SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS MARCH 2016

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS MARCH 2016

• New plant species found in Nelliampathy forests
  Two leading researchers in the field of botanical taxonomy in the State have reported the discovery of a rare plant species from the Pottumala region of the Nelliampathy forests in the Western Ghats. Researchers Soumya Murugan from Thiruvananthapuram and Maya C. Nair, head of the department of Botany, Government Victoria College, Palakkad, have spotted the new plant species with botanical name Sonerila nairii , which comes under the family of Melasto mataceae .
  
  The discovery from biodiversity rich Nelliampathy has been published in the latest issue of Phytotaxa, an international journal on taxonomy. Interestingly, the researchers have named the plant as Sonerila nairiias a tribute to eminent botanist P.K.K. Nair, who founded Thiruvananthapuram - based Environmental Resources Research Centre.
  
  The plant with pink coloured flowers is a highly endangered species. It was seen growing around 1,200 metres above sea level. Each plant carries just two flowers. The plant grows in soil found in the gaps of rocks.
  
• Dancing frogs in Western Ghats: Scientists discover sand-eating tadpoles
  Researchers have discovered a tadpole that eats sand, lives in darkness till the time it turns into a young frog. The tadpoles were discovered at the Western Ghats. The discovery has been made by scientists from the University of Delhi, the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Gettysburg College, California. The research has been published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal PLOS One.
  
  The tadpole belongs to the Indian Dancing Frog family, Micrixalidae. They are called dancing frogs because of their nature of waving their legs signalling territorial and sexual display. “We provide the first confirmed report of the tadpoles of Indian Dancing frog family. These tadpoles probably remained unnoticed all these years because of their fossorial [underground] nature, which in itself is a rare occurrence in the amphibian world,” S D Biju from the University of Delhi said in a statement.
  
  The Micrixalidae tadpoles hang onto the rocks underwater with support of their mouths. According to Madhava Meegaskumbura from the University of Peradeniya, the tadpolese have ribs and whitish globular sacs that store calcium carbonate, known as “lime sacs.” This is another unusual feature of this tadpole.
  
• Narendra Modi launches India’s largest optical telescope
  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel remotely activated India’s largest telescope, located at Devasthal in Uttarakhand, on 30th March from Brussels. The 3.6 meter optical telescope will be used by scientists to study areas such as magnetic field structures of stars, chemical evolution of Milky Way and search for extra solar planets.
  
  According to t he Modi, through this telescope, Belgian and Indian scientists will find success in their work objectives and that additionally, it will also help in knowledge enhancement of humanity.
  
  At a height of 2,500 metres, situated near Nainital, Devasthal is a unique site for such scientific observations which scientists selected after much search. The site was selected by scientists after a survey of the Central Himalayas between 1980 and 2001. The new telescope is expected to fulfil the need for world class observation facilities for ground-based optical astronomy.
  
  India has collaborated with a Belgian company called AMOS to produce this infrared steerable optical telescope. In 2007, a contract for design, manufacture, integration, testing, supply and installation of the telescope was entered between ARIES and AMOS at an estimated cost of production of Rs 120 crores. While ARIES took the lead on the project, Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research also collaborated on the project.
  
• India to sign Paris climate change agreement on April 22
  On April 22, India will formally sign the Paris climate agreement, adopted by over 190 countries last year December . The agreement will be open for signature at the United Nations headquarters in New York for one year, from April 22, 2016 to April 21, 2017. Around 80 to 100 countries are likely to sign the agreement on the first day itself.
  
  The country's environment, forests and climate change minister Prakash Javadekar will represent India at the signing event, called by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
  
  Under Article 21 of the agreement that was adopted on December 12 last year in Paris, after a marathon negotiation lasting 13 days, at least 55 countries accounting for an estimated 55 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions will have to ratify\accept\approve the agreement before it enters into force
  
  The Article 21 says that the Paris agreement will enter into force on the 30th day after the date on which at least 55 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) deposit their "instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession" with the depositary at UN headquarters.
  
