News: data from the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed water vapour in the atmosphere of an exoplanet called K2-18b. Facts: About K2-18b It is an exoplanet eight times the mass of Earth. The planet orbits dwarf star K2-18. K2-18 is located about 110 light years from Earth in the Leo constellation in Milky Way. The… Continue reading Water found for first time on potentially habitable planet
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.
African swine fever
News:The outbreak of African Swine fever in China has lead to massive mass cullings and a subsequent increase in the price of the pork meat. Facts: About African Swine fever: African swine fever(ASF) is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs which is responsible for serious economic and production losses. It… Continue reading African swine fever
Genomic grid for India-specific cancer research
News:Government has planned to set up a National Genomic Grid to study genomic data of cancer patients from India. Facts: About Genomic Grid: The National Genomic Grid will be formed in line with the National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB). The grid will have four parts corresponding to eastern, western, northern and southern parts of India.… Continue reading Genomic grid for India-specific cancer research
Lignin from agro-waste helps make useful nanocomposites
Researchers have developed a lignin-based nanocomposite from Agricultural waste. The lignin-based nanomaterial could potentially have a commercial value.It can act as additive in coating and packaging materials. Lignin is a complex organic polymer rich in polyphenols with antimicrobial qualities. It is found in almost all dry plants including crop residues and the woody bark of… Continue reading Lignin from agro-waste helps make useful nanocomposites
IIT Delhi to establish shared research infrastructure
Department of Science and Technology(DST) has selected IIT Delhi for setting up a shared science and technology infrastructure facility named Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institute(SATHI). The aim behind setting up the facility is to provide professionally managed services under one roof to meet the demands of industry, start-ups and academia. The centre will assist… Continue reading IIT Delhi to establish shared research infrastructure
Explained: What are Autonomous Vehicles which Singapore is testing
Recently,Singapore has launched autonomous public bus service in three districts of the country where driverless buses will be used for off-peak and on-demand commuting by 2022. Autonomous vehicles are driver less vehicles.The vehicle can sense its surrounding environment and can navigate without human input. These vehicles combines multiple sensors and techniques to perceive their surroundings… Continue reading Explained: What are Autonomous Vehicles which Singapore is testing
Samudrayaan
The ‘Samudrayaan’ is a part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ pilot project for deep ocean mining for rare minerals. The project proposes to send a submersible vehicle with three persons to a depth of about 6000 metres to carry out deep underwater studies The project is being undertaken by National Institute of Ocean Technology.… Continue reading Samudrayaan
Russia to train four Indian astronauts for Gaganyaan
Russia will help in 4-5 critical areas of the Gaganyaan Mission. This includes training of Indian astronauts at Russian facilities. A special ISRO unit will be established in the embassy in Moscow to facilitate increased cooperation between India and Russia in view of the Gaganyaan programme Gaganyaan is India’s first Human Space Flight Programme to… Continue reading Russia to train four Indian astronauts for Gaganyaan
Panel to study uranium contamination in A.P.’s Kadapa district
The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into complaints about groundwater pollution caused by the uranium processing project of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited(UCIL) at Tummalapalle of Kadapa district. UCIL is a centrally owned Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) for uranium mining and uranium processing under the Department of Atomic Energy. It was founded… Continue reading Panel to study uranium contamination in A.P.’s Kadapa district
Explained: What a skull tells us about human evolution
Scientists have announced the discovery of a nearly complete skull of an early human ancestor called MRD in Ethiopia. The fossil is being considered as the face of the oldest known species that is part of the human evolutionary tree. The skull belongs to the species Australopithecus anamensis which first appeared roughly 4.2 million years… Continue reading Explained: What a skull tells us about human evolution
