Sci & Tech (Till Jan 2016)

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Notes
16 July 2015
20:07
Dream 2047, Science Reporter,
Black box in aeroplanes
Science Page 1
RazKr [Live] - https://telegram.me/RazKrLive
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General science
13 September 2013
21:23
General Science NIOS, Std'10 Science TN,

Imp points
According to Article 51a(h) of our Constitution, it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to develop the scientific
temper, humanism & the spirit of inquiry & reform
Electro magnetic waves
05-02-2015
Radio waves
Radio waves are used for communication & broadcasting
For eg. FM transmissions use the frequencies from 88MHz to 108 MHz, satellite communications use 4000-6000 MHz &
11000-14000 MHz generally & so on. Mobile service providers also use the radio waves normally in the range of
900-1800 MHz
Spectrum allocation & auction
Two operators cannot use the same frequency in the same region as there will be interference btw each other &
both the services will get affected
Same frequencies can be used at two different places separated by sufficient distance so that there will not be any
interference. This is called space diversity
The number of voice channels that can be supported depends on the bandwidth of the frequency spectrum
allocated. Higher the bandwidth, more the number of channels that can be accommodated
This radio frequency spectrum is a limited resource & different services are allocated different frequencies
So basically the users are allocated a band of radio frequencies for their service & this radio frequency band is called
spectrum
The operators use these frequencies to provide service & earn revenue. As revenue earned will be high there will be
competition to get frequency band & hence auction is done with some regulations
For eg. private FM operators use the FM band , provide radio service & earn revenue from the advertisements.
150KHz bandwidth is sufficient for one FM station as so many FM stations can exist in the 88-108 MHz band allotted
for FM radio service
05-10-2014
Indians invented the zero & the decimal system
Stephen Hawking
explained the string theory with an attempt to integrate multiple loss of nature
LIDAR stands for 'Laser Imaging, Detection & Ranging'
In archealogical survey to map and understand the surface characteristics
FM- Frequency Modulation
Spectrum of light
Science Page 2
Spectrum of light
01-05-2014
Difference btw Induction stove & microwave oven
What is difference btw working principles of microwave oven & induction stove? Why are only stainless steel vessels
preferred for the induction stove instead of copper, brass and aluminium, which are good conductors of heat?
In case of microwave oven, microwaves which are of low wave lengths (about 12 cm) but contain high energy, are
produced through a device known as magnetron. The microwaves are reflected on to the cooking vessel where the
food is stored
The high energy microwaves vibrate the molecules of the food at very high frequency (2500,000000/sec) which in
turn produces high quantity of heat energy. The heating of food is more uniform as compared to other methods.
However, only non metallic containers can be used to store food inside the oven as metallic containers are likely to
reflect back the micro waves
Also one has to take extra precautions while using the microwave oven as the high energy waves can harm the living
cells of the body
In case of an induction stove, the heat energy is produced through induction effect. There is an electric coil below
the top of induction stove. When varying (alternating) electric current is passed through the coil, a magnetic field is
produced around it
When a steel or any other ferro-magnetic metal vessel is kept on the top of the induction stove, it produces eddy
electric current in the vessel itself. Due to resistivity of the metal, when the electric current is passed in the vessel, it
produces heat energy (as produced in an electric heater) which in turn heats up the food. However, limitation of the
induction stove is that vessels which are of non ferromagnetic metal like copper, aluminium, or of glass cannot be
used as there will be no eddy current in them
08-05-2014
What makes stainless steel non-magnetic whereas ordinary steel and iron are magnetic?
We have to first understand how magnetic fields are generated around magnetic metals to answer this question.
We know that within each atom, electrons spin on their axis that, in turn, causes magnetic field around them. Some
electrons spin clockwise, some counter-clockwise. Generally they are paired so that the magnetic fields are cancelled.
Iron which is a magnetic substance has three unpaired electrons. Each electron generates a magnetic field of its own.
If all the fields pull in the same direction then you have a magnet. In other words, the magnetic fields are aligned in a
magnet. In the case of stainless steel, there are several types of them. In general they are made of iron (Fe), carbon (C),
and about 10 per cent chromium (Cr). Some contain Nickel (Ni).
But other metals are added to obtain different properties. As stainless steel contains iron, a magnetic metal, one it
would seem that it would be magnetic. However, when nickel (Ni) is added to stainless steel the result is a nonmagnetic
form of stainless steel, called austenitic stainless steel. At the atomic level, all the iron atoms act as mini magnets that
are aligned in the same direction.
The net effect of this is that collectively the magnetic properties of all the iron atoms add up to produce the overall
magnetisation of the material. This is known as ferromagnetism. But the addition of other elements to iron changes the
properties. For instance, when chromium and nickel are added, the arrangement of atoms changes completely and this,
in turn, affects the magnetic properties of iron. The nickel and chromium that are added to iron tend to cancel the
magnetic fields and the net outcome is that stainless steel becomes a non-magnetic substance.
11-06-2014
Science Page 3
11-06-2014
Mirage- an optical phenomenon caused by the bending of light as it passes from colder to warmer air.
NRI scientist AJ Paulraj wins tech Nobel Marconi Prize
Inventing & advancing MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, a key enabler of wireless broadband
services that has revolutionized high speed delivery of multimedia across the world
Every wifi router & 4G phone today uses MIMO technology pioneered by him
31-01-2014
IISc to set up brain research centre
The Centre will specifically aim to find cure for neurodegenerative conditions accelerated by old age
Diseases such as dementia receive little attention although they are widespread, are devastating for patients &
extremely challenging for families & caregivers
Neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia are only going to rise with increase in life expectancy. We need to
look at risk factors & ways to help protect the brain better. Diabetes, for instance, has been linked to dementia
Given the diversity of Indias population & the complexity of these diseases, the scope for research is enormous
We are working towards creating a globally recognised, world-class research facility that will be at the cutting-edge
of research on the human brain
26-03-2014
String-theorist wins G.D. Birla Award
Rajesh Gopakumar
Gets G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2013
Professor Gopakumar has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of string theory, quantum field theory
and mathematics.
08-05-2014
Citizen science
Citizen science in India is still in its infancy
While it is not new that amateur scientists have made scientific observations that mattered, Internet usage and the
ensuing possibility of involving huge numbers of citizens in data collection and analysis is relatively new in India.
Citizen science in western world is more mature than in India.
CS initiatives like Zooniverse, eBird, etc, have participation that runs into tens of thousands, and whats more, the
databases built up by these have found their way into numerous peer-reviewed publications.
Citizen Science initiatives are being treated with the seriousness due to scientific study.
Project redundancy and repetition being a danger of such large projects, project developers could adapt, adopt or
collaborate with already-proven projects.
They also suggest that developers can look at new possibilities and opportunities for data collection, for instance
during natural and manmade disasters, such as oil spills, wild fires or earthquakes.
They moot the important idea of networking CS projects around the world so that the research can contribute to a
Science Page 4
They moot the important idea of networking CS projects around the world so that the research can contribute to a
better under standing of phenomena like climate change.
09-09-2014
Mandatory for scientists to give lectures in schools
The Centre has decided to make it mandatory for scientists and researchers of the Depts of Science & Technology,
Earth Sciences & the CSIR to undertake 12 hours of lecture classes in schools & colleges in an academic year
Scientists can share their talent and experience to inculcate in young students a scientific temper and to bring
Science and Technology into a larger domain
It will also help catch young talent
Accomplished scientists would bring instructional value to science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education
Greater opportunities for engagement with a practising scientist across settings and communities could potentially
encourage the exploration of scientific research as a career path and as a striving towards knowledge
A special promotion scheme for women scientists, KIRAN (Knowledge and Involvement in Research Advancement
through Nurturing), would allow public sector institutions to make alternate offers to women who have had a break
in their career or a change of residence
21-10-2014
Hike in fellowship amount to Research Scientists
Govt has made over 50% hike in the fellowship amount received by various categories of young Research scientists
around 1 lakh science Research Scholars and Associates working across the country
27-12-2014
Dropleton
Scientists discovered a new type of microscopic particle cluster that is found in solid materials but strangely behaves
like a liquid & they were termed "dropleton"
The new entity, infinitely small & with a mere 25 picoseconds lifespan, is a quasiparticle a combination of other,
fundamental particles with unusual properties that exist in solids
The dropleton is a new element a stable building block to build more complicated many-particle constructions in
solids
This discovery adds a new element to the 'periodic table' of existing quasiparticles in solids
Each dropleton or "quantum droplet" is thought to comprise about 5 electrons & 5 quantum "holes" spaces in solid
matter where an electron once was
Stimulated by light, this combination of smaller particles briefly condense into a "droplet" with characteristics of
liquid water
The dropleton was discovered when researchers bombarded a semiconductor made of gallium arsenide with lasers
at a rate of 100 million pulses per second in search of new quasiparticles
The main use of the discovery is to understand more about how photons can react with matter. But the dropleton's
high sensitivity to light could also give it an application in light-detecting electronic devices
11-02-2015
Heavy water for oil exploration in India
heavy water is likely to be used in oil exploration studies in India shortly
Use of heavy water helps in profiling oil field
heavy water is used in West Asian (Gulf) countries in oil exploration studies as it helps in making accurate analysis
Heavy water is a form of water with a unique atomic structure & properties coveted for the production of nuclear
power
20-03-2015
Nobel Laureate Venkatraman (Venki) Ramakrishnan, who was confirmed the President-Elect of the Royal Society
Dr. Ramakrishnan is the first India-born scientist to be elected President of the Royal Society
Dr. Ramakrishnans work, which won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 (shared with Tom Steitz & Ada
Yonath), is on the structure & function of the ribosome & on the action of antibiotics on the process
Science Page 5
Yonath), is on the structure & function of the ribosome & on the action of antibiotics on the process
08-12-2015
India 6th in global research output
India ranked 6th in the number of total annual research papers published & contributed 4.36% of the global output
in 2013
India is 3rd among all countries in terms of scientific publications in nanoscience & technology
100 yrs of Einstein's theory of relativity
26-11-2015
On Nov. 25, 1915, he set down the equation that rules the universe
General theory of relativity describes space-time as a kind of sagging mattress where matter & energy, like a heavy
entities, distort the geometry of the cosmos to produce the effect we call gravity
Space-time could curve, fold, wrap itself up around a dead star & disappear into a black hole. It could even rip or
tear. It could stretch & grow, or it could collapse into a speck of infinite density at the end or beginning of time
The theory transformed our understanding of space & time
27-11-2015 Dr.Tilak HR
General relativity sees gravity as what is experienced when mass wrinkles the space-time continuum
Special theory of relativity
In special relativity, the only constant is the speed of light in a vacuum
The time depends on the speed at which your frame of reference is travelling. The faster you go, the slower time
passes & this is not an illusion
The frame of reference can be the bicycle youre riding, or the planet that the bicycle is traversing, or the solar
system, or the galaxy, or the universe? If we live in a multiverse, our universe can be read as just one inertial frame
of reference among many, all in relative motion
Einstein Field Equations (10 equations) ended the age of Newtonian physics & changed our perception of reality
Einstein won the Nobel Prize for explaining the photoelectric effect
The Photovoltaic cells on Solar panels use this principle
His theory of relativity is based on 2 notions: that the basic laws of the universe remain invariant in all inertial
frames of reference, & that the speed of light in a vacuum is a constant for our universe
Special relativity reconciled the divergence, near the speed of light, btw the results predicted by Newtonian physics
& James Clerk Maxwells laws of electromagnetism
General relativity finds gravity to be the effect of mass on the fabric of space-time, causing warps & wells
The most stirring prediction of general relativity was black holes (gravity wells created by superdense bodies from
which even light cannot escape)
Einstein: the most admired legend of science, his theories of relativity & applications
Special theory of relativity
1 of the 5 pathbreaking papers produced by Einstein unveiled the special theory of relativity in the year 1905
The special theory of relativity stated that due to the constancy of the speed of light for all observers (& nothing can
exceed the speed of light), the notions of time & space depend on ones state of motion
One consequence of this is that the mass of any object is given by its total energy divided by the square of the speed
of light. This is the equation E=mc2
General theory of relativity
Science Page 6
General theory of relativity

A decade later, in Nov 1915, Einstein presented his general theory of relativity
It completely capsizes our understanding of Newtonian gravity
The general theory of relativity tells us that gravity should be understood as warps & curves in mutative space-time
This is fundamentally different from the Newtonian gravity where it is an attractive force btw two objects
In general theory of relativity, space & time lose their separate & absolute existence & become, with the
meshing of the 3 dimensions of space with 1 dimension of time, a single flexible fabric of pure geometry
The fabric sags in the presence of massive objects of matter
When an object falls, it is simply stretching & creating a dip in space-time
In other words, curved space-time tells matter how to move; matter tells space-time how to curve
Applications & validations of Einsteins theories of relativity
The satellite-based & precision-intensive global positioning system (GPS) applies the knowledge provided by both
special & general theories of relativity
GPS technology takes into account the fact that the curvature of space-time is less high above than it is at the
Earths surface, where gravity is stronger
It is the reason why clocks onboard satellites run faster than clocks on the ground
General relativity explains all gravitational phenomena, from the smallest (falling apples) to the largest (escaping
galaxies)
Einsteins prediction that light from a star is bent by the gravitational field of the sun has been validated
It has helped explain the discovery of black holes (objects so dense that even light cannot escape their gravity)
It has also provided a framework to discuss the cosmos & aided scientific affirmation of two other fantastic celestial
facts: the big bang (birth of our universe) & also its subsequent expansion at an accelerated pace
Einsteins theory predicted the existence of gravitational waves whose discovery will provide an unprecedented
view of the universe
India has a unique opportunity to participate in a high-profile international experiment, called Ligo (Laser
Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory), to observe these waves
Einstein advocated nuclear disarmament & world peace
He interacted with 3 of India's greatest contemporary Indians Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore &
Jawaharlal Nehru
The basis of their affinity & admiration was their common commitment to a world without violence
One of Einsteins lasting legacies was his leadership, along with Bertrand Russell, in issuing the Russell-Einstein
Manifesto for nuclear disarmament & world peace
He advocated progressive ideals, socialism being one of them
Einstein's theories of relativity helped understand universe & humanity's place in it
Albert Einstein published 10 equations of his general theory of relativity which set out a new concept of gravitynot
as its own, independent force, but as the warping of the fabric of space & time in the presence of mass
It predicted, & then helped explain, the black holes that have captured public imagination
Efforts to join relativity with quantum mechanics, in a field called string theory, are shedding light on science
including materials that conduct electricity without resistance & new kinds of information processing
Relativity has set the stage for what is known as precision cosmology
Exceptionally detailed theory lined up with ever-better observational data to furnish predictions about physical
phenomena far away both in space & in time
Where once satellites & telescopes were deployed to scan for new sources of light, these instruments began to
look to the dawn of the universe, & examine its frontiers with astonishing precision
Relativity had become integral to describing the Big Bang
Researchers can speak with increasing authority of what happened in the earliest fractions of a second in the
universes history, & what might happen at its end
It provided a way to satisfy one of the most fundamental questions: to understand what is out there in the universe,
how it all began & humanitys place in it
Science Page 7
Scientific developments
24 February 2014
20:18
It was the year in which an object from the cosmos burned and boomed its way through our atmosphere while one
originating on Earth hurtled into the uncharted territory of interstellar space.
Fire in the sky
On 15 February, skywatchers were gearing up for the close flyby of Earth by a large asteroid. But on the day of that
pass, a different 10,000-tonne space rock burned up over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring more than 1,000 people as its
shockwave shattered glass and rocked buildings.
This spectacular "cosmic coincidence" gave scientists anunprecedented opportunity to study the anatomy of an
asteroid strike, in part thanks to the dashboard cameras - dashcams - installed by Russian drivers to combat insurance
scams and police corruption. The largest chunk of the meteorite was later retrieved from the bottom of Lake
Chebarkul.
The BBC's Daniel Sandford says people described a ball of fire in the sky
Interstellar species
In March, scientists had outlined their results showing that Nasa's Voyager-1 spacecraft had left the heliosphere - the
bubble of hot gas from our Sun - in August 2012. But officials from the space agency quickly countered the claims.
By September, the outlook had changed, and mission scientists published their own evidence - incorporating additional
data - confirming the probe's entry into the region between stars.
Science Page 8
data - confirming the probe's entry into the region between stars.
Though a handful remain doubtful, Voyager-1 - launched in 1977 to study the outer planets - appears to be the first
manmade object to reach interstellar space.
Dangerous download
In May, BBC News broke the story of the world's first 3D printed gun being successfully fired in the US. A controversial
group tested the weapon at a firing range near Austin, Texas. Designer Cody Wilson, who described himself as a cryptoanarchist, said he was "seeing a world where technology says you can pretty much be able to have whatever you
want".
The blueprint used to produce the plastic gun had been downloaded about 100,000 times in just under a week after it
went online. The US government later demanded that blueprints for the firearm be removed from the web, amid
criticism from anti-gun campaigners.
Watch the skies
One advance in physics this year has the potential to spawn a new branch of astronomy. In May, the BBC News
website was first to report that the IceCube experiment, buried in the ice at the south pole, had seen high-energy
neutrino particles streaming in from outside our Solar System.
While existing branches of astronomy make use of different wavelengths of light, such as optical or infrared, this
development makes it possible to picture the cosmos using particles. And there were delights for cosmologists, as
a spectacular map of the oldest light was assembled from data gathered by the Planck telescope.
Tough climate
In September, a UN panel of experts released its long-awaited report detailing the physical evidence behind climate
change. The scientists working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said they were 95% certain
that humans had been the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s.
Despite this, and projections suggesting 2013 could be among thewarmest years on record, the political process to
reduce emissionsremained precarious. And the warming "pause" continued to stump climate scientists, with the ban
Science Page 9
reduce emissionsremained precarious. And the warming "pause" continued to stump climate scientists, with the ban
on CFC gases and natural cooling in part of the Pacific ocean among the reasons proposed.
Nanotubes and 'spooky action'
A team of scientists at Stanford University unveiled the first computer made of carbon nanotubes in September. The
device, known as "Cedric", is only a basic prototype but could be developed into a new generation of digital devices
that are smaller, faster and more efficient that today's silicon models.
In another development, Nasa and Google agreed to share a $15m computer that reportedly uses quantum physics
effects to boost its speed. The D-Wave machine had drawn scepticism from researchers in quantum computing until a
scientific paper in April suggested it was indeed exploiting the strange behaviour of matter at quantum scales.
However, the exact mechanism remains opaque.
D-Wave's computer isn't the only thing tapping successfully into the quantum world; bird migration and the mechanics
of smell were targets for research in the nascent field of quantum biology.
Unlocking the past
In 2013, tests revealed that human remains estimated to be 4,000 years old and found at County Laois, Ireland, could
represent the oldest bog body yet. Yet the chemistry which pickles bodies in bogs does not favour the preservation of
DNA, which is unfortunate given the potential information these bodies could give up.
This year saw the oldest human DNA sequence described as well as the most complete genome sequence from a
Neanderthal. These studies revealed unexpected links between human groups, evidence for inbreeding and
interbreeding, and the presence of a mystery early human species. But ancient DNA can also be put to use
solving more recent puzzles about human migrations.
Future fuels
The UK chancellor George Osborne committed his support to companies involved in shale gas "fracking", which has
had a dramatic effect on the energy sector across the pond. So much so, that in 2013, the US began exporting shale
gas for the first time. But fracking is but one of a variety of technologies designed to extract difficult-toreachhydrocarbon deposits.
But energy analysts will also have been closely monitoring the rapid transition to renewables in Germany. Despite
huge opportunity, questions remain over who pays, the effects on tourism and the feed-in tariffs that could make
renewable energy too expensive to store.
Potential energy sources such as nuclear fusion remain some way off, though physicists in California made a
breakthrough in their efforts to achieve self-sustaining laser fusion this year.
Science Page 10
breakthrough in their efforts to achieve self-sustaining laser fusion this year.

Discovery and de-extinction
Amid the sixth great mass extinction of life on Earth, researchers continue to find biological species previously
unknown to science. This year's stand-out discovery was the olinguito (pictured above), a mammal living in the cloud
forests of Colombia and Ecuador.
Whilst no antidote to the biodiversity crisis, scientific advances might make the revival of extinct species possible.
While many dream of seeing ancient giants such as the woolly mammoth walk the Earth again, more recently extinct
species - such as the gastric brooding frog and the bucardo - are better candidates in the near term.
Mind mapping
A US-led venture to map the wiring of the human brain released its first results in March. The Human Connectome
Project should help determine how a person's brain structure affects their abilities and behaviour. The BBC's Pallab
Ghosh got to test out the group's cutting edge imaging techniques on his own brain.
The BBC also reported that efforts were underway to understand the workings of the teenage brain, to identify
changes to the brain's wiring that controls impulsive and emotional behaviour as young people mature. One
astonishing addition to the neurological bonanza was the news that scientists in Japan had been able to use MRI scans
to "read" the images people saw in their dreams.
New space pioneers
A nascent "space race" heated up in 2013, as India launched an unmanned probe towards Mars and China
successfully landed its Jade Rabbit rover on the Moon - the first "soft" landing on the lunar surface in 37 years.
Meanwhile, scientists at Imperial College London collaborated with the BBC to show how they would mount a manned
voyage to Mars. Crewed missions to the Red Planet were all the rage in 2013: Space tourist Dennis Tito announced
his search for a mature couple to undertake the journey, while the team behind the Mars One mission stated plainly
that applicants for the venture would be on a one-way ticket.
The Periodic table & the new discoveries
Science Page 11
The Periodic table & the new discoveries
The Periodic table

The periodic table is a representation of all chemical elements on earth based on their atomic numbers (increasing
order) & properties
The present table, with 18 groups (columns) & 7 periods (rows), is a tabular presentation of 117 elements
The periodic table helps in understanding the properties of the existing elements & the similarities btw them. At the
same time, it helps in predicting the properties of elements that are yet to be discovered
The first table
Though many tables were proposed by scientists, it was in 1869 that Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev managed to
create the first exhaustive periodic table. He used atomic weights to arrange 60 elements in groups & periods
He also left space for elements like germanium, which were yet to be discovered. His table had 7 periods & 8
groups
In 1914, English physicist Henry Moseley found a link btw the X-ray wavelength of an element & its atomic number.
He then went on to arrange the existing elements according to their atomic number & found properties of similar
elements repeating themselves
Mosley's research too showed gaps in the table at atomic numbers 43 & 61 ; the elements were later discovered.
Previous additions
In 2011, scientists added two new elements to the table. 114: Referred to as flerovium (Fl), this is a synthetic radioactive element. It was first discovered in 1998 in Russia. 116: Livermorium (Lv) too is not observed in nature and
was discovered in the US in 2000
New discoveries
The International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) the global organisation that governs chemical
nomenclature, terminology & measurement confirmed in Dec 2015, that there was "sufficient evidence" to
declare elements 113, 115, 117 & 118 as part of the periodic table
All the 4 elements are super-heavy, synthetic, man-made elements produced in the laboratory & have been given
temporary names for now. They will be given permanent names by the countries that discovered them
Science Page 12
Science Monitor
23 March 2014
10:39
08-03-2014
National Mission for sustaining the Himalyayn ecosystem
12th 5yr plan period
28th feb 2014 approval
Based on National Action plan on climate change
Budget- 550 cr
Studying the Himalayan glaciers and their effect on water resources & prediction & management of matural
hazards
Code of conduct on biological research
Applicable to all life science research
22-03-2014
20th March- World Sparrow day
- 26 different species
Oxadiazoles- new class of antibiotics
Effective to fight against MRSA
Taken orally
Inhibit protein PBP2a & stops the biosynthesis of cellwall in the pathogen
Chromosome arrangement
Progeria & many other cancers are linked to the arrangement of cancers
Researchers led by Dr. Gautham menon, have found answer for why chromosomes arrange according to gene
density & form territories inside the nuclie
It is a common finding that, chromosomes with more genes found in centre of nucleus & the ones with lesser genes
are found in periphery of the nucleus.
The mechanism for this was unknown till now, but now with these researchers have come up with explanation-
Indian Academy of Pediatrics- sends reminder sms to parents of children under 12 yrs who are not immunised
completely.
- This is the worlds largest remainder service
First 2 yrs of life is the critical window for nutrition and the height after 2yrs of life is an excellent indicator of adult
income, school learning, economic progress & risk of chronic diseases in adult life can be predicted with good
probability.
IUCN red list for India 2013Critically endangered- 15 bird species Migratory wetland species
Non-migratory wetland species
Grassland species
Forest species
Scavenger species
Himalyan Quail & pink headed duck are now considered extinct
Science Page 13
BNHS & Maharastra forest department

Great Indian Bustard & lesser Florican conservation
29-03-2014
India & 10 other countries declared polio free, ie, South East Asia region
Next target would be eradicate measles from the region by the year 2020
WHO report- 7 million people died in 2012 due to air pollution
Outdoor pollution- 3.7 million deaths
Indoor pollution- 4.3 million deaths- 52% of deaths are children & women- most in Asia region
Shwetha Srinivasan- bangalore based researcher got chance to work with Nobel laureate Hartmut Michel (1988 Nobel)
at Max Planck Institute
She has interest in proteins in Neurodegenerative disorders

Asteroid Redirect Mission
NASA has encouraged citizen scientists to send project design & plans to capture asteroids & bring them closer to earth
to collect samples from them for further studies.
NASA has announced a proposal worth 6 million dollars for this.
New TB drug
Open Source Drug discovery project
New combination of TB drugs- PAMZ- Phase II of clinical trial
Cosmic inflation
Universe is 13.7 billion yrs old.
05-04-2014
RA Mashelkar- Padma Vibhushan
Tea cultivation has reduced production due to climate change. Rain fall has decreased and more hotter climate.
Science Page 14
Tea cultivation has reduced production due to climate change. Rain fall has decreased and more hotter climate.
IPCC- Global Warming report- Severe food & water shortages, may cause war & conflict
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & Dept of Biotech encouraging innovations for better toilet facilities
World Health day- WHO was born that day
Biotechnology- Star college scheme- to improve science teaching for teachers
Indian Space programme in 21st century

Increase in population of Rhino in 5 national parks
- Gorumara National park- West Bengal- Rhinocerous (India- Single horned)
- 2329 rhinos in 2013 census
Citizen science- promotes involvement of local community members in management of resources and create a
symbiotic society with environment
1853- Indian railways
1975- Aryabhatta
19-04-2014
1st Indian in space with help of Russia- Rakesh Sharma- 30 yrs celebration since 1984
Blood MoonTotal Lunar Eclipse- Tetrad expected to occur in 2014-15. Event started on April 14, 2014. Total lunar eclipse occurs
when moon moves directly behind umbra of earth. Umbra is shadow of earth which does not receive any solar
radiation. This can occur when Sun, Earth & Moon align closely along a straight line with Earth in middle.
26-04-2014
Overprescription of antibiotics
Baadal- Cloud Computing
Indian Deltas are sinking
Dams preventing deposition into deltas
NASA's Veggie
Science Page 15
- NASA sent Vegatable Production System called 'Veggie' on 14th April to ISS.
- Nasa to grow vegetables in Internatinal Space Station
- Space horticulture for food security in space
Earth is densest planet in Solar System
Van Allen radiation belt
Energetic elections in outer belt & combination of protons & electrons in inner component- belt extends from altitude
of about 1000-60000 km above the earth surface. These belts are known to be threat to sensitive components of
satellites.
Science Page 16
Mythology, Religion & Science

07 November 2014
12:12
Sociology BA-2039,
Article 51A(h) places on all citizens the duty to develop a scientific temper
07-11-2014
Mythology is magic realism in the sense that there is some realism and a lot of magic in the fabric of mythology,
woven into legendary tales with supernatural objects and supernatural powers.
Myths also show the extremes of human behaviour, dilemmas, attitudes and paradoxes.
when the myths enter into peoples beliefs, mythology gets entangled with religion
PM Modi recently connected ancient mythology with contemporary science by claiming that present day inventions
had already been materially invented in our ancient past
Science is based on information and accumulated knowledge. It requires that this information and knowledge be
analysed methodically and logically. The reliability of the evidence, before it can be accepted as proof, has to be
rigorously tested. This procedure obviously does not apply to imagination.
For the mythical creations of the past, there is no recorded evidence of such a development. It is true that both
science and its discoveries and technology draw on creative inputs from imagination and invention. However, they
are not based solely on imagination or they would remain dreams and not become reality.
Even the Pope, who is considered to be closer to God, has recently acknowledged evolution.
mythology and religion mix easily
11-11-2014
Science & Religion
Dan Brown -Science and religion are partners. They are two different languages telling the same story... While
science dwells on the answers, religion savours the questions.
The question is how to become modern, scientific-minded people without losing on religion ones own
The world is getting smaller everyday, there is enormous danger in believing that we are infallible. That our version
of the truth is absolute and that everyone who does not think like we do is wrong and therefore our enemy
Survival in an increasing shrinking world depends on the ability to ask difficult questions & engage in dialogue with
people having ideas different to ones own
Present era is exciting as first time in history the line between science & religion has started to blur
From infertility, earthquakes, to diseases even love, there was a God to explain everything, which later was filled by
explanations by science. explanations by science
Ironically, we now turn to God for only for a handful of existential questions which science has never been able to
answer like Where did we come from? Why are we here? And what happens when we die?
26-11-2014
Indias godman syndrome
There were great ascetics & kind & generous faith leaders who, at tremendous personal cost, often gave succour to
the masses in times of great distress like Jesus, Muhammad, Vivekananda, Dayananda Saraswati
When these great souls depart, they leave behind followers who are human all too human. As they lack the
charisma of their gurus, they reduce the substance of their teachings to miracles and magic
Godmen do extraordinarily well in our country than in most others we know of
Hindu scriptures soften the mind & make it more prone to magic
The Vedas, for example, go on and on about how the gods must be pleased with libations and lavish praise, to win
wars, beget sons, and acquire immeasurable wealth
what makes our godmen seem so powerful is that our politicians use them as baits to catch votes
Secularism truly means keeping religion out of politics. Likewise, democracy truly means keeping politics out of
religion
22-12-2014
PM Modi said: We can feel proud of what our country achieved in medical science at one point of time. We all read
about Karna in Mahabharat. If we think a little more, we realise that [the] Mahabharat says Karna was not born from
his mothers womb. This means that genetic science was present at that time. That is why Karna could be born outside
Science Page 17
his mothers womb. This means that genetic science was present at that time. That is why Karna could be born outside
his mothers womb We worship Lord Ganesh. There must have been some plastic surgeon at that time who got an
elephants head on the body of a human being & began the practice of plastic surgery
We should avoid mixing myths & Indian knowledge systems
27-12-2014
Religion & Science
Religion is founded on FEAR, the fear of the unknown. But modern science has been able to explain almost all
natural phenomena so that the purview of the unknown has shrunk considerably and the fear of nature is largely
irrelevant.
There is no supernatural MIRACLE that has withstood the scrutiny of science.
We are born with a rational instinct, because a world-view that is consistent with natural laws gives us a distinct
evolutionary advantage for survival.
We get our morality, not from religion, but from an innate sense of humanity and from being able to see the pain of
a fellow creature something other animals do not appear to be capable of.
Nobel-prize winning physicist Steven Weinberg to say religion is an insult to human dignity. Without it you would
have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that
takes religion.
Religious belief is anachronistic in todays science-driven world.
Einstein called belief in God a childish superstition. What he meant was that it is natural to give up this concept as
we grow up and mature.
Philosopher Colin McGinn divides non-believers into atheists those who could not care less whether others share
their views or not and anti-theists those who actively campaign against religion because of the harm it does.
But he foresees a society that is POST-THEISTIC, i.e., one in which religion is not an issue.
A society where people will look back and laugh at the primitive concept of God that we had till the 21st century.
The way we look at primitive cave art today.
quote from Bertrand Russels essay, Why I Am Not A Christian, written almost 100 years ago: We want to stand
upon our own feet and look fair and square at the world, its good facts, its bad facts, its beauties, and its ugliness;
see the world as it is and be not afraid of it. Conquer the world by intelligence and not merely by being slavishly
subdued by the terror that comes from it. The whole conception of God is a conception derived from the ancient
Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men ... A good world needs knowledge, kindliness,
and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words
uttered long ago by ignorant men.
06-01-2015
Science is grounded on the principle of reproducibility of results
The claims of advanced science & technology in the ancient world are based on some references in ancient scripts
that may be wholly imaginary
Flying, for instance, has caught humankinds imagination across cultures right from ancient times. Such references
should be taken for the myths they are, not as scientific facts
Scientists have been able to create animal chimeras that have cells/organs of different species, much as what Greek
mythology describes. Should the Greeks then be taken as pioneers in the science of chimera production?
Thanks to our understanding of genetics & the ability to fertilise eggs outside the body, producing designer babies is
no longer in the realm of science fiction. Should the creators of the science fiction then be credited with devising
the procedures?
11-01-2015
Claims on 2,000-year-old texts providing answers to all present-day problems amounted to freezing ourselves in a
historical past
Gandhiji, who revered the Bhagavad Gita , said that only 33 shlokas in it were relevant to him
Hence, we should pick what is relevant to us from our past & discard the rest
19-01-2015
Reasoning in ancient India
Science Page 18
Nobel Prize
07 October 2014
18:37
Chemistry
2013
"for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems"

They laid the foundation for the powerful programs that are used to understand and predict chemical processes
Computer models mirroring real life have become crucial for most advances made in chemistry today
Detailed knowledge of chemical processes makes it possible to optimize catalysts, drugs and solar cells
Physiology/ Medicine
2013
07-10-2014
Nobel Prize for Medicine 2014
OKeefe also showed that a specific rearrangement of place cells in different settings, called remapping, could be
learned, the reason why we are able to place ourselves in an environment and navigate after some time. In effect, the
place cells acted as a substrate for memory process, where memory of an environment was based on specific
combination of place cells.
The discovery of place cells and the demonstration that they represented a mental map, together with the proposal
that the hippocampus containing the neural cells provides the inner map that store information of the environment
were seminal.
the entorhinal cortex, which lies on the dorsal side of the hippocampus, provided a major input to the hippocampus.
A large part of the output from the entorhinal cortex projects to the dentate gurus in hippocampus, which in turn
connect to the region in the hippocampus called CA3, and further to CA1 in the dorsal hippocampus. The place cells
are found in the CA1.
entorhinal cortex contained cells that shared characteristics with the place cells in the hippocampus.
The gird cells together with the place map provide the inner map. If the place cells provide the spatial map, the grid
cells provide the navigation or path integration system.
A single grid cell fires when an animal reaches particular locations in an arena. These locations are arranged in a
hexagonal pattern. They also showed that the grid formation did not arise out of a simple transformation of sensory or
motor signals, but out of complex network activity.
The grid cells were part of a navigation or path integration system. The grid system provided a solution to measuring
movement distances and added a metric to the spatial maps in the hippocampus
The grid cells were embedded in a network in the medial entorhinal cortex of head direction cells and border cells,
Science Page 19
The grid cells were embedded in a network in the medial entorhinal cortex of head direction cells and border cells,
and in many cases, cells with a combined function. The head-direction cells are like a compass that becomes active
when the animals head turns in certain direction. The border cells, on the other hand, provide a reference to the wall
or boundary of a room or environment.
All the three cells the grid cells, the head-direction cells and border cells projected to the hippocampus place
cells.
The Mosers discovery of the gird cells, its spatial metric co-ordination system and the identification of the medial
entorhinal cortex as a computational centre for spatial representation has been a breakthrough.
Though the presence of place cells and grid cells were identified experimentally in rats, such a system is found in other
animals too, including humans. The hippocampal-entorhinal structure is found in all mammals and a hippocampal-like
structure is found in non-mammals with navigational capacity. This suggests that the functional and robust grid-place
cells system in vertebrates must have been conserved.
Results from functional imaging (fMRI) studies on human brains have provided support for the existence of place cells
and grid cells in humans. Also, studies of patients undergoing neurosurgery have strengthened the evidence of place
cells and grid cells in humans.
The discovery of place cells and grid cells and their role in spatial mapping and navigation have great implications in
medicine. The reason why patients with Alzheimers disease often lose their way and cannot recognise the
environment becomes clear as the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, where the place cells and grid cells are located,
are frequently affected at an early stage.
Knowledge about the brains positioning system can help understanding of what causes loss of spatial awareness in
stroke patients or those with devastating brain diseases like dementia, of which Alzheimers is the most common form
and which affects 44 million people worldwide
07-10-2014
Nobel prize for physics 2014
3 Japanese scientists Isamu Akasaki from Meijo University, Hiroshi Amano "for the invention of efficient blue lightemitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources."
The laureates' inventions revolutionized the field of illumination technology.
White LED lamps can be created in two different ways. One way is to use blue light to excite a phosphor so that it
shines in red and green. When all colours come together, white light is produced.
The other way is to construct the lamp out of three LEDs, red, green and blue, and let the eye do the work of combining
the three colours into white.
Science Page 20
The principle for light-emitting diodes LED (upper left) and an example of a blue LED lamp.
LED lamps are thus flexible light sources, already with several applications in the field of illumination millions of
different colours can be produced.
Fluorescent light has mercury whereas LEDs doesn't. In future, it can be used to sterilise water as we know that UV light
can kill bacteria and viruses. The LED lamp holds great promise: due to low power requirements it can be powered by
cheap local solar power
As about one fourth of world electricity consumption is used for lighting purposes, the LEDs contribute to saving earth's
resources. Materials consumption is also diminished as LEDs last up to 100,000 hours, compared to 1,000 for
incandescent bulbs and 10,000 hours for fluorescent lights
Many home appliances are also equipped with LEDs. They shine their light on LCD-screens in television sets, computers
and mobile phones, for which they also provide a lamp and a flash for the camera.
09-10-2014
Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2014
Using the fluorescence of molecules, scientists can now monitor the interplay between individual molecules inside
cells; they can observe disease-related proteins aggregate and they can track cell division at the nanolevel
Science Page 21
Background
Living organisms were studied for the first time in the 17th century using an optical microscope. The instrument
opened a new window to studying living organisms non-invasively.
Despite the advantages, the optical microscope suffers from a major drawback a physical restriction as to what size
of structures is possible to resolve. Ernst Abbe in 1873 said that microscope resolution is limited by, among other
things, the wavelength of the light (0.2 micrometres).
While Abbes microscope resolution limitation still hold true, the Laureates have successfully demonstrated ways of
bypassing the limitation. The three have taken optical microscopy into a new dimension using fluorescent molecules.
Two different principles have been able to do this and they developed independently of each other.
In stimulated emission depletion (STED), a light pulse excites all the fluorescent molecules, while another light pulse
quenches fluorescence from all molecules except those in a nanometre-sized volume. Only this volume is then
registered. By sweeping along the sample and continuously measuring light levels, it is possible to get a comprehensive
image.
The smaller the volume allowed to fluoresce at a single moment, the higher the resolution of the final image. Hence,
there is, in principle, no longer any limit to the resolution of optical microscopes.
Single-molecule microscopy
Unlike the STED microscopy, the single-molecule microscopy entails the superposition of several images.
14-10-2014
on how governments should regulate powerful companies that dominate markets

Mr. Tiroles research showed that market regulations should be carefully adapted to the conditions of specific
industries, rather than general regulations such as price caps which can do more harm than good.
Left unregulated, industries that are dominated by a few single firms can produce undesirable results, such as
unnecessarily high prices or unproductive companies blocking new firms from entering the market.
his work has strong bearing on how governments deal with mergers or cartels.
deployed game theory and contract theory that aid regulation in situations of asymmetric information between
regulators and the regulated & formalised several propositions about oligopolies and government contracting.
- Before that simple methods were used to regulate monopolies like capping prices and prohibiting cooperation
between competitors in the same market,
- but Mr. Tirole proved that they were not always effective and in some instances caused more harm than good.
(Price caps, for instance, can force dominant firms to cut costs, which is good but they could in the process lead
to excessive profits for the firm, which is not so good.)
The case of a regulator not knowing a firms true marginal cost of production but needing to set prices. Or, a
contractor wanting government to renegotiate terms halfway through by reporting a holdup due to cost escalation.
In both these cases, Tirole showed that optimal government contracts might need to leave some fat on the bone for
firms in order to incentivise them to comply.
Studied two-sided markets (direct relevance to E-Commerce)
Science Page 22
Studied two-sided markets (direct relevance to E-Commerce)

- These markets bring together buyers and sellers on a platform they own, enable interaction between the two
and charge both sides. (Eg. Amazon and Flipkart or taxi aggregator firms like Ola Cabs or Uber)
- He showed that the platforms often favour one side to attract the other (For instance, deep discounts on ecommerce platforms are used to drag in buyers and in the process bring in more vendors who pay the platform
for its services). Regulators often do not understand these practices due to asymmetry of information.
Mr. Tiroles work is also important in the context of todays Google-world where the Internet giant strides like a
colossus in the search domain and regulators are struggling to understand Googles strategies and then figure out
ways and means to regulate it.
Tiroles analysis of market power and regulation- There are two central questions. First, how will firms behave
when there are only a few of them in the market? What prices will they set, what range of goods will they offer, and
what will be the quality level of these goods? Second, if competition among firms is insufficient to constrain prices,
what policies should regulators use for the benefit of consumers and society at large?
also studied dynamic models of regulation, noting that regulators do not set firm incentives once and for all but
typically revise them over time
Tirole has also studied regulatory issues in banking and finance, of special interest in view of the recent financial
crisis.
He studied the implications of government bailouts in banking and considered how a government can restore a
frozen asset market the dilemma that was faced in the US market for mortgage-backed securities
He has devised models that are detailed enough to capture the relevant complexities, but simple enough to be
accessible to a wide readership of economists
Nobel Prize 2015
Medicine
It has been awarded to 3 scientists for the revolutionary treatments they developed for devastating diseases that
predominantly affect people in the developing countries
The discovery of the drug ivermectin, a derivative of avermectin, by William Campbell (US) & by Satoshi mura
(Japan), nearly eradicated river blindness & radically reduced the incidence of lymphatic filariasis
The discovery of artemisinin by Tu Youyou (China) in the early-1970s was a decisive step in the battle against severe
cases of malaria
Artemisinin
From an extract from Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood)
She was involved in isolating the active ingredient, conducting clinical trials & publishing the results
The drug has prevented millions of malarial deaths
Resistance
Yet, in 2013 there were 198 million cases of malaria & an estimated 584,000 deaths worldwide, over 90% of
them in Africa
Resistance to artemisinin is fast emerging
As of Feb 2015, artemisinin resistance has been confirmed in 5 countries of the Greater Mekong subregion
Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam
Since the Myanmar-India boundary was a path followed by resistance to chloroquine to spread from South
East Asia to the Indian subcontinent, a recurrence in the case of artemisinin-resistant malaria has to be averted
Already over 40,000 people in India die each year, & according to the World Malaria Report 2011, over 70% of
Indias population is at risk of malaria infection
Physics
08-10-2015
Science Page 23
A Japanese & a Canadian scientist won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering that elusive subatomic
particles called neutrinos have mass
It opened a new window onto the fundamental nature of the universe
Neutrinos are the 2nd most bountiful particles after photons,
Trillions of them streaming through our bodies every second, but their true nature has been poorly understood
Takaaki Kajita & Arthur McDonalds breakthrough was the discovery of a phenomenon called neutrino oscillation,
which shows that neutrinos have mass
For many years, the central enigma was that when compared to theoretical calculations of the number of
neutrinos, up to 2/3rds of the neutrinos were missing in measurements performed on Earth
Kajita & McDonald, using different experiments, managed to explain this by showing that neutrinos actually
changed identities, or flavours, & therefore must have some mass, however small
They demonstrated that the neutrinos from the Sun were not disappearing on their way to Earth. Instead they
were captured with a different identity when arriving to the Earth
The discovery could also shed light on the science behind fusion power, which causes stars to shine & could one day
be tapped as a source of electricity on Earth
Chemistry
08-10-2015
Chemistry Nobel for mapping how cells repair damaged DNA

