Table of Contents
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
➢ Father of DNA Fingerprinting in India Passes Away.
➢ ASTRONOMY & SPACE
• New Exoplanet LHS 1140b
• First Exoplanet Found to Contain Water
• Cassini-Huygens- End of a Mission
• Supercluster of Galaxies- Saraswati
• India Launched 104 Satellites One Go
• GSAT-9 is India’s Gift to Neighbouring Countries
• India Launched its Heaviest Rocket
• First Global Map of Water on Moon
• Smallest Star in the Universe
• World’s Smallest Spacecraft Launched by Breakthrough Star shot.
• LIGO Detects Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time
• World’s Lightest Satellite Designed by an Indian Student
➢ BIOTECHNOLOGY
• Gene SLFN11 Encodes a Protein Against HIV1
➢ MATTER & ENERGY
• World’ First Floating Wind Farm
➢ HEALTH & MEDICINE
• World’s Smallest Pacemaker
• Mesentery: A New Human Organ
➢ COMPUTERS AND ROBOTICS
• World’s First Hybrid ‘Aeroboat’
• First ‘Made in India’ Industrial Robot: BRABO
• Ransomeware Cyberattack- Affects at Least 150
Countries
➢ Largest Iceberg Broke Off From Antarctica’s
Larsen C
➢ NEW SPECIES DISCOVERED
➢ TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING
➢ World’s Largest Aircraft
➢ World’s Biggest and Powerful X-ray Laser Gun
Unveiled
➢ SOHUM: Indigenously Developed Low-cost
Hearing Device for Newborns
➢ School of International Biodesign (SIB)
➢ Scientists Turn-on the World’s Largest Artificial
Sun in Germany
➢ ENVIRONMENT
➢ OBITUARIES
1. Prof. U.S. Rao: India’s Satellite Man
2. Prof. P.M. Bhargava: Architect of Modern Biology in India
3. Prof. Yash Pal: Popularised Science Education in India
4. Prof. C.V. Vishveshwara: Renowned Physicist
➢ CSIR- 2017
• CSIR Ranked Ninth in the World
➢ Menstrual Blood Stem Cells- Promising Future?
➢ Incredible Spiders Conversations with a
Naturalist
➢ Lake Abraham Frozen Explosives in Tranquil Waters.
➢ WATER
➢ Father of DNA Fingerprinting in India Passes Away
“Father of DNA fingerprinting in India”, Dr. Lalji Singh passed away in the last month of the year 2017. He died of a massive heart attack at the BHU Trauma Centre on 10th December.
He was 25th Vice Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University, the fourth Director of the Hyderabad- based CSIR-Centre for Cellular & molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), and a Padma Shri recipient. Even Director of CSIR-CCMB, Dr. Lalji Singh set up the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered species (LaCONES) for conservation of endangered wildlife in India.
LaCONES notched up several successes including development of universal DNA based marker for identification of wild animals from parts and remains, rehabilitation of smuggled star tortoises, detection of certain parasitic, bacterial and viral diseases in endangered animals from different zoological parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India using DNA-based methods.Dr. Lalji Singh also did pioneering research on Indian population genomics human beings to migrate out of Africa.
➢ ASTRONOMY & SPACE
• Seven Earth-Sized Planets Found in Aquarius Astronomers discovered seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting an ultra cool star – TRAPPIST-1.
(Aquarius mean Deep sky object / Aquarius constellation is located in the southern hemisphere. It is one of the 12 zodiac constellations).
The star is about the size of Jupiter and much cooler than Sun, about 40 light years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. The star was discovered by Michael Gill on, an astrophysicist at the University of Liege in Belgium. Follow- up observations with ground based telescopes and the Spritzer space telescope now reveal that the third planet is actually four additional Earth-sized ones, three of which could be habitable. If those planets have Earth-like atmospheres, they may even have liquid water oceans on their surfaces.
• New Exoplanet LHS 1140b In the constellation of Cetus, a super-Earth exoplanet in the habitable zone of LHS 1140 (a red dwarf star about one-fifth the size of the Sun) was discovered. The LHS 1140b is about 1.43 times larger and about 6.6 times heavier
than the Earth i.e. gravity on LHS 1140b would be three times greater than Earth. It is probably made up of rock with a dense iron core. This planet is expected to be present in the Goldilocks Zone (area where the temperature is neither too low nor too high).
