate, and use the information.</li>
<li>Even a short intervention with media understanding, learning the motivations and context, can lessen the damage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need for Regulation:</strong> Meaningful regulations with a collaborative discussion with the technology industry, civil society, and policymakers can facilitate disincentivizing the creation and distribution of malicious deep fakes.</li>
<li><strong>Technological Interventions:</strong> There is also a need for easy-to-use and accessible technology solutions to detect deep fakes, authenticate media, and amplify authoritative sources.</li>
<li><strong>Behavioural Change:</strong> On the part of society, to counter the menace of deep fakes, there is a need to take the responsibility to be a critical consumer of media on the Internet, think and pause before sharing on social media, and be part of the solution to this infodemic.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>To defend the truth and secure freedom of expression, there is a need for a multi-stakeholder and multi-modal approach. Collaborative actions and collective techniques across legislative regulations, platform policies, technology intervention, and media literacy can provide effective and ethical countermeasures to mitigate the threat of malicious deep fakes.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603972257_image1.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603972257_image1.webp" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" height="730" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #e3faf9; border-color: #03aba2;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1810px;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question<br /><br /></strong></em>Deep fakes allow hyper-realistic digital falsification that can inflict damage to individuals, institutions, businesses and democracy. Discuss.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s3IBTb9zAq4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This editorial is based on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/indo-us-ties-beyond-specific-leaders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Indo-US Ties: Beyond specific leaders&rdquo;</a> which was published in The Economic Times on October 28th,2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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	(int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6865,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Computation Analysis of Indian Genes',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the results from the computation analysis of the 1029 sequenced genomes from India were published in the scientific journal, Nucleic Acid Research.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The analysis has found that out of<strong> 55,898,122 single nucleotide variants</strong> in India 18,016,257 <strong>(32.23%) variants are unique and found only in the samples sequenced from India.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This emphasizes the need for an India centric population genomic initiative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>analysis was carried out by <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/council-of-scientific-and-industrial-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSIR</a></strong> constituent labs, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.</li>
</ul>
<h3>IndiGenomes Resource Database</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It encompasses the <strong>genomic data from over 1000 whole genome sequences sequenced</strong> from across India as part of the<strong> IndiGen programme</strong> and represents diverse geographies and ethnicities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> IndiGen Programme</strong> was launched in <strong>April 2019,</strong> under which <strong>genome sequencing</strong> of 1029 self-declared healthy Indians drawn from across the country has been completed.</li>
<li>Its <strong>objective</strong> was to enable genetic epidemiology and develop public health technologies applications using population genome data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The resource provides<strong> access to over 55 million genetic variants representing the contemporary Indian population</strong> with an objective to classify variants involved in <strong>mendelian disorders</strong> and <strong>improve precision medicine outcomes.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mendelian disorder</strong> is a type of genetic disorder, resulting due to alterations in a gene or due to abnormalities in the genome.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It enables the<strong> identification of markers for carrier screening, variations causing genetic diseases, prevention of adverse events</strong> and provides better diagnosis and optimal therapy <strong>through mining data.</strong></li>
<li>This resource can provide useful insights for clinicians and researchers in comprehending genetics not only at the population level but at the individual level.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Despite having this rich genetic diversity, India has been under-represented in global genome studies. Further, the population architecture of India has resulted in high prevalence of recessive alleles.</li>
<li>In the absence of large-scale whole genome studies from India, the population-specific genetic variants are not adequately captured and catalogued in global medical literature.</li>
<li>In order to fill the gap of whole genome sequences from different populations in India, CSIR initiated the <strong>IndiGen Programme.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Genome</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A genome is all the <strong>genetic matter</strong> in an organism. It is defined as an organism&rsquo;s complete set of <strong>Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA),</strong> including all of its genes.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Every organism&rsquo;s genetic code is contained in its<strong> DNA,</strong> the building blocks of life.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism.</li>
<li>In humans, a copy of the entire genome contains more than 3 billion DNA base pairs.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Genome sequencing</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Genome sequencing is figuring out the <strong>order of DNA nucleotides, or bases,</strong> in a genome&mdash;the order of <strong>Adenine, Cytosine, Guanines, and Thymine</strong> that make up an organism's DNA.</li>
<li><strong>Application:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Genome sequencing can play a crucial role for <strong>new advancements in medical science</strong> (like predictive diagnosis and precision medicine, genomic information) and in <strong>disease management.</strong></li>
<li>Through genome sequencing methodology, researchers and clinicians can <strong>easily detect the disease related to genetic disorder.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of Genome Sequencing:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The study of entire genome sequences will help understand<strong> how the genome as a whole works&mdash;</strong>how genes work together to direct the growth, development and maintenance of an entire organism.</li>
<li>The genes account for less than 25% of the DNA in the genome, and so knowing the entire genome sequence will <strong>help scientists study the parts of the genome outside the genes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1667949" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6862,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Superconductivity at Room Temperature',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>researchers have created a material that is superconducting</strong> at room temperature, however, it <strong>only works at a pressure of 267 Gigapascals</strong> (GPa), which is equivalent to <strong>about three-quarters of pressure at the centre of Earth</strong> (360 GPa).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Material Used:</strong> A <strong>mixture of carbon, hydrogen and sulfur</strong> was put in a microscopic niche carved between the tips of two diamonds<strong> (diamond anvil)</strong> and laser light was used on them to<strong> trigger chemical reactions.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Process:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the experimental<strong> temperature was lowered, resistance</strong> to a current passed through the material <strong>dropped</strong> to a vanishingly small value below the <strong>critical temperature</strong> (Tc).</li>
<li>The <strong>transition of the sample to become superconductive</strong> occurred the best at <strong>transition temperature of around 15&deg;C at 267 GPa.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Verification:</strong> To verify that this phase was indeed a superconductor, the group ascertained that the <strong>magnetic susceptibility</strong> of the superconductor was that of a <strong>diamagnet.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A <strong>superconducting material kept in a magnetic field expels the magnetic flux out</strong> its body when cooled below the critical temperature and<strong> exhibits perfect diamagnetism.</strong></li>
<li>It is also called the <strong>Meissner effect</strong> which simply means that <strong>magnetic lines do not pass through superconductors</strong> in a magnetic field.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Superconductors:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A superconductor is a material that can<strong> conduct electricity or transport electrons from one atom to another with no resistance.</strong></li>
<li>No heat, sound or any other form of energy would be released from the material when it has <strong>reached critical temperature</strong> (Tc), or the temperature at which the material becomes superconductive.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The critical temperature for superconductors is the <strong>temperature at which the electrical resistivity of metal drops to zero.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prominent examples</strong> include <strong>aluminium, niobium, magnesium diboride,</strong> etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Applications:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>From magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, low-loss power lines, ultra powerful superconducting magnets to mobile-phone towers.</li>
<li>Researchers are also experimenting with them in high-performance generators for wind turbines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Limitations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Their usefulness is still<strong> limited by the need for bulky cryogenics</strong> (production of and behavior of materials at very low temperatures) as the common superconductors <strong>work at atmospheric pressures,</strong> but only if they are kept very cold.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Even the most sophisticated ones like <strong>copper oxide-based ceramic materials</strong> work only below &minus;140&deg;C.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of the Research:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If researchers can stabilise the material at ambient pressure,<strong> applications of superconductivity at room temperatures could be achieved</strong> and will be within reach.</li>
<li>Superconductors that work at room temperature could have a <strong>big technological impact, for example in electronics that run faster without overheating.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Diamagnetism</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> very weak form of magnetism</strong> that is <strong>induced by a change in the orbital motion of electrons</strong> due to an applied magnetic field.</li>
<li>This magnetism is <strong>non-permanent and persists only in the presence of an external field.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> magnitude of the induced magnetic moment is very small, </strong>and its<strong> direction is opposite to that of the applied field.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Meissner Effect</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>When a <strong>material makes the transition from the normal to the superconducting state,</strong> it<strong> actively excludes magnetic fields</strong> from its interior and this is called the Meissner effect.</li>