Tomas Lindahl, Paul L. Modrich & Aziz Sancar were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for having mapped &
explained how the cell repairs its DNA & safeguards its genetic information
Lindahl was honoured for his discoveries on base excision repair the cellular mechanism that repairs damaged
DNA during the cell cycle
Modrich was recognised for showing how cells correct errors that occur when DNA is replicated during cell division
Sancar was cited for mapping the mechanism cells use to repair ultraviolet damage to DNA
Their work made contribution to the understanding of how the living cell functions & provided knowledge about the
molecular causes of several hereditary diseases & about mechanisms behind both cancer development & aging
Science Page 24
Nobel for Indians

11 October 2014
08:38
Ronald Ross born in India was awarded the prize for Medicine in 1902 for his work on Malaria
India born writer Rudyard Kipling who was awarded the Literature prize in 1907.
Controversial writer and Literature prize winner in 2001 V. S. Naipaul (roots in India)
Dr. R. K. Pachauri, who as then Chairman of the U.N. body, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
shared the Peace Prize laurels with Al Gore Jr. in 2007, for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater
knowledge about man-made climate change.
11-10-2014
Nobel for Kailash Satyarthi
Satyarthi, a former electrical engineer who is married with two children, has spearheaded a campaign over the years
against companies where children are still illegally employed as bonded labourers, setting thousands of them free.
Elaborating on Satyarthi's work, the Nobel committee said, "Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi,
maintaining Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the
grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international
conventions on children's rights."
The other Nobel laureates from India are: Rabindranath Tagore (Literature), CV Raman (Physics), Har Gobind Khurana
(Medicine), Mother Teresa (Peace), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Physics) and Amartya Sen (Economics)
11-10-2014
Bachpan Bachao Andolan- Creates consumer resistance to child-labour products
GoodWeave- Certifies child-labour-free carpets and rugs
Global March Against Child Labour- Led to ILO's 1999 anti-child-labour accord
11-10-2014
Recognition of civil societys contribution, says Pranab
The prize should be seen as recognition of the contributions of Indias vibrant civil society in addressing complex social
problems such as child labour and the important role played by it in collaboration with the Government in the nations
efforts to eliminate all forms of child labour.
11-10-2014
Nobel prize will be a turning point for child rights
There are 16.5 crore child labourers in the world of which 6.5 crore are in India
Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Children Movement) which is focused on ending bonded labour, child labour and
trafficking. The organisation is credited with rescuing over 80,000 children from bondage, trafficking and exploitative
labour since it came into existence.
Mr. Satyarthi was part of the movement to make education a constitutional provision which paved the way for the
right of children for free and compulsory education in 2009. He is a member of the high-level group formed by UNESCO
on Education for All on which select presidents, Prime Ministers and UN agency heads are represented
He is also credited with bringing about Rugmark (now known as Good Weave) in 1994 which is a certification and social
labeling for child labour-free carpets in South Asia. Since then he has been involved in promoting corporate social
responsibility initiatives in the garment manufacturing, mica mining, cocoa farming and sporting goods sector
08-01-2015
His NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan claims to have rescued over 83,000 children from bonded labour & slavery since its
inception in 1980
Science Page 25
Essays
06 March 2014
15:20
06-03-2014
Fostering Scientific Temper is Fundamental to Innovation and Progress
National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28th February each year to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by
Indian physicist Sir C.V. Raman on 28 February 1928. Sir C. V. Raman worked at Indian Association for the Cultivation of
Science, Kolkata during 1907 to 1933 on various topics of Physics while making the famous discovery of the effect on
scattering of light in 1928, which bears his name and got him the Nobel Prize in 1930.
In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) had advised Government of India to
designate 28 February as National Science Day. The event is now celebrated all over the country in schools, colleges,
universities and other academic, scientific, technical, medical and research institutions. The theme of the year 2014
would be Fostering Scientific Temper. "Energy conservation" is also the theme of celebrating science Day in year
2014.
Scientific temper is a way of thinking and acting which uses a method. It may include observing physical reality,
questioning, testing, hypothesizing, analysing, and communicating. Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the first persons to
use the term scientific temper and advocate the promotion of scientific temper: "What is needed is the scientific
approach, the adventurous and yet critical temper of science, the search for truth and new knowledge, the refusal to
accept anything without testing and trial, the capacity to change previous conclusions in the face of new evidence, the
reliance on observed fact and not on pre-conceived theory, the hard discipline of the mindall this is necessary, not
merely for the application of science but for life itself and the solution of its many problems", stated Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru in his book, The Discovery of India.
The genesis and development of the idea of scientific temper is connected to ideas expressed earlier by Darwin when
he said, "freedom of thought will best be promoted by that gradual enlightenment of human understanding which
follows the progress of science. Scientific temper describes an attitude which involves the application of logic.
Discussion, argument and analysis are vital parts of scientific temper. Elements of fairness, equality and democracy are
built into it.
India is one of the top-ranking countries in the field of basic research. Indian Science has come to be regarded as one of
the most powerful instruments of growth and development, especially in the emerging scenario and competitive
economy. In the wake of the recent developments and the new demands that are being placed on the S&T system, it is
necessary for us to embark on some major science projects which have relevance to national needs and which will also
be relevant for tomorrow's technology. The Department of Science & Technology plays a pivotal role in promotion of
science & technology in the country. The department has wide ranging activities ranging from promoting high end
basic research and development of cutting edge technologies on one hand to service the technological requirements of
the common man through development of appropriate skills and technologies on the other.
Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) have emerged as the major drivers of development. As India aspires for
faster, sustainable and inclusive growth, the Indian STI system, with the advantages of a large talent pool, can play a
defining role in achieving these national goals. "To develop scientific temper" is one of the fundamental duties of
Indian citizens, according to the Constitution of India.
Indias Scientific Policy Resolution (SPR) of 1958 had resolved to foster, promote and sustain the cultivation of science
and scientific research in all its aspects. The Science and Technology Policy (STP) of 2003 called for integrating
programmes of socio-economic sectors with the national R&D system to address national problems as well as creating
a national innovation system. Scientific research utilizes money to generate knowledge and, by providing solutions,
innovation converts knowledge into wealth and / or value. Innovation thus implies S&T based solutions that are
successfully deployed in the economy or the society. It has assumed centre stage in the developmental goals of
nations.
India has declared 2010-20 as the Decade of Innovation. The Government has stressed the need to enunciate a policy
to synergize science, technology and innovation and has also established the National Innovation Council. The STI
Science Page 26
to synergize science, technology and innovation and has also established the National Innovation Council. The STI
Policy 2013 in furtherance of these pronouncements, aims to bring fresh perspectives to bear on innovation in the
Indian context. Indias global competitiveness will be determined by the extent to which the STI enterprise contributes
social good and /or economic wealth. New structural mechanisms and models are needed to address the pressing
challenges of energy and environment, food and nutrition, water and sanitation, habitat, affordable health care and
skill building and unemployment.
Innovation for inclusive growth implies ensuring access, availability and affordability of solutions to as large a
population as possible. The STI policy will drive both investment in science and investment of science-led technology
and innovation in select areas of socio-economic importance. Emphasis will be to bridge the gaps between the STI
system and the socio-economic sectors by developing a symbiotic relationship with economic and other policies.
The key elements of the STI policy are:
Promoting the spread of scientific temper amongst all sections of society.
Enhancing skill for applications of science among the young from all social strata.
Making careers in science, research and innovation attractive enough for talented and bright minds.
Establishing world class infrastructure for R&D for gaining global leadership in some select frontier areas of science.
Creating an environment for enhanced private Section Participation in R&D.
Creating a robust national innovation system, etc.
With the promotion of the scientific temper amongst all sections of society comes the need to create the right
ambiance, structures to encourage research and innovation. Indias R&D investment is under 1% of the GDP. Increasing
Gross Expenditure in Research and Development (GERD) to 2% of the GDP has been a national goal for some time.
Achieving this in the next five years is realizable if the private sector raises its R&D investment. The gross budgetary
support for the science and technology sector has significantly increased during the last decade.
Public understanding of science is an important dimension of introducing and reaching the benefits of modern science
and technology to the people. Scientific temper needs to be promoted across all sections of the society systematically.
Effective science communication methods, by using tools such as the National Knowledge Network, needs to be
initiated. Public and political understanding of science should be based on evidence and debate with open mind.
People and decision makers must be made aware of the implications of emerging technologies, including their ethical,
social and economic dimensions
Science Page 27
Indian science
20 February 2014
13:03
Jawaharlal Nehru coined the term scientific temper in his book The Discovery of India , which was published in
1946
According to Fields medal-winning mathematician Manjul Bhargava, India needs scientists focused on solving local
problems since many of these are unique
Advances made in India, namely

success story of sugarcane breeding
discovery of the Bombay Blood Type (the O subgroup)
mathematical analysis of the mapping of genes distributed across the length of the chromosome
Indian history of science
Foundation Course in Science & Tech- IGNOU,
17-01-2015
Science in Indian history
08-01-2015
The history of science is not linear as the west would have us believe but chequered
There was a period after Euclides & Archimedes & before Newton & others when Chinese, Indian & Islamic science
came to the fore
The scientific revolution in Europe was a response to developments in the east
13-01-2015
the golden age of Indian mathematics, which changed the face of mathematics in the world, was roughly from the
5th to the 12th century, & its beginning was directly inspired by what we Indians were learning from work done in
Babylon, Greece & Rome
Indians learned a lot about theorems & proofs & rigorous mathematical reasoning from the Greeks & the Romans &
the Babylonians
Perhaps the most powerful mathematician of ancient India, Brahmagupta was influenced by his teacher Aryabhata
Aryabhata was the pioneering leader of the Indian school of mathematics
Alberuni, the Iranian mathematician who spent many years in India in 10th century termed Brahmagupta, the finest
mathematician & astronomer in India & possibly in the world
Science Page 28
mathematician & astronomer in India & possibly in the world

Varahamihira & Bhaskara were also leading mathematicians
The history of the term sine in trigonometry illustrates how we learn from each other & the interconnection of 3
mathematical traditions: Indian, Arabic & European
This trigonometric idea was well developed by Aryabhata, who called it jya-ardha, & sometimes shortened it to
jya
Arab mathematicians, using Aryabhatas idea, called it jiba, which is phonetically close
later generation of Arab mathematicians used the term jaib, which means a bay or a cove
Then, in 1150, when Italian mathematicians translated the word into Latin,sinus, which means a bay or a cove
And it is from this the Latin sinus that the modern trigonometric term sine is derived
14-01-2015
Non rusting iron was first made in India
the traditional pharmacopoeia in Ayurveda is rich in insights on natural products with curative properties
what is needed is a scientific assessment & appreciation of our heritage, rather than a jingoistic recollection of some
mythical golden age
18-03-2015
Contributions of Brahmagupta
6th & 7th centuries AD was the era of the mathematician Brahmagupta
He was the first to clearly define zero & to explore all its properties
He also invented negative numbers as a concept
Rather than treat numbers simply as abstract concepts, however, Brahmagupta was also able to give negative
numbers practical significance by calling them debts something that must have instantly resonated with
lenders & borrowers
Brahmagupta was the real genius behind Arabic numerals now called "Hindu Arabic numerals"
Pythagoras theorem & Baudhayana
the Pythagorean theorem was conceived 200 years before Pythagoras, in 8th century BC India, when the same
result was pointed out by Baudhayana in his Sulba Sutra
Baudhayana showed that the square formed by the diagonal of a triangle has the combined area of the squares
formed by the length & breadth of the triangle the geometric analogue of the Pythagoras theorem
06-05-2015
Invention of Decimal System
Hindu mathematicians used a system based on 10.
The Hindus had symbols for each number from one to nine.
They had a name for each power of 10
They invented the symbol shunya (meaning empty), which we call zero
Atomic Theory
Sage Kanad, 600 BC, is recognized as the founder of atomic theory, & classified all the objects of creation into
nine elements (earth, water, light or fire, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul)
He stated that every object in creation is made of atoms that in turn connect with each other to form molecules
First & Longest Poetry of the World
The Ramayana is the first poetry of the world. It is a glorious Sanskrit epic written by the Divine Sage Valmiki. It has
24,000 Samkskrit verses. It was later translated by Kamban & Tulsi Das
The Mahabarata is the longest poetry ever written. Its 100,000 verses encompass all facets of Dharma or human
way of life. It narrates the story about the great Mahabarata war btw the noble Pandavas & their evil cousins the
Kauravas
Ancient root of Navigation
The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the
Sanskrit word 'Navgatih'. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'
300 types of Operations & 125 Surgical Instruments
The ancient Indians were also the first to perform amputation, cesarean surgery and cranial surgery.
Sushruta as early as 600 BC used cheek skin to perform plastic surgery to restore and reshape human nose, ears,
and lips with incredible results
Science Page 29
and lips with incredible results

Shushruta describes the details of > 300 operations. He worked with 125 kinds of surgical instruments
Chanakya's Arthashstra describes post-mortems, and Bhoja Prabandha describes brain surgery, successfully
performed in 927 AD by two surgeons on King Bhoja to remove a growth from his brain
Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine.
Bhaskaracharya's Law of Gravity
famous Hindu astronomer, Bhaskaracharya in his Surya Siddhanta wrote: "Objects fall on the earth due to a force
of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon and sun are held in orbit due to
this attraction
Time taken for Earth to orbit Sun
The famous Hindu mathematician, Bhaskaracharya, in his treatise Surya Siddhanta, calculated the time taken for
the earth to orbit the sun to nine decimal places (365.258756484 days).
Mother of Martial Arts
Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk from India, introduced Kalari into China and Japan in the 5th century
Kalari is considered to be the most complete and scientific martial art and is the mother of all martial arts
It has evolved into Karate and Kung Fu
The Game of Chess
It was invented in India and was originally called Ashtapada (64 squares)
Invention of Dice
Some of the earliest archaeological evidence of oblong dice have been found in Harrapan sites such as
Kalibangan, Ropar, Alamgirpur, Desalpur & surrounding territories
Early references to dicing can be found in the ig Veda as well as the Atharvaveda
Mokshapat or Snake & Ladder
The game was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev
The game had its origin in India and was called Moksha Patam or Parama Padam or Mokshapat. It was used to
teach Hindu Dharma & Hindu values to children
The ladders in the game represented virtues & the snakes indicated vices - good deeds take us to heaven & evil
to a cycle of re-births
As the game progresses, the various karma & samskara, good deeds & bad, take you up & down the board
The Square 100 represented Nirvana or Moksha
Charaka Samhita: Worlds first physician
In 500 BC Maharishi Charaka wrote the famous Charaka Samhita or Physicians Handbook. The Charaka Samhita
went into great detail to describe human anatomy, pathology, diagnostic procedures, & treatment for various
diseases
Charaka also described the functions of the heart and the circulatory system in great detail
Vedic roots of Mathematics
Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus & Algebra originated in India
The word Geometry seems to have emerged from the Sanskrit word gyaa-miti which means "measuring the
Earth". And the word Trigonometry is similar to tri-kona-miti meaning "measuring triangular forms"
The treatise of Surya Siddhanta describes details of Trigonometry
All Hindu as well as Buddhist mandalas & yantras are complex forms of Geometrical shapes
Bhaskaracharya otherwise known as Bhaskara is probably the most well known mathematician of ancient Indian
today
Bhaskara wrote his famous Siddhanta Siroman in the year 1150 A.D. It is divided into 4 parts; Lilavati
(arithmetic), Bijaganita (a treatise on algebra), Goladhyaya (celestial globe), & Grahaganita (mathematics of
the planets)
Oldest Systematic Language
Sanskrit is the worlds oldest systematic language
The word sanskrita, meaning "refined" or "purified,"
It is made up of the primordial sounds, and is developed systematically to include the natural progressions of
sounds as created in the human mouth
The Sanskrit language has helped shape many European languages including French, German, Russian, and
English
Metallurgy
India was the world-leader in Metallurgy. Gold jewelry is available from 3,000 BCE
Science Page 30
India was the world-leader in Metallurgy. Gold jewelry is available from 3,000 BCE
Brass and bronze pieces are dated back to 1,300 BCE
Extraction of zinc from ore by distillation was used in India as early as 400 BCE
There is an iron pillar in Delhi dating back to 400 CE that shows no sign of rust or decay
The earliest known book on metallurgy was written by sage Nagarjuna in 10th century
The oldest book: Rigveda
For many human generations the Vedas were passed on through word of mouth, until finally documented by the
great Rishis and Swamis
About the Solar System
Ancient Hindus were first to suggest a heliocentric solar system
Speed of light was calculated as 1, 85,016 miles/sec
They had even calculated the distance between Earth and Moon as 108 diameters of Moon and Earth and Sun as
108 diameters of Sun
These figures are very close to the modern day values
The Game of Cards
The popular game of cards originated in ancient India and was known as Krida-patram
This game was patronized especially by the royalty and nobility. In medieval India, playing cards was known as
Ganjifa cards which were played in practically all royal courts
Life Cycles of the Universe
The Hindus view that the Universe has no beginning or end, but follows a cosmic creation and dissolution
Hindus are the only one who propounds the idea of life-cycles of the universe
It suggests that the universe undergoes an infinite number of deaths and rebirths
Hindus views the universe as without a beginning (anadi = beginning-less) or an end (ananta = end-less)
Ayurveda - the Science of Longevity
Ayurveda is the indigenous system of medicine in India
Ayurveda literally means 'the science of living' (longevity)
Unique quality of Ayurveda is that it uncovers & cures the root cause of illness, it is safe, gentle & inexpensive
it sees 6 stages of disease development (where modern medicine only sees the last two stages)
it treats people in a personalized manner according to their dosha or constitution & not in any generic manner
Pythagorean Theorem or Baudhayana Theorem?
Hindu mathematician Baudhayana in his 6th century BC treatise called Baudhayana Sulba Sutra states: "The area
produced by the diagonal of a rectangle is equal to the sum of area produced by it on two sides"
PM Modi on science
04-01-2015
India Inc. needed to fund more research through various initiatives including Corporate Social Responsibility
He also invited the Indian scientific diaspora to contribute by guiding & teaching the doctorate scholars in the
country
Since independence, scientists have made outstanding institutions with modest resources. They have alleviated
some of the most acute challenges of human development, have increased food production, have secured borders
& have increased the pace of industrial progress
Modi has placed science & technology at the forefront of the countrys diplomatic engagement
Regarding ease of doing research in India, the funding proposal must not take too long
He said the country needed a clear regulatory policy for research & technology in biotechnology, nanotechnology &
clinical research
He invoked the Vedas to explain the purpose of science. Science is driven by the compassion of heart to make
human life better
PM Modi on Indian science
Greater scientific collaboration btw central & state institutions & agencies is necessary as part of cooperative
federalism
PM Modi called on Indian scientists to keep the Economy, Environment, Energy, Empathy & Equity (5Es) at the heart
Science Page 31
PM Modi called on Indian scientists to keep the Economy, Environment, Energy, Empathy & Equity (5Es) at the heart
of their endeavors in the interest of impactful science
Scientists need to find cost effective & efficient solutions, ensure our carbon footprint is the lightest, focus on
energy since prosperity depends on green energy, display empathy by ensuring efforts are in tune with our
culture, circumstances & social challenges & create equity where science advances inclusive development &
improves the welfare of the weakest
If we wish to restore the harmony btw human & nature we must also harness the full potential of traditional
knowledge
Societies across the world have developed this enormous wealth through wisdom gathered over the ages
They hold the secrets to economic, efficient, &, environment friendly solutions to many of our problems. But
today they are at risk of extinction in our globalised world
In the area of health, modern medicines have transformed healthcare. But we must also use scientific techniques &
methods to delve deeper into traditional medicines & practices like yoga for more holistic lifestyle & change our
paradigm from treatment to wellness
Humanism defined Einstien's thought behind his discoveries: Concern for man himself & his fate must always form
the chief interest of all technical endeavours (Humanism)
Good governance is not just about policy & decision making, transparency & accountability. It is also about
integrating science & technology into the choices we make & the strategies we pursue
Need to make it easier to do science & research in India, improve science administration, & expand the supply &
improve the quality of science education & research in India
Indian Science Congress

The science congress was started in 1914
Indian Science Congress Association, based in Kolkata conducts the event
11-01-2015
102nd Indian Science Congress in Mumbai
The idea of promoting science through the congress began in earnest after Independence, continuing till 1967, but
the efforts have since lost focus. After 1967, politics became uncertain & universities became the centre for political
activities
This years Congress included a section on Ancient sciences through Sanskrit
National scientific meeting is customarily inaugurated by a Prime Minister in India while in majority of other
countries its by an eminent scientist
The quality of papers being presented have generally been poor
22-03-2014
Generating funds to carry out independent research is a cause of great concern.
03-04-2014
What ails Indian science?
Indian sciences bureaucratic mentality values administrative power over achievements
Getting funding [for research] is easy in India, said Dr. Mathai Joseph because there is no competition here. Money
is not scarce [though R&D spending is less than 1 per cent of GDP]. But money comes with the same bureaucratic
restrictions that apply to all government expenditure. Dr. Joseph is a computer scientist and a consultant, and was
earlier a senior research scientist at TIFR, Mumbai. For instance, while research students get no funding support to
travel abroad to participate in conferences, scientists are constrained by limited foreign travel.
These restrictions on foreign travel prevent students and scientists from gaining in terms of networking, exchanging
ideas and being exposed to the kind of work being done by their peers in other countries. Science does not happen
like that by not allowing them to travel abroad, he said.
The big mistake
But the systematic undermining of scientific enterprise started way back in the mid 1950s. According to an opinion
piece published today (April 3) in Nature, (Dr. Joseph is the first author), the Department of Atomic Energy, which was
created as a different model, had Homi Bhabha, the head of DAE as a secretary to the government. The mistake was
Science Page 32
created as a different model, had Homi Bhabha, the head of DAE as a secretary to the government. The mistake was
repeated when the DAE model was replicated in other institutions space and biotechnology, to name a few.
The fact that scientific departments are modelled on the rest of the bureaucracy has turned out to be a big mistake,
Dr. Joseph said. Thats because bureaucracy is not designed to encourage innovation. DAE and the department of
space are the only institutions that undertake developments in-house. Others like the DBT [Department of
Biotechnology] do not. Contrast this with the system followed in the developed countries. For instance, in the case of
the U.S., the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are outside the government
bureaucracy.
By being a part of the bureaucracy, even those scientists in India who do remarkable research cannot be rewarded with
promotion or pay hike. If you reward scientific achievement rather than years of service, scientists would be motivated
to take up novel scientific challenges, he noted. Regrettably, the malaise of promotion based on years of service, and
not by achievement has spread to institutions at the national level too.
Indian science has for too long been hamstrung by bureaucratic mentality that values administrative power over
scientific achievements, the paper notes.
It is, however, pertinent to note that the department of space stands out from the rest. Younger people have been put
in charge of important programmes, and they have succeeded. This system is quite old in the department of space,
Dr. Joseph said.
The golden era
These essentially explain why prior to the 1950s important contributions from people like Jagadish Chandra Bose,
Satyendra Nath Bose and Srinivasa Ramanujan came from within the country. The pioneering work by these people
came before the machinery of government took over and mismanaged research.
Another problem is the lack of lateral movement from one institution to another. While collaborating with scientists
from other institutions would go a long way in putting to test the usefulness of ones expertise without actually moving
to another institution, one ends up gaining more by moving out. Vitality grows from being challenged in scientific
terms [when one moves from one institution to another], Dr. Joseph said.
Collaboration
Incidentally, even collaborating with scientists from other institutions is rarely seen in India. Worse, even the funding
agencies do not insist on this. Funding is rather provided for collaboration within the institution than across institutions.
This is true even in the case of the Nano mission launched in 2007.
According to the authors, the Nano mission has funded 150 individual projects, 11 centres of excellence and six
industry-linked projects. But [the mission] has required no collaboration between institutions, the paper notes.
There are very few national frameworks for collaboration, he said, working towards a common goal is missing.
Collaboration becomes all the more important as the size of the groups in any area is small in India.
It is true that there is an inherent resistance to collaboration across institutions in other countries as well. But
programmes like ESPRIT [European Strategic Programme on Research in Information Technology] insist on
collaboration across institutions and countries for funding, he said.
According to the paper, one of the four changes that need to be urgently initiated to reinvigorate research is to
decouple funding and government control. Indian science needs public funding, but not government control, the
paper notes. There are numerous examples in other countries and in Europe where such a system has been operating
successfully.
The tenure of heads of institutions should also be limited and they should be encouraged to return to active research.
The rotation should be every five years. Its very hard to do research when you head an institution, he said, you cant
do research full time.
30-04-2014
Former PM Jawaharlal Nehru coined the phrase scientific temper & described dams & power plants as "modern
temples"
Currently 0.8% of GDP is being spent on Science & Technology
27-12-2014
Scientific grants
Generally, grants are given by subject committees, making them highly discipline-oriented
However, there are means of getting interdisciplinary grants through the new Science & Engineering Research Board
that is created recently
Science Page 33
that is created recently

Embracing an interdisciplinary approach
today most subjects are themselves becoming interdisciplinary
The frontiers of biology now deal with physics & computational science
Some of the greatest works in medical science today borrow from chemical engineering & nanotechnology
If India has to make it to the cutting edge of science, it will have to embrace an interdisciplinary approach
Funding for Science
Science funding has to be around 2% of the GDP in order to be a world leader in science
Space & atomic energy are technologies not science (since these agencies are involved in developing technology
such as reactors, rockets & so on). So they should not be included in science funding
Funding should be focussed more on fundamental science (like biology, chemistry, physics etc.)
Right now, our total science funding, including space & atomic energy, is still < 1% of GDP
But for that, the industry also has to contribute & directly support research
In US & in South Korea, nearly 45-50% of research is industry funded. In India, their contribution towards scientific
activity is < 10%
Industry should support both long-term & short-term research. They will after all benefit from it in the future
06-01-2015
Digital connectivity, a basic right- PM Modi
Nurturing the scientific temper would result in accelerated development
PM has elevated internet access to the level of a basic right, on par with the right to education
Other ideas include channelling CSR funds to research & recognition of the importance of innovation: science is
universal, but technology can be local
The PM has also proposed a regulatory framework for biotechnology, nanotechnology, agricultural & clinical
research
he has also talked of the need for multidisciplinary research work, which promises high return on investment
PM stressed the need for R&D, which can be rapidly encashed for development & the need for fundamental
research, which is a long-term investment
academic autonomy is necessary from which most great scientific breakthroughs stem
He called to make science & technology as theme of Republic day
it is as important to focus on basic fundamental research as on research & development & innovation
If we incorporate traditional & local knowledge, systems & technologies, we may develop more appropriate,
effective, affordable & sustainable solutions
ease of doing research & development in India is important just like ease of doing business in India
Funding proposals must not take too long to clear; meeting application requirements should not become more
complex than research
the approval process should not become a deterrent for international conferences
our scientific departments must have flexibility on funding decisions based on the uncertainties inherent in research
activities
We want our scientists & researchers to explore the mysteries of science, not of govt procedures
not just scientific depts, but every other dept in the govt should see how to apply science & technology & promote
research to improve their work
Each should have an officer focusing on science & technology relating to its area of work & allocate a percentage
of its budget for such activities
Investments in science & technology activities should also become part of the expenditure on CSR to be funded
directly or through an autonomous fund
We also need to foster a strong culture of collaboration between institutions & across disciplines to take advantage
of developments, innovation & expertise in diverse areas
We have to place the university system at the cutting edge of research & development activities in the country
Our investments in science & technology are far too concentrated in the agencies of the Central govt & must
become more broadbased
Our universities must be freed from the clutches of excessive regulation & cumbersome procedures
They must have a higher degree of academic freedom & autonomy & there should be as much emphasis on
research as on teaching
In turn, universities must also subscribe to the highest academic & research standards & accountability including
thorough peer review
Science Page 34
thorough peer review

Indias pharmaceutical industry has carved out a place for itself in the world because it invests significantly in
research
Our long-term global competitiveness will depend not on replicating what others have done but on a process of
sustained development & innovation
There is a growing trend of international collaboration in R&D, not just among business enterprises, but equally
among researchers & scholars at universities & laboratories
For this, Modi has placed science & technology at the forefront of our diplomatic engagement
India's future will be secure & global leadership possible if we prepare the next generation of world-class scientists,
technologists & innovators along with skill development of youth
School education in science & mathematics should become more creative & stimulating
use the internet to bring the best of our scientists in direct contact with our children & our youth
Digital connectivity should become as much a basic right as access to school
We in India are the inheritors of a thriving tradition of Indian science & technology since ancient times
Mathematics & medicine, metallurgy & mining, calculus & textiles, architecture & astronomy the contribution
made by Indian civilisation to human knowledge & advancement has been rich & varied
At the dawn of freedom, PM Jawaharlal Nehru placed science & technology at the heart of national development
Our scientists launched pioneering research & built outstanding institutions with modest resources that continue to
serve us well
Since then, our scientists have placed us at the forefront of the world in many areas
Our scientists put Mangalyaan in the Mars orbit in the first attempt
their accurate prediction of Cyclone Hudhud saved thousands of lives
06-01-2015
A study reveals that the percentage of the countrys GDP spent on R&D had stagnated around 1% for over two
decades
There should be a massive increase in quality & quantity in Science & Technology education if the countrys
aspiration of becoming a leading global force in science was to be attained
btw 2004 & 2006, India had produced only one research scientist for every 7,100 people as against the average
of one for 1,080 in China, one for 240 in South Korea & one for 163 in Sweden
Need for making the pursuit of scientific research an attractive career option for the youth
15-01-2015
Article 51A(h) of the constitution [42nd Amendment, 1976]: It shall be the duty of every citizen of Indian to
develop the scientific temper, humanism & the spirit of enquiry & reform
India has not produced any Nobel Prize winner in science in the last 85 years largely coz of the lack of a scientific
environment in the country, of which scientific temper would be an important component
14-02-2015
Grand Challenge Programme on vaccines set up by the Dept of Biotechnology
biotechnology push in India started in the mid-1980s, & that has gained in strength over time
Pharma R&D
For a robust research ecosystem, adequate funding & good pipelines from ensuring minimum friction in the
development of drug candidates to its release into market
Pharma companies are uncertain about Intellectual Property Rights on essential drugs, unsure about whether they
can recover the high costs incurred
Policymakers in India will need to strike the right balance btw public funding, & the role & return on private
investment on drug development
the unwritten compact in developed countries on drug development is that a thick layer of public funds pay for
the basic research up to & including drug candidate discovery
It is over & above this that private pharmaceuticals come in, patent drugs & develop them
Indian funding on basic research & drug discovery remains minuscule in comparison, with the entire Dept of
Biotechnology budget (< Rs.1,500 crore in 2014-15)
both the quality & quantity of public spending has to dramatically improve if we want more drug candidates
against TB, malaria, dengue, cholera & other diseases
Science Page 35
against TB, malaria, dengue, cholera & other diseases

One way to increase funding is to redirect extensive funds that go towards large health-care subsidies, so that
future drugs can be better & cheaper
India can re-examine how clinical trials are governed (while we want ethical & safe practices in clinical testing,
American or European regulations have accumulated some extra bureaucracy & regulations along the way)
India can also set new standards on transparency so that new research is easy to discover, verify & build on
26-02-2015
Indian science allocation has been falling. It is 0.8% of GDP, while in the US it is 2.8% of GDP. In China it is 1.8%
Indian Science, Technology, Agriculture & Medicine (STEAM) over the last two years or so have suffered an acrossthe-board cut of over 30% of the allotted budget which was imposed by previous govt & continued by the present
Unlike in Europe, Japan or the US, private industries here do not have foundations that support research by others;
they at best support in-house research & development
Thus, STEAM have to depend entirely on the central & state govts for support
Domain expertise, independence in decision making & autonomy made the original 5 IITs famous
Professor Amartya Sen said recently that academic governance in India remains deeply vulnerable to the opinions of
the ruling govt
28-03-2015
3 of the leading scientific agencies in the country are Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council
of Medical Research (ICMR), & Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
Take example of Israel where high quality & worldwide impact of basic scientific research is done
There must be a definitive but liberal policy on providing venture capital for start-ups in new areas of technology
This must be through govt-funded agencies such as the Industrial Credit & Investment Corporation of India & the
Industrial Development Bank of India
2nd or 3rd-rate research that is repetitive or a trivial follow-up of leads provided elsewhere in the world must be
discouraged
This will ensure that the quality-to-quantity ratio in the country in respect of basic research goes up
15-05-2015
What ails science in India?
the govts shocking decision to dissolve the scientific advisory council to the Prime Minister, thereby cutting a crucial
link that has served science & the scientific community well
Another jolt has been the cut in research budget, which has been static for about a decade at a paltry 0.9% of
the GDP (Chinas is almost 2%)
India has only 200,000 full time researchers 4 researchers per 10,000 labour force. While China has 18 & Brazil 7
The number of research papers published by researchers based in the country has nearly quadrupled since 2000 but
it is way too low compared with China
Besides the 40 CSIR laboratories, a few premier research institutions like the IISc, Bengaluru, TIFR, Mumbai, 16 IITs &
5 Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), there are over 600 universities in the country
But hardly any of the international-level research is done in the universities
Facilities & teaching at the universities that serve > 29 million students are alarming
Need for complete overhaul of UGC
Archaic ordinances & rules set by UGC have stifled the spirit of academic excellence & hampered institutions
flexibility
Though India produces 9,000 PhD graduates a year in science & technology, the number pales in comparison with
the its population. The US produces 4 times more number of PhDs despite having 1/4th of Indias population
The variation in quality of Indian PhD graduates & faculty members is a prime concern
Quality-control mechanisms must be established for the national accreditation & assessment of Indian PhDs & to
improve research & educational training
Unlike in the West where talent is spotted at the graduate level & nurtured, researchers in India are mentored way
too late
What ails Indian science
Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan's described of the Indian Science Congress as a circus
Science Page 36
Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan's described of the Indian Science Congress as a circus
59% of secondary schools in India don't have an integrated science laboratory although science is compulsory till
class 10. So, a vast majority of students 'study' science without ever seeing any experiment, let alone doing it
The crisis in science is coz it is not attracting the best minds
Science education has moved from being a curiosity-driven exploration to a mark-scoring exercise to get
admission in elite institutions & bag a fat corporate salary
In the process, academia has also lost high quality teachers who shape young minds
There are serious problems facing Indian science, ranging from resource crunch to policy confusion
The current attempts to turn mythology into science make the future look even bleaker
Building a knowledge-based society demands significant increase in investment for S&T at several levels including
education as well as research leading to outcomes in pure & applied areas
India has just 4 scientific researchers for every 10,000 people in the workforce, much lower than not just
advanced countries like the US or UK but even China & Brazil
Scientific papers published by Indians numbered about 90,000 in 2013 compared to 4,50,000 by Americans &
3,25,000 by Chinese
Citations too were below the world average. Indians filed just 17 patents per million population compared to 541
in China & 4,451 in South Korea
It is a combined result of defective grounding at the school/college level & limited resources for research
The goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on scientific research - outlined in the govt's science policy of 2003 - has not
been achieved. Even industry funding, which was declared as the magic wand for finances, hasn't delivered
As per latest available figures, India is spending < 1% on research & development compared to 1.9% in China &
2.75% in US
Rather than quantity its the quality of science that is important. It is also not showing any improvement. India still
contributes < 1% of the world's top 1% of research
We need many good institutions doing outstanding work, so that we can accommodate capable young scientists
Some scientists feel however that given the low input, & that the best minds have left India for greener pastures,
Indian science has done "outstandingly well"
In today's environment of research in project mode with well-defined objectives, milestones & deliverables,
curiosity-driven research is a casualty
Research objectives too are increasingly disconnected from society
For eg. In agriculture, there is an obsession with increasing yield while ignoring the consequences of intensive
agriculture in the 5 major grain producing states has led to a sustainability crisis - ground water depletion,
waterlogging, chemical over-kill
Our research goals continue to be better yielding varieties rather than sustainable productivity
12-01-2016
A framework for audit of scientific depts as suggested by PM Modi is the first step. We need complete overhaul of
science education to create an environment that encourages research & innovation
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal advocated a 24-hr TV channel dedicated to science to promote scientific temper in India
Science Page 37
Govt policies & schemes

12 February 2015
09:23
Science, Technology & Innovation Policy 2013

Jan-2013
Science, Technology & Innovation Policy 2013
It focuses on faster sustainable & inclusive development
The term innovation which was not present in previous policies drafted by the Centre.
The policy also takes into account the affordability and accessibility of innovation bringing in more focused,
people-centric processes.
The new policy stresses on promoting scientific thinking across all sections of society and making careers in science,
research and innovation more attractive. It also aims to establish world-class science and technology infrastructure
to position India among global science leaders by 2020.
The policy calls for attracting private investment in research and development as well as increasing investment in
the sector. It also aims at serving the nations agenda in agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors
INSPIRE Programme
Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)
an innovative programme sponsored and managed by the Department of Science & Technology for attraction of
talent to Science.
The basic objective of INSPIRE is to communicate to the youth of the country the excitements of creative pursuit of
science, attract talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the required critical human resource pool
for strengthening and expanding the Science & Technology system and R & D base. It is a programme with long term
foresight.
A striking feature of the programme is that it does not believe in conducting competitive exams for identification of
talent at any level. It believes in and relies on the efficacy of the existing educational structure for identification of
talent.
The strength of the innovation infrastructure of a nation has enormous significance in the competition among
emerging knowledge economies. The realization of Vision 2020 calls for action and a well designed innovation
infrastructure
INSPIRE has 3 components:
Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent (SEATS)- 10 to 15 yrs
INSPIRE Award (for 10-15 age group): Rs.5,000/- to one million young learners.
INSPIRE Internship (for 16-17 age group): Annual Summer/Winter Camps for about 50,000 youth at more than
100 locations, for toppers in Class X board examinations for exposure with global leaders in Science
Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE)
INSPIRE Scholarship (for 17-22 age group): The scheme offers 10,000 scholarships every year @ Rs 0.80 lakh per
year to talented youth, for undertaking Bachelor and Masters level education in Natural and Basic sciences
Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC)
INSPIRE Fellowship (for 22-27 age group): for doctoral research, in both Basic and Applied sciences (including
engineering and medicine).
INSPIRE Faculty Scheme (for 27-32 age group): assured career opportunity for post-doctoral researchers
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award

Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar awards, the most prestigious national recognition for scientists < 45 yrs of age
It is an annual award given by CSIR which carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a citation & a plaque
Funding R&D
12-03-2015
Private industry & the NRI community should think of contributing to Indias efforts in R&D in STEAM, humanity &
social sciences
Elsewhere in the world, private industry & individual business magnates have set up their own R&D Foundations
which offer competitive grants
Science Page 38
which offer competitive grants

Indian business tycoons need to go beyond corporate social responsibility & set up R&D funds
bodies such as FICCI, CII, NASSCOM & ASSOCHAM can initiate similar grants
such funds be managed in collaboration with science academies & similar scholarly groups with domain expertise
to disburse them
The Non-Resident Indians can start a not-for-profit R&D fund to help Indias STEAM? (like in Israel)
Such a fund will go a long way to accelerate the growth & improvement in Indias STEAM & education
30-08-2015
Centre to set up science centres & zonal systems to support research in all States
28-10-2015
Dehradun Declaration to develop a business-like revenue model for R&D
The decision was part of Chintan Shivir held at Dehradun in June 2015 & ended with all CSIR labs resolving to turn
research projects into for-profit ventures over the next 2 yrs
Under the Dehradun Declaration, research institutions have been asked to raise part of their money for research
through external funded projects & grants
As part of the Dehradun Declaration, all laboratories signed up to develop a business-like revenue model with a
clear cost-benefit analysis
Moving forward, research institutions will have to submit their short-term & long-term projects (btw 1 & 3 yrs)
to the govt
Cash-strapped, the Ministry of Science & Technology has mandated organisations (CSIR etc.) involved in scientific
research & development (R&D) to generate half of its funds; send in monthly updates & ensure that research stays
in sync with the Central govts social & economic objectives
This will not include funding for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) & Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research (TIFR) both under the Dept of Atomic Energy (DAE)
Analysis
The Dehradun Declaration is a vision document with a clear focus on deliverables having relevance to the common
man on fast track
The majority of CSIR labs have all the competence & expertise to generate external cash flows
All good fundamental science research leads to applied research & CSIR is a unique agency which has competence to
perform translational research in our country
Critics
While senior & established researchers can manage to secure grants, young researchers can have a tough time
which might affect their quality of research
Scientists are now required to show how their research contributes to 'society outreach'
In addition to funding for research, the number of fellowships too is being cut down
They are required to submit reports every month on the progress of their work & state what part of their work gives
back to society
Science & technology is not the only Ministry to see budget cuts. In March 2015, HIV/AIDS-related research in India
became a casualty of similar budget cuts
Govt's view
There is no harm in relying on industry to scale up or take forward the research projects under way
If the labs make more money, the research will be better utilised
Gvot claims that it is not giving any targets to research institutions but just want them to be better coordinated &
have more accountability
Uchatar Avishkar Yojna

28-10-2015
Under the Uchatar Avishkar Yojna institutions of excellence will have industry partners in their research projects
Ministry for Human Resource & Development (MHRD) has earmarked Rs.250 crore per annum for fostering very
high quality research in institutions of excellence
The scheme will initially be limited to the IITs
IITs can start applying for govt money for funding if their research has 'clearly defined outcome' & 25% of the
Science Page 39
IITs can start applying for govt money for funding if their research has 'clearly defined outcome' & 25% of the
expenses have to be borne by an industry partner
The proposals will have to specify the time-frame, the outcome & the benefits that the industry stands to gain from
the research to be eligible for the funds
Govt's view
A large part of the mandate for the IITs was to train very high quality manpower & produce outcomes that are
relevant for the design & manufacturing industry
Govt wants the IITs to help in the Make in India campaign, by investing in research & link innovation to the industry
to make the latter competitive in the global markets
Govt is looking at Rs.1,500 crore funding over the next 3 yrs to give manufacturing a boost
Concerns
The proposal has been received with scepticism in the academic & research circles, given the implications of
allowing private players to collaborate with institutions which have been set up with public money
There was a need to guard against privatisation of public institutions
This proposal will shift the focus from fundamental research to applied research; thereby not allowing the scope of
research to expand
To be competitive, equal weightage has to be given to fundamental research, which forms the basis of applied
research
With the private companies partnering in research, there will be the issues of intellectual property rights
NRN Murthy & CNR Rao's viewpoints