(Note: Cetus constellation is located in the northern sky. Also known as the
Whale, it is one of the largest constellations in the sky)
• First Exoplanet Found to Contain Water Exoplanet WASP-121b located about 900 light-years away in the constellation Puppies was found to contain water in the form of hot water molecules. It belongs to a class of exoplanets called hot Jupiter. The
planet is nearly twice the size of Jupiter and orbits much closer to its host star.
The top of the planet’ atmosphere is heated to a blazing 4600⁰ f, hot enough to
boil some metals. The researchers were able to detect glowing water molecules in the planet’s atmosphere by using NASA’s Hubble space telescope.
(Notes: Puppies: A constellation in the S hemisphere lying between Vela and Canis Major, a section of which is crossed by the Milky way)
• Cassini-Huygens- End of a Mission
The Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn and ended its life on 15 September 2017 with a plunge into the ringed planet’s atmosphere after a mission that lasted in 19 years and 11 months.
It was a joint project of NASA, ESA (European space Agency) and ASI (Italian Space Agency) to study the planet Saturn and its systems including its rings and natural satellites. The mission is known for discoveries such as finding jets of water erupting from Enchiladas, and tracking down a few new moons for Saturn.
• Supercluster of Galaxies- Saraswati
A team of Indian astronomers identified a previously unknown, extremely large super cluster of galaxies located in the direction of constellation Pisces. The super cluster of 43 galaxies, which they named “Saraswati”, is one of the largest known structures in the nearby universe, and is 4 billion light years away from us and may contain the mass equivalent of over 20 million billion suns. The Saraswati super cluster, for instance, extends over a scale of 600 million light years.
A team of Indian astronomers from Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jamshedpur and Newman College (Thodapuzha) identified a massive supermega river of galaxies. The new discovery has been named Saraswati- which in Sanskrit literally means ‘ever-flowing stream with many pools’. The super cluster is about 4 billion light years away. The discovery is forcing astronomers to rethink about the early of the evolution of the universe and provides vital clues about the mysterious dark matter and dark energy.
• India Launched 104 Satellites One Go ISRO created history around the world with the successful launch of 104 satellites in a single mission on 15 February 2017. These satellites were
launched on board the Polar Satellites Launch Vehicle PSLS-C37 on its 39 mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. It broke the earlier record of launching 37 satellites by Russia on 19 June 2014.
Of the total 104 satellites, only three were Indian and 101 were international. India’s three satellites included Cartosat-2 (main payload) and nano satellites, INS-IA and INS-IB.
The total weight of all the 104 satellites carried on-board PSLV-C37 was 1378 kg.
• GSAT-9 is India’s Gift to Neighbouring Countries Also dubbed as the ‘South Asia’ satellite, GSAT-9 with the objective to provide various communication applications in Ku-band with coverage
over South Asian countries was launched by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F09) on 5 May 2017. With a payload power of 2.3 kilowatts and an operational life of 12 years, GSAT-9 will be used for telecommunications, disaster management and weather forecasting to benefit neighboring countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. This 2195 kilograms satellite is positioned at 48⁰east in the geostationary
orbit. Costing around Rs. 235 crore, the satellite will also contribute to enhancing IT connectivity and facilitating tele-education and medicine.
• India Launched its Heaviest Rocket
The Indian space programmed notched up yet another milestone success as the country’s most powerful rocket- GSLV Mk-III- soared into space placing the communication satellite GSAT 19 (heaviest to be lifted by an Indian rocket till date) on 5 June 2017.
GSLV Mark III, also nicknamed ‘Fat Boy’, weighed 640 tonnes and carried a 3136 kg GSAT-19 communication satellite to an altitude of around 179 km above the Earth. The GSLV Mk-III is capable of carrying payloads of up to 4000 km into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about (LEO), which is about twice the capability of GSLV MK-II. Currently, Indian depends on the European Space Agency (ESA) for heavy launch of INSAT- class satellites of 3.5 ton, which incurrs a cost of Rs 800 crore for each launch.
GSLV Mk-III makes it possible for India to launch its heavier satellites at one-third the cost or at about Rs 350 crore.