<li>This constraint to zero magnetic fields inside a superconductor is<strong> distinct from the perfect diamagnetism which would arise from its zero electrical resistance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/room-temperature-superconductivity-possible-but-under-severe-pressure/article32937247.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6817,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Monoclonal Antibodies for Covid-19',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the<strong> International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)</strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pneumococcal-conjugate-vaccine-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune</strong></a> announced an agreement with <strong>Merck, a science and technology company,</strong> to develop <strong>SARS-CoV-2 neutralising monoclonal antibodies (mAbs),</strong> which will be used to address the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IAVI is a non-profit scientific research organisation dedicated to addressing urgent global health challenges. It is headquartered in New York, USA.</li>
<li>SII is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Monoclonal Antibodies:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Antibodies are proteins produced naturally by the immune system that target a specific foreign object (antigen). They are called <strong>monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs)</strong> when they are produced by clones derived from a single parent cell.</li>
<li>They are <strong>man-made proteins</strong> that act like a human antibody in the immune system. They are<strong> made by cloning a unique white blood cell.</strong></li>
<li>mAbs have <strong>monovalent affinity,</strong> it binds only to the <strong>same epitope</strong> i.e. the part of an <strong>antigen</strong> that is recognized by the<strong> antibody.</strong></li>
<li>They are designed to perform many roles, like they can be <strong>used to carry drugs, toxins, or radioactive substances</strong> directly to affected cells.</li>
<li>mAbs are <strong>used to treat many diseases,</strong> including some types of<strong> cancer.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>mAbs and Covid-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Neutralising monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 were <strong>co-invented by IAVI and Scripps Research.</strong></li>
<li>They are widely considered to be promising candidates for Covid-19 treatment and prevention.</li>
<li>Encouraging results for Covid-19 antibody treatment have emerged from preclinical research and from initial clinical trials.</li>
<li>mAbs also have the potential to play an important complementary role to Covid-19 vaccines. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It can be used both for treatment and potentially for prevention, especially for those individuals who, due to age or medical conditions, may not benefit from vaccination.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Antibody</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Antibody, also called immunoglobulin</strong> is a<strong> protective protein</strong> produced by the immune system in response to the presence of a foreign substance, called an<strong> antigen.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A wide range of substances are regarded by the body as antigens, including disease-causing organisms and toxic materials.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Antibodies <strong>recognize and attack onto antigens</strong> in order to remove them from the body.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Given that many experts speculate that Covid-19 will become an endemic disease, and given the severity of symptoms in a significant proportion of people affected, effective therapies will be necessary to treat those who remain unvaccinated or whom vaccination does not protect.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/serum-institute-of-india-iavi-and-merck-join-forces-to-develop-covid-19-antibodies/article32922113.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6806,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'COVIRAP : A Quick Covid-19 Test',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/antibody-kits-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)</strong></a> has approved a new low-cost <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> diagnostic method named<strong> COVIRAP,</strong> developed by the<strong> Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603352051_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603352051_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Working of COVIRAP:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>COVIRAP has an <strong>automated pre-programmable temperature control unit, a special detection unit on genomic analysis,</strong> and a<strong> customised smartphone app</strong> for results.</li>
<li>The machine has an<strong> isothermal nucleic acid amplification method,</strong> which did away with the need for a<strong> thermocycler.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Isothermal amplification of nucleic acids</strong> is a process that rapidly and efficiently accumulates <strong>nucleic acid sequences</strong> at constant temperature. The Isothermal Amplification Techniques have been developed as <strong>alternatives to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Thermocyclers</strong> are instruments used to<strong> amplify DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) samples</strong> by the<strong> polymerase chain reaction.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once the sample is processed in the machine after being mixed with solutions developed by the IIT team, treated paper strips (similar to the pregnancy strips) are dipped into it, and the emergence of coloured lines will depict the presence of the virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benefit of COVIRAP Process:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Economic:</strong> It is a cheaper process, its machine costs less than Rs. 5,000 and the test kits would each cost about Rs. 500.</li>
<li><strong>Quicker:</strong> The<strong> test is completed within an hour while <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/radt-vs-rt-pcr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RT-PCR test</a> (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction)</strong> takes 3-4 hours for testing the sample.</li>
<li><strong>Simpler to Handle:</strong> The portable test unit that <strong>can be handled by unskilled operators outside the lab environment.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is also better than the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/feluda-test-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>FELUDA test</strong></a> because the FELUDA employs a gene editing technology called <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chinas-gene-editing-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>CRISPR-cas9</strong></a>, which requires a lab testing environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reusable:</strong> The <strong>same unit can be used for a large number of tests</strong> on replacement of the paper cartridge after each test.</li>
<li><strong>Efficient:</strong> This assay (testing) holds the <strong>capability of detecting extremely low levels of viral loads</strong> compared to any other method based on similar principles of testing.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This means that very early stages of infection can be detected, thereby isolating the patient and arresting the uncontrolled spread of infection in the community via asymptomatic patients.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>High Accuracy:</strong> It correctly detected <strong>108 out of the 115 positive samples</strong> identified by an RT-PCR machine, and <strong>83 out of 85 negative samples,</strong> meaning that it has a <strong>94% sensitivity and 98% specificity</strong> in comparison to RT-PCR (i.e lower than RT-PCR).</li>
<li><strong>Other Usage:</strong> The COVIRAP testing machine <strong>can also perform tests other than Covid-19.</strong> It can be used in influenza, malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, TB etc, which are under the category of isothermal nucleic acid-based tests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603352088_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603352088_image2.png" caption="false" width="320" height="432" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>RT-PCR Test</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Kary Mullis,</strong> the American biochemist invented the PCR technique. He was awarded the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prizes-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Nobel Prize</strong> </a>for Chemistry in 1993.</li>
<li>Under this,<strong> copies of a segment of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)</strong> are created using an enzyme called Polymerase.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The &lsquo;chain reaction&rsquo; signifies how the DNA fragments are copied, exponentially &mdash; one is copied into two, the two are copied into four, and so on.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A fluorescent <strong>DNA binding dye called the &ldquo;probe&rdquo; is added to DNA,</strong> which shows the presence of the virus on a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/portable-device-to-detect-adulteration-in-milk" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fluorometer.</strong></a></li>
<li>Since coronavirus is made of<strong> RNA (ribonucleic acid),</strong> therefore to detect coronavirus, <strong>RNA is converted into DNA</strong> using a technique called reverse transcription.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A &lsquo;reverse transcriptase&rsquo; enzyme converts the RNA into DNA.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Copies of the DNA are then made and amplified.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/coronavirus-low-cost-testing-method-approved-by-icmr/article32909442.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6783,
		'category_id' => (int) 27,
		'title' => 'Nobel Prize 2020',
		'description' => '<p>The Nobel Prizes regarded as the most prestigious awards given for intellectual achievement in the world are awarded annually from a fund bequeathed for that purpose by the Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is announced every year for excellence in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Economics, and a distinguished achievement towards humanity &ndash; commonly known as the Nobel Peace Prize.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Physiology/Medicine</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Nobel Prize has been awarded to American medical researchers and virologists <strong>Harvey J Alter</strong> and<strong> Charles M Rice,</strong> and British scientist<strong> Michael Houghton</strong> for the discovery of Hepatitis C which was discovered in 1982 by screening millions of DNA samples.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The discovery of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Hepatitis C</strong></a> virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Hepatitis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hepatitis refers to an <strong>inflammatory condition of the liver.</strong></li>
<li>It&rsquo;s commonly caused by a<strong> viral infection,</strong> but there are other possible causes of hepatitis like autoimmune responses, medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.</li>
<li>There are 5 main <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>hepatitis</strong> </a>viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Hepatitis Day</strong></a> is observed each year on 28<sup>th</sup> July to enhance awareness of viral hepatitis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Hepatitis C is caused by the <strong>Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The first, (hepatitis A), is transmitted by polluted water or food and generally has little long-term impact on the patient.</li>
<li>The second type is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids and represents a much more serious threat since it can lead to a chronic condition.</li>
<li>This form of hepatitis is insidious, as otherwise healthy individuals can be silently infected for many years before serious complications arise.</li>
<li>It is transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids, typically through injection drug use and sexual contact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Physics</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-in-physics-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize in Physics</strong></a> for the year 2020 was awarded to three astrophysicists <strong>Roger Penrose</strong> from the UK, <strong>Reinhard Genzel</strong> from Germany, and<strong> Andrea Ghez</strong> from the USA.</li>