11-09-2015
C N R Rao: All funding comes from the govt, industry has contributed little
NR Narayana Murthy had questioned the contribution of institutions such as IITs & IISc & had said that there has not
been a single invention from India which has gone on to become a household name globally in the last 60 years
NRN Murthy was right, but so is Rao
Several of the truly groundbreaking inventions from the last half-century or so, such as the internet, cellphone or
the GPS, originated from research subsidised by the US military
many of these technological innovations is funded by private partners
Globally, around 40-50% of the scientific research in institutions are supported by industry & the remaining 50% is
supported by the govt. In India, however, it is almost all by the govt (Industry contribution is negligible)
The govt has not increased its spending on education above 2% of the GDP; for science, it is < 1% of the GDP. It is
high time they are 6% & 2% of the GDP, respectively
Moreover, for the investments made, India has done pretty well
While more investment is needed to create better facilities, it is equally important to work harder under the
existing conditions
We have to make more effort on pressing problems of society like energy, water, environment & so on
To take up such major challenges, we would require a different type of infrastructure & funding
As Rao noted, Indian billionaires have not, separately or together, founded institutions like MIT or Stanford
both of which have trained & nurtured the best minds to enable scientific advancement
Reports suggest that philanthropy levels in India remain low by global standards
While IISc & some IITs have produced leaders in academics, industry & govt, it is also true that it has not been
possible to work at the same level as Harvard, MIT or Berkeley for various reasons
The primary responsibility of IISc, IITs & such institutions is the education of UGs & PGs in science &
engineering. In this respect, they have done as good a job as one can
These graduates have performed well in India & in leading institutions elsewhere
27-09-2015
The Indian education system encourages students to be risk-averse & favour career-specific skills over creativity
Murthy has cited the example of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), whose labs have helped to define
the modern world with numerous inventions, while its Indian peers like the IITs have failed to contribute even a
single device or technology which is depended upon worldwide
Significantly, he was not only speaking the language of growth, brands & business value, but was also referring to
ideas, technologies, inventions & innovations which define quality of life & have powered the rise of civilisation
Science Page 40
ideas, technologies, inventions & innovations which define quality of life & have powered the rise of civilisation
Science Page 41
Achievements of Indians in S & T

23 July 2013
05:48
Refer Vigyan Prasar website,

Srinivasa Ramanujan
made extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions
Indian Govt declared Ramanujans birthday (22 December) as the National Mathematics Day every year & National
Mathematical Year 2012 on his honour
Mathematical achievements infinite series for
The Ramanujan conjecture- an assertion on the size of the Tau-function
Ramanujan Hardy number 1729: smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways
1729 = 13 + 123 = 93 + 103
Over 300 theorems in his notebooks
Ramanujan prime and the Ramanujan theta function
Satyendranath Bose
Satyendranath Bose (1894-1974) was born in Calcutta in 1894, is among the great Indian physicists who made a
fundamental contribution to the advance of science in the twentieth century. An outstanding student throughout, Bose
started his career in 1916 as a lecturer in physics in Calcutta University; five years later he joined Dacca University. Here
in 1924, in a brilliant flash of insight, Bose gave a new derivation of Plancks law, treating radiation as a gas of photons
and employing new statistical methods of counting of photon states. He wrote a short paper on the subject and sent it
to Einstein who immediately recognised its great significance, translated it in German and forwarded it for publication.
Science Page 42
to Einstein who immediately recognised its great significance, translated it in German and forwarded it for publication.
Einstein then applied the same method to a gas of molecules. The key new conceptual ingredient in Boses work was
that the particles were regarded as indistinguishable, a radical departure from the assumption that underlies the
classical MaxwellBoltzmann statistics. It was soon realised that the new Bose-Einstein statistics was applicable to
particles with integers spins, and a new quantum statistics (Fermi-Dirac statistics) was needed for particles with half
integers spins satisfying Paulis exclusion principle. Particles with integers spins are now known as bosons in honour of
Bose. An important consequence of Bose-Einstein statistics is that a gas of molecules below a certain temperature will
undergo a phase transition to a state where a large fraction of atoms populate the same lowest energy state. Some
seventy years were to pass before the pioneering ideas of Bose, developed further by Einstein, were dramatically
confirmed in the observation of a new state of matter in a dilute gas of ultra cold alkali atoms - the Bose-Eintein
condensate
Sir CV Raman
Science Monitor Feb 27th 2015,
His area of interest included vibrations, variety of musical instruments, ultrasonics, diffraction & so on
In 1924 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London & received Nobel prize in Physics in 1930 for his
discovery, now known as Raman Effect
The Raman Effect deals with scattering of light by molecules of a medium when they are excited to vibrational
energy levels
This work opened totally new avenues for research for years to come
Raman effect is used in Spectrometry, explosive detection devices

Science Page 43
Raman effect is used in Spectrometry, explosive detection devices

JC Bose
Acharya Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose [1858 1937] was a Bengali polymath, physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist,
as well as an early writer of science fiction. He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made very
significant contributions to plant science, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent.
He is considered the father of Bengali science fiction. He also invented the crescograph
Radio research
James Maxwell mathematically predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves of diverse wavelengths. Heinrich
Hertz showed experimentally the existence of electromagnetic waves in free space. Bose reduced the waves to the
millimetre level (about 5 mm wavelength). He realised the disadvantages of long waves for studying their light-like
properties
During public demonstration at Town Hall of Kolkata, Bose ignited gunpowder and rang a bell at a distance using
millimetre range wavelength microwaves. Therefore, messages can be transmitted by means of it without the
mediation of wires.
Bose's first scientific paper was "On polarisation of electric rays by double-refracting crystals". At that time, the word
'coherer', was used for Hertzian wave receivers or detectors. Bose developed "iron-mercury-iron coherer with
telephone detector".
Bose's demonstration of remote wireless signalling has priority over Marconi. Bose was a pioneer in microwave optics
technology. He was the first to show that semiconductor rectifiers could detect radio waves. Boses galena receiver was
amongst the earliest examples of a lead sulphide photo conducting device
Plant research
His major contribution in the field of biophysics was the demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of
various stimuli (e.g., wounds, chemical agents) in plants, which were earlier thought to be of a chemical nature. He
invented a machine called the crescograph to study all this.
These claims were later proven experimentally. He was also the first to study the action of microwaves in plant tissues
and corresponding changes in the cell membrane potential. He researched the mechanism of the seasonal effect on
plants, the effect of chemical inhibitors on plant stimuli and the effect of temperature. From the analysis of the
variation of the cell membrane potential of plants under different circumstances, he hypothesised that plants can "feel
pain, understand affection etc."
His books include Response in the Living and Non-Living and The Nervous Mechanism of Plants
Study of metal fatigue and cell response
Bose performed a comparative study of the fatigue response of various metals and organic tissue in plants. He
subjected metals to a combination of mechanical, thermal, chemical, and electrical stimuli and noted the similarities
between metals and cells
Science fiction
Bose wrote Niruddesher Kahini, first science fiction in Bengali language. Later, he added the story in the Abyakta book
as Palatak Tuphan
Science Page 44
as Palatak Tuphan
Bose and patents
The inventor of "Wireless Telecommunications", Bose was not interested in patenting his invention. Bose made his
inventions public in order to allow others to further develop his research
Legacy
Bose's place in history has now been re-evaluated, and he is credited with the invention of the first wireless detection
device and the discovery of millimetre length electromagnetic waves and considered a pioneer in the field of
biophysics.
Many of his instruments are still on display and remain largely usable now, over 100 years later. They include various
antennas, polarisers, and waveguides, which remain in use in modern forms today.
In 2012, Bose's experimental work in millimetre-band radio was recognised as an IEEE [Institute of Electrical &
Electronics Engineers] Milestone in Electrical and Computer Engineering, the first such recognition of a discovery in
India
Chandrasekhar Subramanyam
discoverer of Chandra limit & black-hole

CNR Rao
Announcing the award of the Bharat Ratna to Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao, 79, is a big boost for blue sky
scientific research in India. It is in recognition of what the renowned chemist, Prof. C.N.R. Rao as he is popularly known,
has contributed to painstaking advanced scientific research by publishing nearly 1,500 papers in leading scientific
journals and 45 books over the past five decades. He is also one of the few scientists in the world who is a member of
all major scientific academies in the world. Such prolific work is usually acknowledged only in the rarified and exclusive
world of science academia and research.
Rao will be the third for contribution to science from among the 43 chosen for the countrys highest civilian honour . He
is the second researcher after the Nobel Prize winning physicist Sir C.V. Raman for pioneering in the fundamental
research. Raman was awarded it way back in 1954. The only other person chosen for the award from the world of
science, years after he made his striking contribution, was A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 1997 for the stellar role he essayed in
developing Indias integrated missile programme and the Pokharan II nuclear tests which have served as immense and
valuable contribution to scientific research and modernization of defence technology. It was, five years on, that he
became President of India who gives away the Bharat Ratna.
Rao was thinking of joining IISc for a diploma or a postgraduate degree in chemical engineering after obtaining
bachelors degree from Mysore University in 1951 but destiny took him to Banaras Hindu University (BHU) where he got
admitted for a MSc course. MIT, PennState, Columbia and Purdue offered admission with financial support, but Rao
chose Purdue, where he completed PhD in two years and nine months, a record of sorts. Life was on a swing for Rao
but home pull prevailed and in 1959 he landed in Bangalore to join the IISc as a lecturer on a monthly salary of Rs 500 .
Later, anchored at the Indian Institute of Science, Rao made pioneering and international noteworthy contribution to
solid state & materials chemistry. He has also been a visiting professor at Purdue University, the University of Oxford,
the University of Cambridge and University of California, Santa Barbara. He was the Jawaharlal Nehru Professor at the
University of Cambridge and Professorial Fellow at the Kings College, Cambridge during 1983-1984.
His work on transition metal oxides has led to basic understanding of novel phenomena & the relationship between
material properties & the structural chemistry of these materials. He has made immense contributions to
Science Page 45
material properties & the structural chemistry of these materials. He has made immense contributions to
nanomaterials over the last two decades besides his work on hybrid materials. He is the founding president of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru which has since it was started in 1989, to mark
the Nehru centenary, been engaged in promoting scientific research and training at the frontiers of science and
engineering.
He has received Honorary Doctorates from nearly 60 universities including Bordeaux, Caen, Colorado, Khartoum,
Liverpool, Northwestern, Novosibirsk, Oxford, Purdue, Stellenbosch, Universite Joseph Fourier, Wales, Wroclaw, Notre
Dame etc. He is a member of many of the worlds scientific associations, including the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society (London; FRS, 1982), French Academy, Japanese
Academy, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Pontifical Academy.
The prestigious honour has been announced just days before a road underpass connecting Malleswaram and
Yeshwantpur, named after C.N.R. Rao, is opened in Bangalore. He had also been given the honours Padma
Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the Indian Government and Karnataka Ratna by the Karnataka state government. He has
won several other international prizes and awards. He was awarded Dan David Prize in 2005, by the Dan David
Foundation, Tel Aviv University, which he shared with George Whitesides and Robert Langer. In 2005, he was conferred
the title Chevalier de la Lgion dhonneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by France, awarded by the French
Government. He is a foreign fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of
Science by the University of Calcutta in 2004.
Dr Rao has also been conferred with Chinas top science award for his important contributions in boosting Sino -India
scientific cooperation. The award was given by Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) in January 2013, which is Chinas top
academic and research institution for natural sciences.
He is the first and only Indian to reach the h-index of 100, reflecting the enormity of the body of his published
research work. Translating the feat into common mans parlance, scientists say Raos achievement is equivalent
to Sachin Tendulkar scoring 100 international centuries.
The h-index was first described in 2005 by physicist Jorge Hirsch. A scientists h-index is the greatest number of papers
he or she has published that have each amassed at least that many citations. Dr Rao, incidentally, is the only Indian
scientist and among a handful in the world with close to 50,000 citations, which puts him in the league of the biggies of
science.
27-12-2014
Has about 1,500 papers to his credit
He is one of the most prolific scientists who has dealt in diverse fields as liquid nitrogen, nano materials,
superconductivity, and more recently with artificial photosynthesis and carbon sequestering
Currently he has been working on artificial photosynthesis to produce hydrogen
It involves producing hydrogen using simple semiconductor hetero-structures made in lab using artificial
photosynthesis (using solar energy)
LOreal-UNESCO For Women in Science

Suchitra Sebastian
A physicist recently awarded 2013 LOreal-UNESCO For Women in Science UK & Ireland Fellowship
She is working on superconductors
Sunetra Gupta
an India born chemist & physicist

She is working on infectious diseases.
Her main area of interest is the evolution of diversity in pathogens
Indian scientist's EDK (Explosive Detection Kit)
Science Page 46
Indian scientist's EDK (Explosive Detection Kit)
Explosive detection kit, developed by DRDO

EDK (Explosive Detection Kit) kits have been successfully used in preventing several terrorists' attacks & even
immediately detecting the type of explosive used in the event of a bomb blast
This little box can work as a pre-blast analytical tool and as a post-blast investigative tool
A few drops of four reagents contained in four vials can detect explosives based on TNT, RDX, dynamite, & black
powder within minutes with no more than 3 to 5 milligrams of the suspected sample. It also does not require field
calibration, power or peripheral devices.
Engineer Chitra Thiyagarajan's plastic-to-fuel device
Engineer Chitra Thiyagarajan has developed a unit that converts plastic waste into a fuel similar to diesel.
All plastics except PET bottles are put in a chamber and heated in the absence of oxygen over chromium micro band
heaters (similar to those used in water immersion rods) to temperatures of between 350oC and 375oC. The gas
generated passes into another chamber with a water coolants coils on two sides. It is then pumped into another
compartment half-filled with water. The fuel floats on the surface. Non-soluble gas that passes into a condenser can
be used as an LPG alternative.
The device is not expensive and requires just three hours to generate fuel.
A 5kg unit costs around Rs 75,000 and a 25 kg variant, Rs 3 lakh.
Each kg of plastic produces 800ml of diesel.
Indians contribution to Technology
19-05-2014
How Indians have contributed to technology?
The story of Indias/Indian/Indian-American contribution to technology is not new
Satya Nadella's elevation as CEO of Microsoft marks the acme of global corporate leadership attained in recent years by
first generation Indian immigrants. While Indra Nooyi at Pepsico, Vikram Pandit at CitiBank (who has since stepped
down), Ajay Banga at Mastercard, and Anshu Jain at Deutsche Bank have already scaled the dizzy heights, Nadella's
ascension was a landmark event given Microsoft's high profile and its close association with India, fuelled in part by a
large section of its workforce being of Indian origin. Sundar Pichai, the man behind Chrome and Android; Gundotra, the
person behind Google+, Ajay Bhat invented the USB.
(The figure of 33 per cent Microsofties being of Indian origin is hyperbolic; it is less than 10 per cent, and from what Bill
Gates told this correspondent several years back, it is about 20 per cent in the engineering division.)
The story of India's/Indian/Indian-American contribution to technology is not new; it goes back at least couple of
decades, possibly more. Back in the 1990s, when I was working on a book that was eventually titled The Horse That
Flew: How India's Silicon Gurus Spread Their Wings, a librarian who was helping me with research would pull my leg
about India having invented zero ("THE zero,'' I'd correct her), as we scoured the archives for stories about Indians in
the science and technology fields. The idea for the book was triggered by then "hot male'' Sabeer Bhatia's sale of
Hotmail to Microsoft for $ 400 million. Shortly before that, Vinod Dham had been instrumental in launching the
Science Page 47
Hotmail to Microsoft for $ 400 million. Shortly before that, Vinod Dham had been instrumental in launching the
Pentium chip, and Ram Shriram (who would later fund Google and become a billionaire) was a key figure in Netscape,
the early browser favorite. Years before, Narendra Singh Kapany had done pioneering work in fiber optics, C. Kumar
Patel was recognized for cutting edge work on lasers, Arun Netravali led the team that developed high-definition
television (HDTV), and Praveen Chaudhari held patents for the erasable read-write Compact Discs, the kind you burned
music on a generation back. I chronicled several such stories in my book.
However, Indians in the management and corporate side of things was a different deal altogether. There was the
inevitable talk of a glass ceiling, and it was rare that an Indian went on to become CEO of a company, although several,
like Vinod Khosla, Umang Gupta, and Kanwal Rekhi, had founded companies and even helmed them briefly. Whitedominated America was leery of showing a minority face at the helm. It was only in the nifty noughties (2000 onwards)
that things began to change, in keeping with the changing demographics and ethos of the US itself, and the self-belief
and critical mass Indians attained, riding on the exploits of the pioneers.
In 2004, Surya Mohapatra, an alumnus of Sambalpur University and Regional Engineering College-Rourkela, his Odiya
accent untainted by decades in the US, was appointed CEO of Quest Diagnostics, a Fortune 500 company. Indra
Krishnamurthy Nooyi, who went to one of her first interviews in the US in a sari after her professor advised her to "be
yourself,'' was elevated at PepsiCo in 2006. Nagpur-born Vikram Pandit at Citibank, Francisco D'Souza, son of an Indian
diplomat, at Cognizant, and Adobe System's Shantanu Narayen, like Nadella a Hyderabad native, all scaled the top in
2007. Ravi Saligram at OfficeMax and Sanjay Mehrotra at SanDisk would make the grade by the end of the decade,
when there were at least ten CEOs of Indian origin in the Fortune 500. The numbers compared favorably with Blacks
(six CEOs), Hispanics (eight), and other Asian-Americans including Chinese, all of whose population was several times
larger than that of Asian-Indians in the US.
There were several reasons attributed for this success by a number of experts I spoke to. They ranged from the Indian
comfort with English and ease with numbers, to the fact that most Indian immigrants came from the relatively creamy
layer of Indian society (although several achievers spoke to me about the tough grind they went through in India, from
studying by candle light to walking miles to school). It all boiled down to hard work, initiative, and a hunger for success,
topped off with some luck, in an American ecosystem that recognized merit better than in India.
But fundamentally, it also went back to a society that manages the paradox of at once being religious and superstitious
and at the same time fostering a scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry; or at a higher level, balancing science and
spirituality. For instance, India is very familiar with Swami Vivekananda and his epic tour of America to address the
Congress of Religions in Chicago in 1893. Less well known is Vivekananda's extensive engagement, pursuant to his
interest in science and spirituality, with Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, the pioneers of all things electric.
A decade or so later, a young man named Gobind Behari Lal, a nephew of the Indian nationalist Lala Hardayal, left India
to come to the University of California-Berkeley, on a scholarship. Following his post-doc, he joined Hearst Newspapers
as a "science writer,'' the first time the designation was used in an American newspaper. In a career that lasted more
than half a century, he interviewed such formidable scientific titans as Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi and Max Planck,
winning a Pulitzer Prize (1937) on the way, the first for an Indian-American (Jhumpa Lahiri would come decades later,
much after Lal died in 1982). His work inspired a generation of Indian-Americans who streamed into the sciences and
technology.
Little of this was known in India, which on account of its own constricting policies and a lack of opportunity, gave up
some of its best and brightest to the US, which on its part used its immigration policy to attract them. From 1965
onwards, when immigration rules were relaxed for Indians, more than a million educated Indians have streamed into
the US for "higher studies,'' many of them staying behind to become "Indian-Americans,'' and often, particularly in case
of their children, just "Americans.'' Few who have been in the US for more than 20-25 years and who have taken US
citizenship bear any allegiance to India, and many of them find the media hysteria in India over their achievements
quite cringe-worthy
09-01-2015
Boy from Bengaluru, Thomas Kurian, 48, has been elevated as president of Oracle responsible for software
development
27-04-2015
Science Page 48
27-04-2015
Indian-origin scientist wins Heinz Award
An Indian origin scientist Sangeeta Bhatia at MIT, who has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing, has
won a prestigious $2,50,000 Heinz award for her work in tissue engineering & disease detection
Science Page 49
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

06 February 2014
18:03
IPR includes copyright, trademarks, geographical indications, designs, trade secrets, business confidential
information & data etc.
What are Intellectual Property Rights?

Broadly IPR are rights granted to creators and owners of works that are results of human intellectual creativity
These works can be in industrial, scientific, literary and artistic domains, and in the form of an invention, a
manuscript, a suite of software or a business name
IPR as a collective term includes the following IP rights Patent
Copyright
Trademark
Registered Industrial Design
Protection of IC layout design
Geographical Indications
Protection of undisclosed information
WHY do we need Intellectual Property Rights?
Due to globalization, geographical barriers to trade among nations are collapsing,
leading to emergence of multilateral trade and a new economic order.
The new knowledge economy places a tag of urgency, as the time for grasping
knowledge has become an important parameter to determine the success of an
institution, enterprise, government and industry.
The face of changing trade environment is characterized by global competition, high
innovation risks, short product cycle, need for rapid changes in technology and high
investment in R&D.
Thus the complexity of global trade would be on the increase with introduction of more
and more variables. Many product and technologies are simultaneously marketed and
utilized in many countries.
All such products and technologies are susceptible to infringement leading to inadequate
returns to the creator of knowledge. Developers of such products and technologies would like
to ensure the R&D costs and other associated costs are recovered and enough profits are
generated to invest in future R&D. Hence there is a need for Intellectual Property Rights.
NATURE of Intellectual Property Rights
Largely territorial except Copyright, which is global
Awarded by the state and are monopoly rights.
Have to be renewed from time to time. (Except Copyright and Trade Secrets)
Have fixed term. (Except Trade Secrets, Geographical indications and Trademark which
have indefinite life)
Can be assigned, gifted, sold and licensed like any other property.
Can be simultaneously held in many countries at the same time.
Can be held only by legal entities.
PATENTS
Science Page 50
PATENTS
Exclusive rights granted by a country.
Granted to the owner of an invention.
Granted for making, using, manufacturing and marketing the invention
Available for a limited period.
Territorial in nature, i.e. inventor needs to file separate patent applications for different
nations.
Definition of Invention
i. A new product or process involving an inventive step and capable of industrial
application
ii. New invention means any invention which has not been anticipated by any publication
in the country or elsewhere in the world.
iii. An invention must be
-NOVEL (Undisclosed in public, through any publication, anywhere in the world)
-NON OBVIOUS (Not obvious to person skilled in the subject matter of the patent)
-USEFUL
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
WIPO is the global body for promotion & protection of intellectual property rights (IPR)
It encourages & provides assistance to all its 188 member countries in formulating a national IPR policy, however
WIPO does not dictate or prescribe any mandatory measures
To ensure the successful implementation of an IPR policy, creating awareness among all stakeholders is a
sustainable approach rather than just relying only on punitive measures
In the WIPO's Global Innovation Index 2015 that surveyed 141 economies in the world, Indias was ranked 81
Digital Piracy
26-06-2014
US govt panel puts India on piracy watch list
India is named in the International Piracy Watch List by a US govt panel that is looking to highlight countries that
are doing little to address high rates of digital piracy
It said that India has extremely high rates of camcording piracy, high levels of unlicensed software use by
enterprises, & a lack of effective notice-&-takedown procedures for online piracy
A new study recently pointed out that online piracy levels in India remained at 60% (unlicensed rate)
According to non-profit organisation BSA, India is 2nd only to China in the Asia Pacific region in terms of commercial
value of unlicensed software sold in 2013
Copyrights
23-10-2015
Copyright does not exist for title of a literary work
The Supreme Court held that no copyright exists for the title of a literary work
Geographical Indication (GI) status

09-06-2015
The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999 provides for the registration, the
protection against infringement, & also protection for authorised users
Eg. of GI in India: Muga silk makers of Assam, Mysore Sandal soap, Darjeeling tea, the Thanjavur Veena, Banarasi
Silk
Our people have always been closely linked with the soil, the vegetation, in short the local environment to make or
Science Page 51
Our people have always been closely linked with the soil, the vegetation, in short the local environment to make or
grow our products
So, the promotion of GI has other socio-economic & environmental benefits besides just the protection of IP
It was found that the GI status of the product is not utilised to its potential, the stakeholders are unaware of the
value of their GI & its benefits, the quality of these products is not standardised, & even when made by genuine
persons, the quality varies
Also, the market for the products & the pricing are fragmented
GI owners also have a role to play in promoting their GI, but the undeniable reality is that many of them come from
groups that are less vocal & less powerful than say trademark or patent owners
A Geographical Indication or GI is Indias strength. Practically everything we grow or make is linked to a region. This
right has to be strengthened & protected
Science Page 52
Indian IP Regime
30 September 2014
17:06
Intellectual property & patents give companies an edge to compete in the competitive global markets
In defence of Indian Patent regime

For the last several years, US drug majors & their European counterparts have lobbied hard to demonise the Indian
patent regime
But Indian govt must continue to defend the law & stand its ground
India is not the only country axing bad patents
A 2012 study found that US district courts invalidated patents in almost 90% of the cases that came before them
And yet, India continues to be singled out
Indian Patents Act, 2005

The Patent Act provides measures by way of compulsory licensing (CL) to ensure that the patents do not impede the
protection of public health & nutrition, & the patent rights are not abused by the patentee (monopolisation)
Compulsory Licensing (CL)
A compulsory license is a statutorily created license that allows certain parties to use or manufacture a product
encompassed by the claims of a patent without the permission of the patent owner (patentee) in exchange for a
specified royalty
The Indian Patent Act, 2005 contains very broad compulsory licensing provisions
Two provisions of the Act that allow for compulsory licenses are Sections 84 & 92
Indias Patent Act provides for broad compulsory license provisions that are not limited to just pharmaceutical
products but encompass products from any technology
Section 84:
Grant of Compulsory License due to Non-Working/Unaffordable Prices of Patented Article
Under it, the Controller of Patents can issue CL 3 yrs after the issuance of a patent if 1 of the following conditions is
met:
1. The reasonable requirements of the public with respect to the patented invention have not been satisfied; or
2. The patented invention is not available to the public at a reasonable price; or
3. The patented invention is not worked in India
Section 83 implies that the working of the patent cannot be taken to include imports
ie. The patentee cannot hold the patent in India & import the product from another country, thereby compelling
the Indian consumer to pay an excessive price
Public Accommodation:
The Act contains a list of circumstances in which the reasonable requirements of the public will be considered not
met:
I. The patentee does not grant a license on reasonable terms thereby causing:
1. a disadvantage to a trade or industry or the development or establishment of an industry in India
2. demand for the patented product not to be sufficiently met or available on reasonable terms
3. insufficient supply or development of a market in India for the exportation of the patented article
4. a disadvantage in the establishment or development of commercial activities in India
II. The patentee imposes conditions with respect to the grant of license, sale or use of a patented product or process,
the manufacture, use or sale of non-patented materials or the establishment or development of any trade or
Science Page 53
the manufacture, use or sale of non-patented materials or the establishment or development of any trade or
industry in India, which is prejudiced
III. The patentee includes one or more of the following conditions in a license:
1. an exclusive grant-back clause for any improvements developed by the licensee on the patented product or
process
2. a clause prohibiting the licensee from challenging the validity of the licensed patent(s)
3. a clause that is essentially a coercive package license (namely, requires the licensee to purchase non-patented
items from the patentee as a condition of the license)
IV. The patentee does not work the patented invention in India to the fullest extent possible or on a commercial scale
to an adequate extent
V. The working of the patented invention on a commercial scale in India is being prevented or hindered as a result of
the importation of the patented invention by:
1. the patentee or a person authorized by him
2. persons purchasing from the patentee, either directly or indirectly
3. the infringement of the patent by a 3rd party against whom the patentee is not taking or has not taken any
action to eliminate the said infringement
Reasonable Price:
CL will be granted if a patented invention is not being made available to the public at an affordable price
For eg., Bayer was selling Nexavar for about Rs 280,000/mth compared to Natco selling the drug for about Rs
8,800/mth
Worked in India:
CL will be granted if the patented invention is not worked in India
An invention is considered to be commercially worked in India if the patented invention is: (a) manufactured in
India; (b) imported into India; (c) licensed & forms a part of a product that is sold in India; or (d) commercialized in
India in any other manner
In the case involving Nexavar, a non-exclusive, non-assignable license was given Natco. In addition, the royalty
awarded was 7%
Section 92
CLs can be granted on notification by Central Govt:
In a case of a national emergency (including a public health crisis), extreme urgency or in the event of public non commercial use; [Section 92(1)]; or
For export [Section 92A(1)]
Emergency:
The granting of compulsory licenses under section 92(1) cannot be challenged by the patentee either through an
opposition proceeding or in court
For export of Pharmaceutical Products:
Article 31(f) of the TRIPS Agreement undermined the need for the availability of medicines to the countries having
less or no manufacturing capacity through importation from other countries
WTO adopted a mechanism to resolve this problem by implementing Para 6 of the Doha Declaration on TRIPS
Agreement & Public Health in August, 2003
The Indian Patent Act was thus amended in Jan, 2005 & Section 92 (A) was incorporated for grant of CL for export of
pharmaceutical products in certain exceptional circumstances
Analysis
It is to ensure that the patents do not impede the protection of public health & nutrition
The CL therefore serves to strike balance btw 2 disparate objectives- rewarding patentees for their invention &
making the patented products, particularly pharmaceutical products, available to large population in developing &
under developed countries at cheaper & affordable cost
CLs allow 3rd parties to exploit a patented invention without the consent of the patentee
Some claim that it deprives patentees of their most important right ie. the right to say no to the exploitation of
their invention by the 3rd parties
CLs are usually granted through administrative procedures managed by a govt body
CLs history in India
In March, 2012, Indias first CL was granted by the Patent Office (PO) to Natco Pharma Ltd. (Indian generic drug
manufacturer) for producing generic version of Bayer Corporations patented medicine Nexavar (sorafenib
Science Page 54
manufacturer) for producing generic version of Bayer Corporations patented medicine Nexavar (sorafenib
tosylate), used in the treatment of Liver & Kidney cancers
The Patent Office decided Bayer on all the 3 grounds in the Patents Act for the grant of CL 1. reasonabe requirements of the public not being satisfied
2. non-availability to the public at a reasonably affordable price
3. patented invention not being worked in the territory of India
Among other important terms & conditions of the CL were directions to Natco to manufacture the patented drug
only at their own manufacturing facility, selling the drug only within the Indian Territory & supplying the patented
drug to at least 600 needy & deserving patients per yr free of cost
Aggrieved by the POs decision, Bayer immediately moved to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB)
alleging that the grant of CL was illegal & unsustainable
In March, 2013, IPAB upheld PO's decision to grant CL to Natco Pharma Ltd.
IPAB said that the right of access to affordable medicine was as a matter of right to dignity of patients
07-03-2014
Targeting Indias IP laws undermines WTOs legitimacy
A Geneva based inter-governmental organisation of developing countries has slammed US & developed world
countries for pressurising India over its IP laws
It said that targeting Indian IP laws undermines the legitimacy of WTO
Indian IP laws are fully in line with the TRIPS agreement, & reaffirmed by the Doha Declaration on TRIPS & public
health
The USTR Special 301 review for 2014 alleged that India lacks adequate & effective protection of IPRs
India & other developing & least developed countries have the right to use the flexibilities in the TRIPS Agreement
to the fullest extent for advancing public health needs & other development priorities
10-03-2014
USIBC opposes IP violator tag for India
A top US trade advocacy group US-India Business Council (USIBC) has told the USTR that it strongly recommends
against India being designated a Priority Foreign Country as being advocated by influential pharmaceutical lobbying
groups
24-03-2014
Differences over IPRs have emerged as a strong undercurrent in Indias economic relations with the US
It is an attempt by the influential pharma lobby to stymie Indias efforts to ensure the supply of medicines at
affordable rates without violating existing treaty commitments
Due to influential big pharma lobbies in the US, India was designating as a priority foreign country in USTR 2014
Special 301 Report
This label is reserved for the worst offenders of IPRs, & as a follow-up the US could impose trade sanctions such
as withdrawing tariff preferences for Indian exports
India is applying the flexibilities that are available in the existing TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights) Agreement
Tracing back
In Uruguay Round of trade talks (1994), India managed to incorporate certain flexibilities in the TRIPS agreement
In 2005, India incorporated patent protection into domestic laws. Since then, it has used the flexibilities only twice
In March 2012, it issued a compulsory licence to an Indian firm for a cancer drug, whose patent-holder, the
German multinational Bayer, had priced it well beyond the reach of a majority of Indian patients
Under another provision, countries have the option to deny a patent to a drug that involved only incremental
innovation over an existing drug
In April 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the 2006 decision of the Indian Patent Office denying the Swiss
multinational Novartis patent on a drug that involved only incremental innovation
The real issue is not about these two instances but the prospect of other countries emulating India has rattled big
pharma
India, which has not violated the treaty obligations, can challenge any prospective action by the US by taking it
before the WTO, whose dispute settlement mechanism has a good record of impartiality
Developing countries & a few developed ones are on India's side to safeguard its domestic commitment to public
health
Science Page 55
health
28-03-2014
The Global Intellectual Property Centres (GIPC) International IP Index notes India as having the weakest IP
environment on the list of 25 carefully chosen countries that figure in the index
GIPC is an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce
USTR's Special 301 report
Basics
Every year, the USTR releases the Special 301 reviewing the global state of IPR protection & enforcement
The exercise involves categorising countries based on their IPness
The good ones are praised & commended for strengthening their IP regime
The not so good ones are put either on the Watch List or the Priority Watch List, indicating that particular
problems exist in those countries with respect to IPR protection, enforcement or market access for persons relying
on IPR
The really bad ones are named as Priority Foreign Country for having the most egregious acts, policies, or
practices have the greatest adverse impact (actual or potential) on the relevant US products
Targeting India
India has been at the receiving end for uniquely incorporating a remarkable array of TRIPS flexibilities into its patent
law, which includes higher standards of patentability, a pre-grant challenge mechanism for patents & a robust
compulsory licensing regime
Since becoming a member of the WTO, India has never been categorised as a Priority Foreign Country
The GIPCs push in urging the USTR to designate India as a Priority Foreign Country has more to do with what is
happening outside India than within it
These actions appear to be directed towards putting an end to the leadership role played by India in devising an
alternative TRIPS compliant patent regime
The Indian example offers to other countries a legitimate way of complying with the TRIPS agreement
Countries like the Philippines, Brazil & South Africa have either emulated or strongly favour following Indias path
In a world devoid of alternative approaches to protecting intellectual property and promoting access to inventions,
Indias path is refreshingly fresh & balanced
19-04-2014
US pharmaceuticals sector, & trade lobbies putting pressure on US govt to put India under the Priority Foreign
Country list for IPR (which may lead to trade sanctions on India)
Under the US Trade Act, a Priority Foreign Country is the worst classification given to those which deny adequate
& effective protection of IPR or fair & equitable market access to American trade relying on IPR protection
Indias IPR regime is totally compliant with global laws, including the WTO
01-05-2014
USTR retains India on IPR Priority Watch List for 2014
US has retained India on the Priority Watch List of nations in the US Trade Representatives (USTR) Special
301annual report 2014 on global intellectual property rights (IPR) regimes, on the basis that there were growing
concerns with respect to the environment for IPR protection & enforcement in India
The report urged India to address concerns such as online piracy & amcording incidents affecting the film
industry, to promote predictability in patent laws including the question of section 3(d) of Indias Patent Act &
tackle concerns stemming from Section 84 of the Act & the Intellectual Property Appellate Boards support for the
grant of compulsory licenses
02-05-2014
USTR to look at Out-of-Cycle Review focused on India
The out-of-cycle review echoes Indias emphasis on strong govt-to-govt & govt-to-private sector engagement, as
the most effective means for resolving concerns in this area
India & the US have agreed to hold Commerce Secretary-Deputy USTR level talks
The two sides will also have dialogue in a Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting btw USTR & Union Commerce Minister
of India (TPF has not met since 2010)
Science Page 56
of India (TPF has not met since 2010)

02-05-2014
India said that its IP policy is WTO-compliant & it wont support unilateral US probe
the investigation was unilateral as it was under the US Trade Act
02-05-2014
The two allegedly problematic features of Indias IPR regime are
Section 3(d) of India's patents act, which prevents companies from being able to evergreen patents by making
minor alterations to compositions (for which Novartis lost its Glivec case)
Compulsory Licensing, by which the govt, on a case to case basis, allows a generics manufacturer to produce
patented drugs in the public interest, without the consent of the patent holder
In defence of India
The developmental imperatives of countries like India are understandably different from the US
India can also use these mechanisms carefully (not indiscriminately)
ie. Compulsory licensing should be used as a last resort
12-05-2014
Defending Indias patent law
If Gleevec was refused a patent, it is only coz it failed the test of Indian law
India's Supreme Court rejected drug maker Novartis AG's attempt to patent a new version of a cancer drug
Gleevec
Healthcare activists say ensures poor patients around the world will get continued access to cheap versions of
lifesaving medicines
The Novartis case & the Nexavar case of compulsory licence (CL) are worrying US pharma cos
Tracing back
Innovation & invention have speeded up in myriad ways in the last few decades
TRIPS recognises that members have the right to use/adopt measures to protect public health so long as they are
consistent with TRIPS
The Doha Declaration is an affirmation of the right to use the flexibilities in TRIPS, especially by developing & less
developed countries, regarding access to medicine
The language of the Doha Declaration emphasises the importance of implementing and interpreting the TRIPS
Agreement in a way that supports public health
India is committed to the obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPS)
Therefore, it was necessary for India to revisit its patent law; in 2005, the Indian Patents Act was amended,
Section 3(d) being one of the amendments
Analysis
The TRIPS agreement does not limit the grounds on which compulsory licences can be granted, & does not
prevent patent applicants from having to demonstrate enhanced efficacy for their allegedly new & useful
inventions
Indias laws & experiences could provide a useful example for low- & middle-income countries worldwide
Through its Patent law, India has attempted to balance its obligations under the international treaty & its
commitment to protect & promote the public health in India & elsewhere
Ever greening of Patent
The intellectual property of the inventor lies in the invention which is claimed to be novel, inventive & patentable
The patent is a creature of law by which the state bars public access to that invention for a fixed period
The economic reward from the invention is earned during this time after which it goes to the public domain
Section 3(d) is a test of patentability
Section 3(d) says that in the absence of evidence of enhancement of known efficacy, the mere discovery of a new
form of a new substance is not an invention deserving the grant of patent
In case of Novartis, Imatinib Mesylate was the known substance & Novartis claimed a patent for its beta -crystalline
form
All the pharmacological properties of beta crystalline form of Imatinib Mesylate are equally possessed by
Imatinib in free base form or its salt
Science Page 57
Imatinib in free base form or its salt

It means any new forms of known substances which do not have enhanced efficacy are in effect advances without
real innovation. Hence, Section 3(d) is actually a catalyst for genuine inventions
Filtering doubtful patents is the strength of our law & not its weakness
Compulsory Licensing (CL)
Anslysis
The mechanism of CL is essentially about balancing patent rights with access to medicine
The words social & economic welfare, public health, national emergency & public health
problems/crises used in the Act are all pointers to the CL provisions being centred around access to medicine
In all these years, there has been only one instance (Bayer vs. Natco case) of the grant of compulsory licence. In
fact it was refused recently for Dasatinib
23-06-2014
India should be prepared to challenge any unilateral action by the US before the WTO whose disputes settlement
mechanism has a good record of impartiality
The way forward is through discussions not confrontation
India needs foreign technologies & investment
There is a case for having a permanent mechanism for discussing patent-related issues, especially concerning the
drug industry
Points in Indias favour are patent issues are decided after a due process, never arbitrarily
very few instances of using flexibilities are indicates that India uses those safeguards selectively
Recently, despite strong recommendations from the Health Ministry, the govt refused to issue CL for production
of a copy of Bristol-Myers Squibbs cancer drug Dasatinib in India
13-10-2014
PM Modi & Obama committed to establishing an annual intellectual property (IP) working group as a core element
of the bilateral trade policy forum. US industry widely welcomed this statement.
Recently Modi govt. announced plans to establish an overarching intellectual property policy that, in concept,
would both define Indias approach to intellectual property and enhance the clarity and transparency of its relevant
laws.
With this new approach India has an opportunity to establish a legal and regulatory framework that solidifies its
future economic competitiveness and unleashes its vast innovative potential.
The WTO agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights clearly commits parties to a three step patentability test of novelty, inventiveness and industrial applicability. In the pharmaceutical space, the
addition of enhanced efficacy as a fourth step in Section 3(D) in India seems to cause problems for Foreign
companies.
India has an enormous backlog of pending patent applications. Steps to streamline the bureaucratic process and
provide essential administrative and judicial tools for fair, transparent resolution of disputes would be an important
contribution to an enhanced Indian environment for innovation.
16-10-2014
US launches review of Indias Intellectual Property Regime
The USTRs Out-of-Cycle (OCR) Review follows the 2014 Special 301 Report that came out in April, in which the U.S.
Trade Representative (USTR) had placed India on the Priority Watch List
Specifically, the out-of-cycle review is focused on engagement, what type of engagement has India pursued in terms
of intellectual property.
Prime Minister Modi and President Barack Obama committed to establish an annual high-level Intellectual Property
(IP) Working Group with appropriate decision-making and technical-level meetings as part of the TPF during the
former's visit to US.
30-10-2014
Why Indias record is seen as dismal
a constant irritant for global pharma is a provision of the Indian Patents Act, Section 3(d)
The main content of 3(d) is to do with an efficacy clause, which states that the new form of a known substance
would only be entitled for a patent if it resulted in the enhancement of a known efficacy of that substance
Science Page 58
In other words, drugs with minor improvements, or evergreened drugs, will not be eligible for patents unless they
are proven to have extra efficacy
Section 3(d) has become the basis of patent offices rulings, court injunctions, & judgments in several cases
It includes rulings on Novartiss Glivec (an anti-cancer drug), Boehringer Ingelheims nevirapine (an anti-HIV drug),
Glaxos lapatinib (anti-cancer) & Allegans two HIV drug patents
The efficacy clause of Section 3(d) is usually seen only as a health safeguard that restricts patents on drugs which
lack the novelty criterion and therefore permits the play of generic drugs, cheaper and more accessible, in the
market
If novelty is the foundational edifice of the global patent regime then India actually exhibits greater compliance with
the original idea of novelty
India has often been accused of not being TRIPS compliant
But Article 27 of TRIPS agreement says that patents will be available for novel inventions, capable of industrial
application, ironically novelty is left undefined
This means that member states can adopt their own understanding of what is novel, varying in stringency,
depending on what suits their national & rational agendas
Strategy to evergreen blockbuster patented drugs
This strategy entails making slight improvements on the basic invention through new drug delivery systems, new
dosage forms etc, and claiming multiple patents on these minor improvements, thus extending the patent life of the
drug
The debate on what constitutes efficacy, invention and novelty is likely to get more intense
more countries planning to incorporate 3(d)-type precautionary principles in their patent legislations
Philippines & Argentina already have similar patent legislation
It is important that we not only assert the potential of progressive legislations like 3(d), but also leverage the
sovereign space of co-equal rights
04-11-2014
MNCs, industry bodies back Indias IP regime
Multinational organisations including PepsiCo and industry associations like Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA),
have come in favour of Indias intellectual property regime, which is being reviewed by the US administration
Between January 2005 and 10 October 2014, India has granted 1,039 patents to domestic companies, while 3,575
patents have been granted to foreign firms
Proactive steps by India
global recognition of the attractiveness of India as destination of FDI
willingness to engage in dialogue to remove impediments to FDI
making of IP policy & its implementation & evolving jurisprudence
to recognize the concerted efforts being made to improve functioning of Indian Patent Office
15-11-2014
initiation of the Out-of-Cycle Review (OCR) by USTR which evaluates whether there has been any meaningful
progress in engaging Indias new government on intellectual property (IP) concerns
compulsory licence was issued for Nexavar, a drug to treat kidney and liver cancer, over which Bayer held a patent
(Nexavar was priced at $4,700 per month)
SC denied patent protection on Glivec, a drug owned by Novartis
Interestingly, in the past year the US Supreme Court overturned the decisions of the Federal Circuit in five out of the
six considered patent disputes
US & India agreed to set up a high-level Working Group on IP within the Trade Policy Forum (TPF), which is evidence
of Indias commitment to have a substantive good faith dialogue on IP concerns
with the establishment of WTO, the role of the USTR in policing the world with the threat of unilateral sanctions
appears highly questionable & India should not shy from taking legal recourse at the WTO should the U.S. impose
such sanctions
The US Pharma lobby is pushing for changes in Indias patent laws & refuses to recognise Indias legitimate public
policy concerns & the flexibilities established as an outcome of international trade negotiations
India should be careful not to dismantle a hard-bargained & well-established structure of the existing patent system
India must use the access that the TPF will provide to address protectionist hurdles that Indian goods and services
face in the US
Science Page 59
face in the US
India will seek to address concerns on geographical indications (GIs), online piracy of Indian movies & traditional
knowledge (TK) in the agenda of the Working Group
the Working Group on IP can serve as a platform where real time solutions to meet Indias need for low cost
medicines can be addressed
India should emphasise that one way to avoid unpopular compulsory licensing is to instead focus on fostering a
climate whereby innovator companies are encouraged to voluntarily license in collaboration with Indian generic
companies much like Gilead has done recently to bring down the price of a hepatitis C drug by licensing to 8 generic
companies
India can achieve meaningful results by engaging with industry experts to use the Working Group on IP as forum for
setting tangible & realisable goals that will benefit constituents on both sides
30-10-2014
Why Indias record is seen as dismal
a constant irritant for global pharma is a provision of the Indian Patents Act, Section 3(d)
The main content of 3(d) is to do with an efficacy clause, which states that the new form of a known substance
In other words, drugs with minor improvements, or evergreened drugs, will not be eligible for patents unless they
are proven to have extra efficacy
Section 3(d) has become the basis of patent offices rulings, court injunctions, & judgments in several cases
It includes rulings on Novartiss Glivec (an anti-cancer drug), Boehringer Ingelheims nevirapine (an anti-HIV drug),
Glaxos lapatinib (anti-cancer) & Allegans two HIV drug patents
The efficacy clause of Section 3(d) is usually seen only as a health safeguard that restricts patents on drugs which
lack the novelty criterion and therefore permits the play of generic drugs, cheaper and more accessible, in the
market
If novelty is the foundational edifice of the global patent regime then India actually exhibits greater compliance with
the original idea of novelty
India has often been accused of not being TRIPS compliant
But Article 27 of TRIPS agreement says that patents will be available for novel inventions, capable of industrial
application, ironically novelty is left undefined
This means that member states can adopt their own understanding of what is novel, varying in stringency,
depending on what suits their national & rational agendas
Strategy to evergreen blockbuster patented drugs
This strategy entails making slight improvements on the basic invention through new drug delivery systems, new
dosage forms etc, and claiming multiple patents on these minor improvements, thus extending the patent life of the
drug
The debate on what constitutes efficacy, invention and novelty is likely to get more intense
more countries planning to incorporate 3(d)-type precautionary principles in their patent legislations
Philippines & Argentina already have similar patent legislation
It is important that we not only assert the potential of progressive legislations like 3(d), but also leverage the
sovereign space of co-equal rights
15-12-2014
Generic drug makers get a boost from SC ruling
In a significant development for the pharmaceutical industry, the Supreme Court has rejected multinational Bayers
appeal to block production & sales of the low cost version of its kidney cancer drug, sorafenib tosylate (branded as
Nexavar), by Natco Pharmaceuticals
Hyderabad-based Natco was granted the first and to date only compulsory licence (CL) by the government in 2012
to make and sell a patented drug at a fraction of the price at which it was sold by the patent holder, Bayer
The intention is to have wide reach, accessibility and affordability for medicines
The development will act as a fillip for generic manufacturers and encourage manufacture of affordable drugs to
increase accessibility
Being the first and only CL granted by the government to date, it is definitely a positive development for Indian
generic drug manufacturers
22-12-2014
Science Page 60
22-12-2014
patients group & aid charities are sceptical about the startlingly high estimates of the drug development costs
16-01-2015
Gileads patent application for its blockbuster drug sofosbuvir was rejected by the Indian patent office earlier this
month
Sofosbuvir is considered a breakthrough drug in the treatment of Hepatitis C & Gileads application covered the
metabolites of sofosbuvir
The main patent application for the product is still pending & Gilead is to appeal against the decision
27-01-2015
US concerns over India's IPR are misplaced
05-02-2015
India at the bottom of GIPC index
After being ranked last for consecutive two years, India has now moved up one position to 29th on protection &
enforcement of IP practices, a US Chamber of Commerces Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) report says
13-03-2015
The concept of claiming IPR over natural resources will be detrimental to the survival rights of an individual
20-03-2015
Science Page 61
14-07-2015
India has been recognised by the World Intellectual Property Organization as the 17th International Search
Authority & International Preliminary Examining Authority in the world
Voluntary licensing model & other models

