SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS DECEMBER 2015

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS DECEMBER 2015

• India test fires successfully long range surface to air missile
  India on 30th December successfully test fired Long Range Surface to Air Missile, LR SAM from INS Kolkata. This is being considered as a significant milestone in enhancing Indian Navy's Anti Air Warfare capability. The firing trial of the LR SAM has been jointly carried out by the Indian Navy, DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries.
  
  A Defence Ministry press release said the successful test has been the result of sustained efforts by all stake holders over the years. DRDL, Hyderabad, a DRDO Lab, has jointly developed this missile in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries. The LR SAM has been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.
  
  The missiles are fitted onboard the Kolkata Class Destroyers and would also be fitted on all future major warships of the Navy. This missile along with the MF STAR would provide these ships the capability to neutralize aerial threats at extended ranges.
  
• India's first indigenously designed warship INS Godavari decommissioned
  Nation’s first indigenously designed and built warship INS Godavari has been decommissioned. A special ceremony was held at Naval Dockyard Mumbai on 23rd Decembe to give farewell to one of the most important frigates of Indian navy.
  
  The first of the three in her Class of of guided-missile frigates INS Godavari was commissioned into Navy on 10 December 1983. It completed its full life cycle, meeting all responsibilities and duties assigned.
  
  The Ship was considered as a symbol of India’s growing military might and self-reliance. In its three decades of service, the warship took part in major naval operations and thereby it proved the success of Indian ship design and construction.
  
  The ship was fisrt used in Operation Jupiter in 1988 in Sri Lanka. In 1994 it also performed in Operation Shield and Operation Bolster. It was also one of the key performers in Navy’s anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden from 2008 to 2011. The ship had also participated in Operation Cactus in 1998 successfully thwarting a coup against Maldivian Government.
  
• US places Indian lion in endangered species list
  The US has placed a breed of lion found in India and Africa in the endangered species list in a bid to curb the "dramatic" decline of their population in the last two decades.
  
  The US Fish and Wildlife Service said it will list Panthera leo leo (a subspecies of lion) located in India and western and central Africa as endangered, and Panthera leo melanochaita, located in eastern and southern Africa, will be listed as threatened.
  
  Certain kinds of the iconic big cats of west Africa and India are now considered endangered because they are in "dramatic decline," the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.
  
  US Fish and Wildlife Service said the new scientific research have concluded that the western and central populations of African lion are more genetically related to the Asiatic lion. These lions are now considered the same subspecies.
  
  There are only about 1,400 of these lions remaining, 900 in 14 African populations and 523 in India. Considering the size and distribution of the populations, population trends and the severity of the threats, the Service has found that this subspecies meets the definition of endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)," a statement by the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.
  
  The other subspecies of P l melanochaita likely numbers between 17,000-19,000 and is found across southern and eastern Africa.
  
  In the last 20 years, lion populations have declined by 43 per cent due to habitat loss, loss of prey base and retaliatory killing of lions by a growing human population.
  
  Coupled with inadequate financial and other resources for countries to effectively manage protected areas, the impact on lions in the wild has been substantial.
  
• PSLV-C29 successfully launches 6 Singapore satellites
   The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C29 successfully launched six Singapore satellites from India’s spaceport at Sriharikotta on 16th December. The rocket with the lift-off mass of 227.6 tonne has undertaken its journey in a core-alone configuration as the total payload weight is just above 600 kg. This is the sixth fully commercial launch by ISRO, which has put into orbits 51 foreign satellites successfully so far. The launch, came at a time when it marked 50 years of India-Singapore ties is significant. India cherishes strong relations with Singapore
  
  Highlights
  • India has successfully put six Singapore satellites into orbit.
  • ?A core-alone version of the PSLV (without solid strap-ons) took off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
  • A core-alone version of the PSLV (without solid strap-ons) took off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 100km north of Chennai
  • The rocket ejected the 400kg TeLEOS-1 into a 555km circular orbit. The other five satellites (two micro satellites and one nano satellite) were put in orbit
  • It was PSLV 32nd flight, and the 31st consecutively successful one
  
  
• Arctic hits record high temperature over land
  US weather officials say the average temperature over Arctic land for the year ending in September was the highest on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) released its annual Arctic Report Card on 15th December.
  