• First Global Map of Water on Moon
Scientists from Brown University have created the first map of water trapped in the uppermost layer of the Moon’s soil. The study used data taken from NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, which flew aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. The amount of water on Moon increases towards the poles but gradually decreases the equator
• Smallest Star in the Universe It has been named as EBLM J0555-57AB. The star was identified by Super WASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets), extra solar planet detection programmed run by several universities. The star is located about 600 light years away. It is slightly larger than Saturn in size and may possibly have Earth-sized planets with liquid water in its orbit. The gravitational pull at its surface is about 300 times stronger than on Earth.
• World’s Smallest Spacecraft Launched by Breakthrough Star shot Star shot is a comprehensive space programmed that launched the world’s smallest spacecrafts dubbed as ‘Sprites’.
The six prototypes of sprites were launched in June 2017 in Low Earth Orbit to test technologies that would eventually be used for interstellar missions. Each of the mini sprite spacecrafts are built on a single 3.5cm × 3.5cm circuit board. They weight just four grams each. They are equipped with tiny solar panels, two antennas, tiny radio, computer magnetometer
and gyroscope. They are smallest spacecrafts that have managed to establish contact
with ground stations.
• LIGO Detects Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time Gravitational waves from a neutron star collision in the galaxy NGC 4993 were detected for the first time on 17 August 2017. The galaxy is located about 130 million light years away from the Earth in the constellation Hydra.
The collision known as ‘kilonova’ led to a rumble of gravitational wave dubbed GW170817 as detected by LIGO. The kilonova associated with GW170817 was observed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
• World’s Lightest Satellite Designed by an Indian Student Weighing just 64 grams, NASA launched the world’s lightest satellite designed and built by 18-year-old Rifath and his team from India. The tiny satellite has been named as ‘KalamSat’ after the former president and
scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The satellite was launched into the space on a sounding rocket from NASA’s facility in Wallops Island. The 3.8 cm cube structured is a 3-D printed satellite.
Equipped with nano Geiger Muller counter for measuring the radiation in space, the satellite is built with reinforced carbon fiber polymer. The purpose behind the launch of KalamSat was to to demonstrate the performance of 3D-printed carbon fiber.
➢ BIOTECHNOLOGY
• Gene SLFN11 Encodes a Protein Against HIV1 Scientists from University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a gene called SLFN11, which encodes a protein known as Schliemann family member 11, or Schlafen 11 which may induce a cellular response against infection by viruses including human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). The new study found that SLFN11’s antiviral potency is highest in non-human primate species such as chimpanzees and orangutans, but less effective humans and gorillas, indicating that the gene’s effects have become highly
species-specific over time when it comes to fighting off HIV-1.
➢ MATTER & ENERGY
• World’ First Floating Wind Farm World’s first full-scale floating wind farm, named as Hywind project, is built off the coast of Scotland.
The project consisting five turbines is aimed to bring power to 20,000 homes. The wind farm covers an area of about four square kilometers of water in the North Sea, having an average wind speed of about 10 meter per second.
➢ HEALTH & MEDICINE
• World’s Smallest Pacemaker Scientists for the first time have successfully implanted the world’s smallest acemaker dubbed as Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) in a patient
in US. The pacemaker about the size of large vitamin capsule is for patients with bradycardia, a condition characterized by a slow heart rate, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. TPS provides the most advanced pacing technology. It was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It is one tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker and is the only lead less
(wireless) pacemaker approved for use in the US. Another positive is the battery can last up to 10 years.
• Mesentery: A New Human Organ Scientists from Ireland have discovered a new human organ as the 79th organ of the human body in the Digestive System named the Mesentery, which connects the intestine to the abdomen. The mesentery is a double fold of the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdominal cavity.
The discovery will help in better understanding and further scientific study of the mesentery which could lead to less invasive surgeries, fewer complications, faster patient recovery and lower overall costs.
➢ COMPUTERS AND ROBOTICS
• World’s First Hybrid ‘Aeroboat’ The world’s first hybrid “aeroboat” has been built by an Indo-Russian joint venture.
It is capable of travelling on land, water, snow and sand. The aeroboat will have room for about 10 passengers and one crew member. Aeroboats are cheaper to maintain and fuel.
The aeroboats “hybrid” engine is capable of running on either petrol or electricity thus helping in reducing carbon emission and improving energy efficiency top. The aeroboat is designed to access difficult terrain, such as flooded or marshy areas where the use of regular boats is made impossible because of shallow water, patches of dry land or by marine vegetation. Our amphibious aeroboats can provide high-speed year-round navigation, even when bodies of water are frozen like in Russia.
