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SCIENCE AND TECH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. 5G
2. MCR 1 Gene
3. Ebola
4. Gaganyaan
5. Digital North East Vision 2022
6. Repurpose used cooking oil (RUCO)
7. Thermal Battery Plant
8. Bacteria Wolbachia
9. Green Propellants by ISRO
10. Electric Propulsion System
11. NASA Developing First Asteroid Deflection Mission
12. Petya Ransomware Attack
13. NISAR Mission
14. China Launches The First Quantum Communications Satellite
15. Cryo-electron Microscopy
16. World First AI News Anchor Debuts In China
17. SpiNNaker : World’s largest brain-like supercomputer
18. RISECREEK
19. National Digital Communications Policy 2018
20. Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS)
21. Remove DEBRIS Mission To Tackle Space Junk
22. NASA’s New Planet Hunting Probe – TESS
23. World’s First Wind-Sensing Satellite
24. ICESAT-2
25. Planetary Nebula
26. NASA’s Dawn asteroid mission
27. China’s Artificial Moon
28. Hyperion Proto-super cluster

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29. DNA Profiling Bill

30. Genome Valley 2.0
31. CRISPR Technology
32. Earth Bio-genome Project
33. WHO Recommends Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine
34. Hepatitis E Virus
35. Trans Fatty Acids
36. Formalin
37. Acinetobacter Junii
38. World’s First Hydrogen Train
39. New form of matter ‘excitonium’ discovered
40. A New State Of Matter Created
41. NASA’s HAMMER To Deal With Asteroids Heading For Earth
42. GSAT-6A
43. InSight Mission
44. Interstitium
45. Copernicus programme
46. ‘P NULL’ PHENOTYPE
47. AIR - BREATHING ELECTRIC THRUSTER
48. Cold Fusion Reactor
49. Gallenene
50. Bisphenol A (BPA)
51. BepiColombo Mission
52. ZOONOT IC DISEASES
53. “GravityRAT”
54. World Health Organization (WHO) published its first Essential Diagnostics List (EDL)
55. QUEQIAO RELAY SATELLITE
56. GSLV - MK III D2

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5G

 TRAI gives nod for sale of 5G spectrum

 The government has set up a high level forum to evaluate roadmaps and formulate a strategy to
adopt 5G in the country by 2020.
 5G is a wireless communication and next generation mobile networks technology after 4G LTE
networks.
 The final standard for 5G will be set up by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
 India lacks a strong backhaul to transition to 5G.
 Backhaul is a network that connects cells sites to central exchange.

MCR 1 Gene

 Mcr-1 gene seen in K. pneumoniae bacteria

 mobilized colistin resistance (mcr-1) gene that confers multidrug-resistance has now been
reported in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria
 This gene endows resistance against last hope antibiotic — colistin
 The mcr-1 gene is usually found in the plasmid (small DNA in the cytoplasm)
 Colistin, also known as polymyxin E, is an antibiotic produced by certain strains of the bacteria
Paenibacillus polymyxa.
 Colistin has also been used recently to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and
bacteremia caused by MDR bacteria, such as P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii.

Ebola

 The Ebola virus returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just days after the World
Health Organization (WHO) announced, on July 24, that the Ebola outbreak had ended there.
 In 2014, Ebola first outbreak had struck three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone)
 It is a rare and deadly disease in people and nonhuman primates located mainly in sub-Saharan
Africa caused by an infection with a group of viruses within the genus of Ebolavirus.
• Ebola virus (species Zaire Ebolavirus)
• Sudan virus (species Sudan Ebolavirus)
• Tai Forest virus (species Tai Forest Ebolavirus, formerly Cote d'Ivoire Ebolavirus)
• Bundibugyo virus (species Bundibugyo Ebolavirus)

Gaganyaan

 India's first manned space flight - Gaganyaan - is expected to send three persons into the space
for seven days and the spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km.
 ISRO and Roscosmos (Russia‗s federal space agency) have agreed to worked together for India‗s
first manned space mission Gaganyaan.

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 India will launch its second lunar mission on January 3 next year which will land on the moon
with a lander and rover.
 ISRO conducted its first ‗pad abort‘ test that was successful.
 The ‗pad abort‘ test or Crew Escape System is an emergency escape measure that helps pull the
crew away from the launch vehicle when a mission has to be aborted.
 The crew will be selected by Indian Air Force (IAF) and ISRO jointly after which they will undergo
training for two-three years.
 It will conduct microgravity experiment during the mission.
 India will become fourth nation in the world after the United States, Russia and China to send
astronaut into space
 Former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Rakesh Sharma was first Indian to travel to space.
 He was part of the Soviet Union‘s Soyuz T-11 expedition, launched in 1984, as part of the
Intercosmos programme.

Digital North East Vision 2022

 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently released The Digital North
East Vision 2022 in Guwahati, Assam.
 The vision document emphasizes on leveraging digital technologies to transform lives of people of
north east and enhance ease of living.

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 It identifies eight digital thrust areas namely, Digital Infrastructure, Digital services, Promotion of
Electronics Manufacturing, Digital empowerment, Promotion of IT and ITes including BPOs,
Digital Payments, Innovation & Startups and Cyber security.

Repurpose used cooking oil (RUCO)

 The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched RUCO (Repurpose Used
Cooking Oil).
 It is an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to bio-diesel.
 Total Polar Compounds (TPC) - TPC is used to measure the quality of oil, level of TPC increases
every time oil is re-heated.
 Higher level of TPC in cooking oil leads to health issues like hypertension,
atherosclerosis, Alzheimer‘s disease and liver disease.

Thermal Battery Plant

 India became home to the world‘s first-ever thermal battery plant which was inaugurated recently
in Amravati, Andhra Pradesh.
 It aims to create a new energy storage form that is expected to have commercial applications,
while also maintaining a low carbon footprint, and being less dependent on external factors like
weather.
 It will be owned by Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST).
 It will have a battery capacity of 1000MW which is expected to be upgraded to a 10GW capacity
by 2025.
 It could provide energy solutions for electrical grids, transport and telecom services (help boost
signal strength).

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 It is considered to be even better than solar energy which cannot be charged or utilized to their
optimum potential after sunset or even when the skies are densely clouded.
 Conventional battery technology work on basis of electrical energy and is based on
system of charging and discharging cycles that are driven by electricity.
 Thermal battery use thermal energy to operate i.e. energy created by temperature differences.
 The energy transfer in in this battery helps to store heat when heat travels from one part of
battery setup to other.
 For this transmission, thermal battery consists of two parts viz. cool zone (sink) and hot source.

