Category Science

Why is Samir K. Brahmachari an important figure on the scientific stage in India?

Samir K. Brahmachari is a biophysicist who is among the first in utilizing computational tools for genome analysis. He has developed many bioinformatics tools. His research led to the creation of the genetic profile of Indians known as the Indian Genome Variation Project. This was later extended to include all East Asian countries.

He was the first to market the novel, globally competitive bio-informatics software products from CSIR. He has 12 patents, 23 copyrights and 155 research publications to his credit.

Brahmachari did BSc and MSc in chemistry from the University of Calcutta. He earned a PhD in Molecular Biophysics from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. He did post-doctoral research at Paris Diderot University. Then he was a visiting scientist at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

He worked as a Professor in Indian Institute of Science and also served as a Visiting Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry.

Then he became the Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India. He was the Founder Director of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), New Delhi and the Chief Mentor of Open Source for Drug Discovery (OSDD) Project.

The J.C Bose Fellowship Award is one among the many honours that he has received.

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Who is Naveen Garg?

Naveen Garg is a Professor of Computer Science at IIT-Delhi. He is interested in the design and analysis of algorithms. An algorithm is a set of rules which can solve a problem in mathematics or computer science.

Naveen Garg completed his graduation and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering at IIT- Delhi. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Max Planck Institute for Informatics and also was a research scientist there. Then he joined IIT – Delhi and now he is Janaki and K.A. lyer Cnair Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department and also the Dean, AAIP (Alumni Affairs and International Programs). He is also the co-director of the Indo-German Max-Planck Center for Computer Science (IMPECS).

Naveen Garg has secured the Wilhelm Bessel Research Award by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany in 2001. He won the Career Award for Young Teachers instituted by All India Council for Technical Education in 2004. The Indian National Academy of Engineering presented him with the Young Engineer Award in 2005 and Indian National Science Academy awarded him the Young Scientist Medal in 2006. Also, he was elected as a Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore and Indian National Academy of Engineering in 2014 and 2020 respectively.

He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in 2016.

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What is DigiYatra?

Launched on December 1, DigiYatra enables domestic air travellers to have easy entry and embarkation at Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports.

Gaining entry into the airport is somewhat cumbersome as a result of the processes involved. In a bid to simplify this, the government launched DigiYatra at Delhi airport recently. But what is it and how does it work? Let’s find out.

Seamless travel

DigiYatra is a facial recognition software that allows domestic air passengers to seamlessly travel without carrying an ID card. DigiYatra aims at providing passengers a hassle-free entry and embarkation experience based on facial recognition technology at airports in the country. In other words, your face becomes your identity. DigiYatra facilitates a contactless air travel experience at entry point and boarding gate and will make the whole process of boarding faster.

To start with, it was rolled out at Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the facility at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on December 1. DigiYatra will become operational at four more airports – Hyderabad, Pune, Vijayawada, and Kolkata – by March next year and then across various airports in the country.

Download the app

The DigiYatra app by the Digi Yatra Foundation is available on Google Playstore for Android mobiles and App Store for iPhones. Download the app on your Aadhar-linked mobile phone. For availing oneself of the service, a one-time registration on the app has to be done using Aadhaar-based validation and a self image capture. Update the boarding pass on the app and share it with the airport. At the airport, the passenger will have to scan their bar-coded boarding pass downloaded on their phone and the facial recognition system installed at the e-gate will validate their identity and travel document.

Once this process is over, the passenger will have to follow the normal procedure to clear the security and board the aircraft.

At present, DigiYatra is available for passengers taking domestic flights of Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo.

An initiative of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Digi Yatra Foundation was set up in 2019 to develop a facial recognition system at airports for streamlining air travel.

Concerns

As air passengers have to furnish their Aadhaar details for this service, there are concerns about data theft and privacy. The Minister laid them to rest by saying that the data of the passengers will be stored in an encrypted format in a decentralised manner on their mobile phones. He also said that the data passengers upload would mandatorily be cleared from the servers at the airport 24 hours after their travel.

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Which is the first comet to encounter a spacecraft?

Discovered first on December 20, 1900, comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner gets its name from two astronomers. From being one of the last comets to be discovered in the 19th Century, this comet is now best known for having the first encounter with a spacecraft.