• First ‘Made in India’ Industrial Robot: BRABO
A Tata group company, Tal Manufacturing Solutions, has unveiled India’s first ever robot called ‘BRABO’. BRABO stands for “Bravo Robot”. The robot is primarily developed to complement the human workforce and repeatedly perform high volume, dangerous and time-consuming tasks
ranging from handling or raw materials to packaging of finished products. The development cost, as reported, is Rs 10 crore.
• Ransomware Cyber attack- Affects at Least 150 Countries
The biggest cyber attack the world has ever seen is a virus that looks people
out of their computer files until they pay a ransom to the hackers.The ransomware, called Wanna Cry, locks down files on an infected computer and asks the computer’s administrator to pay in order to regain control of them.
➢ Largest Iceberg Broke Off From Antarctica’s Larsen C
This is the trillion tonne iceberg four times the size of London that cracked off from Antarctica
Weighing more than a trillion tons, an iceberg split off from Antarctica’s LarsenC ice shelf sometime between July 10 and July 12, 2017.
Larsen C is the fourth largest ice shelf on the east side of the Antarctica Peninsula, surrounding the southernmost continent of the planet.
Project MIDAS, an Antarctic research project based in the United Kingdom, reported the final breakage.
➢ NEW SPECIES DISCOVERED
World’s first Fluorescent Frog Scientists have discovered polka-dot tree frog (Hypsiboas punctatus), the world’s first fluorescent frog in Argentina.
In normal light the frog appears to have a dull, mottled browny-green skin with red dots, but under UV light it glows a bright fluorescent green. New Frog Species with Pig Face A group of Indian scientists from the CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad has recently discovered a new frog species named Nasikabatrachus bhupathi, which has a face of pig.
The frog has been named after the Indian herpetologist S.Bhupathy, who died in 2014.
(Note: Herpetology: is the study of reptiles and amphibians) Two New Earthworm Species
Scientists have discovered two new primitive species of earthworm in the Western Ghats mountain ranges in Kerala. Drawida polydiverticulata.
Drawida Thomasi
Drawida polydiverticulata has an organ located in the front of its body. This species was found to be widespread in the protected shoal grasslands of the Munnar region, including Eravikulam National Park, Pampadun Shola National Park and Chinnar wildlife Sanctuary. Drawida thomasi was collected at the Kozhippara Waterfalls near KAkkadampoyil, at the border between Malappuram and Kozhikode. Two New species of Cycas
Recently in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands scientists have discovered two new species of cycas named Cycas pschannae and Cycas dharmrajii.
➢ TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING
Russia Launches Mammoth Icebreaker Ship Russia launched the world’s biggest and most powerful icebreaker ship. Named ‘Sibir’, the ship is powered by two nuclear reactors and can break three-meter thick ice fields.
The mammoth vessel weighs 33,500 tons and stretches 173 meters in length. This vessel will be able to break through ice up to 4.5 meters thick. And this prowess will particularly be pivotal in keeping the Northern Sea Route and Arctic coast open all year round.
➢ World’s Largest Aircraft
Weighing nearly 227 metric tons, and having the world’s largest wingspan of 118m, this gigantic airplane successfully tested each of its six engines during operation. Designed to act as a mobile launch pad to carry rockets into low-Earth orbit, the Strato launch aircraft’s wingspan is longer than a professional football field.
➢ World’s Biggest and Powerful X-ray Laser Gun
Scientists in Germany have recently started operating the world’s powerful X-ray laser, known as the X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL), the European machine can capture images of individual atoms, in a few millionths of a billionth of a second!
Its beam is 100 times more intense than if all the sunlight hitting the earth’s surface was focused on just a thumbnail. The machine will be used to help recreate conditions deep inside the sun, to make antibiotics as well as synthesize a new form of diamond.
➢ SO-HUM: Indigenous Developed Low-cost Hearing Device for Newborns The Union Ministry of Science and Technology has launched SO-HUM, an indigenous developed low-cost hearing screening device for newborns. The innovative medical device has been developed by the School of International Bio-design (SIB) startup So-hum Innovation Labs India Pvt Ltd under Department of Biotechnology (DBT) supported (SIB).