Bacteria Wolbachia

 Recently successful experiments were conducted in Australia, which demonstrated the

positive correlation between presence of Wolbachia bacteria in mosquitoes and reduced spread
of diseases such as Malaria and Dengue.
 Wolbachia bacteria is a tiny bacterium that is present in up to 60% of all species of insects,
including several mosquito species.
 It is one of the world‘s most common parasitic microbes and possibly the most common
reproductive parasite in the biosphere.
 But it is usually not present in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary species responsible for
transmitting dengue, chikungunya and Zika.
 When present in the mosquito, the viruses (E.g. Zika Virus) cannot replicate and hence small
numbers of wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes are released in target areas.
 Once Wolbachia carrying mosquitoes are released, they breed with wild mosquitoes and over
time, the majority of mosquitoes carry Wolbachia.

Green Propellants by ISRO

 The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is developing green propellants for future rockets,
considering the harmful effects of exhausts released by rockets on the earth's atmosphere.
 ISRO has developed eco-friendly solid propellant based on Glycidyl Azide Polymer (GAP) as fuel
and Ammonium Di-Nitramide (ADN) as oxidizer at the laboratory level, which will eliminate the
emission of chlorinated exhaust products from rocket motors.
 The LOX/LH2 (liquid oxygen – liquid hydrogen) combination is already being used in the
cryogenic upper stages of GSLV and GSLV Mk-III launch vehicles.
 Additional Facts:o ISRO has successfully developed ISROSENE, which is a rocket grade
version of kerosene as an alternative to conventional hydrazine rocket fuel.
 The propellants that are being used now have a very reactive effect on the ozone layer due to the
release of chlorinated exhaust products.

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Electric Propulsion System

 Recently, ISRO has planned to launch GSAT-20, based on electric propulsion technology which
has helped in reducing the weight of the satellite to just 3.5 tonnes.
 Electric Propulsion System (EPS) can reduce the dependence on chemical propellant thereby
increasing the payload capacity of the vehicle.
 Electric Propulsion system helps in orbit correction of a satellite.
 It helps in maintaining a satellite on its path during its entire life duration.
 This system provides small but accurate thrust to a satellite in its orbit.
 The new system converts solar energy available in the space into electrical energy and later to
kinetic energy by generating thrust that propels a satellite.
 This system has been already tested by Russian space agency and NASA.
 It has immense capability to eventually lower the cost of launches.

Two Stage to Orbit (TSTO) Space Transportation System

 Recently India became the fifth nation to successfully conduct the flight demonstration of a
scaled down version of a winged-body reusable launch vehicle.
 It is a stepping stone towards fully reusable Two Stage to Orbit (TSTO) space transportation
system.
 TSTO launch vehicle can launch payload to Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) with 15 times reusability.
 It also validates the critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance &
control, reusable thermal protection system and re-entry mission management

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 Low earth orbit is defined as an orbit within a locus extending from the earth‘s surface up to
analtitude of 1,200 miles.
 Most communication applications use LEO satellites because it takes less energy to place
the satellites into LEO.
 Also, they need less powerful amplifiers for successful transmission.
 As LEO orbits are not geostationary, a network of satellites are required to provide
continuous coverage.

NASA Developing First Asteroid Deflection Mission

 NASA is developing the first-ever mission that will deflect a near-Earth asteroid, and help test
the systems that will allow mankind to protect the planet from potential cosmic body impacts in
future.
 The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) — which is being designed and would be built and
managed by the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
 DART would be NASA‘s first mission to demonstrate what‘s known as kinetic impactor
technique — striking the asteroid to shift its orbit — to defend against a potential future
asteroid impact.
 The target for DART is an asteroid, Didymos that will have a distant approach to Earth in October
2022, and then again in 2024.
 The Didymos asteroid system has been closely studied since 2003. It has been classified as
potentially hazardous asteroid.

Petya Ransomware Attack

 Petya ransomware was part of a new wave of cyber-attacks that had hit computer servers all
across Europe, locking up computer data and crippling enterprise services in the corporate
sector.
 Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands
money to release it.
 When a computer is infected, the ransomware encrypts important documents and files and then
demands a ransom, typically in Bitcoin, for a digital key needed to unlock the files
 Ukraine and Russia are the worst affected, though the attack has also impacted some companies
in the US and other Western European countries

NISAR Mission

 ISRO and NASA are jointly working on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)
mission to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite. It is a dual
frequency (L & S Band) Radar Imaging Satellite.
 The aim and objectives of NISAR mission are:

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• Design, Develop and launch a Dual frequency (L and S Band) Radar Imaging
Satellite.
• Explore newer application areas using L and S band microwave data, especially in
natural resources mapping & monitoring; estimating agricultural biomass over full
duration of crop cycle; assessing soil moisture; monitoring of floods and oil slicks;
coastal erosion, coastline changes and variation of winds in coastal waters; assessment
of mangroves; surface deformation studies due to seismic activities etc.

China Launches the First Quantum Communications Satellite

 Launching the world‘s first quantum communications satellite, Quantum Experiments at Space
Scale (QUESS), nicknamed Micius after the philosopher, China achieved a milestone in space and
cryptography.
 Using this satellite, Chinese researchers, were able to transmit secret messages from space to
Earth at a further distance than ever before.
 The technology is called quantum key distribution (QKD). QKD works by using photons — the
particles which transmit light — to transfer data.

Cryo- electron Microscopy

 Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), or electron cryomicroscopy, is a form of transmission

electron microscopy (TEM) where the sample is studied at cryogenic temperatures.
 Transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) use a beam of electrons to examine the structures of
molecules and materials at the atomic scale.
 The utility of cryoelectron microscopy stems from the fact that it allows the observation
of specimens that have not been stained or fixed in any way, showing them in their
native environment.
 Cryo-EM doesn‘t require crystals, and it also enables scientists to see how biomolecules move and
interact as they perform their functions, which is much more difficult using crystallography.

World First AI News Anchor Debuts in China

 The world‘s first artificial intelligence (AI) news anchor made ―his‖ debut at the ongoing fifth
World Internet Conference in east China‘s Zhejiang province.
 The AI news anchor has a male image with a voice, facial expressions and actions of a real
person.He learns from live broadcasting videos by himself and can read texts as naturally as a
professional news anchor.
 The AI news anchor was jointly developed by Xinhua and the Chinese search engine
company, Sogou.com.

