The Science & Technology Weekly – 2 May – 7 May, 2016

Starting 4th April, 2016 we have a started a new initiative to post Science and Technology Compilation of all articles coming in leading news daily on a weekly basis. We look forward to simplify the preparation of aspirants by easing out their task in one of the most vague topics in UPSC preparation. The compilation will make aspirants aware with day to day happenings in the field of science and technology as well list out basics in brief.
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1. 101 species of spiders found in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
2. The genetics behind fraternal twinning
3. Never again another Chernobyl
4. Independence comes early for Rapetosaurus dinosaur
5. Google acquires start-up founded by Indian-origin entrepreneur
6. Rare sighting of Amur Falcon sets birdwatchers’ hearts aflutter
7. Food in India untested for diabetes-linked chemical
8. Breakthrough Prize for gravitational waves find
9. Excess pregnancy weight gain may make your child obese
10. AYUSH Ministry rails against global study on homeopathy

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[1] 101 species of spiders found in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

• Researchers recently spotted 101 species of spiders belonging to 65 genera from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki, Kerala.
• The spider population from the sanctuary accounted for 6.98 per cent of the Indian spider species.
• Lycosidae, better known as wolf spiders and with excellent eyesight and agile movements, were the dominant species in the sanctuary.
• Two endemic genera of Indian spiders — Annandaliella and Neoheterophrictus — were identified during the study.
• The report of Latrodectus hasselti from Chinnar is the first record of the species from Kerala. There are only very few reports on the occurrence of L. hasselti in other parts of India.
• Spiders perform important ecological services by functioning as predators in nature. They feed on other insects and even small vertebrates. The loss of spiders could lead to ecosystem imbalances. Little has been understood about the spiders of India, especially that of the Western Ghats.
• The world of spiders is often shrouded in mystery, and much misunderstanding has been woven around them. There are popular misconceptions that all spiders are poisonous creatures. But, in reality, a very few spiders are poisonous and harmful to human beings.

[2] The genetics behind fraternal twinning

• Two genes that affect a woman’s likelihood of giving birth to twins have been identified in a new study published in American Journal of Human Genetics.
• This could have implications for fertility research and help predict how women will respond to treatments for infertility.

Facts

• Identical, or monozygotic (MZ), twins occur at a fairly stable frequency of 3 to 4 per 1,000 births all around the world. In contrast, the occurrence of fraternal, or dizygotic (DZ) twins (non-identical twins) varies wildly across different kinds of populations — only 6 per 1,000 in Asia but 40 per 1,000 in Africa.
• Older mothers are four times more likely to have non-identical twins than younger ones; taller, heavier women who smoke and have family history of twinning are also reportedly more prone to having fraternal twins.
• All of this lends to the long-held suspicion that there exist genetic factors that affect a woman’s susceptibility to give birth to fraternal twins.

Analysis

• Usually, ovulation involves the maturation and release of exactly one egg, called the “single dominant follicle.” This chosen egg, if fertilised by a sperm cell, can lead to a pregnancy.
• The result of this is a fused cell called the zygote which then develops into an embryo.
• Very rarely, the zygote divides early on into two and each one develops into an individual embryo, ending up in identical twins.
• In the case of non-identical or fraternal twins, an extra egg cell is released during ovulation, opening the possibility of both getting fertilised by two different sperms and the formation of two non-identical embryos.

Its use

• Knowing one’s predisposition to multiple births can be very useful in the light of risks like premature birth associated with twinning.
• It may offer a novel avenue for fertility treatments, particularly in women who poorly respond to ovarian stimulation and also help in prevention of premature ovarian ageing.

[3] Never again another Chernobyl

• The Chernobyl accident occurred when an experiment to improve the reactor safety system went terribly wrong. The operators wanted to find out whether an electrical system they made by using the kinetic energy of the slowing turbo-generator, could provide enough electrical power to operate the emergency equipment and the core cooling water circulating pumps until the diesel emergency power supply kicks in.
• The mixture of flawed design, disabled redundancies and a tragic disregard for experimental protocol all feature heavily in the blueprint of the disaster.

Health effects

• The authentic report of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR-2008) published in 2011 stated that 28 out of 134 heavily exposed plant staff and emergency workers died due to radiation exposure. Further 19 of the survivors died by 2006. They died due to various reasons, usually not associated with radiation exposure.

• “Among the several hundred thousands of recovery workers, apart from an indication for an increase in the incidence of leukemia and cataracts among those who received higher doses, there is no evidence of health effects attributable to radiation exposure,” UNSCEAR noted.

Present status

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted that “since 1986, radiation levels in the environment have fallen by a factor of several hundred, due to natural processes and counter-measures and most of the land contaminated with radio-nuclides has been made safe and returned to economic activity.” Except in areas very close to the stricken reactor, increase in doses were low, often within natural background radiation present everywhere.
• The Chernobyl accident forced Russia to eliminate the deficiencies that caused the accident in 15 similar reactors. There are no such deficient reactors operating in any country.
• Chernobyl led to a leap forward in global cooperation on nuclear safety. Countries with nuclear power began sharing information and experience in a way they never had before. The IAEA’s mandate on nuclear safety was enhanced. IAEA Safety Standards were expanded.

