News:The U.S.-Russian space crew has reached the International Space Station(ISS) after a launch was carried out by Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan. Facts: The International Space Station(ISS) is a space station located in the low Earth orbit. Participating agencies:It is a joint project between five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA… Continue reading International Space Station(ISS)
Category: Factly: Science and Technology
This category contains all Current Affairs Factly Articles for Prelims, related to Science and Technology. You can find all relevant Science and Technology related updates on this page. This page is specifically useful for UPSC Prelims exam.
Coronavirus: What is ‘R0’, or reproduction number?
News:Researchers are calculating mathematical figure ‘R0’ to understand the nature of transmission of Coronavirus, Facts: Basic reproduction number(R0):It measures the rate at which a virus is transmitted based on the average number of people who will contract the virus from a person who has already been infected.R0= new infections/existing infections Example:If the number of people… Continue reading Coronavirus: What is ‘R0’, or reproduction number?
SnowEx Programme
News:National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) has launched a programme called SnowEx. Facts: SnowEx is a five year programme launched in 2016. Objective:To address the most important gaps in snow remote sensing knowledge and thus lay the groundwork for a future snow satellite mission. The geographical focus of the programme is proposed as the North America… Continue reading SnowEx Programme
Madhuban Gajar
News:A farmer Scientist from Gujarat has been awarded Padma Shri for developing Madhuban Gajar- a biofortified carrot variety. Facts: Benefits: High yielding, Highest carotene content, Deep red color, long size and longer shelf life. Additional Facts: Biofortification:It is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant… Continue reading Madhuban Gajar
Shukrayaan-1 Mission
News:Scientists have said that the future missions such as Shukrayaan-1 could confirm the presence of active volcanoes on Venus. Facts: Shukrayaan-1 is a proposed mission of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Launch Year: 2023 Aim:To study the surface and atmosphere of Venus.
Explained:What is cytokine storm?
News:Several infected patients are developing severe COVID-19 because of an overreaction of their immune systems which triggers what is known as a cytokine storm syndrome(CSS). Facts: Cytokine Storm:It occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an intruder such as a virus by producing high levels of cytokines. However, overproduction of cytokines can be harmful… Continue reading Explained:What is cytokine storm?
Cluster Transmission
News:The Government of India is focussed on stopping the cluster transmissions of the coronavirus in order to prevent it from turning into community transmission. Facts: Cluster Transmission:It is defined as an aggregation of cases in an identifiable subpopulation.The word ‘cases’ in the definition stands for people with similar symptoms and ‘subpopulation’ points to those who… Continue reading Cluster Transmission
Govt frees exports of all APIs, formulations except paracetamol
News:Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) removed the export restrictions on 24 active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and formulations. These include Vitamins B6, B1, B12, Neomycin, Erythromycin among others. Facts: Background: Amid COVID-19 pandemic, the government had earlier restricted exports of 26 bulk drugs and their formulations to curb shortages in India. Additional Facts: Directorate General… Continue reading Govt frees exports of all APIs, formulations except paracetamol
What is Geo-fencing?
News:The Government of India has planned to use the ‘Geo-Fencing App’ to locate quarantine violators. Facts: Geo-fencing:It is a location-based service which uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a person or device enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location known as a geofence.… Continue reading What is Geo-fencing?
GRACE-FO Mission
News:NASA has released new global maps mapping groundwater, soil wetness using GRACE-FO mission satellites. Facts: The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission was launched in 2018.It is a successor to the original GRACE mission which orbited Earth from 2002-2017. Bodies involved:It is a partnership project between NASA and the German Research Centre for… Continue reading GRACE-FO Mission