Features of SO-HUM
The So-hum aims to make this battery-operated non-invasive screening device available across the country to minimize or reverse the hearing loss damage. It is a low cost portable device which uses brain-stem auditory evoked response, a best screening choice recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics and National Health Services of UK. It measures auditory brain waves via three electrodes placed on the baby’s head. When stimulated, electrodes detect electrical responses generated by the brain’s auditory system. If there is no response, it indicates child cannot hear. Once it is detected at quite an early age, measures can be taken to prevent other problems such as impaired communication skills and even possible mental
illness.
➢ School of International Bio design (SIB)
SIB is a flagship Program of the DBT aimed to develop innovative and affordable medical devices as per India’s unmet clinical needs and to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India. It is implemented jointly at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and IIT Delhi in collaboration with International partners. Biotech Consortium India Limited manages techno-legal activities of the Program. It serves as a valuable contribution to the Make in India campaign of the Government.
➢ Scientists Turn-on the World’s Largest Artificial
Sun in Germany At the German Aerospace Center, in Julich, scientists have used film
projector lights to produce a glare that is almost 10,000 times the intensity of natural sunlight on Earth. The structure known as ‘Synlight’ is made up of a honeycomb of 149
spotlights. Each of these lights is a kind of ‘xenon arc lamps’ used for cinema
projectors, utilized here to simulate sunlight. Scientists are hoping to explore new ways of making hydrogen and exploring cleaner energy sources using this technology.
➢ ENVIRONMENT
A fungus (Aspergillus tubingensis) has been discovered by scientists of the Chinese Academy (CAS).
The fungus was found in Pakistan and usually lives in soil, but can also grow on the surface of plastics. The plastic-eating fungus secrets enzymes onto the surface of the plastic breaking the chemical bonds between the plastic molecules, or polymers.
➢ OBITUARIES
1. Prof. U.S. Rao: India’s Satellite Man Eminent space scientist and former chairman of ISRO, Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away on 24 July 2017 in Bengaluru. He served as
chairman of ISRO from 1984 to 1994. Under his guidance, ISRO designed more than 20 satellites including India’s first satellite Aryabhatta. Under his leadership, India initiated the development of the Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the development of cryogenic technology in
1991. He was also responsible for the successful launch of INSAT satellites.
2. Prof. P.M. Bhargava: Architect of Modern Biology in India Molecular biologist and founder director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Dr. Pushpa Mitra Bhargava died on 1 August 2017 in Hyderabad.
An excellent organic chemist whose foresight led to the development of DNA
fingerprinting in India.
3. Prof. Yash Pal: Popularized Science Education in India Well-known educationist and science communicator, Prof. Yash Pal passed away at the age of 90 on 25 July 2017.
He was known for his significant contributions in the study of cosmic rays. He served as the first director of the newly set up Space Applications Center, Ahmadabad in 1973 and chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGS) from 1986 to 1991.
He made regular appearances on the science programmed Turning Point telecast on Doordarshan explaining scientific concepts in layman’s language.
4. Prof. C.V. Vishveshwara: Renowned Physicist Popularly known as the ‘black’ hole man of India’s Prof. C.V. Vishveshwara passed away on 16 January 2017 at the age of 78 in Bengaluru.
He was not only the first among Indians to study black holes, but also the first in the world to formulate the mathematical calculations of gravitational waves, way back in 1970 (Nature, 227, pp 936).
➢ CSIR- 2017
CSIR Ranked Ninth in the World India’s largest network of S&T laboratories, the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has been ranked ninth in the world based on the
Scimago Institutions ranking World Report 2017. CSIR has been ranked ninth amongst a total of 1,207 government institutions.
Artificial Leaf Creates Fuel from Sunlight and Water
Scientists from the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) have
developed an artificial leaf absorbs sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel
from water.
Smart device to monitor, detect cracks
Scientists from CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI),
Karaikudi, have developed a portable device that will monitor weak
structure and send alerts whenever a crack is observed.
The device called the ‘Triboluminescence (TL) camera uses a light-emitting
compound and a smart camera that allows detection of cracks- invisible to the
naked eye- on structures made of concrete, metal and fibre-reinforced
plastic.
➢ Menstrual Blood Stem Cells- Promising Future?