  US officials along with researchers around the world are monitoring temperatures over the Arctic. They say the temperatures in areas at latitude 60 degrees north and higher were 1.3 degrees Celsius above average for the year ending in September. That's the warmest since observations began in 1900.
  
  The officials say sea ice coverage in the Arctic, which reached its peak in late February, marked the lowest extent since record-taking began in 1979. They also say newly formed thin ice comprises about 70 percent of the winter ice cover in the Arctic Ocean compared to about half that in the 1980s.They say the ice in the area is growing thinner each year.
  
  NOAA officials say rising temperatures are melting snow and ice cover, causing the ground and sea surface to absorb more heat. They say this, in turn, melts snow and ice even further creating a vicious cycle. They warn that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the Earth.
  
• Genome of the Asian elephant sequenced
  The Asian Elephants sequenced for the first time india. A team of scientists from the Centre for Ecological Science at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, have not only sequenced the entire genome of the animal, but have also for the first time mapped the ‘transcriptome’ — that is, a section of genes active in a particular cell — for the blood cells of the species.
  
  Jayaprakash, a captive male elephant in Bandipur National Park, provided ear vein blood as well as venous blood sample that were sequenced in the Pune lab to identify nearly 3.1 billion genetic bases.
  
  While over 95 per cent of the genes were found to be similar to the African elephant, there are 1,500 bases that are unique to the Asian elephant including those responsible for the heightened sense of smell.
  
  There are over 4,000 olfactory receptors in the Asian elephant, double that of a dog which is considered to have the sharpest sense of smell. What this means is that pheromones of the Asian elephant (which migrated around 7 million years ago from Africa) will not be smelled by the African species, said Sanjeev Galande, from IISER who co-authored the paper published in Journal of Biosciences along with P. Chandramouli Reddy, Ashwin Kelkar, F. Habib and S.J. Pradhan from the institute.
  
• Final draft of negotiating text unveiled at Paris Climate change conference
   After two weeks of negotiation, the final draft of a Paris climate accord has been released. France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius who presented the global climate accord on 12th December, said it is a "historic" measure for transforming the world's fossil fuel-driven economy within decades and turn the tide on global warming.
  
  Fabius emphasised that the agreement will include pledge to keep warming well below 2C, and to endeavour to limit warming to 1.5C. He urged officials from nations to support what he hopes will be a final agreement.
  
• Some major points not addressed
  The agreement, put together at the 21st Conference of Parties, or COP21, doesn't mandate exactly how much each country must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  Rather, it sets up a bottom-up system in which each country sets its own goal -- which the agreement calls a "nationally determined contribution" -- and then must explain how it plans to reach that objective.
  
  Those pledges must be increased over time, and starting in 2018 each country will have to submit new plans every five years.
  
  Many countries actually submitted their new plans before climate change conference, known as COP21, started last month -- but those pledges aren't enough to keep warming below the 2-degree target. But the participants' hope is that over time, countries will aim for more ambitious goals and ratchet up their commitments.
  
  Another sticking point has been coming up with a way to punish nations that don't do their part, but observers say that was never really on the table.
  
  Instead, the agreement calls for the creation of a committee of experts to "facilitate implementation" and "promote compliance" with the agreement, but it won't have the power to punish violators.
  
• Paris package gets green light from 196 nations
  On 5th December, after four years of negotiations that began in 2011, negotiators from 196 countries finally stamped their approval on the penultimate draft of 48 pages for a Paris agreement. It will now be taken up at the ministerial level for approving the final package and will set in place a new global regime to fight climate change starting 2020.
  
  The penultimate draft came through earlier than expected on 5th December. But, that happened as countries decided to postpone finding solution to almost all of the difficult questions which had plagued the negotiations, with the hope of resolving them once ministers arrive at France’s capital over the weekend. For a majority of the developing countries the one big and cross-cutting issue of operationalising the principle of differentiation across all elements of the Paris climate change package remained unresolved. The arguments over the week had been bitter and it got reflected even as the meeting on 5th December drew to a close while accepting the penultimate draft.
  