  So far, three countries - Fiji, Palau and Marshal Islands - have completed their ratification process. These three highly vulnerable Pacific island nations are expected to submit their instruments of ratification after the signature ceremony next month
  
  The Paris deal is the most ambitious climate change agreement in history. It established a long term, durable global framework to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions where 195 countries will work together to put the world on a path to keeping global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and agree to pursue efforts to limit the increase in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
  
  All the countries have, for the first time, committed to put forward successive and ambitious 'nationally determined' climate targets and report on their progress, using a rigorous and standardized process of review.
  
• World's thinnest lens created by Aus scientists
  Australian scientists have claimed to have created the world's thinnest lens which is 2,000 times thinner than human hair, a breakthrough set to revolutionise nanotechnology. The finished lens is 6.3 nanometres in size as compared to the previous smallest lens which was 50 nanometres thick.
  
  According to ABC News, the lens has been created by a team of researchers led by Yuerui 'Larry' Lu from Australian National University (ANU). Scientists said the lens could have revolutionary applications in medicine, science and technology and it could be used to create bendable computer screens.
  
  While the the new lens has already been experimented by technology companies with prototype TV and computer screens that can be rolled up or folded, the mass production at cheaper price is yet to be devised. Another application of the Australian-made lens could be arrays of micro-lenses that mimic the compound eyes of insects.
  
  Lu who led the Nano-Electro-Mechanical System (NEMS) Laboratory in ANU Research School of Engineering, said a crystal called molybdenum disulphide was the special ingredient.
  
  Researchers shaved off layers of the crystal atom by atom in a bid to create an object with the domed shape of a lens and the delicate operation used an ion beam, something commonly used in electronics manufacturing
  
  At one stage in the process, scientists used sticky tape to peel off a sliver of crystal from which they crafted the final product. Lu said manipulating the flow of light at an atomic scale could lead to unprecedented miniaturisation in the making of cameras.
  
• Out of 96,000, 50 animal species in India are “critically endagered”: Govt
  Animals complete ecosystem. But, human activity, climate change and global warming are some of the reasons that are drastically affecting the flora and fauna of our planet along with the environment as a whole. Many animals of our country are slowly but steadily approaching the endangered list.
  
  The Rajya Sabha on 14th March, was informed that out of 96,000 animal species, 50 have been labeled as “critically endangered”. The Zoological Survey of India conducted studies, through which, 96,000 animal species were recorded to inhabit India.
  
  Environment minister Prakash Javadekar, in a written reply said that, “Among these, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed 18 species of amphibians, 14 varieties of fish, 13 birds and 10 mammals as critically endangered and 310 species as endangered, including 69 fish, 38 mammals and 32 amphibians.”
  
  He added that towards conservation of threatened species, the government has established 730 Protected Areas, including 103 national parks, 535 wildlife sanctuaries, 26 community reserves and 66 conservation reserves, which primarily cover habitats of threatened megafauna such as tiger, rhino, elephant and others.
  
  He also said that the National CAMPA Advisory Council has approved the funding for recovery programme of various endangered species.
  
  These include Dugong with a budget of Rs 23.58 crore, Gangetic River Dolphin with Rs 23 crore, Great Indian Bustard with Rs 108.25 crore, Manipur Brow Antlered deer with budgetary support of Rs 99.95 crore and wild Buffalo with Rs 2 crore.
  
• TGO begins 7-month journey to the Red planet
  A spacecraft designed to search the atmosphere of Mars for clues of life on the surface of the red planet has successfully launched.
  
  The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter or TGO, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 15th March. After completing its seven month journey, TGO will arrive at the planet on October 19. TGO will study methane and other rare gases in the Red Planet's atmosphere, and also drop a lander on its surface. The TGO's instruments can sense the smallest components in the air with remarkable fidelity. TGO probe dispatched on methane investigation to Red Planet.
  