<li>Roger Penrose received half of this year&rsquo;s prize for the discovery that a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/blacl-holes-dark-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>black hole</strong></a> formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The theory explains gravity, as objects try to follow a straight line through a universe whose geometry is warped by matter and energy. As a result, planets, as well as light beams, follow curving paths.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Genzel and Ghez received the second half of the prize for the discovery of a <strong>supermassive black hole</strong> at the centre of the Milkyway galaxy, now known to be the Sagittarius A*. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has a mass four million times that of the Sun and is confined to an area roughly the size of our Solar System.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is a black hole?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The term &lsquo;black hole&rsquo; was coined in the mid-1960s by American Physicist <strong>John Archibald Wheeler.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Black hole refers to a point in space where matter is so compressed as to create a gravity field from which even light cannot escape.</li>
<li>Black-holes were<strong> theorized</strong> by <strong>Albert Einstein</strong> in 1915.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>All the black holes observed so far belong to two categories:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>One category ranges between a few solar masses and tens of solar masses. These are thought to form when massive stars die.</li>
<li>The other category is of supermassive black holes. These range from hundreds of thousands to billions of times that of the sun from the Solar system to which Earth belongs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In April 2019, the scientists at the Event Horizon Telescope Project released the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/first-images-of-a-black-hole" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> first-ever image of a Black Hole</strong></a> (more precisely, of its shadow).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The image was made possible by the Event Horizon Telescope which is a group of 8 radio telescopes (used to detect radio waves from space) located in different parts of the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/intermediate-mass-black-hole" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gravitational waves</strong></a> are created when two black holes orbit each other and merge.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Chemistry</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Emmanuelle Charpentier</strong> of France and <strong>Jennifer A Doudna</strong> of the USA have been awarded the 2020 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prizes-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize</strong> </a>in Chemistry for developing CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, one of gene technology&rsquo;s sharpest tools.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is for the first time a Nobel science prize has gone to a women-only team.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors</strong> can be used to change the<strong> deoxyribonucleic acid</strong> (DNA) of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CRISPR/Cas9 tool has already <strong>contributed to significant gains in crop resilience,</strong> altering their genetic code to<strong> better withstand drought and pests.</strong></li>
<li>The technology has contributed to new<strong> cancer</strong> therapies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>CRISPR Technology</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CRISPR (short for <strong>Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats</strong>) technology for gene-editing was first developed in 2012.</li>
<li>It makes gene sequencing very easy, simple and extremely efficient providing nearly endless possibilities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Editing, or modifying, gene sequences is not new and has been happening for several decades now, particularly in the field of agriculture, where several crops have been genetically modified to provide particular traits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in Streptococcus pyogenes that use a similar method to protect itself from virus attacks.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself but the auto-repair mechanism can lead to the re-growth of a problematic sequence.</li>
<li>Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process by supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes, which replaces the original sequence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Peace</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/food-crisis-amid-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Food Programme</strong> </a>(WFP), a <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong> </a>(UN) agency, for its efforts to combat hunger, bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and preventing the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The WPF is the UN&rsquo;s primary agency that works upon <strong>Eradicating Hunger</strong> which is one the UN&rsquo;s <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals.</strong></a></li>
<li>The WFP provided assistance to close to 100 million people in 88 countries who are victims of acute food insecurity and hunger.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>WFP in India:</strong> It has been working in India since 1963 where it has focused upon reforms in the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/public-distribution-system-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Targeted Public Distribution System</strong> </a>(TPDS) and provided policy inputs, advocacy and technical assistance for improving access to food.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The WFP has proposed unique initiatives like <strong>Automatic Grain Dispensing Machine (Annapurti)</strong> and<strong> Mobile Storage Units</strong> for the effective implementation of TPDS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Food Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was established in 1961 by the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-march-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food and Agriculture Organisation</a> (FAO)</strong> and the<strong> United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)</strong> and became a full-fledged UN programme in 1965.</li>
<li><strong>Headquarter:</strong> Rome, Italy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Economic Sciences</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>American economists, <strong>Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson</strong> have been awarded the <strong>Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences,</strong> 2020 for their work on commercial auctions. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The award is <strong>popularly but incorrectly</strong> known as Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, (as it is not one of the five Nobel prizes that Alfred Nobel established in his will in 1895, it is not a Nobel Prize).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It was created in 1968 by a donation from Sweden's central bank Sveriges Riksbank to the<strong> Nobel Foundation to commemorate the bank's 300<sup>th</sup> anniversary</strong> and includes a <strong>10 million Swedish kronor award money</strong> (₹8.33 crores roughly).</li>
<li>Milgrom and Wilson improved the auction theory and invented new auction formats for auctioning off many interrelated objects simultaneously, on behalf of a seller motivated by broad societal benefit rather than maximal revenue.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Robert Wilson</strong> developed the theory for auctions of objects with a common value &ndash; a value which is uncertain beforehand but, in the end, is the same for everyone.</li>
<li><strong>Paul Milgrom</strong> formulated a more general theory of auctions that not only allows common values, but also private values that vary from bidder to bidder.</li>
<li>Their work will benefit <strong>sellers, buyers and taxpayers</strong> around the world. It will help in auctioning goods and services, such as<strong> radio frequencies,</strong> which are difficult to sell in traditional ways.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Auction Theory</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Auction theory studies how auctions are designed, what rules govern them, how bidders behave and what outcomes are achieved.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Auctions are important to economists because they are the most widely used and also the <strong>most efficient mechanism to allocate scarce resources.</strong></li>
<li>The allocation of scarce resources, in turn, matters to economists because there is a limited supply of resources on earth when compared to unlimited human needs, and hence they need to be allocated only to the most urgent needs of society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Application of auction:</strong> Auctions happen almost everywhere in the modern world. Even the sale of groceries in retail stores is based on an auction, albeit an implicit one that is relatively slow to adjust to changing market conditions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The oldest form of auction is the auction of a bankrupt person&rsquo;s property to pay off his creditors. This simple design of such an auction is the highest open bidder getting the property (or the commodity in question).</li>
<li><strong>Allocation of capital good:</strong> More sophisticated and explicit auction mechanisms are used in the allocation of capital goods such as spectrum and minerals. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Over time, the format of auctions has widened to include other commodities such as carbon dioxide emission credits, electricity or the right to collect the local garbage etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>For e.g.</strong> a supermarket manager, just as an auctioneer, tries to price his goods based on how much of it is sold during a certain day, week, or month. If there is a huge demand for a certain product and shelves empty quickly, the supermarket manager will raise its price to prevent a shortage. If another product fails to sell as fast as expected, its price may be lowered in order to clear any unsold inventory.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>But whether it is the auction of spectrum waves or the sale of fruits and vegetables, auctions are at the core of allocation of scarce resources in a market economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Auction models:</strong> Different auction models are needed for depending upon the commodities, purpose of the auction and the entities conducting the auction.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For e.g.</strong> Maximizing the profit may be the motive of a private auction while making a service affordable can be the purpose of auctioning a service by the government. Wrong auction design can lead to a second-hand market where companies trade among themselves with little revenue accruing to the government or little benefit to the public.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>How an auction is designed, has a tremendous impact not just on the buyers and the sellers but also on the broader society.</li>
<li><strong>Key variables:</strong> Three key variables need to be understood while designing an auction.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Rules of Auction</strong> i.e. closed/sealed bids, single bids versus multiple bids.</li>
<li><strong>Commodity or service</strong> being put up for auction i.e. how does each bidder value an item.</li>
<li><strong>Uncertainty</strong> regarding which bidder has what information about the object, or even the value another bidder associates with the object.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Literature</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 has been awarded to the USA poet <strong>Louise Gl&uuml;ck</strong> "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal."<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Her poetry focuses on the painful reality of being human, dealing with themes such as death, childhood, and family life.</li>