  Malaysia speaking on behalf of the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) and South Africa speaking for the larger G77 and China group, both reiterated that the final deal would necessarily have to see equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities deeply embedded in all its parts – mitigation, finance, adaptation, compliance, review, clean technology sharing and capacity building.
  
  The LMDC group warned that developed countries could not ignore all the scientific and economic data available which pointed to increasing inequality between developed and developing countries and how many of the latter were structurally locked in to staying either at low or at middle income levels even in future years. They warned that the claim that the world had changed since the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was first agreed to in 1992 was an attempt to shift the developed world’s existing obligations on to developing countries under the new agreement.
  
• Fund for developing countries deal with climate change
  Commonwealth leaders have agreed to set up a 1 billion dollar green finance facility to support developing countries to access to funds in dealing with climate change. The decision is in sync with India's demand for providing adequate financial resources to poor nations to reduce green house gas GHG emissions.
  
  During Commonwealth Heads of Governments CHOGM meeting in Malta, outgoing Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said various island nations and small countries are facing difficulty in securing financial support to bring down emissions and this new climate change hub will provide funds to them.
  
  In talks on climate change, Indian officials argued that the Commonwealth must not pre-judge outcome of the negotiations leading to Paris climate conference starting on 30th November. India wishes that commitment of the rich nations towards small islands and poor countries must go beyond the current level.
  
• World leaders pledge climate action at COP21
  World leaders from 195 countries are in Paris to try to find a way to tackle climate change. The meeting is hoping to agree a fixed target on reducing manmade gasses that scientists say cause extreme weather. Paris is described as a "turning point" but it's leaving many people with a lot of questions.
  
  World leaders opened pivotal climate talks on 30th November in Paris saying the stakes are too high to end the conference without achieving a binding agreement to help slow the pace of global climate change. According to UN Secretary General it is a political moment like this may not come again
  
  The talks began with a moment of silence for victims of the November 13 terror attacks in Paris, and the tragedy served as a touchstone for world leaders urging unity and action.
  
  Legally binding agreement:Leaders of 150 nations, along with 40,000 delegates from 195 countries, are attending the conference, called COP21. COP stands for Conference of Parties, an annual forum to try to tackle climate change on a global political level.
  
  The leaders have one mission:Agree on legally binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions meant to hold global average temperatures short of a 2 degrees Celsius increase over preindustrial global temperatures.
  
  The leaders of the main players necessary to achieve the ambitious goal -- China and the United States -- sat down together at the COP21. They are the largest producers of greenhouse gases.
  
  PM Modi calls for comprehensive agreement: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement that respects equity and differentiated responsibility. Speaking during the formal launch of India Pavilion at the Paris summit, Mr Narendra Modi cautioned that climate change is a major global challenge and is the result of global warming that occurred because of the prosperity and progress of an Industrial Age powered by fossil fuels. He said the developed world should leave carbon space to the emerging economies to grow as this problem has not been created by developing world.
  
  Quoting extensively from Vedas and Mahatma Gandhi he said that the Indian tradition is living with nature rather than to exploit it. Advising developed nations to leave carbon space for the developing countries he urged for partnership between technology and development. Prime Minister Modi also launched a book Parampara or Tradition,which is based on India's culture of climate friendly sustainable practices.
  
  Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that an innovation must be backed by means to make it accessible to all. He was speaking today during the launch of 'Innovation Mission' hosted by US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of Paris Climate summit. Mr. Modi said access to energy and better life is universal aspiration and so are the clean environment and healthy habitats. He said we must come together in partnership to bring clean energy within reach to all.
  
• India to reduce emissions intensity by 33% of its GDP: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India will reduce its emissions intensity by 33 percent of its GDP by 2030 ,on the basis of 2005 levels. Outlining India's initiatives and stand on climate issues,the Prime Minister tweeted that 40 percent of India's installed power capacity would by non fossil fuels by 2022. Mr Modi hoped that the Paris climate conference will produce an agreement that restores balance between ecology and economy.
  