SpiNNaker: World‟s largest brain-like supercomputer

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 It is the world‘s largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way as the human brain. It
has been switched on for the first time.
 The newly formed million-processor-core Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker)
machine is capable of completing more than 200 million million actions per second, with each of
its chips having 100 million transistors.
 The SpiNNaker machine, designed and built in The University of Manchester in the UK,
can model more biological neurons in real time than any other machine on the planet.
 Neuromorphic computing uses large scale computer systems containing electronic circuits to
mimic these spikes in a machine.

RISECREEK

 Computer scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have developed the first of
family of six industry-standard microprocessors under Project Shakti.
 Project Shakti was started in 2014 as IIT-M initiative and part of it is funded by
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

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About RISECREEK Microprocessors

 They optimizes power use and competes with international units such as Cortex A5 from
Advanced RISC Machines (ARM).
 They have better performance in terms of DMIPS [Dhrystone MIPS (Million Instructions
per Second), or DMIPS, is a measure of computer performance relative to the performance of the
DEC VAX 11/780 minicomputer of the 1970s] per megahertz.
 These viable industry-grade microprocessors can operate at a frequency of 350 MHz, thus
meets demands of defence and strategic equipment of the country such as NAVIC (Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite) and Internet of Things (IoT) electronics.

National Digital Communications Policy 2018

 The Union Cabinet approved the new Telecom Policy which aims to create four million
jobs, draw $100 billion of investments into the telecom industry by 2022, boost sectoral
contribution to 8% of GDP from 6% in 2017, besides backing principles of net neutrality.
 In pursuit of accomplishing these objectives byyear 2022, the National Digital Communications
Policy 2018 envisages three Missions:
 Connect India: Creating Robust Digital Communications Infrastructure to promote
Broadband for All as a tool for socioeconomic development, while ensuring service
quality and environmental sustainability.
 Propel India: Enabling Next Generation Technologies and Services through
Investments, Innovation and IPR generation; To harness the power of emerging
digital technologies, including 5G, AI, IoT, Cloud and Big Data to enable
provision of future ready products & services; and to catalyze 4th industrial
revolution by promoting Investments, Innovation and IPR.
 Secure India: Ensuring Sovereignty, Safety and Security of Digital Communications To
secure the interests of citizens and safeguard the digital sovereignty of India with a
focus on ensuring individual autonomy and choice, data ownership, privacy and
security; while recognizing data as a crucial economic resource.

Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS)

 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) launched a new Ensemble Prediction Systems
(EPS) with an objective to offer more accurate and credible weather forecasts weather conditions
down to the block level.
 The system will help in generating newer forecasts predictions of a 12 km resolution compared to
23 kilometers in the earlier system.

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 With this new model, India joins the US with a model that predicts with a 12 km resolution. Only
the 'European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast' of United Kingdom has a, better,
nine-kilometer resolution.

Remove DEBRIS Mission to Tackle Space Junk

 A spacecraft that will demonstrate a range of innovative technologies to clean up space debris has
been deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) & will soon begin its experiments in
orbit.
 Remove DEBRIS, will attempt to address the build-up of dangerous space debris orbiting Earth.
The mission will perform four experiments, including harpoon capture in orbit and a net that will
be used on a deployed target.
 The team will also test a vision-based navigation system that uses cameras and Light Detection
and Radar (LIDAR) technology to observe CubeSats that will be released from the main
spacecraft. Finally, RemoveDebris will deploy a large sail that will drag it into the Earth‘s
atmosphere, where it will be destroyed.

NASA‟s New Planet Hunting Probe – TESS

 NASA‘s latest planet hunting probe –Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – has started its
search for new worlds around nearby stars. TESS will survey 200,000 of the brightest stars near
the sun to search for transiting Exoplanet.
 TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, including those that
could support life. The mission will find Exoplanet that periodically block part of the light from
their host stars, events called transits.
 The transit method of detecting Exoplanet looks for dips in the visible light of stars, and requires
that planets cross in front of stars along our line of sight to them. Repetitive, periodic
dips canreveal a planet or planets orbiting a star.
 NASA‘s orbital telescope Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, better known as
TESSdiscovered two distant planets five months after its launch.
 The first planet Pi Mensae c, a super-earth orbits a bright yellow dwarf star Pi Mensae, just under
60 light-years from Earth. The second LHS 3844 b, a hot earth, orbits a red dwarf star LHS 3844,
just under 49 light-years away.
 A planet is classified as a super-earth if it‘s at least three times the mass of Earth and can be as
big as 10 times the size of Earth.

World‟s First Wind-Sensing Satellite

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 European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched wind-sensing satellite named „Aeolus‟into
orbit on board of Vega rocket from French Guyana
• It is world‘s first wind-sensing satellite dedicated to map Earth‘s wind on global
scale in particular tropical winds which are very poorly mapped
 The satellite is named after guardian of wind in Greek mythology. It will be placed at altitude of
320km above the Earth. It is part of the Copernicus project, a joint initiative of European Union
(EU) and European Space Agency (ESA) to track environmental damage and aid disaster
relief operations.

ICESAT-2

 NASA has launched a satellite Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESAT-2) into orbit
tomeasure changes in the height of Earth‘s polar ice cover.
 The ICESat-2 observatory contains a single instrument, an improved laser altimeter called
ATLAS (Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System).
 It uses a technique called photon counting. It fires about 10,000 pulses of light every second.
Each of those shots go down to Earth and bounce back up on a timescale of about 3.3
milliseconds. The exact time equates to the height of the reflecting surface.
 ATLAS is designed to measure ice-sheet topography, sea ice freeboard as well as cloud and
atmospheric properties and global vegetation. Satellite is also tasked with measuring ocean &
land surfaces.
 It will extend and improve upon NASA‘s 15-year record of monitoring change in polar ice
heights,which started in 2003 with the first ICESAT mission and continued in 2009 with
NASA‘s Operation Ice Bridge — an airborne research campaign that kept track of accelerating
rate of change.

Planetary Nebula

 Indian astrophysicists have discovered large ultraviolet lobes and jets, hurled out from a dying
starNGC 6302, popularly called the Butterfly Nebula, using data from AstroSat,
 A planetary nebula is formed when a star like our Sun – or a few times heavier – is in its dying
days.
 When hydrogen and helium fuel that kept the star shining gets exhausted, the star expands in
size and becomes a red giant star. Such stars shed most of their outer layers which
expands outwards, and the inner core, made of carbon and oxygen, shrinks further and
becomes hotter. This hot core shines brightly in the ultraviolet, and ionizes the expanding gas.
This glowing ionized gas is what is seen as a planetary nebula.