<li>She is the fourth woman to win the prize for literature since 2010, and only the 16<sup>th</sup> since the Nobel prizes were first awarded in 1901.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Nobel Prize comes with a medal and a prize sum of 10 million Swedish kronor.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Contribution of Indians</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Poet and writer <strong>Rabindranath Tagore</strong> was the <strong>first non-European and Indian</strong> to get a Nobel Prize in 1913 in literature.</li>
<li>India received its first Nobel Prize in physics in 1930, when scientist Sir <strong>Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman</strong> was awarded &ldquo;for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him&rdquo;. This phenomenon is now known as Raman Effect.</li>
<li><strong>Har Gobind Khorana</strong> shared his 1968 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Robert W Holley and Marshall W Nirenberg. The trio was honoured <strong>&ldquo;for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Mother Teresa</strong> won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She was a Roman Catholic nun who was born in Albania. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata and worked all her life for the poor. She became an <strong>Indian citizen</strong> as well. She received the prize for her &ldquo;work in bringing help to suffering humanity&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Indian physicist <strong>Subramanyan Chandrasekhar</strong> was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he shared with physicist William Alfred Fowler. He was awarded <strong>&ldquo;for theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Amartya Sen</strong> was the winner of the 1998 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. He was rewarded &ldquo;for his contributions to welfare economics&rdquo;.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s first Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry was won by <strong>Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.</strong> He received the 2009 Nobel Prize<strong> &ldquo;for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome&rdquo;.</strong> He shared the award with Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath.</li>
<li><strong>Kailash Satyarthi,</strong> along with Malala Yousafzai, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. He received the honour &ldquo;for the struggle against the suppression of children and young people, and for the right of all children to education.&rdquo;</li>
<li>The Indian-American economist <strong>Abhijit Banerjee</strong> was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer. The trio received the award for their<strong> &ldquo;experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
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		'article_id' => (int) 6773,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Atomic Hydrogen Content of Galaxies',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>In a significant discovery, the Pune-based <strong>Nationwide Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) and Raman Analysis Institute (RRI),</strong> Bengaluru have used the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indian-telescope-spots-distant-radio-galaxy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT)</strong></a> to measure the <strong>atomic hydrogen</strong> content (of 8 billion years ago) of galaxies when the universe was young.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This will <strong>help in unveiling the reason behind declining star formation in the Milky Way</strong> in the present time.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Study:</strong> For the first time the atomic hydrogen gas content of star forming galaxies for a past date (about 8 billion years ago) was measured with the help of the upgraded GMRT.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Unlike stars which emit light strongly at optical wavelengths, the atomic hydrogen signal lies in the radio wavelengths, at a wavelength of 21 cm, and can only be detected with radio telescopes.</li>
<li><strong>Stacking:</strong> This 21 cm signal is intrinsically very weak, to overcome this limitation, the team used a technique called &ldquo;stacking&rdquo; to combine the 21 cm signals of nearly 8,000 galaxies that had earlier been identified with the help of optical telescopes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This method measures the average gas content of these galaxies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Discovery:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Galaxies in the universe are made up mostly of gas and stars, with gas being converted into stars throughout the life of a galaxy.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Understanding galaxies requires us to determine how the amounts of both gas and stars change with time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The star formation activity in galaxies peaked about 8-10 billion years ago (galaxy was young) and has been declining steadily till today.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The cause of this decline was unknown as there had been no <strong>information regarding the amount of atomic hydrogen gas &mdash;</strong> the <strong>primary fuel for star formation</strong> &mdash; in galaxies in these early times.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The observed decline in star formation activity could thus be explained by the exhaustion of the atomic hydrogen. Given the intense star formation in these early galaxies, their atomic gas would be consumed by star formation in just one or two billion years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GMRT is an array of <strong>thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45 metre diameter.</strong> It is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. It is an<strong> indigenous project.</strong></li>
<li>It functions at the <strong>metre wavelength part of the radio spectrum</strong> because <strong>man-made radio interference is considerably lower</strong> in this part of the spectrum in India and there are <strong>many outstanding astrophysics problems</strong> which are best studied at metre wavelengths.</li>
<li>Detecting the 21 cm signal from the most distant galaxies in the universe was the main science goal of the GMRT, when it was designed and built by a team led by the late pioneering astrophysicist <strong>Govind Swarup</strong> in the 1980s and 1990s.</li>
<li>The big jump in sensitivity was due to the upgrade of the GMRT with new wide band receivers and electronics in 2017.</li>
<li>The<strong> location</strong> for GMRT, Pune meets several important criteria such as <strong>low man-made radio noise,</strong> availability of <strong>good communication,</strong> vicinity of <strong>industrial,</strong> educational and other infrastructure and, a geographical latitude sufficiently north of the geomagnetic equator in order to have a reasonably quiet ionosphere and yet be able to observe a good part of the southern sky as well.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indian-telescope-spots-distant-radio-galaxy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6753,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Wheat Variety MACS 6478',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>wheat variety</strong> called <strong>MACS 6478</strong> has <strong>doubled the crop yield</strong> for farmers in Karanjkhop, a village in Maharashtra.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Developed By:</strong> Scientists from <strong>Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune-</strong> an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).</li>
<li><strong>Features:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602831584_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602831584_image1.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="256" height="254" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A <strong>common wheat or bread wheat</strong> <em>(Triticum aestivum).</em><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Other popular wheat varieties are<strong> durum wheat</strong> <em>(T. durum)</em> and <strong>club wheat</strong> <em>(T. compactum).</em></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hybrid Crop,</strong> i.e. produced by the cross-breeding of two genetically different varieties or species. Hybrids are often spontaneously and randomly created in nature when open-pollinated plants naturally cross-pollinate with other related varieties (not genetically modified).</li>
<li><strong>Matures in 110 days</strong> and is <strong>resistant to</strong> most races of<strong> leaf and stem rust.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is <strong>against the normal maturing attained after 140 to 150 days,</strong> required for wheat varieties cultivated commonly in northern India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This<strong> amber colored medium sized grain</strong> contains <strong>14% protein, 44.1 ppm (parts per million) zinc</strong> and<strong> 42.8 ppm iron</strong> which is higher than other cultivated varieties.</li>
<li>Farmers get a <strong>yield of 45-60 quintal per hectare</strong> with the new variety as against earlier average yield ranging 25-30 quintal per hectare when they cultivated Lok 1, HD 2189 and other old varieties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other ARI Wheat Variety (MACS 4028):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/macs-4028-wheat-variety" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>bio-fortified durum variety</strong></a> has very high protein (14.7%), iron (46.1 ppm) and zinc (40.3 ppm) content, compared to the corresponding levels of 8-10%, 28-32 ppm and 30-32 ppm in normally-grown varieties. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Biofortification</strong> is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Maturing in just over<strong> 100 days,</strong> it is <strong>suitable for cultivation in rainfed </strong>and<strong> low fertility conditions in Maharashtra and Karnataka.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>chosen for a UNICEF-funded Farming System for Nutrition project,</strong> operated through the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/icar-to-set-up-farmers-innovation-fund" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research&rsquo;s (ICAR) Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK)</strong></a>, as part of the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/poshan-abhiyaan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> National Nutrition Strategy.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>ARI has also bred <strong>MACS 2971,</strong> a high-yielding variety of the traditionally cultivated dicoccum (also known as &lsquo;khapli&rsquo;) wheat that is rich in dietary fibre.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/karan-vandana-a-new-hybrid-wheat-variety" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Karan Vandana</strong></a> (DBW 187) wheat variety, developed by the <strong>Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR)</strong> under the <strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),</strong> is used for cultivation in North Eastern Plains Zones.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Other Recent Activities by ARI</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Found the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/development-of-synthetic-flavonoids" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> first synthetic route for producing flavonoids molecules</strong> </a>related to the treatment of tuberculosis and chikungunya.</li>
<li>Found that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/reasons-behind-pink-water-of-lonar-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>colour of Lonar lake water</strong></a> in Maharashtra&rsquo;s Buldhana district turned pink due to a large presence of the <strong>salt-loving &lsquo;Haloarchaea&rsquo; microbes.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/alternative-dwarfing-genes-in-wheat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mapped two alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18</strong></a> in wheat that can help in reducing rice crop residue burning i.e. stubble burning.</li>
<li>Isolated and cultivated <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/methanotrophic-bacteria-for-methane-mitigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>45 different strains of methanotrophs</strong></a> (methane-utilising bacteria) and created the first indigenous methanotroph culture.</li>