27-09-2014
New drug era
Alternative forms of licensing
The deal btw Gilead (US pharmaceutical company), & 7 Indian generic firms, to manufacture & distribute an Sovaldi
(hepatitis C antiviral drug) in low- & middle-income countries
Sovaldi, a patented hepatitis C drug had revolutionised treatment
Analysis
Given the increased patent scrutiny & the mounting pressure of instruments such as compulsory licencing & drug
price control, innovators are looking to partner with generic companies for local manufacture & distribution of their
drugs at cheaper prices
Concerns
On the other side of the fence, the advent of biologics, a species that is often difficult to copy, & increased
regulatory pressures are forcing generic firms to ally with drug innovators
Growing partnerships btw local generics & global innovators could also mean that public health & affordable
access can take a severe beating as it will mean fewer patent challenges
Hence, govt cannot relying on free-market competition from the generic sector to bring drug prices down. It has
to play a more active role to bring affordable healthcare & revive its pharma PSUs
21-01-2015
Gilead licences Strides to make, distribute AIDS drug in 112 countries
US pharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences has signed a licensing agreement with Bengaluru -based Strides Arcolab,
under which Gilead has extended non-exclusive rights to Strides to make & distribute Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF)
TAF is a novel NRTI used in HIV patients in the treatment of AIDS
In Sept, 2014, Gilead signed agreements with 7 Indian generic drug manufacturers licensing them to make
sofosbuvir to supply it to 90 countries
Sofosbuvir is priced at $84,000 per patient in the US, & the effective price for generic version is around $900 & a
10% royalty
Gileads chosen voluntary licensing model is refreshing, & will certainly earn it goodwill. It ensures protection of
intellectual property (IP) & simultaneously ensures access to medicines
Other multinational pharmaceutical giants such as GSK opt for a price differentiated model for developing markets
mainly for their older products, which Merck uses the discounted model, pricing its drugs at 75% of US prices
Pharmaceutical multinationals prefer Indian manufacturers over other generic manufacturing destinations like
South Africa & Brazil coz India is already supplying generics to 200 countries & has proven capability, cost effectiveness & quality
30-03-2015
In the highly competitive global pharmaceutical market, US pharmaceutical major, Gilead Sciences set a precedent
in 2014 by being the first company to offer a 'voluntary licence' for its blockbuster, break-through drug sofosbuvir
used in the treatment of Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
The alternative to the voluntary license is the compulsory license, which has been a non-starter in the Indian
context with Natco securing India's first & to-date only compulsory licence in 2012 to launch generic version of
Nexavar, Bayer's drug for liver & kidney cancer
Science Page 62
Nexavar, Bayer's drug for liver & kidney cancer

Other pharmaceutical giants such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) & Merck have opted for different models. GSK has
opted for a differentiated pricing model for developing markets while Merck follows a discounted model for those
markets
Voluntary licensing has the potential to be a trend-setter as it ensures protection of intellectual property (IP) for
patent-holders & simultaneously ensures access to medicines, a balance the industry has been striving to achieve
Draft National IPR Policy

India has been under pressure from foreign countries to strengthen its IP regime, after multinational
pharmaceutical firms have had adverse verdicts in recent times
09-09-2014
Centre working on a comprehensive IPR policy
Govt will frame a comprehensive policy on IPR to further strengthen the country's patent regime & deal with issues
raised by developed countries
Dept of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) will also set up a think tank on IPR to deal with the issues being raised
by developed nations & protect interest of India on IPR-related matters
25-10-2014
6-member expert group, set up by DIPP to draft the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy & to advice DIPP
on IPR issues
The panel, to be chaired by retired Justice Prabha Sridevan
The terms of reference
To draft National Intellectual Property Rights Policy.
To identify areas in IPRs where study needs to be conducted & to furnish recommendations in this regard to
Ministry.
To provide views on the possible implications of demands placed by the negotiating partners.
To keep the Government regularly informed about the developments taking place in IPR cases which have an
impact upon India's IPR Policy.
To advise Govt on best practices to be followed in Trademark Offices, Patent Offices & other Government Offices
dealing with IPR in order to create an efficient and transparent system of functioning
To prepare periodic reports on best practice followed in foreign countries.
To highlight anomalies in the present IPR legislations & to advice possible solutions to the Ministry
To give suggestions on the steps that may be taken for improving infrastructure in IP offices & Tribunals
To examine the current issues raised by industry associations & those that may have appeared in media & to give
suggestions to the Ministry on such issues
The decision assumes significance as the Obama administration in the recent times has been strongly criticising Indias
investment climate & IPR laws, especially in the pharmaceuticals & the solar sectors
05-02-2015
The recently released Draft National IPR Policy recognised the fundamental links btw IP, innovation & the successful
development of innovative products
03-05-2015
the industry was surprised with the PM Modis statement that India needed to align its patent laws with
international standards
World-wide, there is no correlation btw an IPR & FDI
The industry particularly wants the govt not to introduce data exclusivity, which bars Indian Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) from approving a competitors product as long as exclusivity on the data lasts even for off patent medicines
Granting data exclusivity does away with the recourse to pre-grant oppositions & compulsory licensing
Being a major producer of generic drugs, it would also hinder bulk procurers like MSF (Doctors Without Borders)
& bring into question the future of the public procurement programmes
Accepting it would lead to monopolies on patented & non-patented products through a regulatory process
Science Page 63
Accepting it would lead to monopolies on patented & non-patented products through a regulatory process
The TRIPS Agreement requires protection of data, not data exclusivity, which in the present context is
synonymous with market exclusivity
06-05-2015
Indian courts have invoked the common law of trade secrecy & breach of confidence to protect trade secrets when
appropriate
07-05-2015
The Indian Patents Act 2005 provides for a high standard of patentability, allows for compulsory licensing provisions &
pre- & post-grant objection to patents
The progressive Act has been invoked in several judgments recently in relation to pharmaceutical patents for eg.
the Supreme Court upheld the sale of a generic version of the cancer drug Nexavar in Dec 2014, & upheld the Indian
patent offices rejection of Novartiss application for a patent for its anti-cancer drug, Glivec
It must be mentioned that patent laws in India are compliant with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
The restrictive patenting laws have protected a thriving generic pharmaceutical industry producing low -cost drugs
in India. The industry has gradually become export-driven, resulting in these companies becoming keen to tie up
with major pharmaceutical companies abroad by seeking voluntary licensing arrangements
Other countries have also looked at Indias Patents Act as a model, with affordability of pharma products & drugs
being a key concern
18-05-2015
The Indian Patents Act, 1970 was amended in 2005 to bring its laws in line with the agreement on TRIPS
The most important of those amendments related to the introduction of product patents for 20 years, including
for pharmaceutical products
Significant safeguards were built into the legislation. These included debarring of ever greening patents, a
process by which the patent holder seeks to extend the life of patents by some minor tinkering with the
products
The amended legislation also expanded the scope of compulsory licensing & introduced for the first time post
grant opposition to patents (Provisions relating to pre-grant opposition were retained)
The legislation raised the bar for what constitutes an invention & what cannot be patented in India
The above provisions served Indian consumers well by keeping the price of some important drugs dealing with
critical illnesses such as cancer under check
The Patent offices rulings have by & large been upheld by the highest courts
Inevitably big pharma have lobbied with their govts to force India to dilute the provisions
The Office of the USTR is part of the executive office of the US President & apart from being the chief trade
negotiator of the US govt, has enormous clout over the conduct of trade across the world
On April 30, 2015, the office of the USTR named India & China among 13 countries, which were placed on a
priority list, requiring close scrutiny for their alleged IPR weaknesses in diverse areas including pharma, IT &
publishing
India while being on the priority list was not designated a priority watch country, which might have led to penal
action against India
The govt has done well to release a draft IPR policy in the public domain
Taking a balanced approach, it says that existing laws that seek to protect the rights & incentives of
innovators on the one hand & public interest on the other would remain
However it also calls for legislative changes to keep pace with economic & technological developments
IPR challenges have to be met increasingly through political action & diplomacy. The govt needs to strengthen its
decision-making process & boost the skills of its negotiators
An important initiative of the NDA govt has been the setting up of an IPR think tank which among other tasks,
will help in the formulation of a National Intellectual Property Rights policy
India does not have an IPR policy but it has a strong legal foundation
Important precedents have been set especially in pharma-related matters
Besides, there is a well functioning Patents office with sufficient experience to grant patents & uphold consumer
interests. From here a new, well balanced policy should not be too difficult
Science Page 64
07-06-2015
Indias IPR remains a contentious issue with the USTR questioning the countrys patent regime
The USTR had last year initiated a unilateral probe into the countrys patent laws following concerns raised by
lobby groups
The Special 301 report 2015 of the US ranked India under the priority watch list
Following the concerns raised, the govt in 2014 announced that a national IPR policy would be framed to
safeguard Indias interest
05-11-2015
India has been able to use all the flexibilities under TRIPS to deliver affordable generic drugs
Thanks to India, > 10.5 million African lives have been saved
Science Page 65
Particle physics
04 January 2016
23:05
04-01-2016 GS III S&T by Dr.Tilak HR

Role of Indians in particle physics
Top physicists from across the world acknowledge the emergence of India as a key player in modern particle &
nuclear physics
Indias particle physics research initiatives
After playing a key role in international research initiatives like the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN to find the
Higgs Boson, India is participating in several mega initiatives a global nuclear fusion experiment called
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France, a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO-India) & a world-class, underground India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)
The ITER project
The ITER project involves the EU, the US, Russia, China, Japan & South Korea apart from India, will create the
worlds largest confined plasma physics experiment facility in an effort to move towards full-fledged nuclear
fusion plants for power generation
The reactor is scheduled to begin basic experiments by 2020 & will produce 500 MW using nominal energy
inputs
Nearly 10% of the contribution in the ITER project is from India. This will help in leapfrogging Indias nuclear
fusion programme
The INO
The Rs 1,500-crore observatory for neutrinos (a subatomic particle) is planned near Theni in Tamil Nadu
India is a pioneer in neutrino research since the worlds first-ever neutrino research facility was created at the
Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka in 1965
LIGO-India
LIGO-India is an international collaboration to study gravitational waves, which were incidentally first theorised
in Albert Einsteins Theory of General Relativity
Scientists from the US, UK, Germany & Australia, under the aegis of an Indian Initiative for Gravitational
Observations (IndIGO), will help Indian scientists set up & operate a world-class observatory
Science Page 66
Neutrinos
12 February 2015
11:06
Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE)
24-02-2014
US researchers have given details of a plan for one of the biggest physics experiments ever built.
Scientists at Fermilab, just outside Chicago, want to fire a beam of particles called neutrinos through 1,300km (800
miles) of rock some 30km below the surface.
The experiment's aim is to learn more about how the Universe was created.
It is a $1.5bn (1bn) US project.
Those involved describe it as the most important experiment since the search for the Higgs boson. It is the next big
thing in particle physics.
"It is as big as the search for the Higgs and will revolutionise our understanding of physics."
Neutrino Particle
Second most abundant particle in the Universe, after photons of light

Means "small neutral one" in Italian; was first proposed by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930
Uncharged, and created in nuclear reactions and some radioactive decay chains
Shown to have a tiny mass, but hardly interacts with other particles of matter
Comes in three flavours, or types, referred to as muon, tau and electron
These flavours are able to oscillate - flip from one type to another - during flight
Could be a Majorana particle - that is a particle that is equal to its anti-particle
Flavour flip
Neutrinos are ghostly particles that permeate the Universe. They hardly interact with our world, tending to pass right
through the Earth.
But 16 years ago, Japanese researchers discovered that these ephemeral flecks did indeed have mass, and not only
that - they changed from one form, or flavour, to another as they travelled.
This solved a puzzling observation made by US researchers in a South Dakota mine decades earlier. They found that
they were not detecting as many neutrinos coming from the Sun as they were expecting.
The Japanese result suggested that some of them had changed into another type of neutrino on their way to Earth.
This discovery cannot be explained by the current theory of sub-atomic physics. So some physicists believe that by
finding out how these neutrinos change flavour and determining their exact mass will give a deeper understanding of
how the Universe works and specifically how it came into being
Matter trick
Current theories of creation suggest that shortly after the Big Bang, there were equal amounts of matter (from which
our Universe is made) and anti-matter.
If that were the case, the two would have cancelled each other out - and yet here we are.
Some believe that contained within the neutrino's oscillation is the cosmic sleight-of-hand - called CP violation in the
jargon - that enabled some matter to survive after the Big Bang.
"Neutrinos tell us something about the origins of the Universe," said Prof Soldner-Rembold. "We know there is more
matter than anti-matter in the Universe, and that is why we are all here.
"But we don't really understand why, and neutrinos might provide a key to why there is more matter than anti-matter
and ultimately why we are here."
It is more likely for neutrinos to change from one type to another if they pass through rock.
Science Page 67
and ultimately why we are here."

It is more likely for neutrinos to change from one type to another if they pass through rock.
So, in order to maximise the chances of seeing this rare event, Fermilab plans to create a beam that will send trillions of
neutrinos every second through 1,300km of rock from Illinois to a giant detector in South Dakota.
The beam itself will start 1.5km under the surface, and at its greatest depth will be some 30km down.
The construction of the project is expected to be completed in 10 years' time.

Such experiments do not come cheap, and Fermilab's plan is one of three big experiments that have been proposed to
study neutrinos. The others are a European initiative led by Cern, and one suggested by the Japanese.
How many of these experiments can be funded by the international community is unclear, and the three proposals
have been involved in a very high-stakes game of poker to determine which experiment will get the nod.
Some argue that the European and Japanese experiments are better in their own way. But there is also an argument
that the Americans deserve this one. Europe already has the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, and siting the neutrino lab
in the US means it too would have a particle physics flagship.
So, having secured congressional backing for the LBNE project this year, it may be that the Americans now hold the
strongest hand, especially with India, Italy and now the UK lining up behind Fermilab
12-02-2015
No damage with artificially produced neutrinos
China, using neutrinos (artificial) from their Daya Bay nuclear reactor has measured one of the parameters
associated with neutrino oscillations
The US is developing an experiment called the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility to beam neutrinos from Fermilab to
Homestake mines (in the US) in which scientists from various countries including India are participating
neutrinos may even play a role in maintaining peace. They can be used to monitor nuclear reactors to check if
anyone is making away with stores of plutonium which can be used in making nuclear weapons. This is a part of
ongoing research in France
Science Page 68
INO
31 March 2014
07:03
India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

A neutrino observatory needs to be very big & must ensure low radioactivity underground with utmost attention to
a clean environment
The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project is a multi-institutional effort supported by Govt of India aimed
at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover of approx.1200 m for non-accelerator based high
energy & nuclear physics research in India
It is India's ambitious and largest ever Rs 1,500 crore science research project to study atmospheric neutrinos
The project includes
(a) construction of an underground laboratory and associated surface facilities at Pottipuram in Bodi West hills of
Theni District of Tamil Nadu,
(b) construction of a Iron Calirometer (ICAL) detector for studying neutrinos
(c) setting up of National Centre for High Energy Physics at Madurai, for the operation and maintenance of the
underground laboratory
Neutrinos are tiny, neutral particles that travel at the speed of light and interact with matter so weakly that trillions
of these particles zip right through our body every second without stopping.
Detecting neutrinos whether produced by cosmic rays striking nuclei in the atmosphere or by nuclear fusion in the
Suns core therefore requires massive detectors to increase the chances of spotting these fleeting particles as they
plough their way through the Earth.
Neutrino detectors are thus usually located deep underground in locations that allow the rock above to absorb the
copious amounts of cosmic rays that would otherwise blanket the signal.
ICAL has two features that makes it different
1. One is that it will be able to distinguish between atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos because when they
interact with the detector material, they produce particles with opposite charges that are bent in different
directions by the iron magnet.
2. ICAL will be able to measure both the energy and direction of these particles.
INO shall shed light on the mass of neutrinos, understanding neutrino oscillation which could point to why there is
so much more matter than antimatter in the universe.
One important benefit of INO is that it has led to training a new generation of researchers in the art and science of
neutrino detection through PhD program
31-03-2014
An elusive detector for an elusive particle
The delay of a go-ahead from the Cabinet for an indigenously designed neutrino detector is demoralising for scientists
because it could turn investors away
Science Page 69
In the late 1990s, a group of Indian physicists pitched the idea of building a neutrino observatory in the country. The
product of that vision is the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) slated to come up near Theni district in Tamil
Nadu, by 2020. According to the 12th Five Year Plan report released in October 2011, it will be built at a cost of
Rs.1,323.77 crore, borne by the Departments of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Science & Technology (DST).
By 2012, these government agencies, with the help of 26 participating institutions, were able to obtain environmental
clearance, and approvals from the Planning Commission and the Atomic Energy Commission. Any substantial flow of
capital will happen only with Cabinet approval, which has still not been given after more than a year.
If this delay persists, the Indian scientific community will face greater difficulty in securing future projects involving
foreign collaborators because we cant deliver on time. Worse still, bright Indian minds that have ideas to test will
prioritise foreign research labs over local facilities.
Big science is international
This month, the delay acquired greater urgency. On March 24, the Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing, announced
that it was starting construction on Chinas second major neutrino research laboratory the Jiangmen Underground
Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), to be completed at a cost of $350 million (Rs. 2,100 crore) by 2020.
Apart from the dates of completion, what Indian physicists find more troubling is that, once ready, both INO and JUNO
will pursue a common goal in fundamental physics. Should China face fewer roadblocks than India does, our neighbour
could even beat us to some seminal discovery. This is not a jingoistic concern for a number of reasons.
All big science conducted today is international in nature. The worlds largest scientific experiments involve
participants from scores of institutions around the world and hundreds of scientists and engineers. In this paradigm, it
is important for countries to demonstrate to potential investors that theyre capable of delivering good results on time
and sustainably. The same paradigm also allows investing institutions to choose whom to support.
India is a country with prior experience in experimental neutrino physics. Neutrinos are extremely elusive fundamental
particles whose many unmeasured properties hold clues about why the universe is the way it is.
In the 1960s, a neutrino observatory located at the Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka became one of the worlds first
experiments to observe neutrinos in the Earths atmosphere, produced as a by-product of cosmic rays colliding with its
upper strata. However, the laboratory was shut in the 1990s because the mines were being closed.
However, Japanese physicist Masatoshi Koshiba and collaborators built on this observation with a larger neutrino
detector in Japan, and went on to make a discovery that (jointly) won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2002. If Indian
physicists had been able to keep the Kolar mines open, by now we could have been on par with Japan, which hosts the
world-renowned Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory involving more than 900 engineers.
Importance of time, credibility

Science Page 70
Importance of time, credibility

In 1998, physicists from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, were examining a mathematical
parameter of neutrinos called theta-13. As far as we know, neutrinos come in three types, and spontaneously switch
from one type to another (Koshibas discovery).
The frequency with which they engage in this process is influenced by their masses and sources, and theta-13 is an
angle that determines the nature of this connection. The IMSc team calculated that it could at most measure 12. In
2012, the Daya Bay neutrino experiment in China found that it was 8-9, reaffirming the IMSc results and drawing
attention from physicists because the value is particularly high. In fact, INO will leverage this largeness to investigate
the masses of the three types of neutrinos relative to each other.
So, while the Indian scientific community is ready to work with an indigenously designed detector, the delay of a goahead from the Cabinet becomes demoralising because we automatically lose time and access to resources from
potential investors.
This is why were calling it an India-based observatory, not an Indian observatory, because we seek foreign
collaborators in terms of investment and expertise, says G. Rajasekaran, former joint director of IMSc, who is involved
in the INO project.
On the other hand, China appears to have been both prescient and focussed on its goals. It purchased companies
manufacturing the necessary components in the last five years, developed the detector technology in the last 24
months, and was confident enough to announce completion in barely six years. Thanks to its Daya Bay experiment
holding it in good stead, JUNO is poised to be an international collaboration, too. Institutions from France, Germany,
Italy, the U.S. and Russia have evinced interest in it.
Beyond money, there is also a question of credibility. Once Cabinet approval for INO comes through, it is estimated
that digging the vast underground cavern to contain the principal neutrino detector will take five years, and the
assembly of components, another year more. We ought to start now to be ready in 2020.
Because neutrinos are such elusive particles, any experiments on them will yield correspondingly unsure results that
will necessitate corroboration by other experiments. In this context, JUNO and INO could complement each other.
Similarly, if INO is delayed, JUNO is going to look for confirmation from experiments in Japan, South Korea and the U.S.
It is notable that the INO laboratorys design permits it to also host a dark-matter decay experiment, in essence
accommodating areas of research that are demanding great attention today. But if what can only be called an undue
delay on the governments part continues, we will again miss the bus.
06-01-2015
Cabinet clears INO project
It is projected as the largest basic sciences project in India
The project will be set up near Pottipuram village in the Bodi West Hills of Theni district, Tamil Nadu
This project aims at building a world-class underground laboratory primarily to study neutrinos
Determination of neutrino masses & mixing parameters is the most significant open problem in particle physics
today & is the key goal of INO project
The underground facility will develop into a full-fledged science laboratory for other studies as well in physics,
biology, geology, all of which will exploit the special conditions existing in deep underground
In addition, an Inter-In- stitutional Centre for High Energy Physics will be established at Madurai, about 110 km
from the proposed INO site for operationalising the underground laboratory, for detector R&D & human resource
development
The govt has also approved the construction of a 50 kilo ton magnetised Iron Calorimeter detector to study
properties of neutrinos & to address the issue of neutrino mass hierarchy
An important outcome of the project will be training young researchers in large- scale experimental science,
including detector instrumentation technology, an area which needs strong development in the country
08-01-2015
A pioneer in the field of neutrino science, India was a world leader in 1965
Science Page 71
A pioneer in the field of neutrino science, India was a world leader in 1965
In the mid-1990s, with the closing of Kolar Gold Fields which was the site of the experiments, experimental neutrino
research in India came to a halt, & the INO is expected to revive the lost advantage
The 3 types of neutrinos, which were initially thought to be massless, are now believed to have a small mass
This was shown by observations of neutrino oscillation, which is a phenomenon by which one type of neutrino
transforms into another
There is a hierarchy among the masses of these 3 types of neutrino & the experiments at the INO will study this
mass ordering using a magnetised iron calorimeter (ICAL)
The ICAL is a massive detector which will be made of iron (50,000 tonnes)
The project will be housed in the Bodi West Hills about 100 km from Madurai, Tamil Nadu
the need for such a massive detector & for drilling underground is that the neutrinos interact very weakly with the
surroundings (neutrinos just pass through objects without leaving a trace). Since they interact so weakly, detecting
them over other interactions is impossible
We need to have a barrier of at least 1 km of earth to block out other radiation & particles, such as muons from
cosmic rays (hence going underground)
They will construct a tunnel at a depth of 1,300 metres below the peak, which is 2 km X 7.5m X 7.5m. This will lead
to a chamber that will house the detector
08-02-2015
Neutrinos are the 2nd most abundant sub-atomic particles in the universe after photons
neutrinos are without a charge but considered to have a small, but as-yet undetermined, mass
It is one of the several fundamental particles the universe is built of
Though present everywhere, these are extremely hard to detect because they interact poorly with other objects.
They pass through most objects, including the human body, without any trace
They are so small that they remained undiscovered till 1956
Source of neutrinos
The most common sources of neutrinos are celestial phenomena the birth & death of stars, collisions &
explosions happening in space
The core of the sun is an important source of neutrinos
Every fusion reaction in the sun, in which 2 hydrogen atoms get fused into 1 helium atom, releases 2 neutrinos
Most of the neutrinos present in the universe are supposed to have been produced at the time of Big Bang (330
neutrinos occupy every cc3 of space)
The INO project
Detection of neutrons is the first step in the study of its properties
The INO will place a specially-built iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector about 1.5 km under the ground, where the
chances of detecting a neutron are greater
The two main objectives of the project are to determine the mass of the neutrinos & establish the mass ordering
(which one is heavier) of the 3 known types of neutrinos electron, muon & tau
(330 neutrinos occupy every cc3 of space)
100 TRILLION neutrinos are supposed to pass through a human body every second
RS 1 ,500 crore is the estimated cost of the project
50,000 tonnes of magnets will make up the iron calorimeter detector
Science Page 72
50,000 tonnes of magnets will make up the iron calorimeter detector

23 institutions are part of the project as of now. Over a 100 physicists & engineers are part of it
The INO project is expected to be ready by 2020
This underground facility will develop into a full- fledged laboratory for many kinds of studies in physics, biology,
geology & other disciplines & would become a huge scientific asset for basic science research
Spin-off benefits: Detector technologies have implications for development of other equipment such as medical
imaging (internet developed as a spin-off technology at CERN)
India & neutrinos
An underground laboratory for the study of neutrinos was created in 1951 in the gold mines of Kolar in Karnataka,
but it shut down when the mines closed in 1992
In fact, this laboratory was the first one to establish that the interaction of cosmic rays with the atmosphere also
generated neutrinos
Such neutrinos were detected in this laboratory in 1965 & it was the first concrete proof of what was until then only
a theory
Comments
Coz most of the neutrinos belong to the Big Bang age & have remained unchanged ever since due to their weak
interactive nature, scientists believe they can reveal some information about the way the universe started & the
manner it changed over time
17-06-2015
In the 1960s, India led neutrino research using a gold mine at Kolar in Karnataka called the Kolar Gold Field Lab
(1965). It enabled researchers to detect atmospheric neutrinos. In 1992, when the mine became uneconomical, the
laboratory was shut down
The Magnetized Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) being set up at INO will be among the largest ever in the world, weighing
over 50,000 tonnes
Neutrinos, first proposed by Swiss scientist Wolfgang Pauli in 1930, are the 2nd most widely occurring particle in the
universe (1st is photons)
In fact, neutrinos are so abundant that there are > 100 trillion of them passing right through each of us every
second
This is the reason why INO needs to be built deep into the earth 1,300 metres into the earth
At this depth, it would be able to keep itself away from all the trillions of neutrinos produced in the
atmosphere
Neutrinos have been in the universe literally since forever, being almost 14 billion years old as much as the
universe itself
Neutrinos occur in 3 different types, or flavours: v{-e}, v & v
These are separated in terms of different masses
Neutrinos have a tiny mass, but the ordering of the neutrino mass states is not known & is one of the key
questions that remain unanswered till today. This is a major challenge INO will set to resolve
Neutrinos are the least harmful of all elementary particles, as they almost never react with solid bodies
The mean free path for iron, or the average distance a neutrino will travel in say an iron rod, before
interacting with an atom, is about 1 light year
Potential uses
Neutrinos hide within them a vast pool of knowledge & could open up new vistas in the fields of astronomy &
astrophysics, communication & even in medical imaging
Neutrinos may have a role to play in nuclear non-proliferation through the remote monitoring of nuclear reactors
The plutonium-239 which is made via nuclear transmutation in the reactor from uranium-238 can potentially be
used in nuclear devices by terrorist groups
Using appropriate neutrino detectors, the plutonium content can be monitored remotely & used to detect any
pilferage
Understanding neutrinos can help us detect mineral & oil deposits deep in the earth
Neutrinos tend to change their flavour depending on how far they have travelled & how much matter they
have passed through in the way
This property might help us detect early geological defects deep within the earth, & thereby might be our
answer to an early warning system against earthquakes
Geoneutrinos
First found in 2005, they are produced by the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium & potassium in the
Science Page 73
First found in 2005, they are produced by the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium & potassium in the
Earths crust & just below it
Rapid analysis of these Geoneutrinos by neutrino monitoring stations a process called Neutrino
Tomography could provide us vital seismological data which can detect early disturbances & vibrations
produced by earthquakes
Data transmission
Neutrinos can pass right through the earth. They may open up a faster way to send data than the current
around the earth model, using towers, cables or satellites
Such a communication system using neutrinos will be free of transmission losses as neutrinos rarely react with
the atoms in their path
Some scientists further believe that if there is any extraterrestrial form of life, neutrinos will also be the fastest &
most trusted way to communicate with them
Neutrinos are the information bearers of the universe which are almost never lost in their path. Studying
neutrinos at INO may help us unravel the deepest mystery of the universe why there is more matter than
antimatter in the universe
Some scientists believe that formidable neutrino research can help us understand dark matter
Dark matter & dark energy make up 95% of the universe, far more predominant than ordinary matter in the
universe but we hardly understand it
Science Page 74
Standard Model of Physics

18 February 2014
20:32
27-03-2014
the currently highly successful Standard Model of elementary particles, bolstered by the discovery of the Higgs
particle in 2012
"Theory of everything" - the Standard Model
The existence of the Higgs mechanism, it was shown to be central to the Standard Model, the dominant "big theory" in
physics, & our best understanding of how the Universe works.
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
20-11-2014
CERN scientists discover 2 new subatomic particles
SCIENTISTS at the world's largest smasher have discovered two new subatomic particles never seen before that
could widen our understanding of the universe.
An experiment using the European Organization for Nuclear Research's (CERN) Large Hadron Collider found the new
particles, which were predicted to exist, and are both baryons made from three quarks bound together by a strong
force
It could shed more light on how things work beyond the "Standard Model" physics theory explaining the basic
building blocks of matter
LHC & Supersymmetry (Susy)
06-01-2015
LHC will start its operations again in 2015
The LHC's main job is to track down phenomenon called Susy
This is the nickname physicists have given to the concept of supersymmetry
Supersymmetry lies at the heart of most models of new physics
Susy, dreamed up in 1981 to answer tough questions about existing physical models, has been playing hide & seek
since then as first the Americans, using the now-closed Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab, near Chicago & then the
Europeans, using the LHC at CERN, a laboratory in Geneva, have sought signs of her existence
Susy exists to resolve a conundrum
In the 2nd half of the 20th century physicists painstakingly assembled what has come to be called the Standard
Model
This explains all known fundamental particles & forces except for gravity, which has its own private model called
general relativity
But, though the Standard Model works, it depends on many arbitrary mathematical assumptions
The conundrum is why these assumptions have the values they do. But the need for a lot of those assumptions
would disappear if the known particles had heavier partner particles: their super - symmetric twins
There are various versions of supersymmetry, but all of the most plausible predict that some of these partner
particles, though heavier than the particles of the Standard Model, & thus harder to make in accelerators, are
nevertheless sufficiently light that either they should have been found already, or else they should show up
pretty quickly when the LHC is turned back on
The LHC's upgrade is therefore the last attempt for Standard Model theory, at least in its conventional form
Failing to find supersymmetry would be tricky not only for those who hope to use it to clarify the Standard
Model, but also for those others who think Susy will explain the nature of so-called dark matter which its
gravitational effects show is 6 times as abundant in the universe as the familiar matter
Many physicists are betting that dark matter is composed of one or more types of supersymmetric partner parti cles
09-03-2015
The Large Hadron Collider will start its operations in March 2015 which has already identified Higgs Boson
Higgs Boson is a mysterious entity from the 1st trillionth of a second of creation
Science Page 75
Higgs Boson is a mysterious entity from the 1st trillionth of a second of creation
Physicists call their blueprint of creation "the standard model"
It predicted the Higgs Boson, & it links the nuclear & electromagnetic forces, & the particles & waves from which
planets, stars, galaxies & people are all composed
But there are misgivings & uncertainties like the dark matter & dark energy which account for the other 96% of
all matter-energy in the universe
LHC will now probe this
08-04-2015
Supersymmetry was conceived in the 1980s to account for certain blurs in the standard model of physics, which
explains all particles & forces of the universe except gravity
Gravity has its own theory that of general relativity
The blurs are beautifully smoothed over with the assumption that every particle in the sensible universe is mirrored
by a much heavier particle that cannot be sensed, whose presence is inferred only by its gravitational effect
String theory for elementary particles

02-07-2015
20th century physics consisted of 2 great theories quantum mechanics, which describes atoms, molecules, &
subatomic particles, & Einstein's theory of gravity (which he called General Relativity), which we use to understand
stars, galaxies, & the universe as a whole.
These two theories are in conflict with each other
Since stars (for eg) are ultimately made of atoms & subatomic particles, it does not make sense to have one
theory for the stars & one theory for the subatomic particles
String theory is the framework in which physicists have succeeded in reconciling Einstein's theory of gravity with
quantum mechanics
There are many circumstantial indications that string theory is on the right track
The success of string theory in reconciling gravity with quantum mechanics is the main reason that people are
interested in it
One important facet of string theory is supersymmetry
Science Page 76
Higgs Boson
18 February 2014
20:33
The Higgs mechanism explains why particles have mass. It predicts the existence of a particle, the Higgs boson,
which was finally detected at Cern in 2012, after a 50-year effort
09-09-2014
God particle could destroy the universe, warns Hawking
According to Prof. Hawking, 72, at very high energy levels the Higgs boson, which gives shape and size to everything
that exists, could become unstable.
This, he said, could cause a catastrophic vacuum decay that would lead space and time to collapse.
11-09-2014
God particle or the very devil?
Theoretical calculations indicate that the universe is in a meta-stable state, close to the edge of a zone of stability
Stephen Hawkings declaration that the God particle has the potential to destroy the universe is now trending
amidst eager readers. Can this really happen and how does one understand this statement?
Gian Giudice, member of the CERN group for theoretical physics and author of A Zeptospace Odyssey, explains this
beautifully in a TED talk entitled Why our universe might exist on a knife edge.
The story begins with the early universe. According to theories of the cosmos, about one-tenth of a billionth of a
second after the big bang, spacetime underwent a phase transition and space became filled with the Higgs field.
Interacting with this field causes particles to gain energy which manifests as the mass of the particle.
The Higgs field itself can exist in two states just as water can exist as ice or liquid water.
One of these states of the Higgs field is the normal state as we experience it. The other is a state which is many, many
times denser than this.
The existence of this other phase is a potential problem, because when there exist two such states of an entity, there
could be a transition from one to the other even if there is an energy barrier, which has to be crossed if such a
transition should occur. The energy barrier thus prevents such a transition. This can happen by a process known as
quantum tunnelling.
Quantum mechanics allows particles on one side of a barrier, for instance a wall, to tunnel through to the other
side.
In the case of the universe and the Higgs field, we are talking about the potential barrier between the two states of
the Higgs field, one of which is the local ground state which the Higgs now occupies and the other, the lower-energy
vacuum where it would exist in the denser state, completely ruled by different laws of physics.
A group with Dario Buttazzo of CERN, theory group, as first author of a paper in the Journal of High Energy Physics
published last year had calculated the vacuum stability of the Universe.
Butazzo and others in the team discuss how the vacuum stability of the Universe depends on two parameters the
masses of the Higgs boson and the Top quark.
Given that the mass of the Higgs boson has been determined to be 125 GeV by experiments in the Large Hadron
Collider, they identify that the universe is in a meta-stable state, close to the edge of a zone of stability.
This state can remain stable for a long time to come even long past the time when the sun would grow to be a red
giant and swallow up the earth.
Science Page 77
Prof. Giudice, in the TED talk, compares the stability of the universe to that of sand dunes in deserts.
Studying the shape of the dunes would reveal that they too are poised on the brink of collapse.
To draw another analogy from physics, there is a small probability that all the molecules of air in a room can collect at
one corner leaving the rest of the room empty.
But it does not happen as the probability is incredibly low.
These are reasons why the tunneling and collapse of the universe has not happened for 13 billion years it has existed,
and the likelihood that it will happen anytime soon is very small. Giudices calculations put the timescale of such an
event at 10100 years which is certainly long!
There is also the question of new physics: the whole argument assumes that the physics of the standard model would
persist up to energy scales of 100 billion GeV. Shrihari Gopalakrishna, a particle physicist at Institute of Mathematical
Sciences, Chennai, says, The Large Hadron Collider has tested physics up to about a few 100 GeV energy scale, and
has found the Higgs boson at a mass of about 125 GeV. With this new piece of information, many groups of theorists
asked whether the Universe is in a stable, meta-stable or unstable vacuum state.
They reach the very intriguing conclusion that we are most likely living at the edge of stability in a meta-stable
vacuum.
One should keep in mind that such conclusions are based on extrapolating to very high energies using known physics,
namely, the standard model, and if new physics is present, then these conclusions may no longer be valid.
Science Page 78
Biology
03 April 2014
09:23
06-03-2014
Xylem-based water filters
In India, more than one in ten households still lack sufficient drinking water, according to the 69th round of the
National Sample Survey.
While expensive alternatives to filter water exist, the search for a simple, cost-effective technique continues.
Researchers from MIT have been able to filter water using plant xylem. In tests conducted with deionised water in
which bacteria and dye were introduced, the xylem filter effectively removed both when subjected to pressure.
Xylem is a transport tissue in vascular plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upwards from the roots.
Tracheids, which are cells in the xylem, are shorter and have smaller diameters in conifers, thereby offering higher
resistance to flow but a greater cross-sectional area of the stem to conducting xylem tissue. This likely makes it the
most suitable xylem tissues for filtration at the micron or larger scale.
This filter should work with real-world water samples as long as it is not highly turbid. Turbidity tends to clog filters, and
this one is not an exception
The researchers prepared the xylem filter by removing the bark of pine tree branches and then inserting it into a tube.
The pressure that was used for this study suggests that it is easily achievable using a gravitational pressure head.
A cheap disposable xylem filter might just be the solution to availability of safe drinking water.
It is important to note that these filters are still in their nascent stages. Identifying locally available sources of xylem,
testing the flow through xylem of different plants, improving the rejection of viruses up to nanoparticles are some of
the challenges that lay ahead.
21-06-2014
Researched on the unexplored world of animal poisons, looking for that missing miracle cure for some of the most
dreaded human diseases of the nervous system
29-05-2014
After genome, the proteome: Bangalore lab maps human protein
Breakthrough could transform understanding of disease and cure.
Harsh Gowda
In what is being called a medical breakthrough study that could change the way in which cancers and heart problems
are diagnosed and treated, researchers from the Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB), Bangalore, as part of a 72-member
team, have for the first time deciphered a near complete protein map of human beings.
While the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, is the lead American partner, 46 researchers are Indians. The finding, to
Science Page 79
While the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, is the lead American partner, 46 researchers are Indians. The finding, to
be published on Thursday in leading British journal Nature as a cover feature titled A Draft Map of the Human
Proteome, could offer deeper insight into why humans suffer from diabetes, cancer and cardiac problems among
other diseases.
Explaining the study, lead researcher Akhilesh Pandey, who hails from Kanpur and is currently a professor at the Johns
Hopkins University and founder director of IOB, Bangalore, said, One can think of the human body as a huge library
where each protein is a book. The difficulty is that we dont have a comprehensive catalogue that gives us the titles of
the available books and where to find them. We think we now have a good first draft of that comprehensive
catalogue.
This is the next big thing that genetic researchers have been waiting for after the human genome project. While
researchers had felt that mere sequencing of the genes would unlock the mystery of life, the true potential of the
human genome mapping could not be realised. Scientists hit a roadblock as not enough was known about the proteins
that translate the genetic information into functional units like enzymes and proteins. Most human diseases and aging
happen because proteins and enzymes become dysfunctional nobody fully understands why.
Although India did not participate in the human genome project, completion of a human proteome map by this team
now puts India at the forefront of the international efforts to characterise the human proteome. This should be truly a
matter for pride for science and scientists working in India, said Pandey.
While DNA preserves the code of life and the human genome project deciphered that, a similar estimate for proteins,
which determine the outcome of life, was not available. The human proteome map is a major step in that direction,
said Shahid Jameel, a well-known molecular biologist and head of Wellcome Trust, Department of Biotechnology, India
Alliance that provided Rs 1.5 crore over two years for the project.
The team analysed 30 different tissue samples from adults and foetuses to arrive at the map of proteins coded by
17,294 different genes.
We identified more than 2,000 proteins that were labelled as missing proteins by the international research
community as they had never been detected or measured. A remarkable achievement is the identification of almost
200 novel proteins in humans that had not been discovered, said Harsh Gowda of IOB.
The group has built a publicly available interactive database for analysis of their data sets which could be an important
resource for biological research and medical diagnosis, said the report in Nature.
Prof K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, said the research links proteins directly to diseases.
He said this would help in in targeted drug discovery as it gives a peek into the dynamics of how a human cell works.
29-05-2014
Scientists map proteins produced in human body
Thirteen years after the human genome was sequenced, two research groups have independently mapped the extent
to which cells in various organs in the body turn many thousands of genes into proteins.
From bacteria to humans, genes are made up of units of DNA, called base pairs. The sequence of base pairs in genes tell
a cell's molecular machinery what proteins to produce. Ultimately, it is the proteins that carry out a myriad processes
essential for life.
Once the over three billion base pairs that make up the human genome were sequenced, analysis of that data indicated
that there are about 20,000 protein-coding genes.
In a paper just published in Nature, an international team of scientists led by Akhilesh Pandey of the Johns Hopkins
University in the U.S and Harsha Gowda at the Institute of Bioinformatics in Bangalore has drawn up a draft map of
proteins produced from 17,294 genes.
There was evidence for proteins coming from 18,097 human genes, reported Bernhard Kuster of Technische
Universitaet Muenchen in Germany and his colleagues in a separate paper published in the same issue of the journal.
The two papers marked a major advance, providing comprehensive data about proteins expressed in different human
tissues.
Dr. Pandey and his colleagues examined proteins produced by normal cells in 30 tissue samples, adult and foetal as well
as those found in blood. They found 'housekeeping proteins' from 2,350 genes that were produced in all tissues. On the
other hand, proteins from 1,537 genes turned up in only one of the tissues. A number of proteins were expressed only
during foetal development.
The driving impetus for our work was to develop a reference of what is normal for human organs and cells, said Dr.
Pandey in an email. This information could provide clues to biologists seeking to elucidate the function of individual
proteins. In addition, knowledge about organ-specific proteins could be used for detection of diseases arising in those
organs.
The day may not be too far when people have their protein profiles mapped, much like [personal] genome sequencing
Science Page 80
The day may not be too far when people have their protein profiles mapped, much like [personal] genome sequencing
we have today. This could help us diagnose more diseases and diagnose diseases better too,
Although proteins from about 84 per cent of all human genes had been found, those from the remaining genes may
have eluded detection, remarked experts.
This could have occurred if the proteins were expressed in tissues or organs that had not been sampled. Alternatively,
they might be expressed at very low levels, requiring special techniques to track down
Soylent
Turings thesis on morphogenesis
03-04-2014
Turings thesis on morphogenesis validated
Ever wondered what causes the variety of patterns we see in nature a zebras stripes, the leopards spots or the
alternating arrangement of leaves on a plants branches? How do cells which are identical to start with, differentiate
and form regular patterns? There indeed is a scientific explanation for it, and it has been now validated by experiments,
too.
In their paper, recently published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, Nathan Tompkins and others
describe an experiment involving a reaction-diffusion system which evolves patterns that can lead to cell
differentiation.
Theoretically this was worked out nearly 60 years ago Alan Turing came up with an explanation for the origin of static
patterns in nature in 1952. In a seminal paper he outlined that chemicals diffusing across identical cells and interacting
with each other would result in the cells developing differences in chemical concentrations and this would lead to their
getting differentiated further. For instance, when sugar is dissolved in water, it spreads evenly through the water until
every cell has equal concentration of sugar.
But if there are two species of chemicals diffusing through, an activator and inhibitor, for instance, what would happen
is quite different. Let us say, this happens in a linear array of cells. There would, after some time, be a different quantity
of each species of chemical in the different cells. This would be further complicated if the chemicals interacted with
each other.
Using differential equations to describe this reaction-diffusion process, Turing predicted that after some time, there
could emerge six patterns, some of which he identified with existing patterns in biology. To prove this, Dr. Tompkins
model this process in the lab and show that their experimental system replicates five of these patterns and a further
throws up a seventh, hitherto unpredicted pattern.
Science Page 81
When asked how, given that they are studying small numbers of cells, they can be sure that the patterns they are
seeing are indeed genuinely periodic patterns, Seth Fraden, Department of Physics, Brandeis University, a member of
the collaboration, says in an email: We use small numbers of drops in rings, but we also used long linear arrays in the
order of 100 drops and even larger hexagonal, two-dimensional arrays of the order of 10,000 drops We believe the
patterns are genuine because they appear where the model predicts them.
Science Page 82
Human Evolution
18 September 2014
14:44
18-09-2014
New light on genetic make-up of Europeans
The study revealed that the European population is a mixture of three founder groups and not two as was believed.
Throwing new light on the origins of present-day Europeans, a team of international researchers has traced their roots
to three ancestral groups and not two as was believed. The results of the study have been published today (September
18) in Nature.
The consortium led by researchers from the University of Tubingen and Harvard Medical School in collaboration with
scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, studied three different ancient
human bone samples and compared them with 200 diverse contemporary populations across the world through
genome-wide data of about 2,400 humans. The contemporary populations included the enigmatic tribal population of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to Dr. Kumaraswamy Thangaraj, one of the authors of the study and Senior
Principal Scientist at CCMB.
The study analysed ancient human genomes from a more than 7,000-year-old early farmer from Stuttgart in Southern
Germany, belonging to linearbandkeramik (LBK), a sedentary farming culture, a more than 8,000-year-old huntergatherer from the Loschbour rock shelter in Luxembourg, and seven over 8,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from Motala
in Sweden.
Tremendous impact
According to a CCMB release, the beginning of agriculture and animal domestication, which began in the Near East
about 11,000 years ago, had a tremendous impact on human lifestyle. Hunter-gatherers were replaced in many places
by farmers and there were large increases in population size that laid the foundation for larger towns and eventually
complex societies.
Archaeological evidence suggests that a transition to a farming lifestyle in Central Europe occurred around 7,500 years
ago with the appearance of LBK.
While the first ancestral group was indigenous hunter-gatherers; the second comprised Middle Eastern farmers that
migrated to Europe around 7,500 years ago. The novel third group is a more mysterious population that spanned North
Eurasia and genetically connects Europeans and Native Americans.
All three groups