Comets are popular for different reasons. There’s Halley’s comet, which is the most famous of them all. Regularly visible to the naked eye from the Earth, Halley’s comet has been observed and recorded by astronomers for over 2,000 years. Then, there is comet Hyakutake. Discovered only in 1996, this comet’s passage near the Earth in the same year was one of the closest cometary approaches in nearly 200 years. We will be turning our attention to comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, whose claim to fame now includes being the first comet to encounter a spacecraft. This comet was first discovered on December 20, 1900, making it one of the last comets to be discovered in the 19th Century. A discoverer of a number of comets, French astronomer Michel Giacobini found this comet while skygazing from Nice Observatory. It was followed for two months and orbital calculations revealed that the comet was a periodic object with an orbital period less than seven years.

Recovered in 1913

It wasn’t recovered in 1907, when it was not placed favourably for viewing. Even though the comet was expected to be unfavourably placed in 1914 as well, German astronomer and renowned science historian Ernst Zinner accidentally rediscovered it on October 23, 1913.

Since both Giacobini and Zinner discovered and recovered this comet, it is named after them and is called comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The letter “p” indicates that it is a periodic comet, which are comets with orbital periods less than 200 years. When orbital calculations were revised when the comet was recovered in 1913, its orbital period was found to be close to 6.6 years, and the comet has been observed on almost every return since then.

Draconid meteor shower

This comet had favourable returns in 1959, 1985, and 2018, when it was well observed as its perihelion (closest approach to sun) allowed it to pass close to the Earth. The nucleus of the Giacobini-Zinner sprays ice and rock into space every time it returns to the inner solar system. This makes the comet the parent comet of the Draconid meteor shower, which takes place in early October each year.

While this meteor shower is quite weak in most years, there have been Draconic meteor storms on record, meaning that over 1,000 meteors were seen per hour at the location of the observer. The 1933 and 1946 Draconid storms were particularly intense, with over 500 meteors observed per minute in Europe during the former and 50-100 per minute seen in the U.S. during the latter.

Farquhar’s idea

Comet Giacobini-Zinner’s current claim to fame was a result of its favourable return in 1985. When funding for a spacecraft mission to comet 1P/Halley, which was enroute to its 1986 perihelion passage, didn’t materialise, planetary scientist Robert Farquhar came up with an idea. He suggested that the already existing International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3) be placed on an alternate path that would take it towards Giacobini-Zinner.

Once the idea was approved, ISEE-3 was sent on a series of lunar flybys that would take it towards Giacobini-Zinner. Following the final lunar flyby in December 1983, ISEE-3 was renamed the International Cometary Explorer (ICE).

On September 11, 1985, ICE passed through the ion tail of Giacobini-Zinner, thereby completing the first encounter between a comet and a spacecraft. While ICE lacked cameras, it did carry scientific instruments that enabled it to record measurements of the electric environment around the comet and also as to how the comet interacted with the solar wind.

Even though an international fleet of spacecraft, including ICE, met Halley in 1986 from a number of vantage points for a study like never before, Giacobini-Zinner will forever hold the title of being the first comet to encounter a spacecraft. While its most recent return in 2018 might be comet 21P’s most favourable return in the 21st Century, you can still look forward to its approach once in less than seven years, and maybe even try and track it.

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What are the solutions for a warming world?

With a warming planet searing us, we are desperate to find cool solutions. In a seeming paradox what contributed to the climate change crisis such as coal plastic and oil rigs also hold the key to eco-friendly solutions. But how? Let’s find out…

Coal is a fossil fuel that is largely blamed for the current climate change crisis. Now, in a seeming paradox, energy experts are turning to long-abandoned coal mines as a source of carbon-free power! These mines are estimated to contain millions of gigawatt hours or GWh of heat, with the potential to store more. Today, there are many ongoing projects across the UK and in Europe to tap this energy source, especially in places where plants that treat toxic mine water from closed mines already exist.

Once a mine is shut down, the shafts fill with water. The water may be surface water (from rainfall or flooding), or groundwater that seeps up from below. The water is naturally warm as it is deep underground, with temperatures ranging from 15 degrees C to 20 degrees C. It is hot enough to heat homes in winter and cool enough to keep them mild in summer. Mine water energy is also 10 per cent cheaper.

It is not a new idea. In 1989, a packaging firm in the town of Springhill, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, dug the world’s first borewell to draw up water from dormant coal mines near it to heat its office building.

Futuristic fabric

An American apparel startup called LifeLabs Design set up by a research team from Stanford University, has created clothing from polyethylene (PE) that keeps the wearer’s skin cool in the heat and warm in the cold. The first is called Cool life and the second, you guessed it, WarmLife!

Polyethylene is the type of plastic found in cling wrap and the thin, transparent bags used by grocery stores to pack items. The inventors discovered that the plastic allowed infrared radiation to pass right through it. Most fabrics trap infrared radiation or heat generated by the skin. CoolLife fabric lowers the wearer’s skin temperature by at least 1 degree Celsius when compared to cotton.