<li>A <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/methane-hydrates-in-krishna-godavari-basin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study on biogenic methane hydrate in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin.</a> </strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1664266" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6739,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Vehicles',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fk-jIaid2FQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<p>Aimed at a significant push for hydrogen vehicles in the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified standards for the safety evaluation of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fuel-cell-electric-vehicle" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Based Vehicles.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This would facilitate the promotion of hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles in the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The notified standards are also at par with the available international standards.</li>
<li>The prospective manufacturer and suppliers of such vehicles will now have the standards available for their testing.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Hydrogen in Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In contrast to other electric vehicles, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fuel-cell-electric-vehicle" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>FCEVs</strong></a> produce electricity using a fuel cell powered by hydrogen, rather than drawing electricity from only a battery.</li>
<li>During the vehicle design process, the power of the vehicle is defined by the size of the electric motor(s) that receive electric power from the appropriately sized fuel cell and battery combination.</li>
<li>Most FCEVs today use the battery for recapturing braking energy, providing extra power during short acceleration events and to smooth out the power delivered from the fuel cell with the option to idle or turn off the fuel cell during low power needs.</li>
<li>The amount of energy stored onboard is determined by the size of the hydrogen fuel tank.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is different from an all-electric vehicle, where the amount of power and energy available are both closely related to the battery's size.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Fuel Cell</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Fuel cells and batteries convert chemical energy into electrical energy and are very useful forms of galvanic cells.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A galvanic or voltaic cell is an electrochemical cell that converts chemical energy into electrical energy through the redox reactions that occur within the cell.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A <strong>hydrogen</strong> fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts specifically hydrogen into electrical energy.</li>
<li>Galvanic cells that are designed to convert the energy of combustion of fuels like hydrogen, methane, methanol, etc. directly into electrical energy are called fuel cells. One of the most successful fuel cells uses the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen to form water.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Production of Hydrogen for HFC</h3>
<p>In the context of India there are mainly three effective methods for the production of hydrogen for the hydrogen fuel cell:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Natural gas:</strong> Natural gas reforming is an advanced and mature production process that builds upon the existing natural gas pipeline delivery infrastructure. Natural gas contains methane (CH4) that can be used to produce hydrogen with thermal processes, such as steam-methane reformation and partial oxidation.</li>
<li><strong>Thermochemical water splitting:</strong> It uses high temperatures&mdash;from concentrated solar power or from the waste heat of nuclear power reactions&mdash;and chemical reactions to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Thermochemical water splitting</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The process uses high-temperature heat (500&deg;&ndash;2,000&deg;C) to drive a series of chemical reactions that produce hydrogen.</li>
<li>The chemicals used in the process are reused within each cycle, creating a closed loop that consumes only water and produces hydrogen and oxygen.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Biomass based production:</strong> Biomass is organic material which includes agriculture crop residues, forest residues, special crops grown specifically for energy use , organic municipal solid waste, and animal wastes. This renewable resource can be used to produce hydrogen, along with other byproducts, by gasification.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Biomass Gasification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Biomass gasification is a technology pathway that uses a controlled process involving heat, steam, and oxygen to convert biomass to hydrogen and other products, without combustion.</li>
<li>As growing biomass removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the net carbon emissions of this method can be low, especially if coupled with carbon capture, utilization, and storage in the long term.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Advantage of HFC over Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Loss of energy in ICE:</strong> In an ICE, the chemical energy of hydrogen is first converted into thermal energy, the heat energy is then converted into mechanical energy which is then converted into electrical energy, too much of energy is lost.</li>
<li><strong>Higher efficiency of HFCs:</strong> The conversion of energy takes place at lower temperature, the loss is comparatively much less and the efficiency is higher.</li>
<li><strong>Dual purpose:</strong> The fuel cell solves dual purpose as it can run the vehicle and can generate standby power in case of emergencies as well.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center; background-color: #0b1040; height: 19px;" colspan="2"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Pros and Cons of using Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFCs) in Vehicles</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center; height: 19px; background-color: #808cbd;"><strong>Pros</strong></td>
<td style="width: 50%; text-align: center; height: 19px; background-color: #808cbd;"><strong>Cons</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 89px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 89px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hydrogen is a clean fuel, no emission of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter is there.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 89px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Estimated cost of a vehicle running on Hydrogen Fuel Cells is $ 50,000 (₹ 36,66,872).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 111px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 111px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Only water is the residue of HFCs which can be used in the desert areas.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 111px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A hydrogen based fuel is highly inflammable, the production, transport and storage of the fuel is a possible challenge.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 89px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 89px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The biomass based hydrogen production will lead to the boost in the rural economy.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 89px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The investment required in storing and dispensing of the HFC Vehicle is expectedly very high.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 111px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 111px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vehicles running on HFCs are best suited for heavy duty vehicles as electric vehicles are only limited to lighter vehicles.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 111px; background-color: #ebe8fc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As the international market of HFC vehicles is very less, the loss and the chances of facing it are very high.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Commitments:</strong> India has to adhere to its commitment in the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cop25-climate-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Paris Climate Agreement</strong> </a>and its <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/11-07-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Targets</strong> </a>and ensure that its mobility in the future is with zero emissions.</li>
<li><strong>Role of Governments and OEMs:</strong> The governments across the world and the leading <strong>Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs)</strong> should step forward to invest in this field as their investment can lower such high cost of production and maintenance of these vehicles drastically.</li>
<li><strong>Welcoming the Newer Technologies:</strong> Although electric vehicles solve a large part of the emission problems, HFCVs are the best option in case of the heavy duty vehicles such as trucks and tractors, which is produced in large numbers in India. Hence the technology should be embraced with welcoming hands.</li>
<li><strong>Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles:</strong> India is the leading producer of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles, which could be used as an alternative technology to the high cost Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle (HICEV)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A HICEV is a vehicle powered by a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine. Some versions are hydrogen-gasoline hybrids.</li>
<li>Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles are different from hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (which use electrochemical use of hydrogen rather than combustion).</li>
<li>Instead, the hydrogen internal combustion engine is simply a modified version of the traditional gasoline-powered internal combustion engine.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India's INDC Targets, to be achieved primarily by 2030</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To reduce the emissions intensity of the GDP by about a third.</li>
<li>A total of 40% of the installed capacity for electricity will be from non-fossil fuel sources.</li>
<li>India also promised an additional carbon sink (a means to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by the year 2030</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently HFC is still in its infancy stage however we can't depend on conventional fuel for future, hence we should work on alternatives like HFC, electric, solar energy to meet energy requirements for transportation purposes.</li>
<li>Hydrogen Fuel Cell has a big role to play in mobility and zero emission technology in future.</li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6737,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'C-DAC’s MoUs on Supercomputing',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jatan-virtual-museum-software" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centre for Development of Advanced Computing</strong></a> (C-DAC) under the <strong>Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology</strong> (Meity) has signed 13 MoUs with the <strong>premier academic and research and development</strong> (R&amp;D) institutions of India.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aims behind the Move:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To <strong>establish supercomputing infrastructure</strong> with assembly and manufacturing in India and<strong> critical components</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-supercomputing-mission-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Supercomputing Mission</strong></a>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Supercomputing</strong> has <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/national-supercomputer-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>applications</strong></a> in so many areas like computational biology and chemistry, molecular dynamics, national security,<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/big-data-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> big data</strong></a> analytics, government information systems, and so on.</li>
