Science & technology

An Indian Navy MiG-29K fighter jet made the maiden night landing on the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. It is an important step towards the warship becoming fully operational along with its air wing. The Mikoyan MiG-29K is a Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft developed in the late 1980s. INS Vikrant (IAC-1) is the first …

China plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030 and expand the country’s orbiting space station. China’s latest announcement came against the backdrop of rivalry with the US for reaching new milestones in outer space. The US aims to put astronauts back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025 as part of …

In an important step towards realising India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission to put an Indian in space, the Indian Navy and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released the Gaganyaan Recovery Training Plan at the Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) at INS Garuda, Kochi. The human flight, after two unmanned flights, …

The Union Food Ministry on Friday countered the Opposition Congress’s allegation that the distribution of fortified rice through fair price shops is being done despite multiple warnings by experts and institutions such as NITI Aayog and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). A spokesperson of the Ministry …

The recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. versus Goldsmith et al. has added more unpredictability to the process of being exempted from copyright infringement liabilities. The judgment is set to have implications for how we regulate a powerful form of artificial …

Anyone who has suffered the misfortune of an amputation, and others with the imagination to conceive of such a horrible loss, might wish humans shared the famed ability of the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) to regenerate their limbs. The axolotl is a species of salamander (lizard-like amphibians) originally found in …

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes algorithms that can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. Recent breakthroughs in the field of Generative AI have the potential to drastically change the way people approach content creation. Generative AI and transformers (that help predict the next word or a sentence) …

Centre pushes vaccination as lumpy skin ravages cattle More than 10,000 cattle have been infected with the Lumpy Skin disease in this wave of the epidemic. Uttarakhand has reported the bulk of the cases in this wave. While the Kutch region of Gujarat emerged as the epicenter of the Lumpy Skin disease outbreak last …

The Chandrayaan-3 Mission is aimed at demonstrating critical technologies to land the spacecraft on the south pole of the moon. It is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3 is a composite of three modules i.e., propulsion, lander and rover. The mission …

The World Health Organization has recommended against using artificial sweeteners WHO in a recent report has recommended against using artificial sweeteners to achieve weight loss and prevent lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. The report emphasized that while there was a need to cut intake of sugar, it should not be replaced by artificial …

Drug makers Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotec are moving closer to develop the country’s first vaccine against dengue. They have applied to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) call for ‘Expression of Interest’ for collaborative Phase-III clinical trials for indigenous manufacturers. Phase-III clinical trial is being done for evaluation of efficacy, along with …

Ukraine claims it shot down Russia’s next generation hypersonic missile ‘Barrage’. A hypersonic missile is a weapon system which flies at least at the speed of Mach 5 i.e., five times the speed of sound and is maneuverable. The maneuverability of the hypersonic missile is what sets it apart from a ballistic missile as the …

The new Alzheimer’s drug Donanemab was found to slow down cognitive decline by 35% in people with early Alzheimer’s. Key Details: The new drug has been developed by the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. It was observed that the new Drug named ‘Donanemab’, does not only slow down cognitive decline by 355 but …

A baby was born using three persons DNA in the UK. The Baby technically, has three parents, deriving the mitochondria from a donor apart from the genetic material (DNA) from biological parents. The need for using this pioneering technology was aimed to prevent the child inheriting the mother’s mitochondrial disease. In this particular …

The United Kingdom had decided to provide long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. Significance Since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb, 2022, Ukraine has so far received a wide variety of weapons and ammunition, including anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft systems and artillery from its Western Allies. The storm Shadow is the latest …

The United Kingdom will provide long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. Storm Shadow is a long-ranged, air-launched, conventionally armed, deep-strike missile, which is manufactured by the France-based MBDA Missile Systems. It was first produced in 1997. Range: More than 250 km. Weight: Storm Shadow weighs 1,300 kg and is 5.10m long. Purpose: It’s capable of being operated day and night in all …

National Technology Day is celebrated in India on May 11 every year. This term was coined by former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to recognise the contributions of Indian scientists. On May 11, 1998, three very special technological advances were showcased by India’s scientists and engineers: Operation Shakti, also known widely as Pokhran-II nuclear tests; the successful test firing …

On May 11, 1998, India conducted three nuclear bomb test explosions at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range. Codenamed Operation Shakti, these tests would display India’s capability to build fission and thermonuclear weapons with yields up to 200 kilotons. It helped India enter the highly guarded club of countries with capability to deploy nuclear weapons. History Setting of research …

Union Health Ministry launches SAKSHAM Learning Management Information System. This digital learning platform has been developed by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare. SAKSHAM is a dedicated and unified platform for providing online training and medical education to all health professionals in the country. This digital learning platform will ensure inclusive capacity building of health professionals from primary …

Trial Run of Blood Bag Delivery under the iDrone Initiative of Indian Council of Medical Research successfully conducted The project ‘i-DRONE’(ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach for North East) assessed the feasibility of using drone to deliver vaccines and medical supply. This was carried out in difficult geographical terrains including land, island, foothills and across the …