  PM emphasized on collective global commitment balancing responsibilities and capabilities with aspirations and needs. Referring to challenges faced by India, PM said India is also experiencing the impact of climate change and is concerned about our coast, island and glaciers, adding that since ancient times the Indians have seen humanity as part of nature and not superior to it.
  
  He said that India has imposed levied on coal and rationalized subsidies on petroleum products to finance clean and green energy. The statements of the PM just before the beginning of conference are of huge significance as India is a key stakeholder in the conference and clearly reflects India's stand on common but differentiated responsibility which may not be puddings but the developed world to accede to.
  
• PM launches India Pavilion at Paris climate summit: Prime Minister inaugurates India Pavilion in Paris, says pavilion is a window to our heritage where nature has been treated as mother and humanity as part of nature.
  
  He outlined the decisions taken by India to transition increasingly to renewable energy even as he emphasised that the choices that the world makes in Paris will have an impact on India's development. The India Pavilion inaugurated at the Paris Climate Summit is where visitors can get a lot of information on India's position with regard to climate change.
  
  The US, China and India are among the 19 countries who have come together for a "Mission Innovation" initiative that commits governments to doubling public investment in basic energy research over the next five years.
  
  Over 100 countries falling between tropics of Cancer and Capricorn have assured their participation in the alliance for which India will be providing the initial funding of Rs 175 crore.
  
  India's national energy plan puts a special focus on solar energy. The aim is to reach capacity of 100 gigawatts by 2022, to be scaled up further in the future. Spearheading this the initiative places India in a more assertive and constructive position on the international stage as a country that shapes climate change action. It is a platform to benchmark low-cost solar solutions and will provide unique investment opportunity for the developing world.
  
• $7-bn pledge for clean energy research: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and other investors on 30th November pledged $7 billion for research and development of clean energy. Mr. Gates said they hoped to get others to pitch in more in the coming days.
  
  The offer from Mr. Gates and others was part of a larger initiative with world governments that promised to double spending on renewable energy research. The fund will support a wide range of technologies, Mr. Gates said. “Biofuels, carbon capture, high wind, fission, fusion — we’re unbiased but it has to be clean and possible to scale up cheaply.”
  
  In another announcement, the United States, Canada and nine European countries pledged nearly $250 million to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to rising seas, droughts and other consequences of climate change. Germany pledged $53 million, the U.S. $51 million and Britain $45 million.
  
• $500-mn initiative to cut emissions in developing nations
  Four European countries — Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland — have announced a $500 million initiative to find new ways to create incentives aimed at large scale cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries including India to combat climate change.
  
  The World Bank Group worked with the countries to develop the initiative “Transformative Carbon Asset Facility”, which was launched at the COP21 climate summit. “This new initiative is planned to start operations in 2016 with an initial expected commitment of more than $ 250 million from contributing countries. The facility will remain open for additional contributions until a target of $500 million is reached,” the World Bank Group said in a statement.
  
  It is expected that the new facility's support will be provided alongside $2 billion of investment and policy- related lending by the World Bank Group and other sources.
  
  According to the World Bank, the initiative will help developing countries implement their plans to cut emissions by working with them to create new classes of carbon assets associated with reduced greenhouse gas emission reductions, including those achieved through policy actions.
  
  The facility will measure and pay for emission cuts in large scale programs in areas like renewable energy, transport, energy efficiency, solid waste management, and low carbon cities, it said. For example, it could make payments for emission reductions to countries that remove fossil fuel subsidies or embark on other reforms like simplifying regulations for renewable energy.
  
  This facility will work alongside a range of global initiatives and national climate plans to help both developed and developing countries achieve their mitigation goals.
  
  It will pay for carbon assets with high environmental integrity and a strong likelihood to comply with future international rules, and will share its learning with the international community, the statement added.
  
• Developing countries unite on CBDR principle
  A full-blown argument between the developed and developing countries over the application of principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) in the Paris Agreement rocked the summit as it drew closer to the end of the first week of negotiations.
  
  After the developed countries blocked every proposal to incorporate CBDR in the Paris Agreement, developing countries came out with scathing comments in public.
  