<li>It becomes a powerful tool, paired with <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)</strong></a>, enabling it to empower people and make India ready to tackle future challenges.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>To develop <strong>India&rsquo;s indigenous hardware</strong> encompassing <strong>exascale</strong> chip design, design and manufacture of exascale server boards, exascale interconnects and storage including<strong> silicon-photonics</strong> at C-DAC to <strong>achieve complete self-reliance</strong> envisioned under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/atma-nirbhar-bharat-abhiyan-challenges" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aatmanirbhar Bharat</strong></a> Initiative.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Exascale computing</strong> refers to computing systems capable of calculating at least 10<sup>18</sup> floating-point operations per second.</li>
<li><strong>Silicon photonics</strong> is an evolving technology in which data is transferred among computer chips by optical rays. Optical rays can carry far more data in less time than electrical conductors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Supercomputing Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was <strong>announced in 2015,</strong> with an aim to connect national academic and R&amp;D institutions with a grid of more than 70 high-performance computing facilities at an estimated cost of <strong>Rs. 4,500 crores</strong> over a <strong>period of seven years.</strong></li>
<li>It supports the government's vision of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-digital-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>'Digital India'</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/five-years-of-make-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>'Make in India'</strong></a> initiatives.</li>
<li>It is being implemented by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/50th-foundation-day-of-dst" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Department of Science and Technology</strong> </a>(DST) and <strong>Department of Electronics and Information Technology</strong> (DeitY) through <strong>C-DAC and Indian Institute of Science</strong> (IISc), Bangalore.</li>
<li><strong>The Mission envisages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To improve the number of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-supercomputing-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> supercomputers</strong></a> owned by India.</li>
<li>To <strong>build a strong base of 20,000 skilled persons</strong> over a period of five years who will be equipped to handle the complexities of supercomputers.</li>
<li>To empower Indian national academic and R&amp;D institutions to spread over the country by<strong> installing a vast supercomputing grid</strong> comprising more than 70 <strong>high-performance computing</strong> (HPC) facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Top Five Supercomputers</strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602674975_Image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602674975_Image5.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>PARAM 8000,</strong> considered to be <strong>India&rsquo;s first supercomputer</strong> was indigenously built in <strong>1991</strong> by C-DAC.</li>
<li><strong>SUMMIT</strong> (USA) is the <strong>fastest supercomputer in the world</strong> which can deliver upto 187,659.3 TFlop/s.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1663952" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6682,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>Emmanuelle Charpentier of France</strong> and <strong>Jennifer A Doudna of the USA</strong> have been awarded the <strong>2020 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prizes-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nobel Prize</a> in Chemistry</strong> for developing <strong>CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors,</strong> one of gene technology&rsquo;s sharpest tools.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is for the <strong>first time a Nobel science prize has gone to a women-only team.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-for-physiology-medicine-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize for Medicine/Physiology, 2020</strong></a>: To Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice from the USA and Michael Houghton from the UK for the discovery of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hepatitis</strong></a> C Virus.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-for-physics-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize in Physics 2020</strong></a>: To three astrophysicists Roger Penrose from the UK, Reinhard Genzel from Germany, and Andrea Ghez from the USA for discoveries related to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/blacl-holes-dark-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>blackholes.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors</strong> can be used to change the <strong>deoxyribonucleic acid</strong> (DNA) of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CRISPR/Cas9 tool has already <strong>contributed to significant gains in crop resilience,</strong> altering their genetic code to <strong>better withstand <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unccd-drought-tool-box" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drought</a> and pests.</strong></li>
<li>This technology has had a <strong>revolutionary impact on the life sciences</strong> and <strong>contributes to new <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-cancer-registry-programme-report-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancer</a> therapies.</strong> It has the potential of curing inherited diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Discovery:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Charpentier, while studying the <em><strong>Streptococcus pyogenes</strong></em>, a harmful bacterium, discovered a previously unknown molecule,<strong> tracrRNA.</strong></li>
<li>TracrRNA was part of bacteria&rsquo;s ancient immune system, <strong>CRISPR/Cas,</strong> that <strong>disarmed viruses by cleaving</strong> (cutting) <strong>their DNA.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>TracrRNA is programmed to<strong> locate the particular problematic sequence on the DNA strand,</strong> and a special protein called Cas9 (also known as genetic scissor) is used to <strong>break and remove</strong> the problematic sequence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Both scientists collaborated and succeeded in<strong> recreating the bacteria&rsquo;s genetic scissors in a test tube </strong>and<strong> simplifying</strong> the scissors&rsquo; molecular components making it easier to use.</li>
<li>In their <strong>natural form,</strong> the scissors<strong> recognise DNA from viruses</strong> but the duo <strong>reprogrammed them so that they could be controlled </strong>and<strong> can cut any DNA molecule at a predetermined site.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>CRISPR Technology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CRISPR (short for <strong>Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats</strong>) technology for gene-editing was<strong> first developed in 2012.</strong></li>
<li>It makes <strong>gene sequencing very easy, simple and extremely efficient</strong> providing nearly endless possibilities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Editing, or modifying, gene sequences is not new and has been happening for several decades now, particularly in the<strong> field of agriculture, where several crops have been genetically modified to provide particular traits.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The technology <strong>replicates a natural defence mechanism in <em>Streptococcus pyogenes</em></strong> that use a similar method to protect itself from virus attacks.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A DNA strand, when broken, has a<strong> natural tendency to repair itself</strong> but the <strong>auto-repair mechanism can lead to the re-growth of a problematic sequence.</strong></li>
<li>Scientists<strong> intervene during this auto-repair process</strong> by supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes, which replaces the original sequence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Ethical Concerns:</strong> Ease of altering DNA will allow <strong>more people to choose the characteristics of their progeny and this will hamper the natural process.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In November 2018, a Chinese researcher claimed to have altered the genes of a human embryo that eventually resulted in the birth of twin baby girls. It was the first documented case of a<strong> &lsquo;designer babies&rsquo;</strong> being produced using gene-editing tools like CRISPR.</li>
<li>It was probably done <strong>without any regulatory permission or oversight</strong> which makes it even worse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Not Fully Accurate:</strong> Few scientists have pointed out that CRISPR technology is<strong> not 100% accurate,</strong> and it is possible that some other genes could also get altered by mistake.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Rules and Guidelines:</strong> Doudna has been campaigning for the <strong>development of international rules and guidelines</strong> for the use of CRISPR technology and has also <strong>advocated a general pause</strong> on these kinds of applications till such time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-cancer-registry-programme-report-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6667,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Nobel Prize for Physics 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-in-physics-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize in Physics</strong> </a>for the year 2020 was awarded to three astrophysicists <strong>Roger Penrose from the UK, Reinhard Genzel from Germany, and Andrea Ghez from the USA.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Roger Penrose received<strong> half of this year&rsquo;s prize</strong> for the discovery that a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/blacl-holes-dark-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>black hole</strong></a> formation is a<strong> robust prediction of the general theory of relativity.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Black holes were one of the first and most extreme predictions of Einstein&rsquo;s General Theory of Relativity which came in 1915.</li>
<li>The theory explains gravity, as objects try to follow a straight line through a universe whose geometry is warped by matter and energy. As a result, planets, as well as light beams, follow curving paths.</li>
<li>Dr Penrose proved that if too much mass accumulated in too small a place, <strong>collapse into a black hole was inevitable.</strong> At the boundary of a black hole, called the event horizon, one would have to go faster than the speed of light to escape it, which is impossible. At the centre of a black hole, where the density became infinite, the laws of physics, would no longer apply.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Genzel and Ghez received the second half</strong> of the prize for the <strong>discovery of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milkyway galaxy,</strong> now known to be the <strong>Sagittarius A*.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has a mass four million times that of the Sun and is confined to an area roughly the size of our Solar System.</li>
<li>In 2019, scientists got the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/first-images-of-a-black-hole" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>first optical image of a black hole</strong></a> which is at the centre of the Messier 87 galaxy.</li>
<li>Sagittarius A* is the second black hole whose photographs have been captured by the <strong>Event Horizon Telescope project.</strong> It is yet to be released.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Dr. Ghez is only the<strong> fourth woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics,</strong> following Marie Curie in 1903, Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963 and Donna Strickland in 2018.</li>