• Four new giant alien planets discovered
  Astronomers have discovered four new giant exoplanets, with masses from 2.4 to 5.5 times that of Jupiter, orbiting stars much bigger than our Sun. The newly detected worlds are enormous and have very long orbital periods ranging from nearly two to slightly more than four Earth years.
  
  The researchers, led by Matias Jones of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, used the 1.5 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and the 2.2 m telescope at La Silla observatory in Chile, and the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian telescope in Australia.
  
  Using spectrographs mounted on these telescopes, the researchers monitored a sample of 166 bright giant stars observable from the southern hemisphere. They computed a series of precision radial velocities of four giant stars — HIP8541, HIP74890, HIP84056 and HIP95124.
  
  According to them, these velocities show periodic signal variations that could be explained by the presence of planetary companions, ‘Phys.org’ reported.
  
  HIP8541b is the most massive of the newly found planets. With a mass of about 5.5 Jupiter masses, this exoplanet also has a much longer orbital period than the other three worlds, equal to 1,560 days. Its parent star is slightly more massive than the Sun and has a radius of nearly eight solar radii.
  
  HIP74890b and HIP84056b are very similar in terms of mass and orbital period. The mass of HIP74890b is estimated to be 2.4 Jupiter masses.
  
  HIP84056b has an orbital period lasting nearly 819 days — about three fewer days than the other planet.
  
• New golden frog species discovered in Colombia
  Scientists have discovered a new species of pale-gold coloured frog from the cloud forests of Andes in Colombia. Its name, Pristimantis dorado, commemorates both its colour (dorado means “golden” in Spanish) and El Dorado, a mythical city of gold eagerly sought for centuries by Spanish conquistadores in South America. The extraordinarily diverse group to which the new species belongs, Pristimantis, includes 465 recognised species, 205 of them from Colombia.
  
  The mountainous terrain of the Andes probably led to the evolution of so many different ground-dwelling frogs, in which the eggs develop directly into tiny baby frogs without going through a tadpole phase. At seven-tenths of an inch long, the species is among the smaller species in the group. The largest species grow to be 2 inches in length.
  
  Males of many frog species advertise for females with distinctive calls produced by vocal sacs or vocal slits. Oddly, although the new species lacks these structures, males are still able to produce calls consisting of an irregularly pulsed series of clicks.
  
  The new species was found calling from bushes along a roadside at about 8,700 feet elevation near Chingaza National Park, roughly 16 km east of Bogota, Colombia’s capital.
  
  Its discovery so close to a metropolitan area of nearly 10 million inhabitants illustrates how much of the planet’s biodiversity remains to be discovered.
  
• February 2016 was the warmest February in 136 years: NASA report
  Due to rising global temperatures, February 2016 has broken monthly records, becoming the hottest month in more than a century, according to NASA scientists. The US space agency said the globe is heating up faster than it was previously thought and it is as much down to man-made global warming as the El Nino impact
  
  NASA data said a combination of a record strength El Nino event in the Pacific and compounding human-caused global warming saw the mercury rise upwards. February saw a worldwide global average surface temperature of 1.35C above the 1951 to 1980 average.
  
• DRDO scientists build sensor to detect radiation levels
  Scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Jodhpur laboratory have developed a sensor that can detect radiation levels in case of any nuclear accident. Derald Nuclear', the sensor, which can be fitted on a drone, can detect gamma radiation from the height of 50 metres
  
  This perhaps is the only equipment that can detect radiation from radioactive substances this way," said S R Vadera, Outstanding Scientist and Director, Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur.
  
  The DRDO showcased 'Derald Nuclear' at the IronFist 2016, a triennial event of the Indian Air Force in the desert of Pokhran in Rajasthan.
  
  The indigenously developed sensors, along with its electric circuit, weigh only 20-22 gms. In this case, the sensors are fitted over Netra drone, another indigenously built light-weight UAV for surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The equipment costs around Rs 20,000.
  