The researchers calculated the proportion of the ancestral components in present-day Europeans and found that all
Europeans have ancestry from all three groups. While Northern Europeans have more hunter-gatherer ancestry (up to
50 per cent in Lithuanians), Southern Europeans have more farmer ancestry.
The Northern Eurasian ancestry was the smallest component and never more than 20 per cent.
Dr. Thangaraj said that a genetic mutation was introduced to digest milk-sugar in humans after they domesticated
cattle and started drinking milk. Hunter-gatherers and early farmers had high copy numbers of amylase in their
genomes suggesting they had already adapted to a starch-rich diet. This amylase factor was more common in
Europeans, Middle Eastern people and North West Indians.
Indian emergence
CCMB scientists earlier found that Indians emerged from two ancestral populations ancestral South Indians (ASI)
and ancestral North Indians (ANI). While ASI did not have any genetic affinity outside India, ANI showed up to 70 per
cent genetic affinity with Europeans. However, it would be interesting to see which one of the three ancestral
European populations is related to ANI, says Dr. Lalji Singh, formerly Director of CCMB and also a co-author of the
study.
Dr. Thangaraj says he suspected that the Middle Eastern component of milk-digesting gene might have contributed to
ANI.
Science Page 83
ANI.
12-09-2015
Scientists have found the fossilised remains of a Homo naledi, a new species & primitive relative of homo sapiens, a
sort of in btw a human & a neanderthal
Science Page 84
Technology
16 April 2014
09:29
STD (Subscriber's Trunk Dialing) & ISD (International Subscriber Dialing)

CCTV
09-05-2015
Indian market, dominated by analog surveillance cameras, is witnessing a shift towards IP surveillance cameras
CCTV cameras today do much more than merely record video footages or scare away shoplifters. These electronic
eyes are intelligent enough to detect unlawful movements & send alerts that can proactively prevent crimes
High-end cameras & algorithms have made video surveillance & analysis a fast-growing industry with multiple uses
in different situations
Recent improvements
Wide Dynamic Range helps capture clear images in varying light conditions
Lightfinder provides clear images in very low light conditions
Thermal cameras can take images in darkness & send alerts when movement is detected
Sharpdome technology detects images as much as 20 above the camera horizon
Gatekeeper feature automatically makes the camera zoom to the spot where motion is detected.
Cross Line Detection captures images of objects that cross an imaginary line
26-09-2014
Unix-based operating systems, including Linux & Apple Incs Mac OS X
2013
Scientists freeze light for an entire minute
What it is: Scientists have trapped light, the fastest traveling thing in the universe, and held it still in a small space.
Light travels at 300 million meters per second that alone is testimony to its slippery nature, and casts in comic light
any suggestion to trap it. Imagine, it can make 7,500 trips around the Earth along the equator ever second! How do you
trap something like that?
By simply being clever, think a bunch of German scientists, and they have a unique result to show for it. They were able
to freeze light inside a crystal for one full minute using a phenomenon called electromagnetically induced
transparency (EIT).
A specially chosen crystal was found to be transparent for certain frequencies of light an occurrence called EIT. They
shot a laser beam, which is a source of light, into the crystal. After some time, they turned on another laser that cut off
the first one. This immediately killed the crystals transparency, trapping the first laser beam inside.
The achievement is awesome in another context, too. Light has a property called quantum coherence. If quantum
coherence is preserved, then the light beam can carry information without losing it. The German researchers found
that the laser beam trapped inside for a minute retained its quantum coherence.
Why it matters: Therefore, such EIT crystals can be used to store light for longer and longer periods of time using
lasers, setting the stage for high-efficiency, high-speed data storage devices.
2013
Clock with most accurate time
The ytterbium clock ticks are stable to within less than two parts in 1 quintillion (1 followed by 18 zeros), roughly 10
times better than the previous best published results for other atomic clocks.
22-02-2014
GPS tracking system
Uses
Technology Page 1
Uses
Modern navigation and tracking mechanisms through Google Maps and a host of global positioning system (GPS)
services are not only helping thousands of drivers navigate their way but also authorities like the Transport
Department and the Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transport System to optimise public transport services.
Since the GPS tracking system started, it has provided them with a huge fillip since it ensures that drivers stick to a
certain discipline under the watchful eyes of those in the control room. The drivers know their movements are
monitored and any violation, be it not leaving a depot on time, exceeding the speed limit or not stopping at a traffic
signal, will lead to disciplinary action against them. The idea is that the commuters travelling in these buses should
remain safe and not face any kind of inconvenience, she said.
The disciplinary action range from suspension to penalisation of the private operator, under the cluster bus scheme, for
violation of the service level agreement.
And it helps in other ways too. The GPS also helps us optimise the service and thus generate more revenue. The buses
plying on every route get tracked and so when two buses of the same route come close to each other, the control
room informs the conductor of the rear bus to slow down.
Either the bus plying behind stops for some time or it just starts moving slowly. This ensures proper spacing and brings
down waiting time for buses along the route.
GPS systems are also being used by private cab service providers to give security to passengers, especially women.
They feel safer travelling by such taxis since they know that the cabs movement is being tracked at all times.
GPS devices can also prevent vehicles from being stolen. Delhi is home to the maximum number of registered vehicles.
Nowadays, many high-end cars come installed with secret-tracking devices.
They can also be purchased separately.
Some of the GPS services can also be linked to phone applications, which keep the user updated about his or her
location as well as traffic volume and suggested routes. I often get confused over the names of streets and lanes, I
always rely upon these electronic maps, said a second-year Delhi University student Srishti. Another student, Yashika
Sunaria, said even if she takes a wrong route, the map shows alternative ways to help her reach her destination.
However, in areas like Connaught Place where the Internet connection is not good, some of these services hardly work.
Then there are services which end up misleading people, making them wonder if a technology in its infancy is really
worth giving a try.
24-02-2014
TerraPower
In 2006, Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries decided that the private sector needed to take action. It
was believed that business interests could develop a scalable, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and costcompetitive energy source that would allow all nations to quicken their pace of economic development and reduce
poverty.
TerraPower was founded to find a solution for global energy needs
TerraPower aims to develop a sustainable and economic nuclear energy technology using:
Next-generation safe, affordable, clean and secure technologies
Advanced materials for more durable metallic fuels
World-class leadership for dynamic reactor engineering and innovation
Supercomputing for reliable and comprehensive modeling
Travelling Wave Reactor (TWR)
The TWR will provide a clean option for future energy technology
The TWR simplifies the necessary nuclear energy infrastructure, reducing overall costs and enabling a safe, secure
form of nuclear energy.
Like any nuclear plant, the TWR will reduce the CO2 load and provide energy without increasing greenhouse gases.
The TWR will provide large amounts of sustainable base load power. For the amount of fuel used, the TWR will
produce up to 50 times more power compared to todays light water reactors.
The TWR will reduce the amount of nuclear waste produced at end-of-life. The TWR will produce a minimum of
seven times less waste than today's light water reactors. With the use of sodium as coolant, the TWR will operate at
a higher temperature, allowing higher thermal efficiency for electrical generation.
Technology Page 2
a higher temperature, allowing higher thermal efficiency for electrical generation.

The TWR will utilize depleted uranium as its main fuel. Just in the United States, more than 750,000 metric tons of
depleted uranium sits useless. TWRs could convert this material into enough electricity to power all U.S. households
for more than 700 years.
Like other reactors, the TWRs unique core reaction does produce plutonium, along with other fission products, in
the first wave of fission. However, unlike other reactors, a second wave follows the first, consuming much of
the plutonium. Hence preventing weapons development from plutonium.
Benefits
Safety: The TWR relies on the natural laws of physics to maintain the safety of the plant without operator intervention.
Cost: TWR uses inexpensive depleted uranium as fuel with great efficiency, creating a cost-competitive nuclear energy
technology.
Environment: Compared to conventional reactors, TWRs require far less uranium mining and produce less high-level
waste.
Proliferation Resistance: By reducing the need for enrichment and chemical reprocessing, the TWR addresses security
and proliferation concerns.
Energy Security: The TWR will help a country secure a dependable supply of electricity.
10-05-2014
11th May- National Technology Day
On 11th May, 1998 India achieved a major technological breakthrough by successfully carrying out nuclear tests at
Pokhran. Also first, indigenous aircraft "Hansa-3" was test flown at Bangalore on this day and India also performed
successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day. Considering above technological achievements on a
particular date i.e. 11th May, the day of 11th May was chosen to be commemorated as National Technology Day
12-05-2014
Monorail
Mono rail system as the name suggests, is a system which has a single rail instead of conventional system which has
got two rails. But it is a misnomer. In fact, in place of rails, it has a single broad beam which supports the carriages.
However, above the beam, the carriages have conventional system of two side vertical wheel as in a normal motor car.
In addition, it has two horizontal guide wheels, which give lateral support to the vehicles. These horizontal wheels run
abutting a vertical structural element connected to the main slab.
From the outside, it appears as if the train is running on a single wheel. The propulsion system is generally electric
rotary motors. The wheels have rubber tires for smooth and noise free operation. Some advance systems make use of
Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) technology which uses linear Induction Motors instead of conventional rotary motors.
As the train picks up speed, the entire body of the vehicle lifts up in air by a few centimetres due to magnetic force and
gives a total noise free travel. The rubber-tired system is good for lower speeds up to 160 km per hour. Maglev system
can give speeds up to 400 km per hour. Some systems have a hybrid of both rubber tired and Maglev. At slow speed, it
uses tired system and as the speed picks up, it changes to Maglev
12-05-2014
Hyperloop
Technology Page 3
Hyperloop
billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's concept of future transportation

It involves sleek passenger capsules[pods] flying within a tube on a cushion of air
Solar panels along the entire length of the tube provide more power than needed to run the system
Capsules travel just under the speed of sound [1220 kmph]
Passengers could travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes
The Hyperloop would accelerate streamlined capsules each about 2 meters wide through a low-pressure tube
from Point A to Point B.
These pods would ride not on rails or wheels but rather a cushion of air, greatly reducing the friction of the system
which is a lot like traveling in an airplane
21-06-2014
This material can withstand 160,000 times its own weight
Out of polymers, metals and ceramics, scientists have successfully developed and printed an ultra light material that
can withstand 160,000 times its own weight. Using what is called additive micro-manufacturing processes, the
researchers developed the micro-architected metamaterials artificial materials with properties not found in
nature that maintain a nearly constant stiffness per unit mass density, even at ultra low density.
Can be used for making aircraft components
Materials with these properties have the potential to be used for developing parts and components for aircraft,
automobiles and space vehicles. These lightweight materials can withstand a load of at least 160,000 times their own
weight, said experts.
The additive micro-manufacturing process involves using a micro-mirror display chip to create high-fidelity three
dimensional (3D) parts one layer at a time from photosensitive feedstock materials. It allowed the team to rapidly
generate materials with complex 3D microscale geometries that are otherwise challenging or in some cases,
impossible to fabricate.
Now we can print a stiff and resilient material using a desktop machine, said experts. The observed high stiffness was
shown to be true with multiple constituent materials such as polymers, metals and ceramics. The findings appeared in
the journal Science.
15-11-2014
Internet transmits brain signals in scientific breakthrough
A team led by an Indian-origin Professor of Computer Science, Rajesh Rao, has taken up pathbreaking research in
the University of Washington which allows two brains to communicate with each other through signals transmitted
over the internet.
In the future, such technology might allow novel diagnostic methods & new therapies for cognitive disorders such
as autism or attention deficit disorder
beyond medical applications, future brain-to-brain technologies could pave the way for a fundamentally new way
for humans to communicate with each other
27-01-2015
Automated Manual Transmmision (AMT)
AMT technology has built-in electronic units which negate the need for manual intervention to control & select
gears
Technology Page 4
gears
Auto gear shift also prevents a vehicle from stalling because an on-board computer selects the right gear even
during the manual drive mode & keeps the engine running
The driver can change his preference & switch to manual transmission anytime while on the drive
New to lndia, AMT technology is widely available in Brazil, China & in some European countries
Fuel efficiency of AMT & MT are more or less similar
App-based taxis
06-06-2015
Govts & businesses across the world will be increasingly confronted by new offerings, enabled by technology & by a
new world order where innovation is the order of the day
The new world needs new methods, not old rules. The wiser thing is to work together to ensure safety standards
Technology Page 5
New Technologies
12 March 2015
15:50
NFC
Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMG)
Wiki
Amorphous metal
An amorphous metal (also known metallic glass or glassy metal) is a solid metallic material, usually an alloy, with a
disordered atomic-scale structure. Most metals are crystalline in their solid state, which means they have a highly
ordered arrangement of atoms. Amorphous metals are non-crystalline, and have a glass-like structure. But unlike
common glasses, such as window-glass, which are typically insulators, amorphous metals have good electrical
conductivity. There are several ways in which amorphous metals can be produced, including extremely rapid cooling,
physical vapor deposition, solid-state reaction, ion irradiation, and mechanical alloying.
Samples of amorphous metal, with millimeter scale

The rapid cooling, on the order of millions of degrees a second, is too fast for crystals to form and the material is
"locked" in a glassy state. More recently a number of alloys with critical cooling rates low enough to allow formation of
amorphous structure in thick layers (over 1 millimeter) had been produced; these are known as bulk metallic glasses
(BMG). They demonstrate strengths much greater than conventional steel alloys.
Properties
Amorphous alloys have a variety of potentially useful properties. In particular, they tend to be stronger than crystalline
alloys of similar chemical composition.
Perhaps the most useful property of bulk amorphous alloys is that they are true glasses, which means that they soften
and flow upon heating. This allows for easy processing, such as by injection molding, in much the same way as
polymers. As a result, amorphous alloys have been commercialized for use in sports equipment, medical devices, and
as cases for electronic equipment.
Applications
Currently the most important application is due to the special magnetic properties of some ferromagnetic metallic
glasses. The low magnetization loss is used in high efficiency transformers (amorphous metal transformer) at line
frequency and some higher frequency transformers. Amorphous steel is a very brittle material which makes it
difficult to punch into motor laminations. Also electronic article surveillance (such as theft control passive ID tags,)
often uses metallic glasses because of these magnetic properties.
Amorphous metals (metallic glasses) exhibit unique softening behavior above their glass transition and this
softening has been increasingly explored for thermoplastic forming of metallic glasses. It has been shown that
metallic glasses can be patterned on extremely small length scales ranging from 10 nm to several millimeters. It has
been suggested that this may solve the problems of nanoimprint lithography where expensive nano-molds made of
silicon break easily. Nano-molds made from metallic glasses are easy to fabricate and more durable than silicon
molds.
Ti40Cu36Pd14Zr10 is believed to be noncarcinogenic, is about three times stronger than titanium, and its elastic
modulus nearly matches bones. It has a high wear resistance and does not produce abrasion powder. The alloy does
not undergo shrinkage on solidification. A surface structure can be generated that is biologically attachable by
surface modification using laser pulses, allowing better joining with bone.
Mg60Zn35Ca5, rapidly cooled to achieve amorphous structure, is being investigated as a biomaterial for
Technology Page 6
Mg60Zn35Ca5, rapidly cooled to achieve amorphous structure, is being investigated as a biomaterial for
implantation into bones as screws, pins, or plates, to fix fractures. Unlike traditional steel or titanium, this material
dissolves in organisms at a rate of roughly 1 millimeter per month and is replaced with bone tissue. This speed can
be adjusted by varying the content of zinc.
14-04-2014
Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is a versatile type of pliable glass that is stronger than steel
They can be used for producing hard, durable and seamless complex shapes that no other metal processing method
can
Scientists at Yale University have devised a dramatically faster way of identifying and characterising complex alloys
known as bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), a versatile type of pliable glass that is stronger than steel. Using traditional
methods, it usually takes a full day to identify a single metal alloy appropriate for making BMGs. The new method
allows researchers to screen about 3,000 alloys per day and simultaneously ascertain certain properties, such as
melting temperature and malleability.
Already used in watch components, golf clubs, and other sporting goods, BMGs also have likely applications in
biomedical technology, such as implants and stents, mobile phones and other consumer electronics
There are an estimated 20 million possible BMG alloys. About 120,000 metallic glasses have been produced and
characterized to date
Using standard methods, it would take about 4,000 years to process all possible combinations, Schroers has calculated.
The new method could reduce the time to about 4 yrs
Ideal BMGs offer plasticity during the manufacturing process, durability, and biocompatibility, along with affordability,
Schroers emphasised in the study published in the journal Nature Materials
Kevlar
Thermal imaging systems
Like GPS, thermal imaging was once used exclusively by military & law enforcement
In the early 1990s, National Guard aircraft relied on thermal sensors to look for illegal drug activity at the Branch
Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas
In 2013, a Massachusetts State Police helicopter used thermal imaging to locate Boston bombing suspect
While humans see reflected light, all objects that surround us other people, animals & even cold objects such
as ice give off heat, radiation beyond the visible spectrum that can be imaged in the form of a heat signature
A human body usually gives off more heat than the surrounding field, so it stands out
Unlike night-vision devices, which amplify small amounts of visible light, thermal imaging cameras rely on sensors
known as microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, to make images from heat
Thermal imaging cameras are made up of a large array of exotic MEMS devices, as well as specialised optics
Conventional glass & plastic lenses cannot be used because they block heat. Instead, these cameras require special
lenses manufactured of transparent silicon
Long used by the military for surveillance, thermal imaging has raised privacy concerns
Technology Page 7
Long used by the military for surveillance, thermal imaging has raised privacy concerns
Thermal imaging technologies have also become part of the arsenal used to halt the spread of disease. Infrared
cameras at airports detect high body temperature as passengers pass through airport terminal checkpoints
They can detect changes in body temperature as small as 1/10th of a degree Fahrenheit
They were initially used in Southeast Asia in response to outbreaks of SARS & bird flu, & more recently to alert
officials to individuals who might have contracted Ebola
Thermal imaging system, when connected to smartphones, allows homeowners to hunt for cold air leaks &
plumbing problems in their houses
To map energy efficiency in neighbourhoods of household & commercial buildings
3D Holograms
LC3 Cement (Limestone Calcined Clay)- Making cement less energy intensive
28-09-2014
An ongoing Indo-Swiss collaboration since 2005 is researching less energy intensive LC3 cement
The research project involving the Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, and three Indian Institutes of Technology
(IIT), Delhi, Madras and Mumbai, and Technology and Action for Rural Development (TARA) showcased the results to
industries recently. The project funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The research will be validated by three countries involved in scientific research-India, Switzerland and Cuba.
Advantages
The new cement was less energy intensive by 30 per cent and had other advantages.
Less energy intensive cement is a technology of the future specially when there is a scarcity of limestone, the new
process allows us to use less of it.
The clinker factor will be reduced and the cost of cement production will be lower and carbon emissions will be less.
LC3 or Limestone Calcined Clay Cement, substitutes up to half of the carbon intensive materials and has the potential
to generate 30 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional cement, a major reduction since cement
today accounts for 5-8% of man-made emissions
Broad Spectrum Confocal Microscope (3D Microscope)

08-10-2014
The ingeniously manufactured microscope is developed by CSIR along with Vinvish Technologies,
Thiruvananthapuram, under the New Millennium Indian Technology Initiative
Is a powerful optical imaging device that can be used to study 3D features of samples at microscopic level
It uses an infra red beam which passes through a patented photonic crystal fibre [made by the Central Glass and
Ceramics Research Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata]
It uses a special super continum light source to enable observation & imaging over a wide range of wave length
Peacock feather technology
The optic fibre produces multiple wavelengths from the laser due to its surface which has very small holes. This is
similar to the way a peacocks feather scatters light. This is projected on to the target object which allows us to see a
three dimensional structure of the object.
They are largely used in biomedical imaging & analysis and other research areas concerning spectroscopic
behaviour of materials (nanomaterials & biological specimens)
Cost-effective
While similar confocal microscopes cost about Rs. 4 crore to import, these will be priced between Rs. 1.25 crore and
Rs. 1.5 crore
RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
19-04-2015
Technology Page 8
19-04-2015
Uttarakhand to use RFID system to rescue pilgrims
RFID tags would be attached to IDs issued to the pilgrims which will enable to track them & rescue them if need be
Li-Fi wireless technology
Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is a wireless technology that makes use of visible light in place of radio waves to transmit data at
terabits/second speeds (> 100 times the speed of Wi-Fi)
It was invented by German physicist & professor Harald Haas
Though it was discovered in the last decade, proofs of concept to test commercial utilization started emerging only
in 2015
It is being tested for indoor usage & will likely be used outdoor in a big way by making use of existing infrastructure
used for street & traffic lights (which are already moving towards LED lamps)
Li-Fi offers great promise to overcome the existing limitations of Wi-Fi by providing for data-heavy communication
in short ranges
Since it does not pollute, it can be called a green technology for device-to-device communication in the Internet of
Things (IoT)
Move towards greener wireless communication
A technical solution for wireless pollution, power shortages & unavailability at outdoor locations should meet the 3L
criteria: Low interference, Low power & Low maintenance
In addition, it has to support the 3Hs of High data rates, High reliability & High affordability
Since Li-Fi relies on visual light & not radio waves as the carrier, it has potential for the first two Hs, but the last
one (high affordability) may be achieved only when volumes increase, as it has in the case of Wi-Fi
The above characteristics can be met by an all-IP (packetized) Li-Fi system utilizing existing LED lamps which are
ruggedized, have a high MTBF (mean time btw failure) & consume less power, hence replacing conventional lamps
on existing structures in both indoor as well as outdoor without need for any additional power supply
To make LED lamps capable of working as an access point as in Wi-Fi, a kind of media converter is required to
convert the electrical data signal into photons (light), & a light detector which converts light into electricity is
required on the receiving device end
Potential applications
Li-Fi is still in its infancy, but some fields where it seems eminently usable are street & traffic lights
Traffic lights can communicate to the vehicles & with each other. Vehicles having LED-based headlights & tail
lamps can communicate with each other & prevent accidents by exchanging information
Also, through the use of Li-Fi, traffic control can be made intelligent & real-time adaptable
Visible light being safer, they can also be used in places where radio waves cant be used such as petrochemical &
nuclear plants, aircrafts & hospitals
Li-Fi can also easily work underwater, where Wi-Fi fails completely, thereby opening opportunities for military &
navigational operations
Li-Fi can be made to transmitting power wirelessly, wherein the smartphone will not only receive data through Li-Fi,
but will also receive power to charge itself
But, Li-Fi has some limitations
Technology Page 9
But, Li-Fi has some limitations

As visual light cant pass through opaque objects & needs line of sight for communication, its range will remain very
restricted to start with
Also, it is likely to face interference from external light sources, such as sunlight & bulbs, & obstructions in the path
of transmission, & hence may cause interruptions in communication
Also, initially, there will be high installation costs of visual light communication systems as an add-on to lighting
systems. Li-Fi receiving devices will require adapters to transmit data back to the transmitter
Challenges & opportunity in India
Li-Fi can help in increasing broadband access, better traffic management
By converting traffic lights into LED-based access points, traffic management can be made intelligent, adaptive &
real-time, & so, more efficient & effective
In the same way, street lights can also be converted into Li-Fi access points, making them broadband access
transmitters to mobile Li-Fi enabled smartphones, converting areas into seamless hot spots
The main challenge is to create a Li-Fi ecosystem, which will need the conversion of existing smartphones into Li-Fi
enabled ones by the use of a converter/adapter
Conclusion
Li-Fi is not expected to completely replace Wi-Fi, but the two technologies could be used complementarily to create
more efficient, green & future-proof access networks
Technology Page 10
Indigenisation of technology & development of new

technology
23 July 2013
05:48
Raja Ramanna Centre For Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore
was established by the Department of Atomic Energy, India to expand the activities carried out at Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, in two frontline areas of science and technology namely Lasers and Accelerators.
The centre had contributed to the construction of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and hence had played a pathbreaking
role in the discovery of the Higgs boson or God's Particle.
RRCAT has been the nodal institute of the DAE for implementing DAE-CERN collaboration, which started in 1996.
association with CERN, both in construction and commissioning of the LHC machine as well as detectors, which
helped in the discovery of Higgs boson.
More than 100 scientists and engineers of DAE contributed to this project in 15 years
India, Israel to jointly work for development of 5G technology

India and Israel have agreed to work jointly on development of fifth generation (5G) telecom technologies
The two areas which emerge out of discussion related to telecom were: reducing roaming charges between India
and Israel and exploring the possibilities of standard formulation, research and development, and manufacturing in
the area of 4G and 5G
World's first clinically proven typhoid conjugate vaccine = Typbar-TCV
Launched by Bharat Biotech
immunity to the disease for a longer period of time as against the existing vaccines that provide protection only for
two to three years.
Lanstove
A lamp which produces high quality light and doubles up as a device to cook food without causing pollution has
been invented by a team of engineers in Maharashtra.
Suitable particularly for rural households which lack clean cooking fuel and electricity, the device, aptly named
Lanstove (lantern combined with cook stove), has been developed by researchers from Nimbkar Agricultural
Research Institute (NARI) in Maharashtra's Phaltan.
The clean-combustion kerosene lanstove provides excellent light equivalent to that from a 200-300 W electric bulb
and cooks a complete meal for a family of five just like an LPG stove.
The Lanstove consists of a nine litre pressurised kerosene cylinder, a high light output mantle lantern and a very
efficient steam cooker which is based on heat pipe principle.
Millions of people in rural India cook and heat their homes using open fires and leaky stoves burning biomass
(wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.
Nearly 2 million people die prematurely from illness like those caused by chronic obstructive respiratory disease
attributable to indoor air pollution from household solid fuel use, World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates.
Carbon monoxide levels from these new lanstoves are less than 3 parts per million (ppm), whereas those from
regular 'chulhas' are between 250-400 ppm or 80 to 130 times more than from the lanstove.
Thus lanstove is an extremely clean device and equivalent to LPG stove
India develops indigenous JE Vaccine (JENVAC)
produced by NIV, ICMR & Bharat Biotech
not only the first fully indigenous vaccine, but it is also based on an Indian strain.
improve the efficacy besides availability & affordability.
JENVAC can be administered as a single dose during epidemics for mass vaccination campaigns & also as a 2-dose
Technology Page 11
JENVAC can be administered as a single dose during epidemics for mass vaccination campaigns & also as a 2-dose
schedule during routine immunisation as part of the National immunisation programme in endemic regions.
It is Vero cell-derived purified inactivated JE vaccine
Its advantage over live vaccine is that it can be administered during an epidemic as it is a highly purified &
inactivated vaccine
17-12-2013
India launches indigenous thalassemia & Sickle Cell diagnostic kit
will simplify the identification of 7 common beta-thalassemia mutations and two common abnormal haemoglobins,
common in India
is tailor made for Indian population can also be used for screening
To be available at approximately Rs. 400 in the public health facilities
the kit is expected to bring down the prices of such test in the open market where it costs up to Rs. 15,000
10-09-2014
IISc develops molecular "sniffer dog" to detect explosives
The sniffer dog might finally have its day. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have created a highly
sensitive fluorescent polymer that scouts out a class of commonly used explosives.
TNT and other nitroaromatic compounds, which are used in a cocktail of chemicals in landmines and plastic explosive
devices, release vapours that quench the polymers, reducing their glow, according to a team from IISc.
The team has developed two types of fluorescent polymers supramolecular polymers and porous metallic-organic
polymer that are electron-rich and pick up vapour from TNT and other nitroaromatic explosives much like a
molecular sniffer dog.
While the drop in fluorescence is not visible to the naked eye, it is visually sensed and interpreted by a high resolution
spectrometer.
Nitroaromatic compounds are replacing conventional metal-based weapons in the explosives industry, the research
paper says, adding that the compounds are available commercially. Besides their explosive nature, the chemicals
contaminate groundwater after military operations and an efficient method to detect them at low concentrations is
now needed.
The next step for the teamnow is to develop similar systems to detect other forms of explosives such as RDX and
ammonium nitrate
Technology Page 12
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

07 November 2014
12:16
Artificial intelligence is any software which can mimic the way natural intelligence functions
Watson: Intelligent Supercomputer
The principle behind Watson is called cognitive computing by IBM, which means that the software involved can
modify itself, & thus learn as it goes along
Watson is an artificially intelligent computer system capable of answering questions posed in natural language,
developed in IBM's DeepQA project by a research team led by principal investigator David Ferrucci.
The computer system was specifically developed to answer questions on the quiz show Jeopardy!. In 2011, Watson
competed on Jeopardy!. Watson received the first prize of $1 million.
Cognitive systems like Watson may transform how organizations think, act, and operate in the future. Learning through
interactions, they deliver evidence based responses driving better outcomes.
Hardware
Watson is a question answering (QA) computing system that IBM built to apply advanced natural language processing,
information retrieval, knowledge representation, automated reasoning, and machine learning technologies to the field
of open domain question answering.
Watson team focused on three key capabilities:

Natural language processing
Hypothesis generation
Evidence-based learning
IBM Watson- The Science Behind an Answer
The system is workload optimized, integrating massively parallel POWER7 processors and being built on IBM's DeepQA
technology, which it uses to generate hypotheses, gather massive evidence, and analyze data.
Watson is composed of a cluster of ninety IBM Power 750 servers, each of which uses a 3.5 GHz POWER7 eight core
processor, with four threads per core. In total, the system has 2,880 POWER7 processor cores and has 16 terabytes of
RAM. Watson can process 500 gigabytes, the equivalent of a million books, per second.
Technology Page 13
RAM. Watson can process 500 gigabytes, the equivalent of a million books, per second.
Data
The IBM team provided Watson with millions of documents, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference
material that it could use to build its knowledge.
Applications
According to IBM, "The goal is to have computers start to interact in natural human terms across a range of
applications and processes, understanding the questions that humans ask and providing answers that humans can
understand and justify."
IBM Watson- Uses
Healthcare
Financial institutions
Engagement
Announcing the IBM Watson Ecosystem Program

