Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has carried out a successful flight test of a modified version of the intermediate jet trainer (IJT).It will be the revival of the indigenous aircraft programme abandoned three years ago due to technical problems. The IJT which is also known as Hindustan Jet Trainer 36(HJT-36) Sitara is a subsonic intermediate jet… Continue reading HAL resumes tests of jet trainer
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.
Zinc deficiency rising in Indians
A recent research has found out that rising carbon dioxide levels can accelerate zinc deficiency in crops which can lead to deficiency in human consumption. The study states that inadequate zinc intake has been rising in India for decades which has led to millions of people becoming newly deficient in Zinc. The highest rate of… Continue reading Zinc deficiency rising in Indians
Out of a drawer comes a vicious ancient beast
A new species of giant meat-eating mammal has been identified from fossil fragments found in a drawer of Nairobi National Museum, Kenya. The gigantic carnivore has been dubbed as Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, meaning “big African Lion” in Swahili. The findings of the research has been published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. According to scientists, the… Continue reading Out of a drawer comes a vicious ancient beast
HIV used to fix ‘bubble boy’ disease
US scientists have used HIV to make a gene therapy that cured eight infants of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), or “bubble boy” disease. Results of the research have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The gene therapy involved collecting the babies’ bone marrow and correcting the genetic defect in their DNA soon… Continue reading HIV used to fix ‘bubble boy’ disease
Genome sequencing to map population diversity
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has planned to roll out a major mission to sequence the genes of a 1,000 rural youth across India. The project aims at educating a generation of students on the significance of genomics. The project is an adjunct to an Indian government-led programme which is still in the… Continue reading Genome sequencing to map population diversity
Universe’s first molecule detected in space
The universe’s first molecule, Helium hydride (HeH+), has been detected in space for the first time. Previously, helium hydride had been produced and tested in a laboratory setting. It has been spotted some 3000 light-years from Earth by an instrument aboard the airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP aircraft… Continue reading Universe’s first molecule detected in space
U.S. astronaut to spend 11 months in space
NASA has announced extended assignments for astronauts at the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Christina Koch will spend 11 months at the International Space Station, setting a record for women. The current record-holder for female space fliers is by Peggy Whitson who had spent 288 days. The world’s space endurance record is held by Russia.… Continue reading U.S. astronaut to spend 11 months in space
Mars base simulator unveiled in Gobi Desert
Chinese company C-Space has set up a Mars-based stimulator in the Gobi Desert. It acts an educational facility and hosts students. The company also plans to open the stimulator for tourists in 2020. China had also established a village simulating the environmental conditions on Mars, in northwest China’s Qinghai Province. The village was constructed in… Continue reading Mars base simulator unveiled in Gobi Desert
Lakes filled with liquid methane spotted on Saturn’s moon Titan
Using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, scientists have found that there are small liquid lakes in Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Titan is the solar system’s second largest moon; the first largest moon being Jupiter’s Ganymede. Previously, Cassini data measured Ontario Lacus, the only major lake in Titan’s southern hemisphere. These lakes are composed of methane… Continue reading Lakes filled with liquid methane spotted on Saturn’s moon Titan
NASA probe spots first Earth-sized planet
NASA’s unmanned Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space telescope has discovered its Earth-sized exoplanet, called HD 21749c. Exoplanet is a planet which orbits a star outside the solar system. The exoplanet orbits its parent star HD 21749, which is 52 light years away from Earth. It is located in the constellation of Reticulum. Earth-sized HD… Continue reading NASA probe spots first Earth-sized planet