NASA‟s Dawn asteroid mission

 Dawn, a NASA spacecraft that launched 11 years ago and studied two of the largest objects in the
asteroid belt, has ended its mission after running out of fuel.

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 Dawn was essentially out of hydrazine, the fuel that kept the spacecraft‘s antennae oriented
toward Earth and helped turn its solar panels to the Sun to recharge.
 Dawn became the only spacecraft ever to orbit a cosmic body in the main asteroid belt
betweenMars and Jupiter in 2011 when it began circling the asteroid Vesta.
 Then it moved on to the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015, becoming the first spacecraft to
visit a dwarfplanet and the only spacecraft to orbit one.
 Dawn is the only mission ever to orbit two extraterrestrial targets. It orbited giant asteroid Vesta,
then continued on to Ceres, where it has been in orbit since March 2015.

China‟s Artificial Moon

 China has planned to launch an artificial moon over the city of Chengdu, in Sichuan province, by
2020. The objective is to provide an alternative means of street lighting and save on
electricity.
 As per preliminary reports the artificial moon would be a mirror orbiting Chengdu at a height of
500 km. It would reflect the sun‘s light at night, and supplement street lighting in Chengdu.
 The extraterrestrial source of light will also help rescue efforts in disaster zones during
blackouts.
 China is not the first country to try beaming sunlight back to Earth. In the 1990s, Russian
scientists reportedly used giant mirrors to reflect light from space in an experimental project
called Znamya or Banner.

Hyperion Proto-supercluster

 Astronomers using the VIMOS instrument of European Southern Observatory‘s Very Large
Telescope have spotted a gigantic galaxy proto-supercluster in the early Universe.
 Nicknamed Hyperion, the newly-discovered proto-supercluster is the largest and most
massive structure to be found at such a remote time and distance — merely 2 billion years
after the Big Bang.
 Super clusters closer to Earth tend to a much more concentrated distribution of mass with clear
structural features but in Hyperion, the mass is distributed much more uniformly in a series of
connected blobs, populated by loose associations of galaxies.

DNA Profiling Bill

 The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a regulatory body for DNA laboratories
and The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 to regulate the use of
human DNA.
 Bill provides mandatory accreditation andregulation to DNA laboratories.
 A National DNA Databank and certain regional DNA Databanks will store DNA profiles
received from DNA labs in a specified format

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 The Bill states that DNA information cannot be taken from an arrested person without consent.
The exception is only for specified offences, though the Bill does not elaborate on this.
 The Secretary to the Department of Biotechnology has been made the ex-officio chairman of the
proposed DNA Regulatory Board
 The Bill states that the DNA data, including DNA profiles, samples and records, contained in any
DNA labs and Databank shall be made available only to facilitate the identification of
persons in criminal cases
 A cornerstone of privacy protection worldwide is the principle of purpose limitation. This
means that information collected for one purpose should not be used for a completely
different one. India‘s DNA bill is not compliant with this principle: it mixes up potential uses of
DNA in solving crimes with civil issues, such as solving paternity disputes.

Genome Valley 2.0

 Telangana Government has signed a MoU with Singapore-based Surbana Jurong for preparing a
roadmap for Genome Valley 2.0, an upgraded version of life sciences and biotechnology.
 The current initiative will introduce a world class knowledge cluster and lay a master
plan to transform the ecosystem into a smart satellite town of Hyderabad.
 The Genome Valley cluster has emerged as the largest life sciences destination in Asia,
being home to over 200 companies employing 10,000 people.

CRISPR Technology

 A Chinese researcher recently claimed that he had altered the genes of a human embryo
that eventually resulted in the birth of twin girls. The genes were claimed to be ―edited‖ to ensure
that they do not get infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
 If proven, it would be the first instance of human offspring having been produced with
specificdesired attributes, using newly-developed tools of gene ―editing‖.
 CRISPR technology is basically a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of
altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism.• The technology can be
used for targeting specific stretches of an entire genetic code or editing theDNA at
particular locations.
 CRISPR technology is a simple yet powerful tool for editing genomes. It allows researchers
to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
 Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing
thespread of diseases and improving crops. However, its promise also raises ethical concerns.

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Earth Bio-genome Project

 The Earth BioGenome Project plans to record the genomes — the DNA blueprint of life
— of 1.5 million species of animal, plant, protozoa and fungi within a decade.
 They expect to read the full DNA sequence of all the world‘s eukaryotic species —
organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed by membranes. These are animals, plants,
fungi andprotozoa, which encompass all of life except simple microbes (bacteria and archaea).
 Participating institutions aim to raise the required funds from governments, foundations
and charities.

WHO Recommends Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine

 In A First, WHO Recommends Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine

 Sanofi Pasteur‘s injectable influenza vaccine (FluQuadri) containing two A virus strains — H1N1
and H3N2 — and two B virus strains — Victoria and Yamagata — for active immunisation
of adults of age 18 to 64 years was approved in May 2017 by Drug Controller General of India
(DCGI).
 While a trivalent influenza vaccine contains both A subtype viruses, it has only one of the B
subtype virus; the quadrivalent vaccine offers greater breath of protection as it includes
both B subtype viruses.
 Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The virus is
transmitted easily from person to person via droplets.
 The viruses used in the vaccine are killed and this eliminates the possibility of the virus in the
vaccine itself causing infection.

Hepatitis E Virus

 The World‘s first human case of Rat Hepatitis E has been detected in Hong Kong. Hepatitis E is a
liver disease caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV): a small virus, with a positive-sense, single
strandedribonucleic acid (RNA) genome.
 The virus has at least 4 different types: genotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4.
 The virus is shed in the stools of infected persons, and enters the human body through
the intestine. It is transmitted mainly through contaminated drinking water.

Trans Fatty Acids

• Kerala is planning to launch an initiative to enforce dietary guidelines, involving the

reduction of trans fatty acids (TFAs), salt and sugar in commercially available foods in the State.

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• The initiative, with technical support from the World Bank, WHO and the Food Safety
andStandards Authority of India (FSSAI), is being launched as unhealthy diet is pushing up
metabolicsyndrome and premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among
Keralites.
• Latest estimates put the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Kerala between 24-
33%,indicating that one in three or four persons — predominantly women — have this condition.
• Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities — high blood pressure, high
blood sugar, abdominal obesity, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels — that occur together,
raising risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

TRTTrans

 Trans fatty acids (TFAs) or Trans fats are the most harmful type of fats which can have
much more adverse effects on our body than any other dietary constituent. These fatsare
largely produced artificially but a small amount also occurs naturally. Thus in our diet, these
may be present as Artificial TFAs and/ or Natural TFAs.
 Artificial TFAs are formed when hydrogen is made to react with the oil to produce
fatsresembling pure ghee/butter.
 In our diet the major sources of artificial TFAs are the partially hydrogenated vegetable
oils(PHVO)/vanaspati/ margarine while the natural TFAs are present in meats and dairy
products,though in small amounts.
 It is also associated with a higher risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart
disease,metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, infertility, certain types of cancers and can
also lead tocompromised fetal development causing harm to the yet to be born baby.