For the first time, IBM will open up Watson as a development platform in the Cloud to spur innovation and fuel a new
ecosystem of entrepreneurial software app providers who will bring forward a new generation of applications infused
with Watson's cognitive computing intelligence.
IBM's Watson in Africa to help solve problems
The vast brainpower of IBM's supercomputer Watson is to be utilised in Africa to attempt to solve some of the
continent's most pressing problems.
Better agriculture, education and health are just three of the improvements the system could bring, said the firm.
Experts said such a system could help the African economy "leapfrog" others.
Schools with poor or non-existent computer resources could link into the cloud-based system via smartphones or
portable devices with internet connectivity.
Doctors, nurses and field workers could use the system to help diagnose illnesses and identify the best treatment
for each patient.
Clever data mining has already proved its worth in Morocco where it has been used to improve how crops are
grown by predicting weather, demand and disease outbreaks.
Technology Page 14
20-03-2014
IBMs Watson to help sequence cancer DNA
IBM is teaming up with the New York Genome Center to help fight brain cancer. The company said on Wednesday that
its Watson cloud computing system will be used in partnership with a New York-based genetic research center mainly
to help sequence DNA for the treatment of glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer in U.S. adults. New
York Genome Center, a consortium of academic, medical and industry officials, will use Watson to sequence the DNA
of cancer tumours at a much faster rate than would be possible if done by a human being. The DNA information would
then be combined with clinical information and fed to Watson to help determine the best way to treat a particular
patient
07-11-2014
Grab an iPhone & ask Siri about the weather or stocks. Or tell her Im drunk. Her answers are artificially intelligent
Right now these artificially intelligent machines are pretty cute and innocent, but as they are given more power in
society, these machines may not take long to spiral out of control
Silicon Valleys resident futurist, Elon Musk, recently said artificial intelligence is potentially more dangerous than
nukes.
Stephen Hawking wrote that successful AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might
also be the last.
There is a long list of computer experts and science fiction writers also fearful of a rogue robot-infested future
Two main problems with artificial intelligence we are starting to create machines that can make decisions like humans, but these machines dont have morality
and likely never will
once we build systems that are as intelligent as humans, these intelligent machines will be able to build smarter
machines, often referred to as superintelligence
More scarier is how these technologies will be used by the military. Countries can engage in an arms race to build
machines that can kill
03-12-2014
Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence 'could spell end of human race'
British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has warned that development of artificial intelligence could mean the
end of humanity
He said such technology could rapidly evolve & overtake mankind (a scenario like that envisaged in the
"Terminator" movies)
Once humans develop artificial intelligence it would take off on its own, & re-design itself at an ever increasing rate
17-01-2015
Elon Musk, in Dec 2014, likened research in artificial intelligence to summoning the demon
Stephen Hawking had endorsed Musks fears, pointing out that since humans would evolve much slower than
autonomous machines, they would become history in a Darwinian holocaust
The market for expert systems, standalone intelligences & machines which use data in unprecedented quantities &
possibly unforeseen ways is expected to explode into a new industry segment
Musk, along with Hawking, also led a signature campaign among AI specialists which calls for giving direction to the
technology
Instead, the industry has been focused on how AI can be monetised. The fear is that the technology is being made
ready to market before its human implications are completely understood
Also, safety has been in question since Isaac Asimovs laws of robotics. Can an autonomous entity loosed into the
wild be recalled for a programming error (like automobile manufacturers do when they detect a design flaw?)
Real issues like what would be the social implications of leisure, which must result if machines take over human
work?
AI may change human history more profoundly than antibiotics, nuclear physics, & its effects must be urgently
understood, in advance
15-05-2015
The first step is to understand what computers can now do & what they are likely to be able to do in the future
Technology Page 15
The first step is to understand what computers can now do & what they are likely to be able to do in the future
Thanks to the rise in processing power & the growing abundance of digitally available data, AI is enjoying a boom
in its capabilities
Todays deep learning systems, by mimicking the layers of neurons in a human brain & crunching vast amounts
of data, can teach themselves to perform some tasks, from pattern recognition to translation, almost as well as
humans can
As a result, things that once called for a mindfrom interpreting pictures to playing the video game Frogger
are now within the scope of computer programs
DeepFace, an algorithm unveiled by Facebook in 2014, can recognise individual human faces in images 97% of
the time
Importantly, this capacity is narrow & specific
Todays AI produces the semblance of intelligence through brute number-crunching force, without any great
interest in approximating how minds equip humans with autonomy, interests & desires
Computers do not yet have anything approaching the wide, fluid ability to infer, judge & decide that is
associated with intelligence in the conventional human sense
Yet AI is already powerful enough to make a dramatic difference to human life
It can already enhance human endeavour by complementing what people can do
Think of chess, which computers now play better than any person
Amalgamated teams of humans & algorithms. Such collectives will become the norm in all sorts of pursuits:
supported by AI, doctors will have a vastly augmented ability to spot cancers in medical images
Speech-recognition algorithms running on smartphones will bring the internet to many millions of illiterate
people in developing countries
Digital assistants will suggest promising hypotheses for academic research
Image-classification algorithms will allow wearable computers to layer useful information onto peoples
views of the real world
Even in the short run, not all the consequences will be positive
Consider, for eg, the power that AI brings to the apparatus of state security, in both autocracies & democracies
The capacity to monitor billions of conversations & to pick out every citizen from the crowd by his voice or her
face poses grave threats to liberty
Even when there are broad gains for society, many individuals will lose out from AI
Humans who performed endless calculations for their higher-ups & their place was taken away by transistors, so
AI will probably turf out whole regiments of white-collar workers
Education & training will help & the wealth produced with the aid of AI will be spent on new pursuits that
generate new jobs. But workers are doomed to dislocations
The real threat is of autonomous machines with superhuman cognitive capacity & interests that conflict with those
of Homo sapiens
Such artificially intelligent beings are still a very long way off; indeed, it may never be possible to create them
Today govt bureaucracies, markets & armies, all can do things which unaided, unorganised humans cannot
All need autonomy to function, all can take on life of their own & all can do great harm if not set up in a just
manner & governed by laws & regulations
Coz systems designers cannot foresee every set of circumstances, there must also be an off-switch
Just as armies need civilian oversight, markets are regulated & bureaucracies must be transparent &
accountable, so AI systems must be open to scrutiny
These constraints can be put in place without compromising progress
22-09-2015
A new approach named "deep learning" through which computers possess the pattern-recognition skills
identifying faces, interpreting pictures, listening to speech & the likethat were long thought to be the preserve of
humans
Researchers, from startups to giant corporations, are now planning to put AI to work to solve more serious
problems
For eg., to screen risk factors of a disease etc.
Technology Page 16
3D Printing
04 January 2014
17:02
3D printing is part of the additive manufacturing (AM) family, which refers to the creation of an object by adding
materials or additives to the object layer by layer
3D printing has rapidly grown (& is still growing) to the extent that people are using it to produce firearms, jaw
bones, prosthetics, automobiles, clothes, art, manufacturing components & other sundry objects
Uses of 3D printing
Personnel shopping
Artists imagination
Fashion Designing
3D printing in space
The 3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment will validate the capability of additive manufacturing in zero-gravity.
Imagine an astronaut needing to make a life-or-death repair on the International Space Station. Rather than hoping
that the necessary parts and tools are on the station already, what if the parts could be 3D printed when they needed
them?.
All space missions today are completely dependent on Earth and the launch vehicles that send equipment to space.
The greater the distance from Earth and the longer the duration, the more difficult it will be to resupply materials.
"As Nasa ventures further into space, whether redirecting an asteroid or sending humans to Mars, we will need
transformative technology to reduce cargo weight and volume," Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden said during a
recent tour of the agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field.
"In the future, perhaps astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space," he said.
The Made in Space and Nasa team envisions a future where space missions can be virtually self-sufficient and
manufacture most of what they need in space.
This includes such things as consumables, common tools, and replacements for lost or broken parts and eventually
even such things as CubeSats (small, deployable satellites).
"The 3D printing experiment with Nasa is a step towards the future. The ability to 3D print parts and tools on-demand
greatly increases the reliability and safety of space missions while also dropping the cost by orders of magnitude," said
Kemmer.
Technology Page 17
"The first printers will start by building test coupons, and will then build a broad range of parts, such as tools and
science equipment," Kemmer said.
Both Made in Space and Nasa view the space station as the place to initiate the journey of in-space manufacturing.
"We're taking additive manufacturing technology to new heights, by working with Made in Space to test 3D printing
aboard the space station," said Michael Gazarik, Nasa's associate administrator for space technology in Washington.
In preparation for the 2014 launch, Made in Space tested a diverse array of 3D printing technologies in zero-gravity in
2011 and is conducting additional tests this year. These micro-gravity tests provide the initial research that fed into the
developments for the 3D Print experiment.
The 3D Printer is built specifically to handle the environmental challenges of space and uses extrusion additive
manufacturing, which builds objects layer by layer out of polymers and other materials.
Nasa sending world's first 3-D printer into space
Nasa is set to launch world's first zero-G-ready 3D printer into space next year, during its resupply mission to the
International Space Station, so that parts can be built on-demand in space.
Space manufacturing company Made in Space's customised 3D printer will be the first device to manufacture parts
away from planet Earth.
3D Printing and Defence: A Silent Revolution
Imagine a technician in a war zone sending an e-mail along with a digital scan of an unserviceable part of an armoured
fighting vehicle which then gets printed at the nearest available 3D printer and delivered to him in no time. This can
possibly minimize the need of carrying and maintaining large inventories in battle zone. This revolution is taking place
in a very silent manner and is likely to have far reaching implications for supply chain and logistics management of the
armed forces. In a 3D printing technology, an object is created layer by layer through a specially designed printer using
plastic or other materials.
The history of 3D printing dates back to 1984 when commercial 3D printing was based on stereolithography technique
in which ultraviolet beams were used to trace a slice of an object on the surface of liquid photopolymer resulting in
the hardening of the photopolymer. The process is repeated over several layers depending upon the shape and size of
the object, till the complete object is printed.
As mentioned, 3D printing is likely to alter the ways in which supply chains and logistics are maintained in defence
forces. For any supply chain the key elements are the manufacturer, goods/supply carrier and the end
user. Considering the range and depth of the inventory maintained by defence forces, the supply chain and logistic
lines of control stretches from one end of the country to remote border areas as also several hundred nautical miles
into the sea carrying millions of tons of stores comprising of ammunition, spares and components, minor and major
assemblies etc. Some of these stores are sensitive and a large number of them have limited shelf life.
Operational readiness of defence forces largely depend upon the serviceability state of equipment in the hands of the
troops. Often, non-availability of critical spares and components leads to non-availability of equipments and weapons
to the troops, seriously hampering their war-fighting capability and especially when it comes to vintage foreign origin
equipments. Once the digital scan or drawing is made available, the component can be straightway printed by a
suitable 3D printer and raw material made available close to the site of breakdown in repair workshops. To start with,
critical components of armoured fighting vehicles, small arms, field guns, UAVs, aircraft components etc. can be
identified for printing onsite or close to the deployment of equipment which will drastically reduce the downtime of
the equipment. Logistic tails thus will get reduced, reducing security risk with favorable economy of scales. The
advantage of 3D printing also lies in its efficiency. The waste generated during traditional manufacturing is drastically
reduced by 3D printing. The labour can also be reduced by 3D printing.
The most striking thing about 3D printing is the way it can convert the digital inventory into physical objects thereby
reducing the requirement of critical storage space drastically. Navy is in an advantageous position since it allows digital
inventory to be carried onboard ships and submarines.
Disaster relief is also one area where 3D printing can aid the relief operation. Shelters can be printed onsite as per the
requirement. Walls of these shelters are printed using special blend of cement and there strength is found to much
higher than traditional walls due to layer by layer printing. Another area where defence forces have its utility is
healthcare. There is a possibility in the near future of bio-printing drugs and vaccines.Instead of keeping the sensitive
Technology Page 18
healthcare. There is a possibility in the near future of bio-printing drugs and vaccines.Instead of keeping the sensitive
drugs and vaccines close to battlefield, they can be simply printed through 3D printer to avert any pandemic or provide
defence against a possible biological or chemical attack. Bio printing machines are able to recreate heart tissues, lungs,
jaw bones and other prosthetics limbs which will prove to be very useful for military hospitals for onsite treatment
when removal of patient is not possible.
The US Army has started experimenting with logistics based on 3D printing. Its Rapid Equipping Force (REF) has been
assigned with 3D printers and have been deployed in war zones of West Asia. The US government has launched a 30
million dollar pilot programme for research on 3D printing and NASA is likely to launch its first 3D printer in space
sometime in 2014. China is also not far behind and is likely to expand its 3D printing capabilities many folds in next 3
years. In May 2013, China showcased the worlds largest titanium aircraft critical component produced using 3D Laser
Direct Manufacturing technology.
This technology if adopted by Indian defence forces will have a broad effect on the long supply chains being maintained
thus reducing the cost of its maintenance substantially.Components which are critical to functioning of any vehicle or
combat equipment can be identified by each of the three services and by placing the 3D printers along with raw
material and digital designs at key locations these components can be churned out as and when needed. This will save
the exchequer on maintaining the storage space, shelf life and manpower needed to maintain the long supply chains.
3D printing technology is going through a phase of evolution but at the same time there are certain flip sides which
also need to be taken into consideration before its mass utilization by defence forces. First, replacement parts which in
war fighting machines are very critical have to be ensured for their safety standards since quality of 3D printer, the
material used and the environment in which they are created has serious bearing.Therefore, standards are needed
which are virtually non-existent world over. Secondly, printing of parts also requires purchasing intellectual property
rights from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) which may cost a substantial amount to exchequer.Thirdly, the
ease with which parts can be printed does raise serious questions. Anyone holding digital designs with printing
capability can churn out critical parts which have serious implications for national security. Digital designs of weapons
falling into the hands terrorist organizations can result in disastrous situation. Further, if an adversary lays his hands on
digital files of proprietary designs, there is a possibility of altering the designs by hacking into the digital
repository. Therefore, cyber security will assume greater importance.
3D printing technology is still in nascent stage. However, it is not difficult to imagine as to how it will drastically
enhance the capabilities of defence forces
22-12-2014
Astronaut can make tools using 3D printer in space
4D printing
22-12-2014
4D printing to create shape changing structures
researchers from MIT have used a technology called 4D printing to create a structure that can change shape &
functionality without external intervention
involves 3D printing items that are designed to change shape after they are printed
The researchers printed the shape-shifting 3D structure using two materials a stiff plastic, & a "secret" water
absorbent material that could double in volume when submerged in water
Technology Page 19
Pritzker Architecture Prize

03 April 2014
07:49
Pritzker Architecture Prize

03-04-2014
The Pritzker Architecture Prize, the most distinguished and celebrated award in architecture, is given to a professional
in the field who has contributed substantially to humanity and displayed excellence in built work.
Awarded this year to Shigeru Ban, the 56-year-old Japanese architect, the Prize has truly met its objective after a long
time. Mr. Ban has built inexpensive, easily transportable and recyclable disaster relief structures across the world for
two decades. His ingenious designs have converted cardboard, paper and other relatively inexpensive materials into
useful and reliable building components. He has utilised them in challenging situations ranging from earthquakedisaster relief work in Bhuj to refugee structures in Rwanda. Not many architects commit their skills and resources to
design for the needy. Their preoccupation has been with creating expensive, glitzy and monumental structures, and
major awards, including the Pritzker Prize, thus far have favoured such less socially relevant projects.
This years Pritzker Prize raises a key question for Indian architects and policymakers to reflect on: if good design brings
in innovation and adds value, why are they not increasingly deployed to serve the public good? Organisations such as
the Design Council of the U.K., which advises the government on matters of design, have repeatedly demonstrated that
creative solutions can improve the quality of everyday life and deliver public services efficiently. They have also shown
that funds invested in design fetch profits and social value. Such savings are critical for fund-starved projects such as
low-cost housing. In contrast, State departments in India pay hardly any attention to design. As a result, low-income
housing projects impose unliveable environments on the poor, and cities are yet to see well-designed bus stops, easily
maintainable public toilets and user-friendly civic buildings. Even the National Design Policy, announced in 2007, has
not sufficiently focussed on socially useful products. Architecture has to rediscover its social purpose to stay relevant.
Professional education and public policy must enable it to serve those in need than just those who can pay for it.
Technology Page 20
UAVs
03 April 2014
12:05
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Uses
Used as a tool in journalism
US govts targeted killing of people linked to terrorism
Remotely controlled drone to spy on the nests of endangered breeds & monitor progress of reintroduced species
Drone helps police scan areas of conflict like communal violence. This helps in taking decisions on movement of
police personnel, to scan trouble spots & monitor crowds
Drones can be used for atmospheric & weather monitoring, disaster response, voice & data communications
aerial surveys, aerial observation & surveillance, including filming & forest fire surveillance activities, aerial
advertising, radio & TV emissions
In construction sites it allows manual work to be monitored & scrutinised
Filmmakers are increasingly using drones to get close & wide-angle shots of the action sequences in movies
UAVs help pinpoint Chinese transgression in border areas
UAVs can map high-altitude glaciers
provides data to inform local water management decisions
04-12-2013
UN using drones in Congo
01-03-2014
Drone satellite- atmospheric satellites or atmostat
capable of flying at high altitude for up to 5 yrs at a time & solar-powered is a more cost-effective alternative to
orbital satellites
They are dubbed as atmospheric satellites (Atmosat)
could fulfil the role of a near-Earth satellite at a fraction of the cost & without needing to be launched into orbit
03-04-2014
Drone Journalism
Fitted with cameras & transmitters, drones are now helping journalists capture scenes that would otherwise put
their lives in danger
They let journalists capture scenes that previously would have put their lives in danger, & make it harder for govts
to lie (used in protests against govts)
Drones are helping journalists overcome logistical hurdles, too. They have recently been used to cover fires raging in
the Australian bush, & floods in southern England
Their relative cheapness is an added benefit. Their usefulness will only grow as cameras get better & batteries last
longer
UAVs in defence
Unmanned aerial vehicles have become a must-have in the armoury of advanced militaries to fire missiles precisely
on targets thousands of miles away
Technology Page 21
on targets thousands of miles away
India's UAV development project

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a must-have in the armoury of advanced militaries to fire missiles
precisely on targets thousands of miles away
Nishant: is an UAV developed for Indian Army for surveillance applications
It was taken up in 1995 & 4 units were given to the Army in 2011
UAVs also to be used in tackling Maoists
20-11-2015
With the last of the 4 Nishant UAVs with the Army crashing, Indias much-delayed project to develop a basic UAV
lies in a shambles
The DRDO has been working on a wheeled version, called Panchi, which can take of from short runways
21-05-2014
Drones as anti-missile defence
The best time to shoot down a hostile missile is straight after take-off. During this initial boost phase it moves more
slowly, is easier to spot (because its exhaust plumes are so hot) and presents a bigger target (having not yet ditched its
first-stage fuel tanks). A bonus is that the debris may come crashing down on the country that launched ityour
enemyrather than you
Ethical issues of drones in military
Analysis
The effectiveness of the drones the clean precision of war from a distance has dominated policy discourse,
often undermining the legal & ethical principles that underpin the right to kill
For Eg. The US used drones to target terror groups in Afghanistan & Pakistan (caused uproar in Pakistan)
But there are evidences which found number of flaws in the killings based on unreliable information
Many civilians have also got killed in these drone strikes
The War will then no longer be fought in the battlefield, but in battlezones
Pro drones in military
Armed UAVs make killing antiseptic, distancing combatants from the bloody reality of war
It allows a fighter to strike from a distance from where his or her adversary cannot strike back
Some of the arguments against drones reflect little more than technophobia
Machines may prove better-able to make life-&-death judgments than emotional, terrified soldiers
History of warfare tells that civilian casualties are unavoidable especially in populated areas
Against drones in military
Killing by drones rule out even the smallest chance of capture or surrender & hence exclude the prospect of criminal
justice
Military drone systems have violent & dehumanising potential
Drone can become extra judicial weapons of state terror, state-perpetrated criminality & surveillance
This also means that a powerful country will have 'right to pursue' its intended target whenever & wherever with
impunity, & with scant regard for the territorial sovereignty of the other nations
UAVs in agriculture
Technology Page 22
UAVs in agriculture
08-06-2014
Drones offer farmers an easy way to check progress of crops
For farmers, aerial photographs taken by drones offer a quick & easy way to check on the progress of crops &
determine where they may need to replant or direct pesticide applications
29-01-2015
Drones play key role in precision farming
Drones are being used by scientists in site-specific research related to irrigation, plant growth, nutrient
management, herbicide application & with more potential applications
06-10-2015
UAVs to help gauge crop damage
The Centre has decided to use satellite & UAVs over farmers fields to collect crop yield data & to assess damage
from natural calamities
05-11-2014
For Chhath Puja & Muharram, Delhi Police used drones to monitor the situation
22-12-2014
Drones can be used for ocean surveillance like providing real-time intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance over vast
ocean & coastal regions
11-01-2015
Apart from their traditional use for aerial surveillance, research, remote sensing & combat purposes, they are
increasingly being used for things like commercial photography & cinematography
In the world of professional sports, they were used to film skiing & snowboarding events during the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi
They even helped the police; the first drone-assisted arrest that of a North Dakota cattle rancher took place in
January, 2014
Prime Air, Amazons flagship delivery service that promises to get packages into customers hands in 30 minutes or
less using UAVs (currently pending FAA approval)
21-01-2015
Drones can be employed in conservation of forests & wild animals & protect them against poachers
Drones to help curb illegal fishing in protected marine sanctuaries
04-03-2015
Regulator set to clear norms for commercial use of drones
India is set to enter an exclusive club of just 5 countries worldwide with the DGCA working on notifying regulations
for commercial use of drones soon
Globally, US, Spain, Australia & New Zealand have notified provisional norms for civilian use of UAVs
In Oct 2014, India had banned private organisations & individuals from launching UAVs
Apart from DGCA approval, the move will require clearance from the air navigation service provider, the ministries
of defence & home affairs & other concerned agencies
The useful aspects of civilian drones are well known agriculture, wildlife conservation, search & rescue, aerial
photography, perimeter security, remote monitoring of utilities such as transmission towers, pipelines, highways,
railways, etc, tracking of natural disasters &, lately, doorstep delivery of products
However, drones also hold potential risks. Besides debates about their use for intrusive surveillance, battery failure
or loss of navigational control could cause accidents
Given its multifarious applications & damage potential, ownership & operation of drones need to be licensed. Its
size, capabilities, aerial route & end-use of collected data need to be monitored
Need to look at ways to define flight paths, height & areas of operation so that UAVs do not pose a hazard in
manned air traffic operations
Technology Page 23
22-03-2015
UAVs to monitor any unauthorised entry into forests & to detect any forest fire in reserve forests & national parks
13-04-2015
pepper-drones for mob control, surveillance to be used in UP
10-05-2015
Coal India Limited to use drones to increase coal production
Drones as threat to security

07-05-2015
In the hands of criminals, small drones could be a menace. Now is the time to think about how to detect them &
knock them down safely
A drone carrying radioactive sand landed on the roof of the Japanese PMO in Tokyo in 2015
Last year more than a dozen French nuclear plants were buzzed by them
In Jan 2015, a drone crashed on the White House lawn
The employment of drones for nefarious, or potentially nefarious, purposes thus seems to have begun in earnest
It is only a matter of time before somebody attempts to use a drone, perhaps carrying an explosive payload, to
cause serious damage or injury
Need for anti-drone "detect & defeat" systems
Detecting a small drone is not easy. Such drones are slow-moving & often low-flying, which makes it awkward
for radar to pick them up, especially in the clutter of a busy urban environment
"Defeating" a detected drone is similarly fraught with difficulty. You might be able to jam its control signals, to
direct another drone to catch or ram it, or to trace its control signals to find its operator & then "defeat" him
instead
But all of this would need to take place, as far as possible, without disrupting local Wi-Fi systems (drones are
often controlled by Wi-Fi), & it would certainly have to avoid any risk of injuring innocent bystanders
11-07-2015
Flying drones in India has been banned since October 2014
Technology Page 24
Wearable technology
12 March 2015
15:56
CuteCircuits Twitter dress

The terms wearable technology, wearable devices, & wearables all refer to electronic technologies or computers
that are incorporated into items of clothing & accessories which can comfortably be worn on the body
examples being Google Glass, smart watches
Google glass
Glass is basically a small wearable computer that is being developed by Google, with a camera and a display screen
(optical head-mounted display) above the wearers right eye. The device sits roughly at eyebrow level, higher than
where eyeglasses would go
Akin to wearing a smartphone without having to hold it in your hands, that can communicate with the Internet via
natural language voice commands. It lets wearers surf the Web, ask for directions and take photos or videos. Glass
also lets people read their email, share photos on Twitter and Facebook, translate phrases while travelling or
partake in video chats. Glass follows some basic voice commands, spoken after the words OK, Glass
Google is adding prescription frames and new styles of detachable sunglasses to its computerised, internet-connected
goggles known as Glass.
12-10-2014
Use in medical field
It allows distant instant consultation with seniors who could be watching the surgical procedure being performed &
also it is a great experience for juniors to watch operations through the eyes of people with years of experience.
A surgeon can also go through medical papers while performing surgery on the table for quick reference. Hence it
can improve the safety & efficiency of surgeries performed
18-03-2015
Wearables, mobile devices containing circuitry to gather & display information, include a diverse wardrobe of
products, such as clothes that measure exertion & glasses that overlay information & augmented images on real-life
vistas
21 million wearable devices were sold in 2014; wrist-worn wearables, including watches, were the majority
Several companies are offering small gadgets that use GPS technology to track children who might wander off
A British startup, has designed a smart shirt that reproduces the feeling of being hugged when someone sends the
wearer a text message
Health is an area of particular promise
Watches & other wearables can help people monitor their activity & encourage them to exercise
Thanks largely to the smartphone boom, chips & sensors have become cheaper & smaller
Some analysts think wearables killer feature may eventually be that they will provide their users with a persistent
digital identity, melding the functions of a driving licence, credit card, house key, car key & computer in one small
gadget worn on the wrist or neck
In factories & warehouses, smart glasses could make it more efficient to locate & handle stock& to keep an eye
Technology Page 25
In factories & warehouses, smart glasses could make it more efficient to locate & handle stock& to keep an eye
on workers productivity
Mining & oil firms could use wearables to monitor the safety of employees in hazardous situations
Spanish startup, is working on a sports shirt with an embedded camera, to give fans a players eye view of the action
Wearable devices hold the potential to transform some industries
Clinical trials could become cheaper & more accurate if drugmakers give wearable monitors to the patients
taking part
Hospitals & doctors surgeries could use such monitors to reduce the need for home visits
Insurance firms could enter a new age in which they reduce risk as well as provide cover for it
Consumers may benefit in the end, but the buyers of the wearable devices will be businesses
One American health insurer is already handing out health-monitoring bands to customers, promising lower
premiums for those who exercise more (see article). Banks could reward customers who use the identityverifying features of wearables, to cut the risk of card fraud
The opportunities are boundless, but so are the dilemmas
Wearable devices are highly personal, but that exposes people to real risks
As consumers quantify more of their lives & store more of their health & medical data electronically, the chance
that they could be compromised rises
Currently there is no straightforward way to revoke personal information should a wearable device be lost or
stolen
Wearables provide a new avenue of attack for cyber-criminals
Such fears will need to be assuaged for consumers to become as enthusiastic about wearables as the many
companies now working on them
28-03-2015
Wearable tech from India: Footwear that shows the way
to help the visually-impaired navigate their worlds better, Lechal (Hindi for take me along)
Touted as the worlds first interactive haptic footwear, this wearable will soon be available as a shoe or insole that
tells you which way to go & collects data about our activities on the way
Lechal uses haptic feedback to direct the person wearing it & can collect data like other wearable devices
Technology Page 26
Robotics
08 February 2014
13:23
Uses of robots
SeaBed robots using sonar can analyse ice thickness of sea ice at an underwater depth
Robot Journalist used in news media for ingesting, computing, generating outputs
Robots are now being employed to protect the International Space Station (ISS) from potentially damaging space
junk and help repair defunct satellites
01-04-2014
Robots are as good, or as bad, as the people who make them
Isaac Asimov was wrong to think that the laws of robotics would be hard-wired into every robot brain. He was right,
though, to think that robots would need regulation, and that such regulation would cause heated debate on the
role that they might play
For the market for robots to develop, laws & regulations will be crucial
The uptake of industrial robots has always been constrained by health-&-safety considerations
Autonomy for lethal military robots remains a serious concern
The spread of civilian drones will depend on freeing up airspace, along with bandwidth for their control
The advent of self-driving cars opens up all sorts of legal & regulatory issues
Manufacturers technical ability to produce robots that can help in the home might easily outrun their capacity to
deal with the resulting liability issues, especially if the robots operate in the homes of elderly people with cognitive
difficulties
It needs to be seen that how acceptable it is for robots to be designed to fool people into thinking that they have
feelings
Robots have no will of their own; they are machines designed for an end, & it is that end which regulators need
to concentrate on
In Das Kapital, Karl Marx argued that fetishising money & commodities as figures endowed with a life of their
own, which enter into relations both with each other & with the human race blinds people to the social
relationships built into the world of trade & economics
Subsequent generations have noted that technology is often similarly fetishised
Robots are also an eg. of such fetishisation
Means & ends
In a weapons system, the precise level of autonomy is probably less important than the discrimination & care with
which the person responsible for the system handles it
For eg. If a civilian drone is used as a tool by a Peeping Tom, it is the peeping, not the drone, that should be
penalised
Robots will get better at seeing things, manipulating things & moving things around, just as they have got better at
walking
Clearly there will be limits to the things robots can do. But such limits are not yet in sight
01-04-2014
New roles for technology- Rise of the robots
Prepare for a robot invasion. It will change the way people think about technology
ROBOTS came into the world as a literary device whereby the writers and film-makers of the early 20th century could
explore their hopes and fears about technology, as the era of the automobile, telephone and aeroplane picked up its
reckless jazz-age speed. From Fritz Langs Metropolis and Isaac Asimovs I, Robot to WALL-E and the Terminator
films, and in countless iterations in between, they have succeeded admirably in their task
Since moving from the page and screen to real life, robots have been a mild disappointment. They do some things that
humans cannot do themselves, like exploring Mars, and a host of things people do not much want to do, like dealing
with unexploded bombs or vacuuming floors (there are around 10m robot vacuum cleaners wandering the carpets of
the world). And they are very useful in bits of manufacturing. But reliable robotsespecially ones required to work
beyond the safety cages of a factory floorhave proved hard to make, and robots are still pretty stupid. So although
they fascinate people, they have not yet made much of a mark on the world
That seems about to change. The exponential growth in the power of silicon chips, digital sensors and high-bandwidth
communications improves robots just as it improves all sorts of other products. And, as our special report this week
Technology Page 27
communications improves robots just as it improves all sorts of other products. And, as our special report this week
explains, three other factors are at play
One is that robotics R&D is getting easier. New shared standards make good ideas easily portable from one robot
platform to another. And accumulated know-how means that building such platforms is getting a lot cheaper. A robot
like Rethink Roboticss Baxter, with two arms and a remarkably easy, intuitive programming interface, would have been
barely conceivable ten years ago. Now you can buy one for $25,000
C3 IPO
A second factor is investment. The biggest robot news of 2013 was that Google bought eight promising robot startups.
Rich and well led (by Andy Rubin, who masterminded the Android operating system) and with access to world-beating
expertise in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, both highly relevant, Googles robot programme promises the
possibility of something spectacularthough no one outside the company knows what that might be. Amazon, too, is
betting on robots, both to automate its warehouses and, more speculatively, to make deliveries by drone. In South
Korea and elsewhere companies are moving robot technology to new areas of manufacturing, and eyeing services.
Venture capitalists see a much better chance of a profitable exit from a robotics startup than they used to
The third factor is imagination. In the past few years, clever companies have seen ways to make robots work as grips
and gaffers on film sets (Gravity could not have been shot without robots moving the cameras and lights) and panel
installers at solar-power plants. More people will grasp how a robotic attribute such as high precision or fast reactions
or independent locomotion can be integrated into a profitable business; eventually some of them will build mass
markets. Aerial robotsdronesmay be in the vanguard here. They will let farmers tend their crops in new ways, give
citizens, journalists and broadcasters new perspectives on events big and small (see article), monitor traffic and fires,
look for infrastructure in need of repair and much more besides
As consumers and citizens, people will benefit greatly from the rise of the robots. Whether they will as workers is less
clear, for the robots growing competence may make some human labour redundant. Aetheons Tugs, for instance,
which take hospital trolleys where they are needed, are ready to take over much of the work that porters do today.
Kivas warehouse robots make it possible for Amazon to send out more parcels with fewer workers. Driverless cars
could displace the millions of people employed behind the wheel today. Just as employment in agriculture, which used
to provide almost all the jobs in the pre-modern era, now accounts for only 2% of rich-world employment so jobs in
todays manufacturing and services industries may be forced to retreat before the march of the robots. Whether
humanity will find new ways of using its labour, or the future will be given over to forced leisure, is a matter of much
worried debate among economists. Either way, robots will probably get the credit or blame
Invisible and otherwise
Robotic prowess will to some extent be taken for granted. It will be in the nature of cars to drive themselves, of floors
to be clean and of supplies to move around hospitals and offices; the robotic underpinning of such things will be
invisible. But robots will not just animate the inanimate environment. They will inhabit it alongside their masters,
fulfilling all sorts of needs. Some, like Baxter, will help make and move things, some will provide care, some just
comfort or companionship. A Japanese robot resembling a baby seal, which responds amiably to stroking and can
distinguish voices, seems to help elderly patients with dementia
The more visible robots are, the better they can help humanity discuss questions like those first posed in fiction. Is it
necessary that wars always be fought by people who can feel pity and offer clemency, and yet who can also be cruel
beyond all tactical requirements? (Already America is arguing about whether drone pilots deserve medalssee article.)
Does it matter if the last kindnesses a person feels are from a machine? What dignifies human endeavour if the labour
of most, or all, humans becomes surplus to requirements?
People, companies and governments find it hard to discuss the ultimate goals of technological change in the abstract.
The great insight of Asimov et al was that it is easier to ask such questions when the technology is personified: when
you can look it in the face. Like spacefarers gazing back at the home planet, robots can serve not just as workers and
partners, but as purveyors of new perspectivesnot least when the people looking at them see the robots looking
back, as they one day will, with something approaching understanding
Kirobo- Worlds first talking robot
Technology Page 28
Worlds first talking robot Kirobo was successfully sent into space on 4 August 2013 by Japanese Scientists.
The robot was sent by H2B rocket from the island of Tanegashima. The rocket carried food, water and other
supplies. Kirobo will serve as a companion for Japanese astronauts.Kirobo was put through a series of zero-gravity
and other safety tests prior to sending him into space. Kirobo is 34 centimetres tall and can speak Japanese. It will
provide emotional support for people in space.
The main features of kirobo are as following Kirobo will talk to JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata when he arrives at the space station in November 2012.
The name of Kirobo is a merging of Kibo and robot.
Kirobo was designed by scientists and engineers at the University of Tokyo.
It is equipped with voice-recognition and face-recognition technology, as well as a camera, emotion recognition
software and natural language processing
Sperm-based biobots
Scientists created sperm-based biobots [Spermbots] in Germany
Scientists led by Oliver Schmidt created the biological robots or biobots powered by sperm in the Institute for
Integrative Nanosciences in Dresden, Germany on December 2013.
It is also called as biohybrid micro-robot.
The researchers created magnetic nanotubes that were 50 microns long by 5 to 8 microns in diameter and dropped
these into a fluid containing bull sperm.
The tubes were narrower at one end to stop the sperm from escaping and can be rotated by using magnetic fields.
The tail-like flagellum of the sperm cell sticks outside the end of the tube and power the bibot like a propeller
Benefits
These biobots can be used to guide individual sperm or to deliver targeted doses of drugs or fertilizing an egg.
Schmidt Said that sperm cells are an attractive option because they are harmless to the human body, do not require an
external power source and swam through viscous liquids.
Till now researchers has only managed to persuade groups of cells to cooperate with the help of chemical gradients
and magnetic fields
ERWIN (Emotional Robot with Intelligent Network)
ERWIN (Emotional Robot with Intelligent Network) has been developed at the University of Lincoln as part of a study
attempting to understand how long-term relationships may be forged between humans and androids. These durable
relationships could be important in cases where a robot operates as a personal aid or companion, for example when
providing care for the elderly or support for people with autism.
Dr John Murray, from the School of Computer Science at Lincoln, is behind the friendly robot, which is now being used
in a new study carried out by Indian PhD student Mriganka Biswas
Biswas said: "When two people interact for the first time, if the two different personalities attract each other, a
relationship forms. But, in the case of conventional human-robot interaction, after gathering information about the
robot, the robot's lack of identifiable characteristics and personality prevents any relationship bond developing."
The key obstacle in forming a bond with a robot may lie in our flawed human thought processes. As humans, we have
the tendency to use certain illogical patterns of thought, or cognitive biases, when making judgements about the world
Technology Page 29
the tendency to use certain illogical patterns of thought, or cognitive biases, when making judgements about the world
and other people around us. We do this because these shortcuts allow us to make quicker decisions and free up our
limited mental space for dealing with unfamiliar input. Our biases shape our personality, and according to Biswas, are
what make us human.
Computers and robots, on the other hand, generally operate according to rational rules, which make them seem very
far removed from us. Introducing cognitive bias to a robot and giving it personality traits will render it more humanlike. As demonstrated in the video, ERWIN can express five basic emotions whilst interacting with us
Robot dragonfly
DelFly Explorer
Robot dragonfly: the smallest and lightest self-navigating drone
Delft University of Technology has developed a new a small flying robot, which weighs only 20 grams.
It's a world's first Micro Air Vehicle that can fly in any surroundings and automatically avoid obstacles. Micro Air
Vehicles are a specific class of aerial drones nearer in size to insects than airplanes.
It has a unique sensory array; a tiny system that contains two cameras and a computer that allows the bot to
navigate autonomously using bincoluar vision.
All the computing power to keep the Explorer flyer happens on-board there's no need for the craft to be
controlled , and it can take-off by itself, maintain a height and avoiding obstacles.
With this lighter weight comes lower production costs and the ability to be deployed safely in environments with
humans.
Uses
Detecting ripe fruit in greenhouses or mapping abandoned buildings.
It could map abandoned buildings.
Check for leaking pipelines in a factory
06-10-2014
Coming soon, robotic patrol boats
The U.S. Navy says it will soon usearmed, robotic patrol boats with no sailors on board to escort and defend warships
moving through sensitive sea lanes
05-11-2014
Industrial robots
Industrial robots are being employed which work alongside humans in factories
08-11-2014
Robots can be used in Space missions
Technology Page 30
Robots can be used in Space missions

15-11-2014
AgroBots, a special robot has many agricultural applications
Robots can be used in Oceanography (sea floor exploration)
They can be deployed in Polar regions to study effects of Climate change
15-01-2015
Robot cameras monitor deep-sea ecosystems
Technology & jobs

14-03-2015
Technology research firm Gartner predicts software, robots & smart machines will take over 1 out of 3 jobs in
another 10 years
Futurist Thomas Frey predicted a few years back that 2 billion jobs, half the total, will disappear by 2030
In 1997, the year IBMs Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov & gave the world a glimpse of
what technology is capable of
In 2011, another of IBMs inventions, Watson, beat 2 champions of the quiz show Jeopardy
Some experts believe that it wont be long before a storytelling computer programme wins a Pulitzer Prize
Then, there is the robot scientist Eve which promises to make drug discovery faster & cheaper
If software can do journalism, compose music, discover drugs, win a quiz, drive cars, & do many other things that
earlier were impossible without a human, what does it say about the coming job market?
A recent report notes that one of the fallouts of the coming in of smart machines is a long-run decline in labour
share of income
Other experts have visualised an emerging world of economic lopsidedness, where technological adoption & use
could create a few big winners & many big losers
This is what could happen if someone successfully builds & markets an automated system, which while helping
its maker reap handsome profits also puts many, many people out of jobs
In the coming years, some jobs could disappear faster than others
Auto companies, for instance, have over the years increasingly used robotics, which they have found to be more
cost-efficient and less problematic than labour in the long run
IT companies now are betting on automation to deal with a lot of routine stuff
Machine learning, by which software systems learn to make decisions based on data, will only make this
significantly better
The Indian scenario
India, not being a developed economy, can breathe easy as the pace of adoption of technology might be
relatively slower here than in advanced economies
17-03-2015
Robot can be almost any automated process that substitutes machines for people
The fear of technological unemployment isnt new
In the early 1800s, English workers destroyed mechanical looms to prevent these efficient machines from taking
their jobs. One alleged leader was Ned Ludd hence the term Luddite, someone resisting new technologies
New technologies typically involve lower prices, superior value or both. This creates a huge demand
The fear of technological job loss is real but exaggerated, coz it occurs after a period when deep employment losses
for other reasons the financial crisis & Great Recession have made people extra sensitive to any threat to their
livelihoods
new jobs have always replaced the old
22-03-2015
Cyberclones
Technology Page 31
Cyberclones
Other advanced Robots
Technology Page 32
15-04-2015
Killer robots on battlefields pose some fraught ethical questions
Killer robots (one of lethal autonomous weapon systems)- Such machines could roam a battlefield, on the ground or
in the air, picking their own targets & then shredding them with cannon fire, or blowing them up with missiles,
without any human intervention
A UN conference in Geneva is meeting to consider ways in which these machines can be brought under legal &
ethical control
A programmer might in theory reconstruct the precise sequence of inputs & processes that led a drone to act
wrongly & then correct the programme
A human war criminal will lie to himself as well as to his interrogators. Humans cannot be programmed out of
evil
Robots may be autonomous, but they cannot be morally responsible as humans must be. The ambition to
control them is as profoundly human as it is right
23-06-2015
Pattern recognition hardware & software has made it possible for computers to make dramatic progress in
computer vision & speech understanding
In contrast, little headway has been made in "cognition," the higher-level humanlike processes required for robot
planning & true autonomy
27-10-2015
RoboBee- An insect-sized miniature robot that can fly, swim
The RoboBee is a microrobot, smaller than a paperclip, that flies & hovers like an insect, flapping its tiny, nearly
invisible wings 120 times/sec
For the first time, scientists (at Harvard) have designed an insect-like robot smaller than a paperclip that can both fly
& swim
It could be a groundbreaking discovery that may lead to future dual aerial aquatic robotic vehicles
Use of robots in delicate surgeries like ear surgeries
Technology Page 33
21-11-2015
Agriculture robotics: Indian innovation with Agribot
26-yr old PSV Kisshann has filed a patent for an agricultural robot he designed & created
The Agribot can plough the field, water it & sow seeds for a fixed period of time, with the help of a timer &
predicts weather as well
If a farmer takes half a day to plough the field, the Agribot would do the same in just half an hour
To build the Agribot, all the parts were bought locally
14-01-2016
New 'spermbots' to boost fertility treatments
Scientists have developed motorised 'spermbots' by attaching tiny metal helices to sperm cells that can aid poor
swimmers to reach an egg, an advance that could improve fertility treatments
25-01-2016
NASA preparing humanoid robots for future deep space missions
They could assist astronauts in risky & extremely hazardous deep space missions to Mars & asteroids in the future
Technology Page 34
Nanotechnology
16 January 2014
08:43
Dream March 2015-4,

Nanotechnology is the science of interacting with atoms & molecules to modify the way they behave. Materials behave
differently in the nanoworld. Scientists can direct those behaviors to create new capabilities
15-03-2014
Indian agro-scientist develops world's first nano-fertiliser
Dr. Tarafdar has innovated nano fertiliser using biosynthesis for the first time in the world
This means that no chemicals have been used for the synthesis of nano-fertiliser
Using microbial enzymes for the breakdown of fertiliser salts into nano forms and use these as fertilisers
These nano fertilisers increase the nutrient use efficiency by three times than conventional ones. This can reduce
the use of chemical fertilisers by 80 to 100 times and hence save considerable foreign exchange.
Idea is to make nano fertilisers enter stomata of plant leaves and since nano fertilisers are encapsulted with
proteins, it is easy for plants to absorb it by stomata.
Nano fertilisers are 3-4 times more cheaper than chemical ones and also give 17-55% more crop yields, hence higher
return to farmers.
27-03-2014
Shrinking the mass spectrometer
IIT Madras team was able to create ions from any sample even at one volt
Mass spectrometers that are as small as a smart phone and require as little as one volt a 3,000-time reduction in
potential to create an electric field which would turn a sample into ions for identification of composition may soon
become a reality.
Conventionally, a solution of the sample is electrosprayed at 3,000 volts to create charged droplets that become ions.
The ions are, in turn, analysed to find the composition or chemical constituents in the case of a sample mixture
Nanotube dispersion technique
The massive reduction in voltage requirement became possible by using carbon nanotube-impregnated paper to act as
a substrate on which the sample was deposited. If the conventional method uses very high voltage to create a strong
electric field, the sharp protrusions of the carbon nanotubes help in creating the high electric field by using very low
voltage.
He foresees a day not too far away when gently rubbing the nanotube-coated paper on any object an apple or a
tablet will be sufficient to collect samples for analysis in a lab. The nanotube-coated substrate can also be reused. In
all, there is a real possibility of completely rewriting the way sample testing gets done.
So what it means [is that] you can collect samples remotely and analyse them elsewhere for disease or pollution
Technology Page 35
So what it means [is that] you can collect samples remotely and analyse them elsewhere for disease or pollution
prevention or any such thing, he noted. In a sense, we can make a mass spectrometer reach a wider audience. The
mass spectrometer is a sophisticated instrument and has been out of bounds to the common man.
11-06-2014
India may contribute 25% skilled professionals required by global nanotechnology industry, ASSOCHAM TechSci
study
In 2011, India's share in global nanotechnology research publications had reached six per cent from a mere two per
cent in the year 2000. With its major contributions in applied physics, material science and macromolecules, India had
outpaced several countries like Brazil, Taiwan, the UK and France in terms of research publication, the study
ascertained.
"Incentives for research and development, specifying manufacturing standards, infrastructure, cost and financing, weak
industry-academia link and others are certain key barriers in commercialization of nanotechnology in India," said
experts.
According to ASSOCHAM TechSci Research study lack of appropriate infrastructure, absence of proper skillset and
expert workforce, lack of standardizations, lack of knowledge and significant brain drain are key weaknesses of
nanotechnology market in India which is still at a nascent stage.
However, the nanotechnology market in India is likely to witness strong growth on account of increasing government
focus on developing and enhancing nanotechnology, the study added. "Besides, with growing awareness and
contribution by institutions together with increased funding, India is likely to achieve significant growth in
nanotechnology."
Even though the Government has been highly active in funding nanotechnology development in India, the operations
however, need more focus and streamlining as technology is of a multi-disciplinary nature, hence proper utilization of
funds is the need of the hour.
The future of nanotechnology in India is largely dependent on the scale of investment spending and ability to introduce
revolutionary products in the market, further noted the study.
13-11-2014
Nano materials in cancer therapy
targeted therapy through the use of nano materials without causing much harm to a non-cancerous tissue
20-11-2014
Flash memory breaches nanoscales
Scientists harvest molecules & construct nano-sized non-volatile (permanent) storage devices, also known as flash
memory devices
They engineered molecular flash memory using nanoscale polyoxometalate clusters instead of the conventional
metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices
25-11-2014
Recharge your phone in 30 seconds?
Using nanotechnology to synthesise artificial molecules, Israel based company says it has developed a battery that
can store a much higher charge more quickly
The innovation is based around the creation of "nanodots" , which the company describes as bio-organic peptide
molecules
19-02-2015
Nanoparticles target fat deposits in blood vessels
Specially formulated ultra-tiny particles could curtail the growth of fat-laden deposits in blood vessels that can produce
heart attacks and strokes, according to research
19-02-2015
Nanopartices for targeted drug delivery
Nanoparticles containing the antibiotics will be first tagged to the polymer with the hope that the polymer will
deliver the nanoparticles to the site of infection
Once the polymer binds to the bacteria, the nanoparticles will release the antibiotics into the immediate
environment of the microorganism
Technology Page 36
environment of the microorganism