• Element that helped form solar system discovered
  Scientists from University of Chicago have discovered evidence of a rare element named curium that was present during the formation of the solar system. The team found evidence of curium in an unusual ceramic inclusion they called “Curious Marie”, taken from a carbonaceous meteorite.
  
  “Curious Marie” and curium are both named after Marie Curie whose pioneering work laid the foundation of the theory of radioactivity.
  
  This finding ends a 35-year-old debate on the possible presence of curium in the early solar system and plays a crucial role in reassessing models of stellar evolution and synthesis of elements in stars.
  
  “Curium is an elusive element. It is one of the heaviest-known elements, yet it does not occur naturally because all of its isotopes are radioactive and decay rapidly on a geological time scale,” explained lead author Francois Tissot.
  
  Curium became incorporated into the inclusion when it condensed from the gaseous cloud that formed the sun early in the history of the solar system.
  
  On Earth, curium exists only when manufactured in laboratories or as a by-product of nuclear explosions.
  
  With the help of study co-author Lawrence Grossman, the team was able to identify and target a specific kind of meteoritic inclusion rich in calcium and aluminium. These CAIs (calcium, aluminium-rich inclusions) are known to have a low abundance of uranium and likely to have high curium abundance.
  
  One of these inclusions — Curious Marie — contained an extremely low amount of uranium. Thanks to this sample, the research team was able to calculate the amount of curium present in the early solar system and to compare it to the amount of other heavy radioactive elements such as iodine-129 and plutonium-244. They found that all these isotopes could have been produced together by a single process in stars.
  
• Indian scientists develop breakthrough dengue drug
   In a breakthrough move, scientists in India on 7th March claimed to have developed a herbal medicine against dengue fever. The project jointly undertaken by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and two private entities employed the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda in devising the drug. The researchers have found out, that the extract from velvetleaf, a species of flowering plant was a potent inhibitor of all four types of dengue strains.
  
  Experts are now gearing up to hold clinical trials and toxicity studies before seeking permission from the Ministry of Ayush and the Drug Controller of India (DCI) for commercial production. Dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical viral disease, poses a significant global public health risk. India represents 50 per cent of the global population estimated to be at risk of dengue.
  
• Haryana to become first State to establish nuclear energy plant: Minister
  Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, March 7th said that Haryana would soon become the first State in northern India to establish a nuclear energy plant.
  
  This 1,400 MW capacity plant would be established at a cost of Rs 21,000 crore within the next six years. The Minister was speaking during a session on ‘Investment and Business Opportunities in Sunrise Sectors’ of the ‘Happening Haryana Global Investors’ Summit-2016’ in Gurgaon.
  
  He said that with the setting up of this plant consumers will get electricity at the rate of Rs 6.5 per unit and this plant would attract further investment. He said that ‘Happening Haryana Global Investors’ Summit-2016’ would provide an impetus to development of the country. The ‘Make in Haryana’ programme would also serve to establish ‘Make in India’ as a brand, he added.
  
• ISRO puts India's 6th exclusive navigation satellite 'IRNSS 1F' into space
  The Indian Space Research Organization ISRO in yet another successful launch, has put the nation’s sixth exclusive navigation satellite IRNSS 1F into space using the rocket PSLV C32. The trusted and versatile polar satellite launch vehicle with the satellite on board lifted off on10th March from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
  
  The lift off was delayed by one minute to avoid space debris, as said by ISRO scientists. In less than 20 minutes and 15 seconds after lift-off, the rocket placed the payload at an altitude of 489 kilometers.
  
  The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System is aimed at providing accurate positional information to aid terrestrial, aerial and maritime traffic, fleet management, mapping services and disaster management.
  
  It is being established with a constellation of seven identical satellites in geostationary orbits at a cost of Rs 1420 crore. The spatial resolution under the home-grown system is planned to be better than 20 metres.
  
