News: Using the European Space Organisation’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have noticed the unprecedented dimming of Betelgeuse. Facts: Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star (over 20 times bigger than the Sun) in the constellation Orion. Instead of appearing round, the star Betelgeuse, at present, appears to be “squashed into an ova”. Additional Information:… Continue reading What is causing the supergiant star Betelgeuse to dim and change its shape?
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.
ISRO to launch an unprecedented 10 earth imaging satellites
News: according to the latest annual report of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for 2019-20, ISRO will launch 10 earth observation (EO) satellites during 2020-21. Facts: GISAT-1: It is a Geo Imaging Satellite in Geostationary orbit with a high temporal resolution. is primarily meant for near real-time imaging of natural resources and disaster management.… Continue reading ISRO to launch an unprecedented 10 earth imaging satellites
Basmati rice genome sequenced
News:Recently,Scientists have mapped the complete genome of two basmati rice varieties. Facts: About the findings: Basmati 334: It comes from Pakistan known to be drought tolerant and resistant to rice-killing bacterial blight. Dom Sufid: It comes from Iran, an aromatic long-grain rice that is one of the most expensive on the market. Further,the most genetic… Continue reading Basmati rice genome sequenced
Explained: What is Yaravirus?
News: Scientists have discovered a new virus in Lake Pampulha. Facts: The new virus has been named Yaravirus after “Yara,” the mother of waters — an important character in the mythological stories of the Tupi-Guarani indigenous tribes Over 90% of the Yaravirus genome has never been documented in viral research The virus infects amoeba. It… Continue reading Explained: What is Yaravirus?
WHO names the new Corona Virus: “COVID-19”
News: WHO has announced that “COVID-19” will be the official name of the deadly Coronavirus from China. “Co” stands for “corona”, “vi” for “virus” and “d” for “disease”, while “19” was for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31. Facts: Coronavirus: These are viruses belonging to a family known as Coronaviridae.… Continue reading WHO names the new Corona Virus: “COVID-19”
NASA Mysteriously Fixes Voyager-2’s Interstellar Glitch From 11.5 Billion Miles Away
News: NASA has managed to fix its Voyager-2 probe remotely, almost 11.5 billion miles away from its location. Facts: Voyager 2 was launched by NASA in 1977. Achievements: Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to study all four of the solar system’s giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.) at close range. Voyager 2 discovered… Continue reading NASA Mysteriously Fixes Voyager-2’s Interstellar Glitch From 11.5 Billion Miles Away
This Word Means:Fermentophone
News:Recently,Joshua Rosenstock of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute has shown that the chemical processes of fermentation can be used to create spontaneous tunes called Fermentophone Facts: About Fermentation: Fermentation is the chemical breakdown of a substance by microorganisms such as bacteria or yeasts which results in some of the most delicious foods and beverages including cheese,… Continue reading This Word Means:Fermentophone
Explained: What is genome mapping?
News:The Government of India has cleared an ambitious gene-mapping project called the Genome India Project. Facts: About Genome Mapping: Genome refers to an organism’s complete set of DNA which includes all its genes and mapping these genes simply means finding out the location of these genes in a chromosome. Genetic mapping offers evidence that a… Continue reading Explained: What is genome mapping?
Explained:Why cancer gene map matters
News:Recently,a Pan-Cancer Project involving 1,300 scientists has completed a decade-long project to map the many gene mutations that drive cancer’s development. Facts: About Pan Cancer Project: The project also called Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) is an international collaboration of the International Cancer Genome Consortium and The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA). The project revealed the… Continue reading Explained:Why cancer gene map matters
NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record mission
News: NASA astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth from the International Space Station, where she set the record for the longest single spaceflight in history by a woman (328 Days) Facts: International Space Station It is a space station or a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. It is a joint project among five… Continue reading NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record mission