Other notable developments:

• IAEA adopted important international legal instruments including the Convention on Nuclear Safety; the agency set up an international coordinated response system, with the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre at its heart and an IAEA peer-review system which involves the deployment of international teams of experts to advise countries on the operational safety of their nuclear reactors or the effectiveness of their regulatory system.

[4] Independence comes early for Rapetosaurus dinosaur

About Dinosaur Rapetosaurus krausei

• R.Krausei is a dinosaur that used to inhabit the Madagascar islands about 70 million years ago.
• A fully grown Rapetosaurus could measure about 15 metres in length, which is about two metres longer than a Volvo bus.
• The generic name Rapetosaurus itself stands for “giant lizard,” suggestive of the fact that it was among the largest dinosaurs that walked the earth.
• While paleontologists knew the shape and size of this dinosaur from observations of skeletal remains, until recently, the early life of these so-called titanosaurs has remained a mystery.
• The fossils of these titanosaurs, so called for their huge size, were originally collected during the researcher’s’ field seasons in Madagascar.
• Starting from a reasonable size of about 3.5 kg at birth, a specimen of the dinosaur Rapetosaurus krausei shot up to about 40 kg in just about 39-77 days, when it succumbed to starvation.
• Studying the fossil remains of a young one of this species, it is deduced that the juveniles closely resembled the adult in shape. This meant that the young ones were quite independent at an early age unlike other species where young ones enjoyed parental care till they were able to fend for themselves.
• Using bone histology and x-ray computer tomography, the researchers were able to understand the dinosaur’s growth pattern. From the compactness of the bones, the researchers deduced that the bones likely retained their shape as the young one grew into the adult. Thus the young ones resembled the adults to a very close degree, unlike in the case of other dinosaurs. The authors further propose that the young ones must have been independent at a very early age.

[5] Google acquires start-up founded by Indian-origin entrepreneur

News

• Google has acquired a business technology start-up founded by an Indian-origin entrepreneur as part of its plans to scale training offerings for Google Apps to its customers and customers’ users.

Startup:

• Varun Malhotra is the founder and CEO of Toronto-based Synergyse, which was launched in 2013 with an aim to teach users how to use Google Apps.

Google apps:

• Includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs

The Google Apps product suite

• Was built to provide cloud-based productivity and communications and is now used by more than two million paying businesses around the world.

How this Works?

• Synergyse builds a virtual coach inside of the Google Apps interface.
• With voice and text interactive modules that are searchable by topic within its apps, Synergyse will help users get up to speed quickly – including when new features are rolled out.
• Synergyse will be joining Google, and the company intends to make the product available as an integral part of the Google Apps offering later this year.

A statement by senior official of google:

“By providing the right help at the right time, Synergyse will help our customers with the critical task of change management in the enterprise, and bolster the training and support programs we already offer today.”

Conclusion:

• Synergyse said by joining the Google Apps team, it can accelerate its mission because the company will be working closer with the teams that build Google Apps.

[6] Rare sighting of Amur Falcon sets birdwatchers’ hearts aflutter

• Amur Falcon, being spotted at the Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary near the Pench Tiger Reserve.
• In India, this winged raptor (bird of prey) — the size of a pigeon — makes its home in the North-eastern State of Nagaland, before traversing a staggering 22,000 km from there to South Africa then onto Mongolia and back to Nagaland. The bird has one of the longest and most fascinating migratory paths in the avian kingdom.
• The falcon breeds in south-eastern Siberia and North-eastern China where the Amur River divides the Russian Far East and China.
• Amur Falcons typically begin their annual journey from North- Eastern Siberia and Northern China, heading to North-East India and roosting in Nagaland, before leaving for Africa, where they spend their winters.
• The birds’ roosting in Nagaland made them particularly vulnerable to hunters who mass-slaughtered them for their tender meat. It was reported that in 2013, nearly 1, 20, 000 of these falcons were trapped and killed at just one location in Nagaland each year.
• Later several green groups, along with concerned locals and the Church, joined hands and launched a conservation and patrolling programme called ‘Friends of the Amur Falcon’ to end the killings.
• The wide breeding range and large population size of the Amur falcon have led to the species being assessed as being of least concern.

[7] Food in India untested for diabetes-linked chemical

News

• Alloxan is used in laboratories to induce diabetes in rats

What is Alloxan?

• It is a chemical allegedly used in the manufacture of refined flour.

Issue

• It faced the prospect of limitations on its use after a litigant approached the Madras High Court to request a ban on the mixing of alloxan in white flour.
• Alloxan is used in laboratories to induce diabetes in rats and to test the efficacy of anti-diabetic medicines but no tests have been scientifically done to detect its presence in India.

Increased risk

• Global health literature suggests that its presence in flour implies that consumers of popular Indian food such as parathas and puris are at increased risk of diabetes as well as heart disease.
• Cardiologists suggest that alloxan and other agents in flour may be associated with heart disease.
• Alloxan has been banned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Delhi-based central body that has the final say on what additives are permissible in food.