Formalin

• Formalin, a cancer-inducing chemical, is being used by unscrupulous agents in the

fishing industry to increase the shelf-life of fish, especially in consignments meant for other
States.
• Other chemicals too are used to extend the "freshness" of the fish. Sodium benzoate was
apreservative that was mixed when the ice was formed. Ammonia is also added to the ice, but it
is done to prevent the ice from melting.
• A chemical obtained by mixing water with formaldehyde, formalin, is applied on fresh
catch to increase its shelf life and sensory attributes like color. According to the Food Safety and
Standards of India (FSSAI), regulation 2011, formalin is not permitted for use in foods.
• Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) has developed readily available test kits, the kits
help test for formalin and ammonia.
• Formaldehyde occurs naturally in plants and animals, as a result of their own metabolism. For
instance, in vegetables, 20 to 60 mg formaldehyde per kg is present and 5 to 140 mg in a kilo of

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fish depending on the type. As the chemical is water soluble, it dissolves in water and can
be removed by cleaning and cooking the vegetable or meat properly.
• In 2017, Operation Sagar Rani was started by the food safety department along with the
state fisheries department to create awareness and find evidence of formalin adulteration.
• The European Food Safety Authority recommends an oral exposure of 100mg formaldehyde per
day. But when it is applied as a preservative, the levels differ, causing health implications such
as severe abdominal pain, vomiting, coma, renal injury and death.

Acinetobacter Junii

 Researchers from the University of Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi,
have successfully degraded toluene into less-toxic byproducts by using a bacteria – Acinetobacter
Junii isolated from soil and effluents near an oil refinery.
 Toluene is one of the petrochemical wastes that get released without treatment from in
dustries such as refineries, paint, textile, paper and rubber.
 It has been reported to cause serious health problems to aquatic life, and studies point that it has
genotoxic and carcinogenic effects on human beings.
 The researchers also examined the pathway by which the bacteria were doing the degradation
and found it to be general aerobic biodegradation pathway unlike most waste degradation studies
that use bacteria that grow in an anaerobic environment.

World‟s First Hydrogen Train

 Germany has rolled out the world‘s first hydrogen-powered train, signaling the start of a push to
challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with an eco-friendly technology.
 Nicknamed Hydrail, these trains are called Coradia iLint trains and have been manufactured by
Alstom, one of Europe‘s largest railway manufacturers.
 The train has batteries made of lithium-ion that is used in mobile phones and home appliances.
Additionally, the train is equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination
of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions.
Excess energy is stored in lithium ion batteries on board the train.

New form of matter „excitonium‟ discovered

 Scientists have proven the existence of new form of matter called excitonium- which was first
theorized almost 50 years ago.
 This has been done by Studying non-doped crystals of a transition metal— dichalcogenide
titanium diselenide (1T-TiSe2).

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 Excitonium exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor and is made

up of excitons, particles that are formed in a very strange quantum mechanical pairing.

How Exciton is formed?

 When an electron, seated at the edge of the crowded-with-electrons valence band in a

semiconductor, gets excited and jumps over theenergy gap to the otherwise empty conduction
band, it leaves behind a ―hole‖ in the valence band.
 That hole behaves as though it were a particle with positive charge, and it attracts the escaped
electron.
 When the escaped electron with its negative charge,pairs up with the hole, the two remarkably
form a composite particle, a boson -an exciton.

A New State Of Matter Created

 An international team of physicists have successfully created a ―giant atom‖ and filled it
with ordinary atoms, creating a new state of matter termed ―Rydberg polarons‖.
 These atoms are held together by a weak bond and is created at very cold temperatures.
 It uses ideas from two different fields: Bose Einstein Condensation and Rydberg atoms.
 A BEC (Bose Einstein Condensate) is a liquid-like state of matter that occurs at very low
temperatures. A BEC can be perturbed to create excitations which are akin to ripples on a lake.
 Electrons in an atom move in orbits around the nucleus. A ‗Rydberg atom‘ is an atom in which
an electron has been kicked out to a very large orbit  In this work, the authors used laser light
on a BEC of strontium atoms so that it impinges on one strontium atom at a time. This excites
an electron into a large orbit, forming a Rydberg atom. This orbit is large enough to encircle
many other strontium atoms inside it.
 As the electron moves around many strontium atoms, it generates ripples of the BEC. The
Rydberg atom becomes inextricably mixed with these ripples and forms a new super-atom called
a ‗Rydberg polaron‘.

NASA‟s HAMMER to Deal with Asteroids Heading for Earth

 Named HAMMER (Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response vehicle), the
Asteroid deflector is nine meters tall and weighs more than 8000 kg.
 HAMMER can be used as a kinetic impactor (spacecraft at high speed to give the push), or as a
carrier for some other nuclear device which can do the same job.
 Its possible mission is to deflect 101955 Bennu, a massive asteroid around 500 meters (1,640
ft), more than five football fields, in diameter.

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GSAT-6A

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched communication satellite arms
supplier to India, on board its geosynchronous rocket GSLV-F08, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

About GSAT- 6A satellite:

 The GSAT-6A is a high power S-band communication satellite with a mission life of about 10
years.
 It will provide mobile communication to India through multi beam coverage facility.
 The satellite will also provide a platform for demonstration of 6 m S-Band Unfurlable Antenna,
handheld ground terminals and network management techniques.
 The GSAT-6A satellite is designated for military use as well.
 The GSLV is a three stage/engine rocket. The core of first stag is fired with solid fuel. The second
stageis the liquid fuel-propelled and the thirdis the cryogenicengine.
 GSLV-F08, weighing 415.6 tonnes with a height of 49.1 meters comes with notable improvements
like induction of High Thrust Vikas Engine, electromechanical actuation system in place of
electro-hydraulic actuation system. ‗Unfurlable Antenna‘
 ISRO‘s ‗unfurlable antenna‘ is a six-meter-wide antenna which looks somewhat like an umbrella.
This will be ‗unfurled‘ once the GSAT-6A satellite has been put in orbit.
 This antenna will allow mobile communication from anywhere via hand-held ground terminals.