  CBDR establishes that every country is responsible for addressing climate change yet not equally responsible. It seeks to balance the need for all countries to take responsibility for climate change and the need to recognise the differences in levels of economic development between countries. This principle is enshrined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and distinguishes between obligations of the rich countries, based on their historical responsibility in causing climate change, and the developing world.
  
  All countries had previously agreed that the Paris Agreement would be stitched under the UN Convention, which implied following its provisions and principles. But ever since the negotiations began in Paris, developed countries have steadfastly lobbied to do away with the differentiation.
  
  The previous four days had seen the developed countries blocking every proposal on implementing the differentiation principle in various elements of the proposed agreement. These elements of the agreement are about reducing emissions, adapting to inevitable climate change and providing means of implementation – technology, finance and capacity building.
  
• Paris climate pledges to slow growth in energy related emissions: IEA
  The International Energy Agency, IEA has said that climate pledges made for the Paris conference will slow growth in energy related emissions, which account for two-thirds of total green house gas emissions. In its report released on 3rd December, the Agency however said that the average global temperature will rise by 2.7 degree Celsius by 2100. The aim of the Paris conference is to limit it to 2 degree Celsius.
  
  The IEA Report says that if these pledges made through Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, INDC, are met, then countries currently accounting for more than half of global economic activity will see their energy-related green house gas emissions either plateau or be in decline by 2030. Global energy intensity, a measure of energy use per unit of economic output, would improve to 2030 at a rate almost 3 times faster than the rate seen since 2000. In the power sector, 70 per cent of additional electricity generation to 2030 would be low-carbon.
  
  The Agency reports that the full implementation of these pledges will require the energy sector to invest 13.5 trillion dollars in energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies in next 15 years. It is an annual average of 840 billion dollars. However, despite these efforts, the pledges still fall short of the major course correction necessary to achieve the globally agreed climate goal of limiting average global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, relative to pre-industrial levels.
  
• International Solar Alliance launched
  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande jointly launched the International Solar Alliance in Paris.It aims to bring 121 tropical countries together to tap solar energy.
  
  India and 17 countries launch "Mission Innovation" committing to double public investment in basic energy research over next 5 years. The Paris climate summit has begun with the objective of saving the earth from rising global temperatures and the catastrophic effects of climate change.
  
  Over 190 countries will negotiate an agreement on climate change over the next 11 days on reducing green house gas emissions and fixing responsibilities of member countries of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
  
  The leaders opening event was initiated by French President Francois Hollande and hoped that developed countries will shoulder more responsibility even as all countries agree to reduce carbon emissions.
  
  The Paris climate conference will aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C over pre-industrial temperatures by reducing green house emissions. At the current pace of green house gas emissions, global temperatures are likely to rise by well over 2 degree Celsius by 2030.
  
  India is the 3rd biggest emitter of such emissions but it's per capita emissions are much less. It ranks 10th in per capita green house gas emissions in the world.
  
  While India says tackling climate change is a concern and responsibility of all but has also laid out its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. Under which it has committed to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 and increase India's share of non-fossil fuels in total installed capacity to about 40 % by 2030.
  
• GAIL launches project for satellite monitoring of pipelines
  State-run energy major GAIL and National Remote Sensing Centre, a unit of ISRO, have started an innovative surveillance geo-portal called 'Bhuvan-GAIL Portal' for utilising space technology for its pipeline application.
  
  GAIL said it has also developed an innovative mobile application from which pictures, taken from any mobile phone, can be uploaded instantly on the portal.
  
  It said that with recent progress in satellite-sensing technology, availability of new high-resolution satellites, object-oriented image analysis, there is a possibility to introduce space technology for pipeline monitoring applications. A report system integrated with the Bhuvan-GAIL portal can send alerts to relevant officials through SMS and e-mail.
  
• Paris pact on water and climate change adaptation announced with India on board
  A broad coalition of nations including India, river basin organizations, business and civil societies from across the globe on 2nd December announced the Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation to make water systems - the very foundation of sustainable human development - more resilient to climate impact. These major collaborative projects represent over $20 million in technical assistance and potentially over $1 billion in financing.
  