26-02-2015
Silver, titanium dioxide & carbon nanotubes (all nanoparticles) that are embedded on water filter membrane to kill E.
coli bacteria Silver ions kill the bacteria by destroying the integrity of the cell & by damaging the cell proteins & terminating the
DNA replication
Titanium dioxide also kills the bacteria (best in the presence of UV light)
Carbon nanotubes kill the bacteria through direct physical contact the roughness of the nanotubes kills the
bacteria
06-10-2015
Carbon nanotube transistors
In the semiconductor business, it is called the red brick wall the limit of the industrys ability to shrink
transistors beyond a certain size
IBM scientists have found a new way to shrink transistors using carbon nanotube transistors
They found a new way to make transistors from parallel rows of carbon nanotubes
It will make it possible to continue shrinking the width of the wires without increasing electrical resistance
One of the principal challenges facing chip makers is that resistance & heat increase as wires become smaller, & that
limits the speed of chips, which contain transistors
The ability to reduce electrical resistance will not only make it possible to extend the process of shrinking transistors
beyond long-held beliefs about physical limits. It may also be the key to once again increasing the speed of
computer processors, which has been stalled for the last decade
Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors are excellent candidates for improving the performance & energy efficiency
of future computing systems
Basics
Carbon nanotubes are composed of a 1-atom thick matrix of carbon atoms rolled into an infinitesimally small tube
Computer chips
Computer chips such as microprocessors are made up of vast interconnected arrays of transistors tiny
switches that can turn electrical flows on & off
Computer processors have become vastly more powerful coz it has been possible to double the number of
silicon transistors etched into silicon chips at 2-yr intervals for many decades
Today, modern microprocessors are composed of billions of switches capable of switching on & off in just
billionths of a second
However, during the last decade, the pace & power of semiconductor technology has begun to slow
The switching speed of computer chips stopped increasing coz heat created by ultrafast processors was rising to
the point where the chips would break
Graphene
Feb 2014
Graphene circuit's wireless promise
The promise of faster, cheaper and more efficient wireless devices has moved a step closer. Researchers at IBM have
demonstrated the most advanced integrated circuit made of wafer-scale graphene - often touted as a "wonder
material" that could revolutionise electronics. Graphene circuits could allow mobile devices to transmit data loads in a
much speedier manner
The material is the subject of global research efforts aimed at harnessing the extraordinary electrical, optical,
Technology Page 37
The material is the subject of global research efforts aimed at harnessing the extraordinary electrical, optical,
mechanical and thermal properties that potentially make it a cheaper and more energy efficient choice than silicon in
electronics.
"This is the first time that someone has shown graphene devices and circuits to perform modern wireless
communication functions comparable to silicon technology," Experts said.
True integrated circuits based on graphene have been difficult to build because the material's nano-scale dimensions
have meant that it could be easily damaged during fabrication.
14-04-2014
Graphene, the material of tomorrow
Graphene is the strongest, thinnest material known to exist. A form of carbon, it can conduct electricity and heat better
than anything else.
Graphene could change the electronics industry, ushering in flexible devices, supercharged quantum computers,
electronic clothing and computers that can interface with the cells in your body.
While the material was discovered a decade ago, it started to gain attention in 2010 when two physicists at the
University of Manchester were awarded the Nobel Prize for their experiments with it. More recently, researchers have
zeroed in on how to commercially produce graphene.
Graphene is one of the few materials in the world that is transparent, conductive and flexible all at the same time
graphene was discovered to be 200 times stronger than steel.
So what do you do with graphene? Physicists and researchers say that we will soon be able to make electronics that are
thinner, faster and cheaper than anything based on silicon, with the option of making them clear and flexible. Longlasting batteries that can be submerged in water are another possibility.
In 2011, researchers at Northwestern University built a battery that incorporated graphene and silicon, which the
university said could lead to a cellphone that "stayed charged for more than a week and recharged in just 15 minutes."
In 2012, the American Chemical Society said that advancements in graphene were leading to touch-screen electronics
that "could make cellphones as thin as a piece of paper and foldable enough to slip into a pocket."
Samsung has discovered how to create high-quality graphene on silicon wafers, which could be used for the production
of graphene transistors. Samsung said in a statement that these advancements meant it could start making "flexible
displays, wearables and other next-generation electronic devices."
Researchers at IBM, Nokia and SanDisk have been experimenting with the material to create sensors, transistors and
memory storage.
Graphene is inexpensive. If you think of something in today's electronics industry, it can most likely be made better,
smaller and cheaper with graphene.
Another fascinating aspect of graphene is its ability to be submerged in liquids without oxidizing, unlike other
conductive materials.
Graphene research is leading to experiments where electronics can integrate with biological systems. In other words,
you could have a graphene gadget implanted in you that could read your nervous system or talk to your cells.
Last year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation paid for the development of a graphene-based condom that is thin,
light and impenetrable. Carmakers are exploring building electronic cars with bodies made of graphene that are not
only protective, but act as solar panels that charge the car's battery. Aircraft makers also hope to build planes out of
graphene.
If all that isn't enough, an international team of researchers based at MIT has performed tests that could lead to the
creation of quantum computers, which would be a big market of computing in the future.
20-04-2014
Technology Page 38
07-10-2014
Graphene may allow for flexible, low-cost touchscreens
Graphene-treated nanowires could soon replace current touchscreen technology allowing for more affordable, flexible
displays, scientists say.
The majority of today's touchscreen devices, such as tablets and smartphones are made using indium tin oxide (ITO)
which is both expensive & inflexible
18-06-2015
Graphene nanoribbons are being increasingly used in composite materials
Gold nanoparticles
20-10-2015
Bacterium Cupriavidus metallodurans produces nano-particles of 24-carat gold (metallodurans = durable metal)
Delftia acidovorans (acidovorans = acid eating), Marinobacter pelagius (marinobacter = bacteria from sea); both
bacteria essentially produce gold nuggets as a metabolic byproduct
Gold nano-particles can be shaped in different ways & glued to molecules, such as those of sulfur
A sulfur-coated gold nano-particle can be tagged to either a medicine or a dye or a radiotracer to detect a
deranged cancer cell, or even programmed to destroy it
20-01-2016
Novel nanotherapy may beat antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs'
By shrinking tiny semiconductors down to the nanoscale, it is possible to create highly specific interactions within
the cellular environment that only target the infection
These quantum dots can be tailored to particular infections due to their light-activated properties
Technology Page 39
Biotechnology
21 January 2014
23:17
Microbiology: An introduction- page no 244, Foundations in Microbiology- Chap 10, Std 12 Botany TN-150, Std 12
Zoology TN-164, Std12-MicroBio-TN-181,
National Biotechnology Development Strategy (NBDS) 2015-2020
The NBDS, by 2020, expects to launch 4 missions in healthcare, food & nutrition, clean energy & education; create a
technology development & translation network across India with global partnership, including 5 new clusters, 40
biotech incubators, 150 technical transfer organisations & 20 bio-connect centres
By harnessing the power of Big Data & promoting the manufacturing of laboratory equipments, the Dept of
Biotechnology expects biotechnology to be a $100-bn industry by 2025, rising from the current $7-$10 bn
The govt expects this growth to be largely led by industry & it will play the role of facilitator, in terms of attracting
quality manpower & putting in place competent regulatory processes
The critical steps to achieve this would be to ensure that projects were adequately & promptly funded, besides
getting biotechnologists & researchers to be more ambitious with their research proposals
PM Modi is eager about the potential of biotechnology in societal change
Two critical pieces of legislation the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill & the Human DNA Forensic
Bill are yet to make it to Parliament
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary branch of biology & engineering. The subject combines various fields such as
biotechnology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, biophysics & genetic engineering
Synthetic biology is the application of the principles of engineering in biology where scientists not only read or
decode DNA, but also write new sequences from scratch & build biological components to either imitate nature or
create something totally new
Components
The design & fabrication of biological components & systems that do not already exist in the natural world
The redesign & fabrication of existing biological systems
Applications
Synthetic life: Artificial life created invitro from bio-molecules & their component materials
Cell transformation: Transformation of living cells with inserts of new DNA
Synthetic genetic pathways: The best-known application of synthetic biology involved engineering of E coli & yeast
for commercial production of a precursor of the antimalarial drug, Artemisinin
Biosensors: An engineered organism (usually a bacterium) will be capable of reporting some environmental
phenomenon, such as the presence of heavy metals or toxins
Industrial enzymes: Synthesised enzymes that aim to improve products such as detergents & lactose-free dairy
products, as well as make them more cost effective
In recent years, synthetic biology has attracted artists & designers
BioBricks, created by synthetic biologists are like Lego blocks that can be assembled or taken apart to manipulate
existing or create new biological systems
Some of the standardised parts include a promoter (that initiates the transcription of a particular gene), coding
sequences (its the part of the genes DNA or RNA that codes for protein), terminator sequences, & so on
Need for public debate on its ethical considerations, regulation & its other possibilities
Technology Page 40
Cloning
Std 12 Zoology TN-175,
Transgenic organisms
Human Genome Project (HGP)

Significance & benefits of HGP The sequence of human genome will enable geneticists to cure the killer diseases like cancer
It may enable us to understand more about the diseases & thereby to design drugs
HGP aids in diagnosis of defective genes that cause disease
As HGP may serve as a tool to Eugenical concept, scientists can create superior, disease free human beings in future
It helps in somatic cell gene therapy & germ line gene therapy
Human gene bank/genome database
Human gene bank or the genome database is the collection of sequenced genes & cataloging of them for future use.
They represent the fundamental data
Proteomics
Human genome analysis involves the analysis of proteins. Analysing different proteins & locating them in cells &
identifying their respective genes, which encode them in the cells, represent the science of Proteomics
For identifying the proteins, the cells, mRNAs are probed. Researchers have identified about 60,000 different mRNAs in human beings. From the mRNAs the respective genes/DNA are traced. The above said DNA is known as
cDNA (Complementary DNA)
Gene therapy
Using retroviruses
Gene Therapy using Retrovirus - A primer - YouTube,
Bioinformatics
Lab-grown beef
05-01-2014
Worlds first lab-grown beef burger
Technology Page 41
Worlds first lab-grown beef burger
The path-breaking project's bill was footed by billionaire Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
Burger was made from around 20,000 strands of protein cultured from cattle stem cells.
Experts say this breakthrough can herald a food revolution, with artificial meat products appearing in supermarkets
in as little as 10 years.
13-05-2014
Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) or Three parent babies

Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) is a radical new approach developed in UK for the treatment of a
potentially wide spectrum of inherited (hitherto incurable) diseases
It treats women with mitochondrial disease (a range of inherited diseases caused by defective mitochondria), by
replacing the dysfunctional mitochondria carried by a woman who wishes to conceive with the healthy
mitochondria of a donor
The egg is then fertilised with the partners sperm through IVF. The embryo thus created is one technically cleansed
of the mutated mitochondrial DNA that the mother originally carried
Human mitochondrial disorders are among the most common genetic diseases, affecting around one in 6500
people. They are believed to be the reason behind 150 known conditions
Mitochondria are tiny, biological "power stations" that provide energy to nearly every cell of the body &
mitochondrial diseases make patients lack energy, resulting in muscle weakness, blindness, heart failure & even
death
Scientists have devised two techniques that allow them to take the genetic information from the mother and place it
into the egg of a donor with healthy mitochondria
Technology Page 42
into the egg of a donor with healthy mitochondria
1. Two eggs are fertilised with sperm, creating an embryo from the intended parents and another from the donors
2. The pronuclei, which contain genetic information, are removed from both embryos but only the parents' is kept
3. A healthy embryo is created by adding the parents' pronuclei to the donor embryo, which is finally implanted into the
womb
1. Eggs from a mother with damaged mitochondria and a donor with healthy mitochondria are collected
2. The nucleus, containing the majority of the genetic material, is removed from both eggs
3. The mother's nucleus is inserted into the donor egg, which can then be fertilised by sperm.
UK has given the go ahead for clinical trials & is also drafting regulations covering the safety, efficacy & the ethical &
societal aspects involved in such a method
This is very good news for patients with mitochondrial DNA disease & an important step in the prevention of
transmission of serious mitochondrial disease
Issues
Scientific Issues:
Compatibility of imported new mitochondria with the host cell
Unknown risks to the child
Social & Ethical Issues:
it would be ethical for families to use the method in order to help the child
mitochondrial donation does not indicate, either biologically or legally, any notion of the child having either a third
parent or a second mother
02-02-2015
Issues
The Church opposes the technique on the grounds that the manipulation of the nuclear DNA of two women and a
man would create three-parent babies, leading to what they warn is a Frankenstein future
04-02-2015
Britain gives nod to three-parent babies
Technology Page 43
The Lazarus project (2nd chance at life)

A project run by the University of Newcastle, Australia, revived the genomes of an extinct Australian frog using
sophisticated cloning technology known as somatic cell nuclear transfer to implant a "dead" cell nucleus into a fresh
egg from another frog species.
named as one of Time Magazine's 25 Best Inventions of the Year because it managed to resurrect the gastricbrooding frog, albeit for a short period of time.
The Rheobatrachus silus, a species of frog which became extinct in 1983, was unique in that it swallowed its eggs
and gave birth orally. Scientists in the team managed to extract cell nuclei from tissues recovered in the 1970s,
which had been stored for 40 years in a conventional deep freezer.
They took fresh donor eggs from the distantly related frog species, inactivated the egg nuclei and replaced them
with dead nuclei from the extinct frog. Some of the eggs began spontaneously dividing and growing to early embryo
stage.
None of the embryos survived beyond a few days but genetic tests confirmed the dividing cells contained genetic
material from the extinct frog.
This has revived the extinct frog's genome in the process. Now they have fresh cryo-preserved cells of the extinct
frog to use in future cloning experiments
Chimerism
A chimera is a single organism (usually an animal) that is composed of two or more different populations of
genetically distinct cells that originated from different zygotes involved in sexual reproduction
Commoner than realised
Twins can end up with a mixed supply of blood when they get nutrients in the womb through the same set of blood
vessels .
Women can also gain genomes from their children. After a baby is born, it may leave some fetal cells behind in its
mother's body, where they can travel to different organs and be absorbed into those tissues
DNA Bar Coding
DNA barcoding is a taxonomic method that uses a short genetic marker in an organism's DNA to identify it as
belonging to a particular species. Its main goal is to identify an unknown sample in terms of a preexisting
classification.
Applications include, for example, identifying plant leaves even when flowers or fruit are not available, identifying
insect larvae (which may have fewer diagnostic characters than adults and are frequently less well-known),
identifying the diet of an animal, based on its stomach contents or faeces and identifying products in commerce (for
example, herbal supplements or wood)
Regenerative medicine
Reprogramming of adult cells in vivo

Technology Page 44
Reprogramming of adult cells in vivo
The reprogramming of adult cells in vivo could possibly facilitate the natural regeneration of damaged tissues
A landmark study published in Nature shows that reprogramming of adult cells that behave like stem cells can be
achieved right inside the body (in vivo). Till now, reprogramming of adult cells has been achieved only in labs (in
vitro).
This opens a promising window to repairing tissues right inside the body.
This in principle has several advantages. This does not require in vitro manipulation and [therefore] does not require
engraftment. Engraftment is usually very inefficient.
Reprogramming of adult cells (induced pluripotent stem cells iPS cells), say skin cells, to become embryonic-like
stem cells capable of becoming any of the specialised cells like liver cells or heart cells has tremendous therapeutic
benefits.
If reprogramming of adult cells inside the body is a stupendous achievement, the researchers crossed another
milestone by making the reprogrammed adult cells exhibit totipotency.
For the study, the researchers used genetically modified mouse models that had all the four cell-reprogramming
factors used in adult cell reprogramming; these factors could express themselves in the presence of a drug.
Several weeks after the factors were exposed to the drug, teratomas emerged from multiple organs. The
emergence of teratomas was proof that reprogramming had occurred inside the body of the mice.
They found the totipotent primitive cells in major organs like the stomach, intestine, pancreas and kidney. Even the
iPS cells circulating in the blood were found to exhibit totipotency.
One more surprise: More than the presence of primitive cells in the organs and blood, the authors found that adult
cells reprogrammed inside the body of the mice could form an embryo-like structure when injected into wild mice.
Hence, The in vivo reprogramming allows the acquisition of totipotency features that are absent in ES [embryonic
stem] cells or in standard in vitro reprogrammed iPS cells
Artificial micro-humans
01-09-2014
Artificial micro-humans to replace animals in lab tests
Scientists are creating artificial micro-humans that will eliminate the need for using animals in laboratory testing.
The artificial human machines, each the size of a microchip, will simulate the response of humans to substances
inhaled, absorbed in the gut or circulated through the bloodstream.
Early versions comprising an artificial lung, liver, kidney, heart and gut are already being used to test cosmetics,
chemicals and drugs, researchers said.
"Farms" made up of hundreds of artificial human machines could begin replacing animal laboratories within three
years, doing away with the need for experiments that claim the lives of up to 90m animals each year, 'The Times'
reported.
substances often behave differently in animals and almost half of drugs that pass the animal tests later cause
unforeseen side effects during human trials.
The new farms will eliminate such unsafe human drug trials, speed up the development of life-saving treatments and
could one day be used to tailor medicine to individual patients, researchers said
Brain research: Optogenetics & CLARITY

Technology Page 45
Brain research: Optogenetics & CLARITY

Navigating an opaque mesh of 80 billion neurons to decipher brain activity emotions, memory & learning or
identify diseased circuitry was the greatest challenge for brain researchers till now
Two path-breaking techniques devised by Prof. Karl Deisseroth & his colleagues at Stanford University are changing
the way we see, understand & control the brain
Optogenetics
The 1st technique illuminates the brain, enabling researchers to manipulate electrical activity
In a process called optogenetics, specific targetted cells are infused with a gene that directs the production of a
light-sensitive protein (derived from algae or other microbes) that can then turn brain cells on or off in response
to a focussed light signal
CLARITY
The 2nd is a transparent brain engineered through a method called CLARITY
This process makes brains transparent, by building a hydrogel inside the brain, removing lipids that make the
brain opaque
This allows scientists to study the wiring of a 3-dimensional brain in its entirety, without having to laboriously
dissect & reassemble tissues as has been the practice
23-01-2016
Karl Deisseroth, a psychiatrist & neuroscientist has developed several methods to image brain circuits & observe
which specific nerve cells switch on & of
Optogenetics is an emerging field that combines biology & engineering. Here, scientists use particular bacteria that
contain lightsensitive proteins called opsins & these can be introduced to neuronal cells in the body. By shining a
blue light, its possible to make certain neurons electrically activated
Dr. Deisseroth, since 2005, has pioneered a series of techniques to make neurons light up in real time, though for
now much of these experiments are confined to rats
Another seminal method that Dr. Deisseroth has pioneered is quite simply called CLARITY
This process makes brains transparent, by building a hydrogel inside the brain & removing lipids that make the
brain opaque
Scientists can peek into the wiring of a 3-dimensional brain in its entirety, without having to laboriously dissect &
reassemble tissues, as has been the norm
Analysis
There are distinct pathways involved in each pyschiatric illnesses & if we can develop specific treatments, this could
address the problems & make treatment more efficient
Going ahead it may be possible to control individual neurons with light beams, as well as the specific sequence of
brain circuits that cause people to become addicted to cocaine
At the other end, research was progressing to improve techniques to probe the brain that could, literally, throw light
on understanding the brain mechanism in emotions such as anxiety, compassion & love
13-04-2014
Biotechnology sector holds bigger opportunity than IT and software. "Biotechnology is related to environment, health,
materials, energy and much more,'' said Pitroda.
21-03-2014
BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) - a Section 25 Not-for-Profit Company of Government of
India, registered under Indian Companies Act 1956, set up as Department of Biotechnologys interface agency, which
serves as a single window for the emerging biotech industries.
BIRAC engages through its network with nearly 300 companies, who have received financial and mentoring support
from BIRAC, 10 agencies both national and international who are BIRAC partners for implementing the various
activities, nearly 700 national experts from academia, industry, public & private research laboratories and
Technology Page 46
activities, nearly 700 national experts from academia, industry, public & private research laboratories and
government/ministries department who are involved as experts and resource persons and facilitate the decision
making and monitoring of BIRAC activities. During this period, BIRAC has also interacted extensively with a large
number of international partners at the government level and also with like minded funding organizations to explore
opportunities to build affordable biotech products.
22-03-2014
Better collaboration between industry, researchers and academia to convert a discovery into a practical product.
12-05-2014
CSIR-IHBT Licenses Unique, Thermo-Stable SOD Enzyme to Create Global Niche
CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, has signed a MoU with its industrial
partner, Phyto Biotech, Kolkata, to formalize Transfer of Technology for production of unique autoclavable Super Oxide
Dismutase (SOD) enzyme, used in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries for end applications, like developing
anti-ageing creams, extending shelf life of fruits and vegetables and during cryo-surgery and preservation of organelles,
respectively. The licensing has brought together the CSIR and the industry to enable commercial production of desired
standard SOD so as to create a global niche for the country.
The enzyme was discovered by CSIR-IHBT during a survey at an altitude of over 10, 000 ftin the Western Himalayan
region from Potentilaastrosanguniaplant growing under snow cover. Persistent hard work over the years has resulted
in the isolation of the SOD gene. Thereafter,a protocol was developed for cloning of the gene in E.coli. The enzyme thus
produced,retained the same unique feature as that of the native plant. Applying the knowledge of bioinformatics, the
enzyme has been further engineered by mutation of a single amino acid to increase its consistency and thermo stability.
The characteristic features of this SOD lies in its stability and functionality ranging from sub-zero to high temperature
of >40C with varying specific activity. Owing to its high antioxidant properties and multiple uses, SOD enjoys high
demand and price in the global market
01-02-2015
India is world's leading Vaccine producer
2013
Genome of oil palm sequenced
What it is: The genome of one of the worlds main commercial crops, the oil palm, has been sequenced raising the
possibility of making its production much more sustainable.
Palm is common ingredient in toothpaste, soap, fried foods and several other products we use everyday. Today, 64
million tonnes of palm oil are produced in plantations every year.
Scientists last week announced that they have finally managed to sequence the genome (the complete set of an
organisms genetic material) of the oil palm tree. They have also identified a gene called SHELL which determines how
much oil the tree will produce.
Oil palms have different varieties and not all of them are suited for oil production. But cultivators usually find out if the y
have the right variety only once the tree has grown. Now that we know of SHELL, cultivators can predict what variety of
tree will result just by testing the seed. These high yielding varieties alone can be bred.
Why it matters: Palm oil production has a dark side to it. The trees grow best in conditions suited to rainforests. As a
result, plantations have replaced vast areas of rainforest land driving several species like the pygmy elephant near
extinction. Scientists say that by selectively breeding only high-yield oil palms, this deforestation can be reduced.
2013
We are developing hopefully the worlds first oral insulin. KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAW,CMD, Biocon
27-01-2014
Technology Page 47
27-01-2014
Genetically modified biofuel to feed fish
A genetically-modified plant that produces seeds packed with fish oils is set to be grown in open fields in the U.K.
Fish oils specifically omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to cut the risk of
cardiovascular disease and are a popular food supplement. But about 80% of the fish oil harvested from the oceans
every year is actually fed to other fish being raised in aquaculture.
Fish oils that benefit the health of both fish and humans, called EPA and DHA, are not in fact produced by fish
themselves but instead accumulated by eating marine microbes. Mr. Napiers team therefore took up to seven
genes from algae that produce the fish oils and transplanted them into oil seed plants called camelina. It naturally
produces short-chain oils and has been grown as a food crop for centuries in southern and eastern Europe and is
used a biofuel crop in North America.
The GM camelina has passed laboratory and greenhouse trials and about 25 per cent of the oil in the seeds is EPA
and DHA, a similar proportion to that in fish oil. harvesting the oil direct from algae would be much more expensive
& require large amounts of water & energy
Technology Page 48
Policies & schemes

18 April 2014
10:35
ICMR code for bioresearch

02-03-2014
ICMR issues code for life sciences research
With a view to prevent the use of scientific research for bioterrorism and bio-warfare
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued a mandatory code of conduct for research scientists engaged
in the field of life sciences. This has been done with a view to preventing the use of scientific research for bioterrorism
and bio-warfare
The aim is to ensure that all research activities, involving microbial or other biological agents, or toxins, whatever their
origin or method of production, are only of types and in quantities that have justification for prophylactic, protective or
other peaceful purposes
Ethical considerations in this Code of Conduct would be binding on all laboratory scientists involved in scientific
research concerning dangerous organisms and toxic weapons against any living being or environment
Bioethics has emerged as a new discipline over the past couple of decades and is poised to become a multidisciplinary
specialty. Institutional review boards and ethics committees have evolved as conscience keepers of professionals with
the view to safeguarding the welfare of members of society against any possible harm from scientific advances
Advances in laboratory technologies have created new and complex ethical dilemmas. Laboratory services are an
integral part of disease diagnosis, treatment, response monitoring, surveillance programmes and research
Therefore, personnel working in clinical and/or research laboratories should be aware of their ethical responsibilities. It
is necessary to comply with the ethical code of conduct prescribed by national and international organisations, and
address the emerging ethical, legal and social concerns in the field of biological and biomedical sciences
Pointing out that modern biology and biotechnology offer novel ways of manipulating basic life processes, the Code of
Conduct says that purposefully or unintentionally, genetic modification of micro-organisms could be used to create
organisms that are more virulent and antibiotic-resistant or have greater stability in the environment
The scientists engaged in such research activities should be aware of the potential risks and concerns relating to
science and its wider applications and the ethical responsibilities they shoulder. They should not only be aware of but
also comply with the requirements of international conventions and treaties relevant to their research work, the code
says
Stem cell treatment
23-02-2014
Centre issues new guidelines to check malpractice in stem cell treatment
Any use of stem cell in patients will, from now on be considered research and not therapy, according to the fresh
National Guidelines on Stem Cell Research issued by the government.
Stem cell use in patients must only be done within the purview of an approved and monitored clinical trial with the
intent to advance science and medicine, and not offer it as therapy, the guidelines issued said.In accordance with this
stringent definition, every use of stem cells in patients outside an approved clinical trial shall be considered
malpractice. It is hoped that this clear definition will serve to curb the malpractice of stem cell therapy being offered
as a new tool for curing untreatable diseases, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research and the
Department of Biotechnology.
The decision to drop the word therapy was taken on the recommendation of a joint drafting committee of the ICMR
and Department of Biotechnology, to emphasis the fact that stem cells are still not a part of standard of care.
Hence, there can be no guidelines for therapy until efficacy is proven. These guidelines are intended to cover only stem
cell research, both basic and translational, and not therapy. It has been made clear in these guidelines that any stem
cell use in patients, other than that for hematopoietic (producer of red, white blood cells and platelets) stem cell
reconstitution for approved indications, is investigational at present, the guidelines point out.
12-03-2014
New guidelines
A revised set of guidelines on stem cell research was recently released by the Indian Council of Medical Research and
the Department of Biotechnology, seven years after an earlier one was issued.
Despite claiming that the revision was necessitated by a need to reflect new scientific and clinical findings that have
changed the landscape of stem cell research being undertaken in the country and its possible translation, there is a
Technology Page 49
changed the landscape of stem cell research being undertaken in the country and its possible translation, there is a
glaring omission that reflects a lack of application of the mind. The guidelines make it abundantly clear that any use of
stem cells in patients except to treat various haematological, immunological and metabolic disorders using
haematopoietic stem cells should, by default, be considered as clinical trials. The exemption is on the grounds that the
use of haematopoietic stem cells to treat the said disorders has been established as a standard of medical care. Of
course, the use of bone marrow (containing haematopoietic stem cells) to treat diseases like leukaemia has been in
vogue in India since the 1960s. But what has been overlooked in the new guidelines is that treating damaged corneas
by limbal transplantation for limbal stem cell deficiency should also be considered as an established method of care;
limbal stem cells are transplanted from the healthy eye to the damaged eye of the same patient to treat an affected
cornea. No other alternative method is currently available to treat such cases. For the last few years, a handful of
tertiary eye hospitals in India have been treating such cases using limbus stem cells; since 2001, one institute alone has
treated nearly 1,000 patients. Though the use of limbus stem cells is not as old as haematopoietic stem cells, about
1,500 patients with corneal damage have been treated so far; there is also sufficient evidence to prove its safety.
Hence, there is a compelling reason for the ICMR and the DBT to apply the same yardstick and correct the anomaly.
Though belated, the decision to call all the untested therapies offered to gullible people as clinical trials is indeed
commendable.
Stem cell registry
30-12-2014
Stem cell registry will make cancer treatment cheaper
India may soon have an official database on stem cell donors & recipients
The health ministry is evaluating a proposal along with AIIMS to create a donor registry as part of the National
Health Mission (NHM)
The proposal suggests enrolling all district hospitals in the first phase to seek stem cell details from across the
country
Once a stem cell donor registry is in place, a willing donor can be contacted & can be coordinated easily
Apart from the donor registry, the ministry is also looking at creating facilities for human leucocyte antigen (HLA)
typing (HLA-typing is a process conducted for matching donors & recipients of stem cell. HLA -typing is necessary to
minimize rejection of stem cell transplant)
Normally there is 25% chance of a patient finding a matching donor within the family. The rest depend on unrelated
voluntary stem cell donors
Stem cell therapy has been shown to be effective in various blood disorders & in treatment of cancer. It is widely
used in bone marrow transplantation
However, stem cell treatment remains expensive because of limited research as well as unavailability & lack of
coordination between donors & recipients
On an average, stem cell treatment is estimated to cost around Rs 15-16 lakh
the idea behind including stem cell into NHM is to make it affordable by creating records & providing facilities
Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill 2013

What is Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India:- a proposed regulatory authority to regulate the research,
transport, import, manufacture and use of organisms and products of biotechnology.
Why we need Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India:- because India has signed US convention on biodiversity
and Cartagena protocol on Bio-safety which make regulatory authority necessary.
Current status: Currently biotechnology is regulated by Ministry of Environment and Forests and Department of
Biotechnology under Ministry of Science and Technology.
Highlight of bill:
set up an independent authority .
regulate products and processes of Biotechnology and certify that the product is safe.
Doesnt specify for any liability, the tribunal and the court will decide the liability.
Field trials of the modified products will only be conducted after permission from BRAI.
For a drug or vaccine with elements of biotechnology, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) will
forward the application to BRAI to assess whether it is safe to proceed with a clinical trial.
Technology Page 50
BRAI Units: Risk Assessment Unit (RAU): The RAU will undertake science based safety assessments of the applications.
Product Rulings Committee (PRC): The report of the RAU will be forwarded to the PRC and the PRC will make
recommendations regarding the safety of the product or organism.
Environmental Appraisal Panel (EAP): BRAI may refer an application to the EAP, in case of products or organisms
having an environmental impact.
Opposition : The states are objecting that Center is trying to interfere in state right because the Bill brings the regulation of
biotechnology under the powers of the center. The Centre claims that the states still have the powers in issues like
GM technology as agriculture belongs to the State list.
The bill bypasses the RTI under the garb of being Confidential Commercial Information.
Conflict of Interest: this bill seen as a quick one-stop clearing house to benefits GM corporations as a committee of
just 5 scientists will be empowered to clear the patented technology for use in whole country
Technology Page 51
GM plants
22 March 2014
07:47
Berg Visualizing Environmental Science 2014-362, Foundations in Microbiology 2015-307,
GM plants (transgenics)
A gene is a unit of heredity that defines a trait or characteristic through the DNA code. In other words, it is a
blueprint which determines the unique characteristics of plants, animals and micro-organisms
The technology driven modification of genes is called genetic modification, also called genetic engineering
Genetic modification has the ability to transform plants with specific characteristics, for example: pest or infection
resistant, altered nutrients, high yielding crops that can grow in different climates or better flavour & taste
Plants with favourable characteristics have been produced for thousands of yrs by conventional breeding methods.
Desirable traits are selected & the process is long taking up to 15 yrs to produce new varieties or hybrids
However, Genetic engineering not only allows this process to be dramatically accelerated but also in a highly
targeted manner. Such plants are also called transgenic plants
Uses of GM plants
New generation GM crops are now being developed for production of medicines, vaccines, plastics & biofuels
Concerns of GM plants
There are concerns about biosafety, environmental safety, biodiversity loss & human & farm animal health
GM plants could make higher levels of toxic substances, may also be immunogenic
Way ahead
India needs to actively promote & involve public-private partnership (PPP) model in GM crop technology
GM foods must be tightly regulated by govt bodies
Scientists must conduct long term safety studies on human & environmental health before introducing it in the food
supply
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
It is an international agreement on biosafety, as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity
The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified
organisms resulting from modern biotechnology
The Biosafety Protocol makes clear that products from new technologies must be based on the precautionary
principle & allow developing nations to balance public health against economic benefits
It will for example let countries ban imports of a genetically modified organisms if they feel there is not enough
scientific evidence that the product is safe & requires exporters to label shipments containing genetically altered
commodities such as corn or cotton
The Protocol entered into force on 11 September 2003. As of March 2015, the Protocol has 170 parties (103
signatories), which includes 167 UN member states, Niue, the State of Palestine, & the EU
The Protocol promotes biosafety by establishing rules & procedures for the safe transfer, handling, & use of LMOs,
with specific focus on transboundary movements of LMOs (Living modified organisms)
10-10-2013
GMO got implemented in 1996
On one hand, we have WHO, the American Medical Association, the US National Academy of Sciences, the British
Royal Society, & every other respected organization that has examined the evidences, airing the same conclusion:
that consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods
containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques
Technology Page 52
containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques
On the extreme other we have advocacy groups like Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, Organic Consumers
Association, & Center for Food Safety showing concerns that potential risks to health & the environment relating to
GM have not yet been adequately investigated
Nov 2013
Organic Farming Vs GM Crops
Organic farming is needed for sustainable and natural growth of agriculture in the future rather than going for
genetic modified (GM) technology says renowned environmentalist Vandana Shiva.
Organic farming, in a way, fulfils every one of the principles of Gross National Happiness. It respects cultural values
and promotes protection of the natural environment, whereas genetic modified crops destroy the natural web of
life, threaten biodiversity and the environment, and are a scourge for human health and society.
Organic farming promotes biodiversity in the ecosystem
22-02-2014
Scientific evaluations of GM crops
Former PM Manmohan Singh backed the careful use of biotechnology to deliver high-yield crops resistant to
weather, parasites & vectors
Fears about genetically engineered plants have been persistently disproved by science, whether the worry is about
pesticide-resistant superweeds, or such plants contaminating their natural neighbours & eradicating biodiversity
The politics around GM crops has remained stubborn in India, even though the global movement is now running on
fumes & there have been public recantations
Peer-reviewed scientific evidence is dismissed, every advocate of GM food written off as a corporate puppet,
regulation pre-emptively declared untrustworthy, & selective facts marshalled by NGOs & taken at face value
by many policymakers
Anxieties persist even though India has been a big biotech beneficiary during the Green Revolution
Bt cotton has converted India into a cotton-exporting country
What is needed is comprehensive, case-by-case study of each GM crop
Given the rising demands of food security & the promise of GM, it is important that the debate shift to one about
optimal regulation
25-02-2014
Regulating genetic modification
Need to come up with new Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill in Parliament
Agricultural Biotechnology Committee
submitted its report early in 2004
It had recommended a Parliament approved regulatory agency as well as the necessary infrastructure for conducting
all India coordinated trials with GMO
The necessary precautions, such as the needed isolation as well as demonstration of the importance of refuge,
should be undertaken
Analysis
The present moratorium on field trials with recombinant DNA material is a handicap as well as a disincentive in
harnessing the benefits of GMOs
Much of the work is done in various research organisations & universities to develop GMOs which resist biotic &
abiotic stresses as well as improved nutrition which are committed to public good
Young scientists get discouraged coz of the lack of a clear official signal on the future of genetic modification
Way ahead
There must be a trial & safety assessment system
Since agriculture is a state subject, State agricultural universities & State depts of agriculture should be involved in
the design & implementation of field trials
It takes nearly 10 years time for a new variety to be ready for recommendation to farmers. Therefore, speed is
important in organising field trials & getting reliable data on risks & benefits
Krishi Vigyan Kendras should have the capability of offering scientifically credible advice to farmers on GMOs
The academy should set up two committees on the public understanding of science & the political understanding
of science on the pattern of such committees set up by the Royal Society of London
Public-private partnership in R&D
Technology Page 53
Public-private partnership in R&D

The return from investments in biotechnology research is very high
Eg. Bt cotton research might have resulted in a profit of over Rs.50,000 crore, as compared to the total
expenditure of about Rs.100 crore in such research
Public sector institutions should concentrate on the development of high yielding & disease resistant varieties, while
obviously the private sector will only produce hybrids whose seeds will have to be brought every yr by farmers
Hence, a joint strategy by public & private sectors will help to ensure the inclusiveness of access to improved
technologies among all farmers
Promoting genetic engineering research
Recombinant DNA technology should be resorted to only when there is no other way of achieving the desired
breeding goal while selecting projects for research
Disseminating information
Media resource centres should be set up to give up-to-date scientific information to media representatives
Village knowledge centres should be utilised for spreading correct information on GMOs
25-02-2014
A case for GM plants
Genetic engineering in agriculture raises more concerns unknown in other applications of molecular technology
In pharmaceuticals, medicine & industrial applications, recombinant DNA technology has been widely accepted
as providing useful tools
Though associated with wealthy economies historically, GM crops grown in developing countries in 2012
exceeded total acres grown in the so-called developed countries for the first time
India was the 16th country to approve a GM crop: Bt cotton in 2002
Controversy over Indias second Bt crop brinjal was intense
We regularly take some risks coz of expected benefits, or coz the risk of doing nothing is higher
Ideally, regulation of any technology would reach some threshold of acceptable risk balanced with benefits
for a whole society
For agricultural biotechnology, the precondition for risk regulation would ask of science: do GM plants produce
more hazards than cultivars bred by other means?
The European Commission Directorate-General for Research assessed available regulatory science for
environmental & food-safety risks in A Decade of EU-funded GMO Research (2001-2010): The main conclusion
to be drawn is that biotechnology, & in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than conventional plant
breeding technologies
Like China & Brazil, India supported biotechnology for its potential benefits & established institutions of state
science to assess risks
Bt cotton utilised an insecticidal protein derived from a common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, hence
Bt, to control pests in cotton with less pesticide; the results dramatically demonstrated benefits
The same technology applied to brinjal raised the risk bar coz it is a food crop
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), after 9 years of tests involving 7 govt agencies & depts,
approved release of the crop by both the private & public sectors, based on comparative assessment of
options
No hazards from the insecticidal protein were found through standard safety protocols; GEAC findings
conformed to the EUs general conclusions
But then minister for environment, concluded that the GEAC studies were inadequate; risks to food safety &
the environment were not done
The level of cautionary restriction should be not too much, not too little, but just right
Excessive regulation is suffocating & adverse to equity. Too little precaution might produce hazards that entail
unacceptable risk
With climate change continually producing new challenges to agriculture, GM plants might be an important tool to
fight it
17-03-2014
GM in EU
The regulations in the EU are restrictive coz they assume that GM technology is an inherently risky process
However, it is fair to say that over the past 20 yrs there has not been a single, scientifically valid piece of evidence
suggesting that GM is any more dangerous than conventionally bred food crops
Technology Page 54
suggesting that GM is any more dangerous than conventionally bred food crops
Situation in India
Like China & Brazil, India supported biotechnology for its potential benefits & established institutions of state
science to assess risks
Bt cotton utilised an insecticidal protein derived from a common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, hence Bt, to
control pests in cotton with less pesticide; the results dramatically demonstrated benefits
The same technology applied to brinjal raised the risk bar coz it is a food crop
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), after 9 years of tests involving 7 govt agencies & depts,
approved release of the crop by both the private & public sectors, based on comparative assessment of options
No hazards from the insecticidal protein were found through standard safety protocols; GEAC findings
conformed to the EUs general conclusions
But then minister for environment, concluded that the GEAC studies were inadequate; risks to food safety & the
environment were not done
19-03-2014
Field trials are necessary to generate biosafety data
Concerns
Since these modified plant species are of relatively recent origin, data on biosafety are still not accepted as
conclusive or comprehensive
The question of their superiority over hybrids is also a matter of debate
Transgenic seeds can contaminate a food chain
From the farmers perspective, there is fear of commercial monopolies in agriculture
Many times GM crops are linked to IP rights or commercial contracts, restrictions on use & the prospect of
litigation come into play
This is an important dimension in India, which has a large number of small farms
While the GM foods industry claims transgenic plant varieties are safe on the one hand, but fiercely opposes
labelling of products as such
Situation
The UPA govt has in its last days permitted field trials of GM food crops
The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013 lapsed
The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology & Environment on the legislation is
awaited
At least 18 different varieties of GM crops including rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane & vegetables are officially in the
pipeline
Way ahead
The key questions while considering grant of permission for their production is their impact on health & the
environment
the farming community must also be given a hearing
Scientific assessments must be independent of the proponents of GM agriculture, notably commercial entities
Need for instituting a robust regulatory mechanism before permission is granted for GM plants
It is equally vital that in a country with a diverse agricultural heritage, traditional seed varieties are not wiped out by
monoculture
GM foods should not be allowed without full scientific evaluation on its long-term effects on soil, production &
biological impact on consumers
22-03-2014
GEAC reapproves GM crop field trials
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the statutory appraisal arm of the Environment Ministry
revalidates field trials for 10 varieties of GM plants including rice, wheat, maize, cotton & sorghum
India's 1st GM food, Bt brinjal, produced by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited
Companies applied for revalidation after their earlier permits lapsed following opposition from States
The revalidations would have to be first approved by the Union Environment & Forests Minister & then the
Technology Page 55
The revalidations would have to be first approved by the Union Environment & Forests Minister & then the
promoter companies would have to go back to the States for a final nod
There are nearly 50 applications pending before the GEAC for first-time appraisal of GM crops, including several
food crops
It provides hope to major promoters (multinational & Indian) of GM crop technology
Before
Before Union Environment Minister had taken the view that it was not prudent to go ahead with the trials while the
Supreme Court was hearing a case on the subject of field trials & the regulatory regime for GM technology in India
This decision was changed arguing that SC had not explicitly ordered any stay against clearing field trials while the
case went on
> 100 food crop trials are in the pipeline, in various stages of development
16-04-2014
GM crop adoption needs more trials & a stronger approval regime
GM crops required more research work & stronger approval regime
Instead of blindly opposing it, more research work should be allowed in terms of number of trials
Work on science must happen as well as efforts should go to strengthen approval protocols
This especially is needed in the wake of claims that the GM crops were more resistant to the vagaries of climate
change & higher productivity benefits
There was a serious challenge in creating the knowledge & know-how among the farmers about the importance of
GM food crops
21-07-2014
Env Min clears 15 trials for GM plants
The Environment Ministry gave its approval for field trials of certain varieties of GM crops, after the GEAC cleared 15
such proposals
Backlog of proposals
The GEAC had a backlog of about 70 proposals seeking filed trials & has now cleared about 60 of those till March
2014
Transparency in regulatory process
One ethical conflicts is that proponents of GM crops are funding research in agricultural universities
To aid transparency, research findings should be made available in the public domain for independent study
Central govt has not permitted the commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal in India
The GM variety should be isolated from indigenous ones to prevent genetic contamination
If GM food is allowed to be sold to consumers, they must have the right to know what they are buying, &
labelling should be made mandatory
There is no consensus on the performance of GM crops & the results have been mixed
They have had some beneficial impact on tillage practices & in terms of curbing the use of insecticides, but as the
Union of Concerned Scientists in the US points out, they have created monocultures & may be affecting birds &
bees
All this underscores the need for scientific inquiry, scrutiny & better regulation
Enacting a comprehensive law that covers all aspects of GM crops should be a priority
29-07-2014
Entry of Bt cotton
The public debates on GM began with the unannounced entry of Bt cotton in Gujarat, where the farmers had grown
21,000 acres of Bt cotton
Concerns of GM crops
Many argue that GM biotechnology stunted diversity, disempowered the farmer & skewed intellectual property
rights in favour of MNCs
For centuries, farmers had been custodians of seeds but now they had to obtain seeds from institutions & MNCs
(private)
Farmers should be free to choose the kind of farming & the seeds he wants to pick
Many also argue that if science was public knowledge devoted to creating public goods, it should be subject to a
public debate
This required that transparency & responsibility be built into every stage
Technology Page 56
This required that transparency & responsibility be built into every stage
Can private science work for public benefit, & who decides?
The questions of food chains, seed prices, contamination, & intellectual property should also be debated
Ecological science seems to suggest that GM biotechnology is not the only solution to agricultural problems
24-09-2013
GM crops area under cotton cultivation in India is approx. 12 million hectares (of which 90% is under Bt cotton)
22-11-2014
Field Trials
Central Govt had written to certain states to allow field trials for GM crops. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal
Committee (GEAC) has permitted field trials for more than a dozen crops but field trials can take place only if the
state concerned gives an NOC
Permission for GM mustard
BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & Haryana have not given no-objection certificates (NOCs) for open
field trials of transgenic hybrid mustard despite GEAC under Union environment ministry allowing these trials
These states argue that there is no credible & irrefutable evidence about GM crops not having adverse impact on
humans/animals, biodiversity & environment
Also the GM mustard hybrids have been developed not by a Monsanto or a DuPont, but by Indian scientists
bio-safety research level-1 trials have showed 30% higher yield potential over existing varieties. Now states
withholding Level 2 trials
While states are entitled to block commercial planting of GM crops through denial of seed licences, they cannot be
given a veto over field trials
It is for the GEAC to determine whether a particular transgenic is safe to be released for large-scale cultivation by
farmers
crop biotech & recombinant DNA technology research have a great role in Indias agricultural future
Denial of NOCs for GM mustard & also a transgenic pod borer-resistant chickpea (developed by the Assam
Agricultural University under PPP) is unfortunate as India is heavily import-dependent on these crops
India annually imports over $10 billion worth of edible oil & $2 billion of pulses
Mustard is Indias largest oil-bearing crop, while half of its pulses output comes from chickpea
08-12-2014
US & China are bullish on GM crops. Europe was strictly against them. But the Lisbon Protocol was a step towards a
more nuanced formulation
India has been in the middle. Its legislation on producers rights & environmental clearance by the empowered
committee on a case-by-case basis is unique
Success of GM crops in India
GM cotton has powered the growth of Gujarats agriculture in the last decade
Gujarat Agricultural University developed a GM maize variety with higher yield & was encouraged to cultivate in
Adivasi regions & experienced good success. Maize success story has been repeated in north Bihar also
ICAR scientists have developed high yield variety of pulses (GM Chicken Pea) but permission for its field trials are
withheld by states
Improving the yield of pulses to 2 tonne per hectare is essential to overcome the nutrition & food-inflation barrier
06-01-2015
Bt cotton not to blame for farm distress: scientists
With GM plants, we could be extracting oil from leaves, instead of seeds. But unfortunately, it is caught up in a
debate taken up by the Left & now supported by the neo-right
In the recent past, there had been a sharp increase in the acreage of GM crops in the country
over 90% of the cotton cultivated was GM crop
Scientists refuted arguments about monopolisation & noted that there were > 1000 Bt Cotton hybrids available in
the country
Project Sunshine in Gujarat where Bt Cotton has powered the growth in agriculture
GM Maize has taken nutrition to Adivasi farmers
Technology Page 57
The need of the hour was more of confined field trials. There will be no trust among the people if there is not
enough data for analysis
Scientists said the ambiguous policy relating to GM crops had caused disillusionment & it was keeping young
researchers from venturing into the field
Indian scientists have created a gene bank with over 4 lakh samples & has been acknowledged as one of the best
biodiversity programmes in the world
Bt cotton has doubled cotton production & have reduced the load of pesticides. India is now exporting cotton worth
$3 billion
there is a need for post release monitoring system of GM crops
India can also choose an alternative course of action if it did not want GM crops. For eg., Europe is investing hugely
in new generation pesticides (we are still using old pesticides)
31-01-2015
Maharastra govt clears trials for GM crops
Maharashtra govt has granted no-objection certificates for open field trials in genetically modified lines of rice,
chana (chickpeas), maize, brinjal & cotton
With this decision, Maharashtra has become the 4th state after Punjab, Delhi & Andhra Pradesh to approve open
field trials in GM crops
Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh & Haryana are among those states who have denied permissions for such field
trials, apart from Bihar, WB, Orissa, TN & Kerala
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee under the previous UPA Environment Ministry had permitted field
trials in the above transgenics. But it had inserted a condition requiring separate NOCs from states for such trials
02-02-2015
India worlds 4th in GM crop acreage
India has the 4th largest area planted under GM crops, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA)
ISAAA, a New York-based crop biotech advocacy group, has estimated the total global area under GM crops to have
touched 181.5 mh last year, up from 175.2 mh in 2013
Since 1996, when farmers first commercially planted transgenics, the area under these crops has risen more than
hundredfold from 1.7 mh to 181.5 mh
It represents the fastest ever adoption of any technology in agriculture
Farmers in India planted a total 11.6 million hectares (mh) under transgenics in 2014, behind the corresponding
areas for Argentina (24.3 mh), Brazil (42.2 mh) & the US (73.1 mh)
The GM crop acreage in India far surpassed Chinas 3.9 mh, while equalling that of Canadas 11.6 mh
Significantly, the entire 11.57 mh GM crop area in India in 2014 consisted of Bt cotton
Nearly 96% of the countrys cotton area is now covered by Bt hybrids
Bt technology has helped India to treble its cotton output from 13 million bales in 2002 (when it was introduced)
Technology Page 58
Bt technology has helped India to treble its cotton output from 13 million bales in 2002 (when it was introduced)
to 40 million bales in 2014
In 2014, India overtook China as the worlds No. 1 cotton producer
While Indias GM crop acreage is wholly dominated by Bt cotton much of it based on the US life sciences giant
Monsantos proprietary Bollgard technology this is not the case with other major countries
China had only 3.9 mh of GM planted area last year almost fully under Bt cotton. But its govt has allowed
commercial cultivation of 7 other crops papaya, maize, rice, poplar, tomato, sweet pepper & petunia
Unlike India, where Monsanto enjoys a near monopoly, Chinas GM crops have been developed largely by public
sector research bodies
Moreover, China has sought to actively promote PPP model in GM crop technology
Way forward
India needs to extend GM technology to more crops, & also encourage PPPs, so that our farmers benefit from
competition & faster commercialisation
Granting of the rights for commercialisation of a Bt chickpea developed by the Assam Agriculture University to
Sungro Seeds & that of the Indian Agricultural Research Institutes Bt brinjal to Bejo Sheetal & Ankur Seeds are steps
in the right direction
03-02-2015
Open field trials
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in the Union environment ministry had already approved trials
in the case of 5 transgenic crops. State govts merely need to issue the NOC for these trials to go ahead
Any decision on commercialisation is for the Centre to take based on data pertaining to bio-safety & agronomic
performance of the concerned GM plant lines
But the generation of such data is possible only through open field trials & hence, states should not be given a veto
to ban field trials
The state's role should be limited to only issuing or denying seed licences
21-06-2015
Bt Cotton leading to suicides in rain-fed areas
The cultivation of Bt Cotton, a genetically modified, insect-resistant cotton variety, is a risky affair for Indian farmers
practising rain-fed agriculture, says a latest study
Annual suicide rates of farmers in rain-fed areas are directly related to increase in Bt Cotton adoption, say the
scientists
The study is significant for 2 reasons Most cotton cultivation in India is rain-fed
btw 2002 & 2010, the adoption of Bt Cotton hybrid went up significantly to 86% of the total cultivated area of
cotton in India
Though cultivating the Bt Cotton variety may be economic in irrigated areas, the costs of the seed & insecticide
increase the risk of farmer bankruptcy in low yield rain-fed settings
The study challenges the common assumption in economic analyses that cotton pests must be controlled to prevent
monetary losses, thus encouraging Bt Cotton adoption
Recent whitefly epidemic in cotton crops of Punjab, Haryana
18-10-2015
Recently whitefly attack in Punjab & Haryana, has raised concern among agricultural experts & farmers over the
growing dependency on Bt cotton
But Bt cotton is effective against specific type of bollworms, but not insects such as whitefly
Need to focus on developing new technologies to fight pest infestation on cotton & other crops
23-10-2015
Prior to Bt cottons introduction in 2002, farmers mostly grew public sector-bred varieties that were screened &
certified for resistance against whiteflies or leaf curl virus
This system broke down when private-sector hybrids incorporating Bt genes took over > 90% of Indias cotton
area
Most hybrids were commercialised without any rigorous process of testing for whitefly or leaf curl virus
Technology Page 59
Most hybrids were commercialised without any rigorous process of testing for whitefly or leaf curl virus
tolerance
Either way, Bt wasnt the villain; these genes, in any case, control only for Heliothis or bollworm & not sucking pests
such as whiteflies, aphids & mealybugs
Bollworm larvae were a huge menace during the 1980s & 90s; the success of Bt cotton in controlling yield losses
from them is well-established
Lessons
The real lesson from the recent whitefly epidemic is that India needs a regime of compulsory registration & uniform
certification of all seed varieties & hybrids, whether bred by govt or private enterprise
Only those meeting minimum standards relating to germination, purity & resistance to pests & diseases specific to
the concerned crop should be allowed to be commercialised
Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013