<li><strong>Other News:</strong> Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-for-physiology-medicine-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology, 2020</strong> </a>for the discovery of the Hepatitis C Virus.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602069941_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602069941_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/2020-nobel-prize-in-physics/article32781691.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6657,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Americans<strong> Harvey J Alter</strong> and <strong>Charles M Rice,</strong> and British scientist <strong>Michael Houghton</strong> were awarded the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-in-physiology-medicine-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology</strong></a>, 2020 for the discovery of the Hepatitis C Virus.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Hepatitis C virus was discovered in<strong> 1982</strong> by <strong>screening millions of DNA samples.</strong></li>
<li>The Nobel award comes with a gold medal and prize money of 10 million Swedish <strong>kronor</strong> (over USD 1,118,000) and was created by Swedish inventor <strong>Alfred Nobel.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Hepatitis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hepatitis refers to an <strong>inflammatory condition of the liver.</strong></li>
<li>It&rsquo;s commonly caused by a <strong>viral infection,</strong> but there are other possible causes of hepatitis like<strong> autoimmune responses, medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.</strong></li>
<li>There are 5 main<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> hepatitis</strong></a> viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Hepatitis Day</strong></a> is observed each year on<strong> 28<sup>th</sup> July</strong> to enhance awareness of viral hepatitis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hepatitis C:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hepatitis C is caused by the <strong>Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).</strong></li>
<li>It is transmitted through <strong>direct contact with infected body fluids,</strong> typically through injection drug use and sexual contact.</li>
<li>According to the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization</strong></a>, about 71 million people in the world have<strong> chronic infection with the Hepatitis C virus,</strong> which is also a major cause of <strong>liver cancer.</strong></li>
<li>A vaccine for the disease has still not been developed but it can be treated with the help of<strong> anti-viral drugs.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of the Discovery:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The discovery helped in finding a cure for the disease, and effective anti-viral drugs are now available.</li>
<li>Tests have also been developed to <strong>identify blood containing this virus,</strong> so that infected blood is not given to any patient.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Hepatitis in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>40 million people are chronically infected with the Hepatitis B virus and 6 to 12 million with the Hepatitis C virus.</li>
<li>In 2018 the <strong>National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme</strong> (NVHCP) was launched which has the target to <strong>eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030.&nbsp;</strong>The program is the largest program for Hepatitis B and C diagnosis and treatment in the world.</li>
<li><strong>Hepatitis B</strong> is included under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-vaccine-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)</strong></a> which provides free of cost vaccination against a total of 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.</li>
<li>The first <strong>recombinant DNA-based vaccine for Hepatitis B</strong> infection was made in India by Hyderabad-based Shantha Biotech.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1601967702_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1601967702_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/2020-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine/article32771784.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6566,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Genetic Engineering: Promises & Perils',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/the-dangers-of-genetic-engineering-opinion/story-i1syP6tiQAg16EQ5A7jLSL.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;The dangers of genetic engineering&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on 23/09/2020. It talks about the promises and perils associated with Genetic engineering.</p>
</div>
<p>Genetic engineering may be one of the greatest breakthroughs in recent history alongside the discovery of the atom and space flight. However, there are many disadvantages and plausible risks associated with it.</p>
<p>Although a research<strong> report in Nature Medicine</strong> contradicts the likelihood of intentional engineering of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sars-CoV-2</strong></a>, genetic engineering could well be the cause of the next pandemic.</p>
<p>Covid-19 have demonstrated how biological pathogens can be as destructive as nuclear missiles. Hence, the world should be cautious of the potential of genetic engineering to develop viruses that can be used for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/combating-bioterrorism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bio-terrorism.</strong></a></p>
<p>However, the technological advancement through Genetic engineering can also provide its cure and a strong defense against it. Thus, there should be efforts globally in developing bio-defences.</p>
<h3>What is Genetic Engineering?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Through genetic engineering, scientists are able to move desirable genes from one plant or animal to another or from a plant to an animal or vice versa.</li>
<li>In essence, genetic engineering is a technology wherein a specific gene can be selected and implanted into the recipient organism.</li>
<li>The process of genetic engineering involves splicing an area of a chromosome, a gene, that controls a certain characteristic of the body. For example:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This gene may be reprogrammed to produce an antiviral protein.</li>
<li>The enzyme endonuclease is used to split a DNA sequence as well as split the gene from the rest of the chromosome.</li>
<li>This gene is removed and can be placed into a bacterial cell where it can be sealed into the DNA chain using ligase.</li>
<li>When the chromosome is once again sealed the bacterial cell is now effectively re-programmed to replicate this new antiviral protein.</li>
<li>The bacterium can continue to live a healthy life while genetic engineering by human intervention has manipulated it to produce the protein.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages of Genetic Engineering</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Genetically Modified (GM) Crops:</strong> Genetic engineering made it possible to create crop varieties regarded as &ldquo;more beneficial&rdquo; terms of coming up with crops with the desired traits. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Examples of genetically-engineered plants (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/bt-cotton-in-india-problems-and-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bt Cotton</strong></a>) with more desirable traits are drought-resistant plants, disease-resistant crops, plants that grow faster, and plants fortified with more nutrients.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Treatment of Genetic Disorders and Other Diseases:</strong> Through genetic engineering, genetic disorders may also be fixed by replacing the faulty gene with a functional gene.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Disease-carrying insects, such as mosquitoes, may be engineered into becoming sterile insects.</li>
<li>This will help in curbing the spread of certain diseases, e.g. malaria and dengue fever.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Therapeutic Cloning:</strong> It is a process whereby embryonic cells are cloned to obtain biological organs for transplantation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges of Genetic Engineering</h3>
<p>While genetic engineering is beneficial in many ways, it is also implicated in certain eventualities deemed as &ldquo;unpleasant&rdquo; or disadvantageous.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Irreversible Changes:</strong> Nature is an extremely complex interrelated chain. Some scientists believe that introducing genetically-modified genes may have an irreversible effect with consequences yet unknown.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GMO that can cause harmful genetic effects, and genes moving from one species to another that is not genetically engineered.</li>
<li>It has been shown that GMO crop plants can pass the beneficial gene along to a wild population which may affect the biodiversity in the region. An example is the sunflowers genetically-engineered to fend off certain insects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Health Issues Related with GMO Crops:</strong> There are concerns over the inadvertent effects, such as the creation of food that can cause an allergic reaction.</li>
<li><strong>Bioethics:</strong> Genetic engineering borderlines on many moral and ethical issues. One of the major questions raised is if humans have the right to manipulate the laws and course of nature.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Dangers Associated With Genetic Engineering</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Rapid Growth of Technology:</strong> Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chinas-gene-editing-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>(CRISPR) gene editing</strong></a>, developed only a few years ago, deploys the same natural mechanism that bacteria use to trim pieces of genetic information from one genome and insert it into another. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This mechanism, which bacteria developed over millennia to defend themselves from viruses, has been turned into a cheap, simple, quick way to edit the DNA of any organism in the lab.</li>
<li>CRISPR isn&rsquo;t the only genetic technology we need to worry about. A broader field, &ldquo;synthetic biology&rdquo;, is making the tools for genetic engineering widely available.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Democratisation of Biotechnology:</strong> As CRISPR is cheap and easy to use, thousands of scientists all over the world are experimenting with CRISPR-based gene editing projects with very little of this research being limited by regulations.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The technologies have democratised to such a degree that any country can engineer viruses.</li>
<li>Further, the danger comes not only from governments: Non-state actors, rogue scientists and bio-hackers have access to the same tools.</li>
<li>Also, researchers have demonstrated that they can recreate deadly viruses such as that of smallpox, which took humanity decades to eradicate</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>As there have been no checks or balances, and it is too late to stop the global spread of these technologies.The only solution, now, is to accelerate the good side of these technologies and build defences. In this context:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Leveraging Artificial Intelligence &amp; Big Data:</strong> With <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI)</strong></a> and genomic data, scientists will decipher the complex relationships between DNA and biological processes and find treatments for diseases.</li>
<li><strong>Deploying 3D Printing:</strong> 3-D printing can help develop at home medicines, tissues, and bacteria custom-designed to suit our DNA and keep us healthy.</li>
<li><strong>Gathering of Genomic Data:</strong> There is a need to develop genomic blueprints of human and other species, this information can help immensely to defend and develop vaccines against pandemics like Covid-19.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Technologies such as genomics, synthetic biology, sensors, 3D printing, and AI should be leveraged by India to analyse data and develop treatments. Through this, India can lead the world in research and innovation in genetic engineering and lay the foundation for a trillion-dollar medical industry.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1600860944_Image0.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1600860944_Image0.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" caption="false" /></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: #f7ffe6;">