History

• Alloxan’s chemical existence has been known since the 19th century, when it was discovered in human excretions, indicating that it could be synthesised in the body.
  • Alloxan’s structure mimics that of glucose, which allows it to be absorbed by the pancreas and once inside the organ, it destroys insulin-producing beta cells.
  • According to the American Chemical Society, it cannot be taken up by the human pancreas, though it has been shown to be associated with liver and kidney toxicity.

No known studies have yet specifically discovered alloxan in Indian foods.

There have been no studies that examine the issue of alloxan in street food: Delhi’s Food Safety department.

[8] Breakthrough Prize for gravitational waves find

• The LIGO team’s detection of gravitational waves  has won the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
• The $3 million award, instituted by Yuri Milner, will be shared between two groups of laureates: the three founders of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), who will each equally share $1 million (Rs. 6.65 crore); and 1012 contributors to the experiment, who will each equally share $2 million (Rs. 13.31 crore).
• The 1012 contributors include 1,005 authors of the paper and seven others.

          K.G. Arun of Chennai Mathematical Institute, is among the 1012 contributors.

What is gravitational wave?

Gravitational Waves are, in their most basic sense, ripples in spacetime. Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicted them over a century ago and they are generated by the acceleration (or, indeed, deceleration) of massive objects in the cosmos. If a star explodes as a supernova, gravitational waves carry energy away from the detonation at the speed of light. If two black holes collide, they will cause these ripples in spacetime to propagate like ripples across the surface of a pond. If two neutron stars orbit each other very closely, energy is carried away from the system by — you guessed it — gravitational waves. If we could detect and observe these waves, a new era of gravitational wave astronomy may be possible, allowing us to differentiate between gravitational wave signatures and work out which phenomenon is generating them. For example, a sudden pulse of gravitational waves may indicate they came from a supernova explosion, whereas a continuous oscillating signal may indicate two closely-orbiting black holes before merging.

So far, gravitational waves are theoretical, even though strong indirect evidence for their existence is known. Interestingly, as gravitational waves propagate through spacetime, they will physically warp the “fabric” of space, very slightly shrinking or expanding the space between two objects. The effect is minuscule, but using laser interferometers — such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, that measures the tiniest perturbations in lasers reflected along 2.5 mile-long L-shaped vacuum tunnels — the propagation of gravitational waves through our planet may be detected. In the case of LIGO, there are 2 stations located on opposite sides of the US separated nearly 2,000 miles. If a gravitational wave signal is real, its signature will be observed at both locations; if it’s a false positive (i.e. a truck driving past) only one station will detect it.

[9] Excess pregnancy weight gain may make your child obese

Excess weight gain and elevated blood sugar levels during their pregnancy may put your babies at risk of becoming overweight or obese during the first decade of their life, a new study has found.

• All of the mothers gave birth to normal weight babies between 1995 and 2003. The researchers matched the mother’s’ medical records with their children’s records, and followed the children from ages 2 to 10.
• When women have elevated blood sugar and gain excess weight during pregnancy, it seems to change the baby’s metabolism to ‘imprint’ the baby for childhood obesity.
• Those whose mothers had gestational diabetes — the highest level of elevated blood sugar — were at the greatest increased risk.
• Those children were at least 30 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese between the ages of 2 and 10, compared to children whose mothers had normal blood sugar.
• Children of mothers who gained about 18 kg or more during pregnancy were at least 15 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese between the ages of 2 and 10, compared to children whose mothers gained less than 18 kg.
• Many other behavioural and environmental factors contribute to childhood obesity
  • Including the baby not being breastfed
  • A child’s poor eating and exercise habits
  • Lack of access to healthy foods and safe areas to play

[10] AYUSH Ministry rails against global study on homeopathy

• Australia’s top medical research organisation, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), debunked homeopathy is no more effective than a placebo
• The NHMRC study was the first of its kind to thoroughly review 225 research papers on homeopathy before coming up with a position statement in March 2015. Further, the researchers had reviewed evidence of 176 trials, focussed on 68 different health conditions, and conducted a total of 57 systematic reviews to establish if the treatment is valid.
• The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy) has criticised the most extensive, global study on the subject for using an “unscientific approach” and stated that the findings are contrary to conclusions reached in India but the AYUSH Minister did not clarify how the NHMRC study had methodological shortcomings.
• The AYUSH Ministry will shortly be piloting a programme called ‘homeopathy for a healthy child’ in five districts in Delhi, Kamrup (Assam), Palghar (Maharashtra), Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh). The programme will mainly focus on dental problems in children between the ages of one and 18.

What is AAYUSH?

The Ministry of AYUSH was formed with effect from 9 November 2014 by elevation of the The Department of AYUSH.

The Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, abbreviated as AYUSH, is a governmental body in India purposed with developing education and research in ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine), yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha, and homoeopathy, and other alternative medicine systems.[2] The department was created in March 1995 as the Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H). AYUSH received its current name in March 2003. That time it was operated under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.