S-Band

 S-band is an electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz).

 S-band is used by weather radars, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites.
 S-band is very useful because the 2.5 GHz band is used globally for 4G services. The S-band
spectrum is extremely valuable for mobile broadband services.

InSight Mission

 It is the first-ever mission by Nasacort exploring the deep interior of Mars.

 It will also be the first NASA mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer, a
device that measures Mars quakes, on the planet.
 InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) is a
NASA Discovery Program mission that will place a single geophysical lander on Mars to study its
deep interior.
 It is a terrestrial planet explorer that will help in understanding the processes that shaped the
rocky planets of the inner solar system (including Earth) more than four billion years ago.

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 It will measure the planet‘s ―vital signs‖: Its ―pulse‖ (seismology), ―temperature‖ (heat flow probe),
and ―reflexes‖ (precision tracking).

Interstitium: The latest organ discovered in human body

Scientists have discovered a new organ in the human body which they have called the ‗interstitial‘.

 The new is found everywhere in our bodies, acting as a shock absorberin all places where tissues
are moved or subjected to force.
 It lies beneath the top layer of skin, but is also in tissue layers lining the gut, lungs, blood
vessels, and muscles.
 The organ is a network of interconnected, fluid-filled spacesall over the body and is made up of
both strong (collagen) and flexible (elastin) connective tissue proteins, with interstitial fluid
moving throughout.
 They help to transport critical fluidswithin organs and around the body like lymph
 The discovery of the fluid ‗highway‘could help to explain how cancer spreadsin the body.

Copernicus programme

India has joined Europe‘s mega global arrangement of sharing data from Earth observation satellites,
called Copernicus.

 Under this arrangement, the European Commission will provide India with free, full and open
access to the data from the Copernicus Sentinel family of satellites
 Reciprocally the DoS will provide the Copernicus programme and its participating states with a
free, full and open access to the data from ISRO‘s earth observation satellites.
 This comprises land, ocean and atmospheric series of ISRO‘s civilian satellites (Oceansat-2,
Megha-Tropiques, Scatsat-1, SARAL, INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR) with the exception of commercial
high-resolution satellites data.

About Copernicus programme:

Copernicus is the new name for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme (GMES).
It is the Earth observation programme headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the
European Space Agency (ESA).

Services provided: - land management, the marine environment, atmosphere, emergency response,
security and climate change.

Sentinel: ESA is developing a new family of satellites, called Sentinels, for the operational needs of the
Copernicus programme. They will provide a unique set of observations, including all-weather, day and
night radar images.

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„P NULL‟ PHENOTYPE

 A team of doctors from Mangalore‘s Kasturba Medical College (KMC) has identified a rare blood
group called ―pp‖ or ―P null‖ phenotype for the first time in India.
 ABO and Rh are the common types of blood group systems. However, there are more than 200
minor blood group antigens known besides A, B and Rh.
 A blood type is considered rare if fewer than one in 1,000 people have it. A person is said to have
rare blood group when he lacks the high frequency antigen or multiple common antigens.
 The ‗P null‘ blood group has anti-PP1Pk antibody that has the potential to cause acute
intravascular hemolyticreaction to incompatible blood transfusion. This antibody is also known
to cause recurrent abortions in women.
 Finding compatible unit for such case is a near impossible task without a well-established rare
donor panel, hence rare donor registry should be maintained for managing such cases.

AIR - BREATHING ELECTRIC THRUSTER

Recently European Space Agency (ESA) fired world‘s first ever air-breathing electric thruster which could
keep satellites in low orbit for longer time.

What is Air-Breathing Electric Thruster or Ion Thruster?

 It is an ion thruster which uses Air Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) or RAM electric
propulsion method.

How does ABEP works?

 ABEP sucks in air molecules from top of the atmosphere instead of using on-board propellant.
 Then it gives these molecules an electric charge and accelerates them.
 Finally, it ejects the ionized molecules back into space which causes thrust.

Significance of ABEP

 The new system is very significant as it reduces the weight of the satellite,thus reducing the
consumption of fuel.
 It extends the stay of satellites in space to almost indefinite time and also opens the doors for
deep space exploration.

Cold Fusion Reactor

 Cold Fusion Reaction or Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) technology is nuclear
fusion supposedly occurring at or close to room temperature and is still in research phase.

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 It is a form of energy generated when hydrogen interacts with various metals like nickel and
palladium. • Cold fusion seeks to produce nuclear energy without harmful radiation,
complex equipment and the application of very high temperatures and pressures.

Potential Benefits

 LENR technology could be used to build vehicular and at-home nuclear reactors that provide both
heat and electricity.
 Radioactive materials can be transmuted to benign elements, promising a path to ridding
the planet of thousands of tons of radioactive waste.
 Ultra-clean and Energy Dense: Cold fusion energy generators will not need to be connected to an
electrical grid. Small and portable power units will provide energy on- demand in any location.

Gallenene

 Researchers have isolated a 2D form of soft metal gallium, called "gallenene," which
could make thin and efficient metallic contacts in electronic devices.
 Reducing a regular three-dimensional material in two dimensions can fundamentally
change its electrical, magnetic, physical or chemical properties.
 Apart from graphene scientists have created 2D versions of materials such as black
phosphorus, molybdenum disulfide and chromium trichloride.
 Gallenene is first metal to be created in 2D. Near 2D metals are difficult to extract, since these are
mainly high-strength, uncoated and layered structures. So Gallenene is an exception that could
save the need for metals in the 2D world.
 As Gallenene binds semiconductors well and can now be created using a relatively simple
technique, it could be used as an efficient nano scale electronic metal contact, a field that
currently does not have many 2D metal options for this type of applications.

Bisphenol A (BPA)

 Scientists have created tiny spheres of Titanium dioxide that can catch and destroy BPA.
 The spheres provide plenty of surface area to anchor cyclodextrin— a benign sugar-based
molecule which has a two-faced structure, with a hydrophobic (water-avoiding) cavity and a
hydrophilic (water-attracting) outer surface.
 BPA being hydrophobic is attracted to the cavity where it is degraded into harmless chemicals.

About BPA

 Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the
production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.