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Genetic engineering may be one of the greatest breakthroughs in recent human evolution, but there are many plausible risks associated with it. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kP-Rx-l_K8w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/the-vaccine-protocol-ht-editorial/story-4os8FgiFDAh4VrHiJtyGUP.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The vaccine protocol&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on September 21<sup>st</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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	(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6555,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>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</strong></a> (DRDO) conducted successful flight-tests of the indigenously-designed <strong>Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT)</strong> in Balasore (Odisha).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two demonstrator vehicles of Abhyas cleared all the evaluation parameters like 5 km flying altitude, vehicle speed of <strong>0.5 mach (half the speed of sound),</strong> endurance of 30 minutes etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1600844098_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1600844098_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Designed and developed by:</strong> Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) is a key Aeronautical Systems Design Laboratory under DRDO.</li>
<li>It is involved in the design and development of the state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Aeronautical Systems and technologies to meet the requirements of the<strong> Indian Armed forces.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a<strong> drone (UAV)</strong> that will be used as a<strong> target for various missile systems.</strong></li>
<li>It is powered by a small gas turbine engine.</li>
<li>Navigation by <strong>Micro-electromechanical (MEMS)</strong> systems based <strong>Inertial Navigation System (INS)</strong> for navigation. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>MEMS is a process technology used to create tiny integrated devices or systems that combine mechanical and electrical components.</li>
<li>It is lightweight and reliable, consumes less power and is cost-effective.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Programmed for<strong> fully autonomous flight. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Uses:</strong> As a<strong> target for evaluation of various Missile systems.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Background:</strong> This is the second time that the target vehicle was flight-tested successfully. The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-may-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>first successful test was in May 2019.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Others:</strong> Recently, the DRDO successfully flight tested the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hypersonic-technology-demonstrator-vehicle-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle</strong></a> (HSTDV).</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1657786" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6544,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'India based Neutrino Observatory',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>An <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-based-neutrino-observatory" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India based Neutrino Observatory</strong> </a>(INO) is going to be set up in Bodi West Hills, in Theni district, Tamil Nadu.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About :</strong> INO Project is a multi-institutional effort aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover of approx. 1200 m for non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research in India.</li>
<li><strong>National Neutrino Collaboration group (NNCG):</strong> It includes more than 50 scientists from about 15 Institutes and Universities in India and is tasked with detailing various aspects related to INO activity and come up with a proposal for an underground neutrino laboratory.</li>
<li><strong>Funded by :</strong> Dept. of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Dept. of Science and Technology (DST).</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong> INO will observe neutrinos and antineutrinos produced in the atmosphere of the Earth. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Over the years this underground facility is expected to develop into a full-fledged underground science laboratory for other studies in physics, biology, geology, hydrology etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features:</strong> The project includes: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Underground laboratory</strong> and associated surface facilities at Bodi West Hills.</li>
<li>Construction of a <strong>magnetized Iron Calorimeter (ICAL)</strong> detector for studying neutrinos.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>When completed, ICAL will have the <strong>world's largest magnet.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Setting up Inter<strong> Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics (IICHEP)</strong> at Madurai</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Advantages:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This observation will tell us more about the properties of neutrino particles, whose main source is the <strong>Sun and the Earth's atmosphere.</strong></li>
<li>This will also help in <strong>developing a model of physics</strong> beyond the so-called Standard Model of Particle Physics.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions, and not including the gravitational force) in the universe, as well as classifying all known elementary particles i.e. electrons, protons and neutrons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It would also have a great impact on diverse fields such as <strong>nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, medical imaging etc.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues Involved:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The project was challenged before the <strong>National Green Tribunal</strong> (NGT) for adversely affecting the ecosystem of Western Ghats. However , it was granted <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-based-neutrino-observatory" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>environmental clearance by NGT.</strong> </a></li>
<li>The<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-neutrino-observatory-opposed-by-gram-sabhas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> villagers in the Pottipuram Panchayat (at Bodi West Hills)</strong> </a>have been agitating against the proposed observatory under the banner of Poovulagin Nanbargal (Friends of the earth).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Neutrinos</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Detected for the first time in 1959, neutrinos are the <strong>second most abundant particles</strong> in the world (about a billion of them pass through a cubic centimeter of space every second), after photons, or the light particle.</li>
<li>Neutrinos are <strong>subatomic fundamental particles,</strong> with <strong>no charge and little or zero mass</strong> that interacts only via the weak subatomic force and gravity.</li>
<li>Neutrinos are created by various radioactive decays; during a supernova, by cosmic rays striking atoms etc.</li>
<li>They are considered mass less according to the Standard Model of Particle Physics.</li>
<li>However recent experiments indicate that these charge-neutral fundamental particles have<strong> finite but small mass</strong> which is unknown. Also, different species (or flavours ) of neutrinos seem to mix and oscillate into one another as they traverse through the cosmos.</li>
<li><strong>Determination of neutrino masses</strong> is one of the most important open problems in physics today. Neutrino Detectors are used to study the details of the interactions of these particles</li>
<li>They pass seamlessly through most objects that come in their way, including human beings, machines or the Earth&rsquo;s surface, without being noticed. That is the reason why scientists have to go deep underground to set up special detectors in a bid to catch the faint signals of neutrinos in an environment that is relatively free from &lsquo;noise&rsquo; and disturbance.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1657311" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6507,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Serial Interval and Covid-19',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>According to a recent research paper <strong>&ldquo;Serial Interval of SARS-CoV-2 was Shortened Over Time by Non-pharmaceutical Interventions&rdquo;,</strong> China was able to <strong>contain <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> due to its ability to manage the serial interval.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China has now gone <strong>over a month without any locally transmitted Covid-19 cases.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Serial Interval:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the <strong>duration between symptom onset of a primary case and symptom onset of secondary cases</strong> (contacts) generated by the primary case.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In simple terms, the serial interval is the gap between the onset of Covid-19 symptoms in Person A and Person B, who is infected by Person A.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Origin:</strong> The term was first used by <strong>British physician William Pickles</strong>, who had initially referred to it as <strong>transmission interval</strong> with reference to a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-hepatitis-day#:~:text=Indian%20Scenario%3A,and%20treatment%20in%20the%20world." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>hepatitis epidemic</strong></a> in the UK during 1942-45.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Later, another <strong>British physician RE Hope Simpson used the term serial interval,</strong> defining it as the interval between successive illness onsets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The serial interval <strong>depends on other epidemiological parameters</strong> such as the incubation period and the reproduction rate or <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/science-of-covid-19-spread" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>R nought.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>incubation period</strong> is the time between a person&rsquo;s exposure to the virus and symptom onset.</li>
<li>The <strong>reproduction rate</strong> is the number of people who will be infected by one infected person.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Contribution in Controlling Covid-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The serial interval helps to <strong>gauge the effectiveness of infection control interventions</strong> besides <strong>indicating rising population immunity</strong> and <strong>forecast future incidence.</strong></li>
<li>Thus, the <strong>more quickly people</strong> who contracted Covid-19 are <strong>identified and isolated, </strong>the<strong> shorter the serial interval becomes</strong> and cuts down opportunities for transmission of the virus.</li>
<li>To manage serial interval, a <strong>robust system of contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation protocols</strong> should be in place.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Examples of China and South Korea:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The serial interval in <strong>Wuhan (China) came down from 7.8 days to 2.6 days</strong> between early January and early February. Quarantining contacts within 1 day from symptom onset helped reduce the transmission by 60%.</li>
<li>The serial interval in <strong>South Korea was estimated to be 3.63 days.</strong></li>
<li>Both countries put a lot of emphasis on aggressive <strong>contact tracing, quarantine,</strong> and<strong> isolation,</strong> thereby ensuring that infected patients could not infect any more people later in the infection cycle.</li>
<li>Interventions such as<strong> suspension of intra- and inter-city travel,</strong> and different <strong>forms of social distancing</strong> widely implemented also kept the serial interval low.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/serial-interval-how-can-it-be-managed-to-control-coronavirus-covid-19-6598366/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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