  The present launch is the 33rd continuously successful mission for the polar satellite launch vehicle PSLV C32. The rocket took the flight in its extended version with strap on motors incorporated, to give the needed extra thrust given the heavy satellite lift off mass of 1425 kilogram and the sub-geosynchronous orbit involved.
  
  The satellite consists of navigation and ranging equipment including a rubidium atomic clock to provide accurate time.
  
  The ISRO has already operationalized the position information system in a limited scale with the five satellites in orbit. The IRNSS 1F satellite that joins them today would further enhance the position accuracy.
  
  Once the next satellite which is final in the series is also put into space, a full-fledged system on the lines of the GPS of the US, Glonass of Russia and Galileo of Europe would be ready for seamless use with primary focus of India and about 1500 kilometers around it. With this successful mission, the goal of having India’s own satellite based navigation system is now just another launch away.
  
• Indian researcher-led team discovers new frog species in Karnataka
  An Indian-led team of international researchers has discovered a new thumbnail-sized species of a frog near the coastal town of Manipal, Udupi district, in Karnataka.
  
  The team from India and the National University of Singapore (NUS) discovered the new species of narrow-mouthed frog in the laterite rock formations of the coastal plains and named it "Microhyla laterite" after its natural habitat.
  
  The frog, which measures around 1.6 cm, is pale brown with prominent black markings on its dorsum, hands, feet and flanks. It has a call that can be easily mistaken for that of a cricket.
  
  To ensure the validity of the frog as a new species, Seshadri and his team members studied the genes, body structure, colouration and vocalisations of four individual frogs.
  
  Based on preliminary assessments, the team suggested M. laterite to be classified as endangered under the guidelines of the Red List by International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  
• CO2 levels increase more in past 12 months
  Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere grew more in past 12 months than at any time in the past 56 years. Measurements at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, United States went up by more than three parts per million in 2015.
  
  Scientists say the spike is due to a combination of human activities and the El Niño weather pattern. They argue that the data increases the pressure on global leaders to sign and ratify the Paris Climate Agreement. Mauna Loa is the world's oldest continuous atmospheric measurement station, with records dating back to the later 1950s.
  
• Tiny frog species discovered in Manipal and Mangaluru
  A team of researchers comprising of scientists have discovered new species of frog in Manipal and Mangaluru. This tiny frog measures 1.7 cm and is called 'Laterite narrow-mouthed frog' (Microhyla laterite), named after the laterite rock formation from where the frog was discovered.
  
  It was a team of researchers comprising of scientists from Gubbi Labs, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) Bengaluru and the National University of Singapore have discovered a new species
  
  According to researchers, the new species belongs to the genus Microhyla which now comprises of 39 species, distributed across South and Southeast Asia.
  
  Laterite is a predominant metamorphic rock formation common along the west coast of India and dates back to about 35 million years and are a result of a weathering process. Due to the rocky appearance and lack of trees, they are considered as wastelands and are heavily mined for construction materials in the form of bricks.
  
  The frog is found in a very small part of the coastal plains of India and its entire distribution is less than 150sq km. Based on this aspect, the team made a preliminary assessment of threats the frog is facing and suggested new species to be classified as endangered under IUCN Red List criteria.
  
  So far, the frog is known from a couple of localities in and around Manipal and Mangaluru. They call and breed in the pools created by the monsoon rains.
  
• Environmental clearances to 943 projects in 21 months: Javadekar
  Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on 12th March claimed that in the 21 months of the NDA government at the Centre his Ministry has given environmental clearances to 943 projects, unlocking investments of up to about Rs 6.72 lakh crore.
  
  Mr Javadekar said the NDA government focused on three key principles: make new sustainable development policies, making the process of clearance simpler and more transparent, and decentralising power to the state.
  