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 Polycarbonate plastics have many applications including use in some food and drink packaging,
e.g., water and infant bottles, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, and medical
devices.
 Epoxy resins are used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, bottle tops, and
water supply pipes. Some dental sealants and composites may also contribute to BPA exposure.
 Bisphenol A can leach into food from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of canned foods
and from consumer.
 The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the
temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container.
 BPA is an endocrine system disruptor and it can interfere with the production, and
function of natural hormones. It also contributes to high blood pressure.
 BPA can also be found in breast milk. Its prolonged exposure is suspected of affecting the health
of children.

BepiColombo Mission

 It is Europe's first mission to Mercury which will set off in 2018 and reach there in 2025.
 It is a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed
under ESA leadership.• The mission comprises two spacecrafts: the Mercury Planetary
Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO).
 The mission will help in finding out the possibility of water in Mercury. The surface
temperature ofMercury varies from 450 degree Celsius to -180 degree Celsius (areas permanently
in shade).
 Mercury is the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System. Till now only
NASA‘s Mariner 10 and US Space Agency‘s Messenger has flown past the planet.

Zoonotic diseases

What are Zoonotic diseases?

 A zoonotic disease is a disease that spreads between animals and people.

 They can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi.
 Important Zoonotic diseases in India are: Nipah virus, avian influenza, rabies, Japanese
encephalitis, leptospirosis, Hanta virus, SARS, cysticercosis, anthrax, plague, echinococcosis and
schistosomosis, Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) etc.

Why are zoonotic diseases a concern?

 Over the past 70 years, more than 300 zoonotic diseases have been reported, they result in 75 per
cent of all emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) among humans.
 In a globalized world, the mobility of diseases has greatly increased, for example the SARS virus
originated in wild animals in China quickly spreading globally.

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 Some EIDs have adapted to a human-sustained cycle independent of animals for

example, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus.
 Some carriers of diseases like birds can help in transmitting the diseases across vast distances.
 More than 220 million people in India depend on forestry and are vulnerable due to
contact with wild animals but have less economic capacity to fight disease outbreaks like
Kyasanur forest disease (KFD).

Why is there an increase in Zoonotic diseases?

 The recent upsurge has often been attributed to the dramatic increase in population,
mobility and the associated social and environmental changes in the past 70 years.•
Habitat destruction forces many species to move towards human settlements for example,
In the first outbreak of encephalitis in Malaysia in 1998, fruit bats were displaced from
their natural forested habitat due to severe deforestation and fires.
 Extinction of one species leads to a cascading effect that may increase the population of reservoir
species.

“GravityRAT”

 Maharashtra Cybercrime department has reported the malware ―GravityRAT‖.The ‗RAT‘ in the
name stands for Remote Access Trojan, which is a program capable of being controlled remotely
and thus difficult to trace.
 It was first detected by Indian Computer EmergencyResponse Team, CERT-In in 2017.
 Malware, or malicious software, is any program or filethat is harmful to a computer user. It
includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware.
 These malicious programs can perform a variety of functions, including stealing,
encrypting or deleting sensitive data, altering or hijacking core computing functions and
monitoring users' computer activity without their permission.
 It infiltrates a system in the form of an innocuous looking email attachment, which can
be in any format, including MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat or even
audio and video files.
 Unlike most malware, which inflict short term damage, it is an Advanced Persistent
Threat (APT) i.e. Itsilently evolves and does long-term damage.
 It is self-aware and is capable of evading several commonly used malware detection
techniques such as ‗sandboxing‘ (used to isolate malware from critical programs on infected
devices and provide an extra layer of security).
 Typically, malware activity is detected by the ‗noise‘ it causes inside the Central
Processing Unit, but GravityRAT is able to work silently.
 It can also gauge the temperature of the CPU and ascertain if the device is carrying out
high intensity activity, like a malware search, and act to evade detection.

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World Health Organization (WHO) published its first Essential Diagnostics

List (EDL)

 EDL consists of 113 products – 58 tests for a range of common conditions and the rest 55 test for
―priority‖ diseases such as HIV, TB, HPV, syphilis, malaria and hepatitis B and C.
 It focuses on in-vitro tests i.e. test of human specimen such as blood and urine.
 Some tests are particularly suitable for primary healthcare centers, where there is a lack of
laboratories and highly trained personnel.
 It is intended to serve as a template for countries to develop their own list. WHO will support the
countries for its local adaptation?

Need and use for EDL

 It will help improve patient care and clinical outcomes, by encouraging the countries to build
laboratories, accessible across habitations
 Diagnostics infrastructure so created may help detect emerging infectious diseases,
facilitate epidemiological surveys, program evaluation and disease elimination
 Awareness and public demand, large-scale purchases and volume discounts will lower costs and
make these services affordable e.g. Xpert MTB/RIF test which is a good test but not affordable on
small scale
 Laboratory accreditation and training will also improve regulation and quality of diagnostics.
 It may help reduce Anti-Microbial Resistance and also provides leads for new product
development, based on local public health profiles.

QUEQIAO RELAY SATELLITE

 China launched a relay satellite to be the first to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.
 As a part of Mission Chang‘e4 under Phase II of Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme (CLEP),
China launched Queqiao (or “Magpie Bridge,”).
 It is now on its way to the Lagrange point-2 (L2) of Earth Moon system and will function
as a communication relay satellite between the Earth and Chang‘e 4 lander-rover
spacecraft.

GSLV - MK III D2

 It is the fifth generation, India‘s heaviest launch vehicle designed to place satellites of up-to
4,000 kg into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or satellites weighing about 10,000 kg to a
Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
 It is the second launch of GSLV-Mk III, which earlier in 2017 carried GSAT-19 satellite as the first
development flight.

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 It is a three-stage heavy-lift rocket with two solid fuel strap-on engines in the first stage, aliquid
propellantcore as second stage and a cryogenic engine for the third stage.
 The cryogenic propellant system in upper stage called the C25 engine, is an advanced version of
cryogenic technology.
 The indigenous cryogenic C25 engine provides an unprecedented thrust power to GSLV rockets
which keeps fuel loads on the rocket relatively low.

Significance of GSLV-Mk III

 Its successful launch will provide a thrust to future space missions such as Chandrayaan 2,
ISRO‘s moon and man missions etc.
 India is among six nations — apart from the US, Russia, France, Japan and China — to possess
cryogenic engine technology. This launch will further expand ISRO‘s space programmes on
several fronts such as commercial international space market.