Xiaolong Meng and his colleagues at Bio-Communication Research Institute,
Wichita, USA collected menstrual blood in a urine cup from a healthy
menstruating woman. When they isolated and grew the cells from it, they
found that these cells had an incredible rate of doubling- every 19.2
hours. This was 2-3 times faster than the normal cells.
Menstrual stem cells seem to be on par with the bone marrow derived stem
cells: they can be easily collected and have equal potency as bone-marrow
stem cells.
Menstrual stem cells can selectively migrate to regions of damage or
injury and regenerate or repair the tissues.
Several reproductive health issues in women would benefit from an
endometrial or menstrual blood stem cell-based therapy. This could also
be employed in women suffering from thin endometrium – i.e. endometrium
that does not grow thick enough for an embryo to implant. For such people,
these studies may indicate light at the end of the tunnel where the menstrual
blood can be a practical, accessible, non-invasive, and painless way of
obtaining stem cell therapy.
➢ Incredible Spiders Conversations with a Naturalist
Masters of Camouflage
Wilderness is harsh, especially for small beings like spiders. So it is evident
that many species have learnt to mimic their surroundings to escape
predication by insects, birds and bugs A Vegetarian Spider!
While spiders are usually carnivorous, Bhageera kiplingi a type of
jumping spider is predominantly vegetarian. Native to Latin America, the
spider feeds on a type of nutritious nectar stored by ants residing on the
acacia trees.
Mistaken Identity
• The spinnerets which weave the silk are situated in the lower
abdominal region.
A Web of Wonder
• Spider silk is a natural protein, incredibly strong and durable, with
high tensile strength, comparable to steel and Kevlar.
• A lot of geometry and physics goes into spinning a web.
• Caerostris darwini is an inch sized spider found in Madagascar and
is seen to make the largest known web covering a 30 square foot
area.
➢ Lake Abraham Frozen Explosives in Tranquil
Waters
• Home to this spectacular phenomenon, Abraham Lake is an artificial
lake created in 1972, on North Saskatchewan River in Western
Alberta, Canada.
• The icy man-made lake was made during the construction of Bighorn
Dam and owes name to Silas Abraham, an inhabitant of the Saskatchewan
River valley in the nineteenth century.
• The organic matter generated after the death of organisms, including
plants, leaves and animals, falls into the water body and sinks to the
bottom. The micro-organisms at the lake-bed munch on this dead organic
matter and methane is released in the process.
• The white rock substance known as methane hydrate from deep beneath
the Earth’s crust and from the ancient oceans remains also contributes to
the methane output in the lake.
• During the winter season, this methane gas fails to escape into the
atmosphere when it comes in contact with the iced water of the lake
and turns to while floating blobs.
• As winters set off and the lake defrosts, the bubbles break free and
rise to the top, releasing the methane into the air.
• However, this phenomenon is not restricted to just Abraham Lake;
methane forms in millions of water bodies around the Arctic region as
well.
• The experts have found ways to extract this natural frozen gas from
deposits of icy methane hydrate buried in the ocean floor and thus it can
prove to be a newfound energy reserve for the countries with scant
energy resources.
➢ WATER
• India is constantly facing the threat of declining amounts of fresh water.
• Jawwad Patel, a 22-year-old engineering student from Hyderabad has
developed a device i.e. Dewdrop.
• ‘Dewdrop’ is the name of model that fills and refills itself with potable
water.
• Patel has designed a 3D-printed apparatus, which uses moisture from
air to create water.
• This self-filling water apparatus produces pure drinkable water from
thin humid air.
• The device contains a smart condenser that is connected to sensors and
an-on-board computer. It comprises of a fan that absorbs thin humid
air and transfers it to the condenser. The humid air is then converted
into water through a computerized sensor with respect to
atmosphere parameters.
• The water is further passed through several membranes to remove
dust and other unnecessary materials. Air.
• After the completion of this process, the water undergoes a UV
treatment that kills all germs and microbiological activities after
which the water is mineralized and stored in the attached tanks.
• In an hour the device can extract nearly 1.8 litres of water from air.
• The apparatus can extract high quality water even if the air is
polluted.
• It is powered by a 12 V and 6000m Ah Li-ion battery pack which can be
recharged from any power outlet or even through solar device.
• The device is beneficial where water resources are in limited
quantities. Jawwad Patel has also been nominated for the National Youth
Award 2015-16 and Dr APJ Kalam Excellence Award 2016.
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