  He said during the UPA regime, the time-consuming process of environment clearances for big investment projects had led to delays, stunting growth, increased unemployment, a large number of incomplete projects, and a sharp increase in nonperforming assets (NPAs) of banks.
  
• Scientists Create Biological Supercomputer
  Scientists have created an energy efficient biological supercomputer that is able to process information very quickly and accurately using parallel networks in the same way that massive electronic supercomputers do. The model of bio supercomputer, which opens doors to creation of biological supercomputers that are not only small but also more sustainable, was created by an international team of researchers led by professor Dan Nicolau from Canada's McGill University.
  
  According to an article, published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the supercomputer is a whole lot smaller than current supercomputers, uses much less energy, and uses proteins present in all living cells to function.
  
  The model bio-supercomputer uses a combination of geometrical modelling and engineering knowhow (on the nano scale). It is a first step, in showing that this kind of biological supercomputer can actually work. The circuit the researchers have created looks a bit like a road map of a busy and very organised city as seen from a plane.
  
  Instead of the electrons that are propelled by an electrical charge and move around within a traditional microchip, short strings of proteins (which the researchers call biological agents) travel around the circuit in a controlled way.
  
  Their movements are powered by ATP, the chemical that is, in some ways, the juice of life for everything from plants to politicians. Since it is run by biological agents, and as a result hardly heats up at all, the model bio supercomputer that the researchers have developed uses far less energy than standard electronic supercomputers do, making it more sustainable.
  
• New schemes to ensure effective transfer of technology from laboratory to land
  According to agriculture scientist S. Ayyappan Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has introduced new schemes to bridge the gap between agriculture scientists and farmers and to ensure effective transfer of technologies from laboratory to land.
  
  He delivered the 34th annual convocation address of Gulbarga University at ESIC Auditorium in Kalaburagi on 3rd March.
  
  Dr. Ayyappan, was till recently the Director of ICAR. According to him one of the new schemes is called “Student READY (Rural Entrepreneurship and Awareness Development Yojana)”.
  
  It is a one-year composite programme consisting of three components — experimental learning, rural awareness work experience and in-plant training — to be taken up during the last year of the undergraduate programme.
  
  ICAR has introduced another programme, ARYA (Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture), to help retain rural youth in agriculture through capacity building.
  
  Yet another programme introduced is called Farmer FIRST (Farmer, Innovation, Resources, Science and Technology). This will help enhance farmer-scientist contact with multi-stake holders.
  
  Dr. Ayyappan said that another programme launched to give impetus to the process of technology dissemination is “Mera Goan Mera Gaurav”. About 20,000 scientists, in groups of four, from agricultural universities and ICAR institutes will identify villages for providing technical information advisories and demonstration of agricultural technologies and practices in the fields. Each such group will adopt five villages for transfer of technologies directly from laboratory to land.
  
  Stressing the importance of revising curricula of agriculture education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, he said that efforts were under way to meet present challenges and requirements. The course curricula for undergraduate agriculture courses were being revised by including cutting-edge technologies such as biosensors, genomics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, vaccines, conservation agriculture, processing and value addition and IPR issues.
  
• Indian, British scientists discover new species of snake in Western Ghats
  In a major achievement, researchers have discovered a new species of burrowing snake in the biological hotspot of the northern Western Ghats, after a gap of 144 years. The snake has been named after well known herpetologist from Maharashtra, Neelam Kumar Khaire, as Melanophidium Khairei. The research paper about it has been published in the scientific journal, Zootaxa recently.
  
  This snake belongs to the family Uropeltidae, and all species in this group are burrowers and live mostly underground
  
  Scientists from the Natural History Museum (NHM), London, collaborated with scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, The Indian Herpetological Society (IHS), Pune, and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) for the research.
  
  The new discovery is the outcome of meticulous efforts of 15 years by the research paper’s main author Dr David Gower from the NHM, and Dr Mark Wilkinson of the NHM, Dr Varad Giri of NCBS and Ashok Captain of IHS/BNHS.