Multiple Choice Questions. 2. NTPC is opting for dry Sorbent Injection

1. Pratyush and Mihir are: (DSI) system for controlling sulphur
a) Supercomputers dioxide (SO2) emissions.
b) Satellites Which of the above is/are correct?
c) Mobile apps a) 1 only
d) India;‘s highest honor in science. b) 2 only
Answer: A c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. Gaganyaan will be launched with human crew
in the year Answer: C
a) 2020
b) 2021 6. India‘s heaviest satellite is
c) 2022 a) GSAT 29
d) 2023 b) GSAT 15
Answer: C c) GSAT 11
d) GSAT 6
3. Remove Debris mission is launched by
a) NASA Answer: C
b) ESA
c) ISRO 7. Visualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral Atom
d) None of the above Sensing-2 (VISIONS-2) is launched by
Answer: D a) JAXA
b) NASA
4. AWSAR schemehas been initiated by c) ESA
a) Department of Science & Technology d) ISRO
b) UGC Answer: B
c) ISRO
d) DoPT 8. Consider the following statements.
1. India became the world‘s first to
Answer: A successfully perform atelerobotic
coronary intervention.
5. Consider the following statements about dry 2. In telerobotic coronary intervention,
Sorbent Injection (DSI) system. with the help of the internet and a
1. Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) system is a robotic tower, a surgeon is able to treat
pollution controlsystem for the patients from a distance.
reduction of SOx (SO2, SO3), HCI and Which of the above is/are correct?
heavy metals like mercury. a) 1 only
b) 2 only

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c) Both 1 and 2 a) 3 only

d) Neither 1 nor 2 b) 2 only
c) 1 and 2 only
Answer: C d) All of the above
Answer: C
9. Consider the following statements about
National Biopharma mission. 13. Which of the following cannot be the benefit
1. It is an Industry-Academia Collaborative of embryo transfer technology (ETT) in cattle?
Mission for accelerating discovery a) Better progeniesfrom exotic breeds could be
research to early development for obtained in an easier way.
biopharmaceuticals. b) Indigenous breeds can be preserved.
2. The World Bank assisted INNOVATE c) No requirement of high skilled workers,
IN INDIA (i3) program under this unlike in artificial insemination.
mission aims to create an enabling d) None of the Above
ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship
and indigenous manufacturing in the Answer: C
sector.
Which of the above is/are correct? 14. Consider thefollowing statements about
a) 1 only Biofuels:
b) 2 only 1. First generationbiofuels are produced from
c) Both 1 and 2 food crops and non-food crops.
d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. Second generation Biofuels are produced
from agricultural wastes.
Answer: C 3. Third generation biofuels are aimed not
onlyin producing energy but also as a way of
10. Consider the following statements about capturing and storing CO2.
Earth Bio-Genome Project. Which of the statements given above is/are
1. It is an international consortium of correct?
scientists which will undertake the a) 2 only
project. b) 2 and 3 only
2. It aims to sequence, catalogue, and c) 1 and 2 only
characterize the genomes of every d) 1, 2 and 3
eukaryotic biodiversity on Earth over a
period of 10 years to sequence 1.5 Answer: A
million species in three phases.
Which of the above is/are correct? 15. With reference to NASA‘s ―InSight
a) 1 only spacecraft‖, consider the following statements:
b) 2 only 1. It is an unmanned mission to the planet
c) Both 1 and 2 Mars.
d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. Its main aim is to detect ‗mars quakes‘ by
probing deep into surface of mars.
Answer: C Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
11. Project Dhoop is launched by a) 1 only
a) FSSAI b) 2 only
b) Niti Aayog c) Both 1 and 2
c) WHO d) Neither 1 nor 2
d) MOEFCC
Answer: C
Answer: A
16. Which of the following could be the
12. Recently contaminated vaccines of Polio were applicationsof a ‗High throughput satellite‘?
discovered in some parts of the country, 1. Internet coverage would increase in remote
consider the following statements about Polio: areas
1. It is highly infectious bacterial disease. 2. Mapping of soil erosion across different areas
2. Itis transmitted by contact and nasal 3. In-Flight internet service
secretions. 4. Crop assessment for national insurance
3. Polio has been eradicated and eliminated purposes
from India. Select the correct answer using the code given
Whichof the following statements below:
is/areincorrect? a) 1, 2 and 3 only

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b) 1 and 3 only d) All of the above

c) 2 and 4 only Answer: B
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: B
20. With reference to the Hyperspectral Imaging
17. With reference to India‘s air defense system, Satellite (HysIS), consider the following
consider the following statements: statements:
1. Maitri is a short range missile being 1. It will add another 2.5 GHz of spectrum, to
developed by DRDO with the help of France. create necessary conditions for 5g network in
2. SPYDER (Surface to Air Python and Derby) is India.
a quick reaction missile being developed with the 2. It will monitor earth‘s atmospheric activity
help of Israel. and climate change.
3. Rustom-2 is the first attack drone available 3. It will be placed in a polar sun synchronous
with India. orbit.
Which of the following statements is/are 4. It will monitor the radioactivity fromIndia‘s
correct? present and future nuclear plants.
a) 1 and 2 only Which of the statements given above is/are
b) 1 and 3 only correct?
c) 2 and 3 only a) 1 and 3 only
d) None of the above b) 2, 3 and 4 only
c) 2 and 3 only
Answer: A d) 1, 2 and 4 only

18. ISRO has recently launched the GSAT-7A Answer: C

satellite primarily for the Indian Air Force,
consider the following statements regarding 21. With reference to the chemicalBisphenol A,
GSAT -7A: consider the following statements:
1. It is a navigation satellite to enhance the 1. It is a chemical used to preserve the
Indian Air Force‘s navigation facilities. freshness of fish during its sale.
2. It will be placed in the geosynchronous orbit 2. It is a lethal chemical and is highly
of the earth. poisonous to humans.
3. Its earlier version GSAT – 7 was primarily for 3. It can also cause infertility in humans which
the Navy. of the above statements is/are incorrect?
4. It is the heaviest satellite till date to be a) 2 only
launched by an indigenous cryogenic launch b) 1 and 2 only
vehicle. c) 3 only
Select the correct answer using the code given d) 1 and 3 only
below) 3 and 4 only
b) 1, 2 and 3 only Answer: B
c) 1, 2 and 4 only
d) 2, 3 and 4 only

Answer: A

19. Antimicrobial resistance by bacteria is a

threat to the pharmaceutical industry, consider
the following statements withreference to the
mechanism of antimicrobial resistance:
1. The bacteria can undergo a gene mutation
and get resistant to the antibiotic.
2. The bacteria can transfer its gene to
other bacteria of the same species resulting
in more resistance.
3. The bacteria can copy the human gene
structure and become invisible to the antibiotic.
Which of the above statements is/are probable
causes of Antibacterial resistance?
a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 1 and 3 only

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