  India, on its part, committed to build climate resilience through improved groundwater management in the country. Almost 290 water basin organisations are engaged under the Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation.
  
  The announcement was part of the "Water Resilience Focus" event under the Lima to Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) on climate change. It also highlighted other key partnerships and coalitions to make river basins, lakes, aquifers and deltas more resilient to climate change and reduce human interference with oceans. The LPAA is a joint undertaking of the Peruvian and French COP (conference of parties) presidencies, the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the UNFCCC Secretariat.
  
  It aims to strengthen climate action through 2015 and well beyond by mobilizing robust global action towards low carbon, more climate resilient societies. It will provide enhanced support to existing initiatives, such as those launched during the New York UN secretary general climate summit in September 2014 and help mobilize new partners providing them a platform for the visibility of their actions, commitments and results in the run up to COP21.
  
  The Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation involves a wide geographic coalition of national and cross-border river basin organisations, governments, funding agencies, local governments, companies and civil society.
  
  It encompasses individual commitments to implement adaptation plans, strengthening water monitoring and measurement systems in river basins and promoting financial sustainability and new investment in water systems management.
  
• Climate summit: India stresses on financial support
  On the back of reports in the western media terming it as 'obstructionist' at the on-going climate summit, India strongly put forward its point and made it clear that the country wants a "legally binding" agreement that enables financial support from the countries which have developed on the basis of cheap energy to those which have to meet their energy demand through more expensive 'zero carbon' sources.
  
  India also made it clear that it won't shy away from extending financial support the way China promised as part of the South-South cooperation.
  
  The country at the same time made it clear that such post-2020 financial contribution from India will not be part of the climate finance under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) -- an international mechanism where the rich countries are expected to annually contribute US $ 100 billion from 2020 onwards to help poor and developing countries fight challenges of climate change.
  
• Equal sharing of global climate finance violation of rules:developing nations
  A large coalition of developing nations on 2nd December warned that attempts by developed nations to share the burden of global climate finance equally among all nations is a violation of rules and will threaten the possibility of a new climate agreement in Paris.
  
  The group, which includes India, wants developed nations to shoulder a bigger share of the burden.
  
  The G77 and China said in a statement that climate finance is a legal obligation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is neither “aid” nor “charity”.
  
  The group, which now includes over 100 developing countries, issued the statement after the US and partner countries proposed equal contribution from developing countries towards climate finance on the second day of the Paris climate talks.
  
  In 2009, industrialised countries committed to give $100 billion every year by 2020 to help developing countries cut carbon emissions and adapt to climate change. However, the developed world is far from the target and has not even committed to a road map for the same.
  
  India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has emphasised that climate finance is an integral part of the overall agreement that India is looking at from Paris.
  
• 30% increase in tiger population since 2010: Prakash Javadekar
  There has been a 30 percent increase in the number of tigers in the country since 2010, according to Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar. The estimated number of tigers in the country has gone up to 2,226 (range 1,945-2,491) as compared to 1,706 in 2010 (range 1,520-1,909 tigers), he informed the Lok Sabha.
  
• Retinal nerve cells grown in lab
  Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have developed a method to efficiently turn human stem cells into retinal nerve cells that transmit visual signals from the eye to the brain. Death and dysfunction of these cells cause loss of sight in conditions like glaucoma and multiple sclerosis (MS). This work could lead… to a cell-based human model that could be used to discover drugs that stop or treat blinding conditions. Eventually, it could lead to the development of cell transplant therapies that restore vision in patients with glaucoma and MS.
  
  Using a genome editing laboratory tool, investigators inserted a fluorescent protein gene into the stem cells’ DNA. They used a technique called fluorescence-activated cell sorting to separate newly differentiated retinal ganglion (nerve) cells from a mixture of different cells into a highly purified cell population for the study.
  
  Researchers also found that adding a naturally occurring plant chemical called forskolin on the first day of the process helped improve the cells’ efficiency of becoming retinal cells. The researchers, however, caution that forskolin, , is not scientifically proven to be safe. In follow-up studies, the team is looking to find other genes that are important for ganglion cell survival and function.