The company’s WarmLife fabric works on the principle of reflectivity. The side that touches the skin has a ‘nano coat’ or a microscopic aluminium layer that reflects the body’s infrared radiation and traps that heat inside an inch-thick layer of insulation. The fabric is 30 per cent warmer than clothing of similar weight and bulk.

The company’s WarmLife fabric works on the principle of reflectivity. The side that touches the skin has a ‘nano coat or a microscopic aluminium layer that reflects the body’s infrared radiation and traps that heat inside an inch-thick layer of insulation. The fabric is 30 per cent warmer than clothing of similar weight and bulk.

Polyethylene is the most sustainable among synthetic and natural textiles. The fabrics made from PE are ecologically friendlier than other synthetic and even natural fabrics. Polyester, wool and cotton use large amounts of fuel and water in their entire production process. WarmLife jackets and vests use much less fuel and water in their manufacture. The fabric is 97 per cent recycled material from single-use plastics.

Rigs to reefs

There are more than 12,000 offshore oil and gas platforms worldwide. There comes a time when the rigs produce too little oil and gas for extraction to be profitable. The well is sealed off, but it is too expensive to dismantle the massive structure entirely. The platform which is above the surface is easier to cart away, but the huge steel pylons below it are not. One would expect these rusting hulks to damage marine ecosystems, but surprisingly, they have had the opposite effect!

Offshore oil and gas rigs that have been decommissioned have become safe havens for a variety of marine life! The subsurface rig (the part below the water) provides the ideal skeleton for coral reefs to build on! Decommissioned oil rigs in America are the most productive man-made marine habitats in the world. They provide marine wildlife with food, shelter from predators and a safe breeding ground.

Since 1984, the U.S. government has encouraged states to turn defunct rigs into reefs. Oil companies on the east coast in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, have converted more than 500 rigs into artificial reefs. In fact, the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have become hotspots for diving, snorkelling and recreational fishing.

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Have you heard about a tree that looks like a painting?

Have you heard about a tree that looks like a painting? Legend even has it that Robin Hood took shelter in a tree. Here we bring you some of the unique trees in the world.

AFRICAN BAOBAB – AFRICA

These ancient trees have been around even before humans walked the earth. They date back thousands of years and are endemic to the African savannah. These baobabs grow into colossal sizes and are life-sustaining trees. This tree species is referred to as the Tree of Life for the shelter, food and water it provides during inclement weather conditions.

THE MAJOR OAK TREE- THE UK

This is Robin Hood’s tree. Remember the legend of Robin Hood and how he took shelter in a tree and hid from the Sheriff of Nottingham? Well, this Oak tree, which is the largest in the U.K., is the infamous tree that provided shelter. The tree is hollow inside and has a hole in its trunk. Nuzzled in the Sherwood Forest Country Park, this 1,000-year-old hollow oak tree gets many visitors. Seen here is the Robin Hood’s Larder tree from an 1880 postcard.

LONE CYPRESS TREE – THE U.S.

Lone Cypress is perhaps the most photographed tree in the world. As the name suggests, this tree stands all alone, standing sentinel on the Californian coast. The tree is believed to be over 250 years old and is perched on the rocky ledge along the 17 Mile Drive on Pebble Beach in Monterey County.

RAINBOW EUCALYPTUS

Northern Hemisphere Picture this. A tree cloaked in a rainbow. The tree looks like a painting with a multitude of colours splashed right across it. Christened the rainbow eucalyptus, these rare eucalyptus trees are indigenous to the northern hemisphere. When the bark of the tree peels off during each season, out pops the coloured bark which ages as it with the elements producing the brilliant hues. Commonly called Rainbow Eucalyptus, the species goes by the name Eucalyptus deglupta. The tree is commonly found in Philippines, New Guinea, and Indonesia.

WANAKA TREE – NEW ZEALAND

Hundreds flock to this place every year to get a picture of the Wanaka Tree that seems to rise out of the placid waters of lake Wanaka, New Zealand. Evenings are the best time to visit the place as it always offers postcard-perfect views. The tree is often called That Wanaka Tree’. This loner of a willow tree set against a panoramic vista of the mountains of the Southern Alps makes for a resplendent sight.

THE BOAB ‘PRISON’ TREE-AUSTRALIA

This is a huge Boab tree with a large hollow. The tree is believed to be more than a thousand years old and is found in Derby, Kimberley, Western Australia. Known for decades as the Boab Prison Tree, the tree gets its name after the legend that it was used as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners. But researchers have maintained that there is no evidence for this and have been pushing for appropriately naming the tree.

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