It provided for multi-level scientific assessments & an appellate tribunal
Parliamentary panel report on GM crops?
PIL in Supreme court
first PIL was filed in 2004

Technical Expert Committee (TEC) appointed by the Supreme court
Technical Expert Committee in July 2013 called for an indefinite moratorium on field trials until the Centre had
tightened its regulatory mechanism
The committee has favoured trials only for research purposes, preferably in greenhouse
TEC cited socio-economic issues while recommending a ban on field trials
Centre to SC
The govt called this as an unscientific approach & claimed that the existing regulatory mechanism was dependable
the govt claims that any delay or stoppage of GM crop field trials will be a blow to Indian Science & consequently,
Indian farmers & economy as a whole will be the biggest loser
Govt claims that it is committed towards providing food & nutritional security to the citizens of India via GM food
New GM plants
09-03-2014
GM Golden rice
It is a variety of Oryza sativa rice produced through genetic engineering to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor
of vitamin A, in the edible parts of rice
Golden Rice has undergone two years of field testing in the Philippines
GM Golden rice was produced with the goal of helping children who suffer from vitamin A deficiency (VAD)
In 2005, 190 million children & 19 million pregnant women, in 122 countries, were estimated to be affected by
VAD
dietary VAD is estimated to kill 6,70,000 children under-5 yr age group each year
Many children in countries where there is a dietary deficiency in vitamin A rely on rice as a staple food
But the consumption of golden rice would not eliminate the problems of VAD, but should be seen as a complement
to other methods of vitamin A supplementation
One bowl of the latest version provides 60% of RDA for healthy children
Technology Page 60
Genetic Research
04 January 2014
19:06
23-02-2014
29-03-2014
Scientists create designer chromosome
Scientists have created the first man-made chromosome for a complex-celled organism a feat hailed on Friday as a
big step towards acquiring the controversial ability to redesign plants or animals
Test of success
A synthetic chromosome was inserted into a brewers yeast cell, which functioned as normal the key test of success,
an international team reported in the journal Science. Our research moves the needle in synthetic biology from theory
to reality, said Jef Boeke, director of New York Universitys Institute for Systems Genetics and a member of the
research team.
Yeast is a closely-studied representative of the group of eukaryotes organisms with complex cells that contain a
nucleus and other structures enclosed within membranes. All plants and animals, including humans, have eukaryotic
cells
Yeast is used to make beer, biofuel and medicines, and researchers believe it can be made to work more efficiently with
genetic modifications
Chromosomes have previously been synthesised for bacteria, which are simpler, prokaryotic organisms
Altered chromosome
Mr. Boeke and his team unravelled the coding of one of yeasts 16 chromosomes, then used software to make changes
to it, removing repetitive and less-used regions.
They then built a synthetic version of this altered chromosome from scratch, stringing together individual
nucleotides the chemical building blocks of the genes that make up chromosomes, which in turn comprise the
genome. It is the most extensively altered chromosome ever built, said Mr. Boeke. We have made over 50,000
changes to the DNA code in the chromosome and our yeast is still alive. That is remarkable
Yeast shares about a third of its 6,000 genes units of the chromosome that carry the instructions for cell function
with humans. Their effort represents a critical step on the road to building an entire eukaryotic genome, said a media
summary from Science. It could also help researchers learn more about genome biology, including how genomes are
Technology Page 61
summary from Science. It could also help researchers learn more about genome biology, including how genomes are
built, how theyre organised, and what makes them work.
Towards complete synthesis
Mr. Boeke and his team are already working on synthesising other yeast chromosomes. This, they wrote, represents a
major step towards the design and complete synthesis of a eukaryotic genome. Rapid advances in synthetic biology
coupled with ever decreasing costs of DNA synthesis suggest that it will soon become feasible to engineer new
eukaryotic genomes, including plant and animal genomes with synthetic chromosomes encoding desired functions
and... properties based on specific design principles.
Greenpeace scientist Janet Cotter said genetically modified organisms could be useful, in drug development for
instance, but in controlled conditions. In contained use, on a small scale in a lab, its absolutely fine. In a commercial
situation, on a scale say for biofuels, you run into problems about how you adequately and securely contain those
organisms.
Genome Research
26-07-2014
< 10% of human DNA useful: scientists
> 90% of human DNA is doing nothing very useful, & may be no more than biological baggage that has built up over
years of evolution
Researchers have known for some time that only 1% of human DNA is held in genes that are used to make crucial
proteins to keep cells alive & healthy
This latest study suggests that a further 7% of human DNA is equally vital, regulating where, when, & how genes are
expressed
24-02-2015
The genetic library of life
It is being created by a global community of scientists
This catalogue has already begun to help decode the genetic basis of certain cancers, heart disease & schizophrenia
We have only scratched the surface & discoveries require studying huge samples for every major disease
The Global Alliance for Genomics & Health comprising 246 organisations in 28 countries including India is one such
endeavour to create a critical mass of data
The costs of genome sequencing have dropped drastically. While mapping a single human genome (as part of the
Human Genome Project 1990-2003) costs $3 billion, today it costs less than $ 3,000
This breakthrough opens up enormous opportunities to understand diseases (genomic medicine)
The data should remain shareable with the patients with their privacy protected
25-02-2015
On April 25, 2003, a group of geneticists representing 6 countries announced that it had mapped every 1 of the 3
billion letters making up the human genome
What had taken scientists of the Human Genome Project 13 years and $3 billion to achieve can be done today
for $3,000
With thousands of human genomes now sequenced, the world, in just 5 years could have a complete catalogue
for most of the important diseases
Genomic research has shown significant promises in targeting cancer, heart disease & schizophrenia
India should be one of the models in studying genetic variation & how it relates to disease
India is perhaps the single most 'interesting country' in terms of genetic diversity
There are restrictive regulations over sharing DNA out of the country. It is an obstacle for international
collaboration
While genetic information could be misused, there should be laws tp prevent this
The access must be restricted to scientific use & the patients should have the right to share their data if they
want to
Genome-editing technology
Crispr-Cas9 genome editing technique
Technology Page 62
Crispr-Cas9 genome editing technique
A specific sequence of guide RNA could be made to attach to a spot virtually anywhere on the genome, & the Cas9
protein would cleave the DNA at that spot. Then pieces of the DNA could be deleted or added, just as a film editor
might cut a film & splice in new frames
22-04-2014
Revealed: Scientists edit DNA to correct adult genes and cure diseases
A genetic disease has been cured in living, adult animals for the first time using a revolutionary genome-editing
technique that can make the smallest changes to the vast database of the DNA molecule with pinpoint accuracy.
Scientists have used the genome-editing technology to cure adult laboratory mice of an inherited liver disease by
correcting a single "letter" of the genetic alphabet which had been mutated in a vital gene involved in liver metabolism.
A similar mutation in the same gene causes the equivalent inherited liver disease in humans - and the successful repair
of the genetic defect in laboratory mice raises hopes that the first clinical trials on patients could begin within a few
years, scientists said.
The success is the latest achievement in the field of genome editing. This has been transformed by the discovery of
Crispr, a technology that allows scientists to make almost any DNA changes at precisely defined points on the
chromosomes of animals or plants. Crispr pronounced "crisper" was initially discovered in 1987 as an immune
defence used by bacteria against invading viruses. Its powerful genome-editing potential in higher animals, including
humans, was only fully realised in 2012 and 2013 when scientists showed that it can be combined with a DNA-sniping
enzyme called Cas9 and used to edit the human genome.Scientists have used the genome-editing technology to cure
adult laboratory mice of an inherited liver disease by correcting a single "letter" of the genetic alphabet which had been
mutated in a vital gene involved in liver metabolism.
A similar mutation in the same gene causes the equivalent inherited liver disease in humans - and the successful repair
of the genetic defect in laboratory mice raises hopes that the first clinical trials on patients could begin within a few
years, scientists said.
Since then there has been an explosion of interest in the technology because it is such a simple method of changing the
individual letters of the human genome the 3 billion "base pairs" of the DNA molecule with an accuracy
equivalent to correcting a single misspelt word in a 23-volume encyclopaedia.
In the latest study, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used Crispr to locate and correct the
single mutated DNA base pair in a liver gene known as LAH, which can lead to a fatal build-up of the amino acid
tyrosine in humans and has to be treated with drugs and a special diet.
The researchers effectively cured mice suffering from the disease by altering the genetic make-up of about a third of
their liver cells using the Crispr technique, which was delivered by high-pressure intravenous injections.
Technology Page 63
"We basically showed you could use the Crispr system in an animal to cure a genetic disease, and the one we picked
was a disease in the liver which is very similar to one found in humans," said Professor Daniel Anderson of MIT, who led
the study.
"The disease is caused by a single point mutation and we showed that the Crispr system can be delivered in an adult
animal and result in a cure. We think it's an important proof of principle that this technology can be applied to animals
to cure disease," Professor Anderson told The Independent. "The fundamental advantage is that you are repairing the
defect, you are actually correcting the DNA itself," he said. "What is exciting about this approach is that we can actually
correct a defective gene in a living adult animal."
Jennifer Doudna, of the University of California, Berkeley, who was one of the co-discoverers of the Crispr technique,
said Professor Anderson's study is a "fantastic advance" because it demonstrates that it is possible to cure adult
animals living with a genetic disorder.
"Obviously there would be numerous hurdles before such an approach could be used in people, but the simplicity of
the approach, and the fact that it worked, really are very exciting," Professor Doudna said.
"I think there will be a lot of progress made in the coming one to two years in using this approach for therapeutics and
other real-world applications," she added.
Delivering Crispr safely and efficiently to affected human cells is seen as one of the biggest obstacles to its widespread
use in medicine.
Feng Zhang, of the Broad Institute at MIT, said that high-pressure injections are probably too dangerous to be used
clinically, which is why he is working on ways of using Crispr to correct genetic faults in human patients with the help of
adeno-associated viruses, which are known to be harmless.
Other researchers are also working on viruses to carry the Crispr technology to diseased cells - similar viral delivery of
genes has already had limited success in conventional gene therapy.
Dr Zhang said that Crispr can also be used to create better experimental models of human diseases by altering the
genomes of experimental animals as well as human cells growing in the laboratory.
Professor Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts Medical School said that delivering Crispr to the cells of the
human brain and other vital organs will be difficult. "Crispr therapies will no doubt be limited for the foreseeable
future," he said
19-03-2015
Is editing human embryos ethical?
a group of scientists has raised ethical & safety concerns over genetically editing human embryos
They hint that the method has the potential to create that eugenically worrisome concept of the designer baby
using specific genes for greater intelligence or specific physical attributes such as blue eyes
Genome-editing technology does offer promising tools to correct disease-genes by snipping away harmful
mutations to possibly treat human diseases such as HIV/AIDS, haemophilia, sickle-cell anaemia & forms of cancer
But when genetic manipulation targets sperms & eggs (the germ line), the changes can be inherited, opening up an
array of ethical, legal and health concerns
Such research, could be exploited for non-therapeutic modifications
Scientists should not agree to modify the DNA of human reproductive cells & a voluntary moratorium in the
scientific community could be an effective way to discourage human germline modification
Using genome-editing to manipulate germ cells, could undermine genetic interventions to treat serious
debilitating diseases
17-05-2015
Dr. Doudna, a biochemist helped make one of the most monumental discoveries in biology: a relatively easy way to
alter any organisms DNA
Technology Page 64
alter any organisms DNA

The so-called Crispr-Cas9 genome editing technique is already widely used in laboratory studies, & scientists hope it
may one day help rewrite flawed genes in people, opening tremendous new possibilities for treating, even curing,
diseases
While everyone welcomes Crispr-Cas9 as a strategy to treat disease, many scientists are worried that it could also
be used to alter genes in human embryos, sperm or eggs in ways that can be passed from generation to generation
This raises fears of a dystopian future in which scientists create an elite population of designer babies with
enhanced intelligence, beauty or other traits
This would affect evolution in a very profound way
14-11-2015
Genome-editing technologies: Crispr-Cas9 technique, Gene Drive & their analysis
It allow us to bend evolution to our will
Researchers are now manufacturing a mosquito resistant to malaria using it
In university labs, corporate R&D centers, researchers are creating genetically modified organisms at an
unprecedented pace
The implications of Crispr are now intensely debated by medical researchers, especially since Chinese scientists used
the method earlier this year to modify human embryos
Impacts of this technology will most likely be more transformative for our planets future
These new tools are much more precise & easy to use than past versions. Researchers can cut & paste DNA into just
about any animal, plant or fungus
A technique called gene drive ensures a modified gene will be inherited with nearly 100% success
This is valuable in making sure that a desirable new gene, like one resistant to the malaria parasite, spreads once
introduced into a mosquito population
It also means a mistake cant easily be taken back
Analysis
As scientists, policy makers & citizens, we need to start debating how much genetic tinkering we should allow in the
wild & what regulations need to be in place
These new tools could help us cope with many risks to humans & animals, including climate change
Coral could be buffered against warming ocean water through the introduction of heat-tolerant genes
Genes from successful species could be used to help rescue imperiled ones
It can help species adjust to our changed planet more quickly than they could on their own
But the ecological risks of these manipulations are real & poorly understood
We cant fully predict the consequences of releasing self-propagating genes into the wild
Encoding a self-destruct gene (for eg. by altering sex-determining genes so the population eventually ends up
entirely male, could be a way to battle invasive species)
But such genes could potentially leak to places where these species actually play important ecological roles
& could even jump to other species through interbreeding
Re-engineered genes that escape from crop weeds & spread as a result of gene drive could devastate other
ecosystems
Way ahead
Need to study & explore the potential impacts of these technologies on the environment
Need to encourage a public conversation about these technologies
13-12-2015
The scientific community currently has the technology that can make specific & targeted genetic alterations in
embryos, which will be carried by all the cells of a resulting child & passed on to his/her offspring. Its called
germline editing
Through IVF, cells from embryos are being screened for specific genetic disorders. The genetically defective ones are
eliminated
Analysis
The powerful gene-editing technology, CRISPR-Cas9, which is relatively inexpensive, accessible & effective
It brings the idea of designing a perfect human who is healthy & intelligent many steps closer to reality
The current state of technology is imprecise, & there will be unintended consequences
With germline editing, the consequences will be felt for generations
Even if we do develop more accurate ways to edit our DNA, we do not have the means to predict the kind of
Technology Page 65
Even if we do develop more accurate ways to edit our DNA, we do not have the means to predict the kind of
damage that we could be causing
Regulation in India
There is no law stopping research laboratories & private companies from using the technology to experiment on
embryos
The Drug Controller General of India is trying to use interpretations of existing laws on drugs to clamp down on
improper use
There is lack of consensus among regulatory bodies
The guidelines in India are in keeping with international regulations, though they cannot be enforced
The guidelines listed by the ICMR clearly state that germline editing is forbidden. It is in the process of being
legislated
The US has banned federal aid from being used to support germline editing while in the UK, you can apply to the
regulatory body for a licence to edit the genomes of a human embryo, but only for research work. The embryos
have to be destroyed within 14 days
Genomic medicine
A degenerative eye disease called Retinitis pigmentosa affects 1 in 3,000 Indians, & is especially prevalent among
families where there are consanguineous marriages. Blindness is inevitable
One of the ideas is that you take skin cells, or a blood cell, & make them stem-cell like
The technical term is induced pluripotent cells where adult cells are genetically reprogrammed to give them
properties of stem-like cells
We can engineer these stem-like cells so that they dont carry the disease & then convert them into retinal cells
Using a scaffold (that may be generated by 3-D printing), we can generate sheets of these cells that can then be
grafted into the patient through microsurgery
This could well become a reality within 2-3 yrs
In NIMHANS, researchers are also using human induced pluripotent cells to examine the Apolipoprotein-4 (APOE)
gene, which is linked to Alzheimers disease
Using CRISPR-Cas9, they are altering alternative forms of a gene found on the same place in the chromosome, or
alleles, & examining their effects on neurons generated from these cells
They are taking blood cells from individuals out & turning them into neurons
Conclusion
There are scientific, medical, ethical, & governance issues associated with recent advances in human gene-editing
research & also the the implications of this technology
Global scientific opinion on germline editing, a new generation of genetic engineering techniques, is that it would be
irresponsible to proceed with any clinical use until safety & efficiency issues are resolved
Personalised medicine
06-06-2015
Personalised medicine aims to base treatments on a patients DNA profile
Already, universities & drug manufacturers are embarking on projects to sequence the genomes of hundreds of
thousands of people
Technology Page 66
Cloning & stem cell research

30 January 2014
17:11
iPS cells
In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka showed to the world that reversing adult cells (differentiated cells) to behave like stem
cells induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) is indeed possible by introducing 4 transcription factors
13-09-2014
Japan first to implant iPS stem cells
A retina sheet prepared from iPS stem cells
Japanese researchers conducted the worlds first surgery to implant iPS stem cells in a human body in a major boost to
regenerative medicine, two institutions involved said.
A female patient in her 70s with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that can lead
to blindness in older peo ple, had a sheet of retina cells that had been created from iPS cells implanted.
31-10-2014
Scientists grow miniature human stomachs from stem cells
Scientists have grown miniature human stomachs (Gastric organoids) from stem cells as a way of studying gastric
diseases such as ulcers & stomach cancer & in the future creating tissue to repair patients stomachs.
'Organoids'
A year ago, group of researchers in Austria announced iPS cells (which behave similarly to embryonic stem cells, but
are made from skin cells & thus do not require the destruction of human embryos) & coaxed them into
differentiating & growing into objects known as organoids
An organoid is not a proper organ, but it resembles one in scientifically useful ways, both in the mixture of cells it
contains and in its anatomical features
Proof by induction
The process by which a fertilised egg turns into a complete animal, human or otherwise, is orchestrated by proteins
called growth factors, which stimulate or suppress the functions of particular genes
Tweaking these, along with a few other chemicals (including retinoic acid that is important in lots of developmental
processes) can guide stem cells down the right path to arrive at a particular tissue type
Potential
Organoids can be used for creation of real organs inorder to replace the entire diseased or damaged body parts
They are an excellent way of improving medical testing, particularly by doing tests that have proved hard or
impossible in the past (like to create a laboratory model of the interaction btw H. pylori & human stomach tissue &
thus obviate the need to continue searching for an animal-based one)
Cloning
Cloning (somatic cell nuclear transfer technique), where the nuclear matter from an adult cell is transferred into an
egg whose nucleus has been removed
16-10-2014
Stem cells to treat blindness appear safe
In the new research, scientists turned stem cells into retinal cells to treat people with macular degeneration or
Stargardts macular dystrophy, the leading causes of blindness in adults and children.
the stem cells survived years after the transplant and werent wiped out by the patients own immune systems.
09-05-2015
Scientists discover human marrow version in fruit fly
Scientists in India claim to have discovered a simpler version of the human bone marrow in the adult fruit fly, a
finding with potential implications for advances in stem cell biology, immunity, treatment of blood-related disorders
Technology Page 67
finding with potential implications for advances in stem cell biology, immunity, treatment of blood-related disorders
such as leukemia, wound healing & the study of ageing
The fruit fly presents the perfect model. It is a simple organism with all its 5,000 genes identified
Extracting human bone marrow is difficult & presents ethical issues, while studying the process in mice has its
own complications
In the fly, you can mark & monitor each cell by colour-coding it, without having to dissect it
Prospects of cloning & stem cell research
Fig: Stem cells (Left) that are not yet differentiated; nerve cells (Right) after differentiation, ready to perform specialis ed functions
First cloning was done on a frog in 1962 by John B Gurdon (UK) - He is also called the Grandfather of Cloning
His contributions has laid the foundation for research which holds out the promise of tissue immortality to prevent
disorders such as blindness & Parkinsons disease
Gurdon got 2012 Nobel prize along with Japanese biologist Shinya Yamanaka
In 1962, Gurdon employed the cloning technique transfer of nuclei from adult cells into eggs for generating
embryonic cells
In recent times Shinya Yamanaka developed the 'Yamanaka procedure' which demonstrated that adult cells can be
reprogrammed into their embryonic phase & further into new cell types (like blood, pancreas, heart cells etc.)
This procedure can be applied to humans
Among the disorders where this is ready to be tried is macular degeneration, a cause of blindness in the elderly
Damage to the retinal epithelium & photo receptor cells causes the blindness in this disease
It is possible to make replacement cells from the skin & transplant them underneath the photo receptors.
This is shown to rescue the loss of cells
Technology Page 68
Computer n Communication Technology

17 April 2014
08:08
Std 12 Physics NIOS-772, Std 12 Physics TN (Part I & II)-439,
USB- Universal Serial Bus (Indian inventor- Ajay Bhatt)

GPRS- General Packet Radio Service
EDGE- Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution
HSDPA- High Speed Downlink Packet Access
CDMA- Code Division Multiple Access
GSM- Global System of Mobile communications
USSD- Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
URL- Uniform Resource Locator
Supercomputers
Uses
supercomputers were originally developed for code cracking, as well as ballistics.
to forecast weather, predict weather events, and track space and oceanic weather activity as well
used for nuclear weapon security and to make large-scale molecular dynamics calculations
23-06-2014
China's Tianhe-2 is top supercomputer
Chinese SuperComputer which is the fastest SuperComputer in the World, it manages 33.86 petaflop/second.
replaced Titan, a US made Super Computer
Tianhe-2 is owned by the Chinese government and operated by the National University of Defence Technology. It is
used as a "research and educational" tool
3G
3G, short for third Generation, is the third generation of mobile telecommunications technology.
Standardization: This is a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunication use services and
networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the
International Telecommunication Union.
Services advertised as 3G are required to meet IMT-2000 technical standards, including standards for reliability and
speed (data transfer rates). To meet the IMT-2000 standards, a system is required to provide peak data rates of at
least 200 kbit/s (about 0.2 Mbit/s).
3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls
and mobile TV
Applications of 3G
The bandwidth and location information available to 3G devices gives rise to applications not previously available to
mobile phone users. Some of the applications are:
Mobile TV
Video on demand
Video Conferencing
Telemedicine
Computer n Communication Technology Page 1
Telemedicine
Location-based services
Global Positioning System (GPS)
4G
Broadly, two 4G candidate systems are commercially deployed worldwide:
the Mobile WiMAX standard that was used first in South Korea in 2007
the first-release Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard that was used in Norway & Sweden in 2009
Display technologies
AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode)
is a display technology for use in mobile devices & televisions. OLED describes a specific type of thin-film-display
technology in which organic compounds form the electroluminescent material, and active matrix refers to the
technology behind the addressing of pixels
IPS (In-plane switching) is a screen technology used for liquid crystal displays (LCDs).
In-plane switching involves arranging and switching the molecules of the liquid crystal (LC) layer between the glass
substrates essentially in a plane parallel to these glass plates
TFT or Thin Film Transistor is used to improve readability of LCD panels and has fewer number of electrodes per pixel.
Transistors are embedded within the panel itself, reducing crosstalk between pixels and improving image stability. Used
mainly in entry-level handsets with colour screens, TFT displays boast of better image quality than LCDs
LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display, is the most common flat panel display. It uses a combination of layers of liquid crystals
and a backlight to produce an image. This type of display renders excellent colours on the screen but falls short of the
competitors when it comes to contrast ratio
Therefore, it is unable to match the darkness levels of other some screens like Super AMOLED and the colours seem
washed out in sunlight
IPS
IPS, or In Plane Switching, is an evolution of the LCD, invented by Hitachi and LG to improve on colours and viewing
angles of TFT displays.
This type of panel outdoes TFTs by offering better viewing angles and colour rendering, thus allowing users to view the
images on the screens at acute angles without any loss of quality
Retina display
Introduced by Apple, this type of LCD panels uses pixels smaller than the human retina can perceive. The pixel density
of Retina displays is such that the human eye is unable to distinguish between individual pixels, contributing to a more
enjoyable viewing experience.
This type of display technology is found in iPhone 4S/5C/5S, iPad Air, second-generation iPad Mini, fifth generation iPod
touch and 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro
OLED
OLED or Organic Light Emitting Diodes, produce their own light rather than relying on a backlight, thus saving battery
and rendering dark colours more effectively. It offers a brighter, more vivid picture with a higher contrast ratio on lower
power consumption and is thinner and lighter than LCDs
AMOLED
AMOLED or Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes display panel is a spin-off of the OLED screens, wherein the all
AMOLED or Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes display panel is a spin-off of the OLED screens, wherein the all
pixels are connected to tansistors and capacitors, which actively maintain pixel state at all times. This type of screen is
cheaper to manufacture and consumes less power than standard OLED screens
Super AMOLED
Super AMOLED is just Samsung's way of marketing the OLED screens it manufactures, not a technical term when it
comes to display panels. However, the manufacturing process differs from the method followed in developing standard
AMOLED panels, as the touch-detecting layer is embedded in the screen itself, rather than being put on top of it.
Samsung claims that Super AMOLED Screens reduce the amount of sunlight reflected by five times. The company
develops Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Plus, and HD Super AMOLED, differing upon the number of sub-pixels
S-LCD
Super LCD or S-LCD is a display panel manufactured by a subsidiary of Samsung, which was partly owned by Sony till
recently. S-LCD panels use technology that brings quality and contrast levels to near-AMLED standards, but at a lower
price
Essentially, this display technology fares better than AMOLEDs in terms of colour definition but loses out by a whisker
when it comes to vividness of images
ClearBlack
The strength of Nokia's ClearBlack display technology is its ability to block incoming light in order to reduce reflections
and make the improve image quality, especially under sunlight. This display panel boasts of deeper blacks and better
viewing angles than most of its competitors and is used in Nokia's Lumia phones
E-Ink
E-Ink displays had been confined to e-readers like Kindle & Kobo till now, even though Motorola and Samsung had
experimented with them earlier. But a Russian manufacturer has launched YotaPhone, the world's first smartphone
with an E-Ink display on the back and a LCD panel in front
E-Ink panels do not display colours and are best known for not hurting the eyes even if you stare at them for long hours.
This makes them perfect for reading e-books. They consume very less power and devices with E-Ink panels can operate
for days on a single charge
LCD TVs vs LED TVs vs Plasma TVs
an LED TV is also an LCD TV, as the screen on both is a liquid crystal display
An LCD display has two layers of glass that are polarized and joined together, the liquid crystals between the 2 layers
then pass or block the light to display the television picture
On an LCD TV, the lamps at the back of the screen are fluorescent lamps, whilst on an LED TV the lights at the back
of the screen are Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
LED TVs generally have better black levels and contrasts than their LCD counterparts. Color accuracy is also slightly
better on an LED TV
LED TVs are energy efficient than LCD TVs
LED TVs are slimmer compared to LCD TVs
LED TVs may create ghostly permanent images on the screen when used for a long time. This is what you call burnin, which is less likely to happen with LCD TVs
LCD panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarized material with a liquid crystal solution between them,
so when an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align so that light can (or cant) pass
through. Think of each crystal as a shutter or gate, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out. After
passing through the frontmost polarized pane, the light then passes through a color filter that leaves it either red,
green, or blue. Each cluster of red green and blue makes up one pixel on the screen. By selectively illuminating the
colors within each pixel, a wide range of hues can be produced on the larger display
A plasma TV is sometimes called an "emissive" display the panel is actually self-lighting
The display consists of two transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels sandwiched in between. Each pixel is
composed of three gas-filled cells or sub-pixels (one each for red, green and blue). A grid of tiny electrodes applies
an electric current to the individual cells, causing the gas (a mix of neon and xenon) in the cells to ionize. This ionized
gas (plasma) emits high-frequency UV rays, which stimulate the cells' phosphors, causing them to glow the desired
color
Coz a plasma panel is illuminated at the sub-pixel level, light output is very consistent across the entire screen area.
Plasmas produce the widest horizontal and vertical viewing angles available pictures look crisp and bright from
virtually anywhere in the room
Because plasma TV screens use a phosphor coating like CRT-based TVs, the possibility of screen burn-in exists
4K UltraHD TV
4K or 4096 x 2160 [or 3840 x 2160 for TVs (16:9 Ratio) ] pixels is 4 times the resolution & 4 times the number of
pixels as compared to full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
2013
SnapChat
SnapChat
Social media application which lets users share photos with each other and delete those photos as soon as they are
viewed
HDD & SSD
Hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device used for storing & retrieving digital information using rapidly rotating
disks (platters) coated with magnetic material
A solid-state drive (SSD) (also known as a solid-state disk or electronic disk, though it contains no actual "disk" of any
kind or motors to "drive" the disks) is a data storage device using integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data
persistently.
SSDs have no moving mechanical components. This distinguishes them from traditional electromechanical magnetic
disks such as hard disk drives (HDDs) or floppy disks, which contain spinning disks and movable read/write heads.
Bits & Bytes
Bit
Bit -- like an atom -- the smallest unit of storage
A bit stores just a 0 or 1
Everything in a computer is 0's and 1's ... what does that mean? The bit stores just a 0 or 1 .. it's the smallest building
block of storage
Byte
One byte = grouping of 8 bits
e.g. 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
One byte can store one letter, e.g. 'b' or 'x'
How much exactly can one byte hold?
How many distinct/separate patterns can be made with 1, 2, or 3 bits?
(Not hold you responsible for details, go through derivation)
Number of bits Distinct Patterns
1
01
2
00 01 10 11
3
000 001 010 011
100 101 110 111
In general: add 1 bit, double the number of patterns
1 bit - 2 patterns
2 bits - 4
3 bits - 8
Mathematically: n bits yields 2 patterns (2 to the nth power)
So, One Byte - 256 Patterns (1 byte is group of 8 bits)
11-09-2014
Mobile phone numbers
All mobile numbers are ten digits. What is the technical reason?
In the world due to technical & user base reasons the mobile numbers at present varied from 10 to 11 digits. Due to
technical reasons two countries, UK and China moved to 11 digits in mobile phone numbers. In India all mobile
numbers have 10 digits under the govts National Numbering Plan (NNP)
The number of digits in a mobile phone number describe the maximum mobile phones we can have without dialling the
country code, that is 91 (for India). If we had a 9 digit cell number, the maximum number of cell numbers possible
country code, that is 91 (for India). If we had a 9 digit cell number, the maximum number of cell numbers possible
would have been 10 9 , ie. a maximum of 1000 million or 100 crore subscribers. Since our population is close to 125
crore, obviously we cannot have a 9- digit cell phone number. Adopting a 10 digits cell number offers a capacity to
have 10 billion or 1000 crore subscribers and the total population would get at least one mobile number each.
In 2003, the Department of Telecommunication ( DoT) In India had implemented the 10digit mobile numbers which
will meet the needs for 30 long years. On February 2009, India registered a user base of 375.74 million wireless
subscribers. 10-digit numbers can cater to an additional 250 million users. Under the current 10-digit numbering
scheme, only a maximum of 1 billion mobile numbers can be issued and the mobile phone connections in India would
cross this mark in the next couple of years. DoT had previously proposed a transfer of numbers from10 -digits to 11digits in January 2010.
At present all mobile phone numbers are 10 digits long and the way to split the numbers is defined in the National
Numbering Plan 2003 as XXXX NNNNNN where XXXX is the Network operator, NNNNNN is the subscriber numbers
14-07-2013
KINECT
Microsoft and Chinese researchers developed New Sign Language Translator- KINECT
a new cost-effective sign language translator that converts signs into spoken and written language - and vice versa.
01-01-2014
2014 is also the International Year of Crystallography - a wonderful technique that has revealed the secrets of DNA
and drug discovery
Internet
12 March 2014
20:48
Sociology MA-2287,
Internet is turning our generation into global citizens

12-03-2014
Digital divide in terms of internet penetration:
In 2015, 81% of households in developed countries have internet access, but only 34% in developing regions & 7% in
the least developed countries
North America- 80%, Europe- 67%, Asia- 27%, Africa- 15%, Middle East- 40%
Internet user-base in India

Only 20% of India has internet access (ie. Around 80% of the Indian population does not have access)
India has one of the lowest internet-penetration rates & one of the highest mobile-internet gaps (difference btw
number of mobile phone owners & those with internet)
The growth of Internet users has also led to a substantial growth of other digital industries such as e-commerce &
digital advertising
The average Internet speed in India in 2014 is just 2 Mbps, compared to the global average of 4.6 Mbps
Around 45% of online users in India access internet only through their mobile phones
PM Modi said that digital connectivity is a basic right
10-10-2014
India likely to have 600 million mobile broadband users by 2020
The mobile broadband subscriber base in India could grow to 600 million by 2020 from around 100 million now
Smartphone prices are expected to fall by 40-50% over the next 3 years
Mobile broadband can be the platform on which the Digital India vision can be delivered
Operators in India have far less spectrum than their peers globally with high mobile broadband penetration
Spectrum will play a key role in driving mobile broadband growth in India in the long run, & will be an
increasingly important driver of capacity, user experience, & quality
It said operators will need access to more spectrum from the govt, & will need to build new network capabilities &
new revenue models
08-05-2015
Internet usage: India 3rd with 300 mn users but lags in speed
Internet users reach 300 million & Internet penetration is roughly 20%
India has the 3rd largest number of Internet users in the world behind China & the US
But India lags in terms of average broadband speed & penetration
India had a wired internet speed of 1.7 mbps while wireless was 1.3 mbps
But India ranked 125th in the world for fixed broadband penetration, lagging behind Bhutan & Sri Lanka in terms of
fixed & broadband penetration in 2013, according to the Broadband Commission of the International
Telecommunication Union & UNESCO
24-07-2015
Smartphone penetration is now 26% across the country
Internet access in India (Digital divide)
Despite fast growth in recent years, the percentage of individuals using the Internet in India is < 20%
12-03-2014
Digital divide in terms of internet penetration:
In 2015, 81% of households in developed countries have internet access, but only 34% in developing regions & 7% in

North America- 80%, Europe- 67%, Asia- 27%, Africa- 15%, Middle East- 40%
Urban-rural gap in usage
Out of 200 million Internet users, only 25 million are from rural India (but electorally, the weight of rural India is
75% or more)
A lot of voters were using the Internet to form their opinion on politicians & issues
Internet is poised to play a larger role in the elections
Internet could be a major factor in Indian politics as 600 million Indians are expected to be connected by 2019
18-04-2015
India ranks 125th in the world for fixed broadband penetration. Bhutan & Sri Lanka are ahead of it in 2013,
according to the Broadband Commission of the International Telecommunication Union & UNESCO
In the wireless or mobile broadband segment, India is ranked at 113th with a penetration of 3.2 per 100 citizens
TRAI recommendations
To promote the use of fixed-line broadband, the licence fee on the revenues earned from fixed line should be
exempted for 5 years
Encourage local & foreign companies to build data centre parks on the lines of industrial parks & SEZs
Make Wireless Planning Commission, the custodian of spectrum at Dept of Telecom (DoT), an independent body by
delinking it from DoT & convert it into a statutory body
Audit spectrum usage to check for efficiency
Cable operators should be encouraged to take advantage of their network to provide broadband connections
07-10-2014
Why are internet connections so expensive in India?
The path of an email would traverse intercontinentally & adds up the cost
If there was fibre-optic cable underground infrastructure & a system of internet exchanges in India- that covered all
our major cities, our email would have travelled locally through this fibre-optic channel & back, all within India
So, TRAI in 2010 recommended that a National Optic Fibre Agency be set up & at a cost of Rs 65,000 crores a fibreoptic network be laid across the country as a public utility
Since then, Bharat Broadband Network, to execute this plan, has come into existence & pilot projects have been
undertaken
Similarly, a National Internet Exchange (NIXI) has come into being with traffic exchange points in the 7 largest cities
in India
But still work towards it is unsatisfactory
16-02-2015
Bringing internet to more Indians
The Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook got together with Anil Ambanis Reliance Communications to launch in India
internet.org, a service that offers subscribers free access to a pre-selected bouquet of Websites
Googles plan is to use helium balloons (project Loon) to connect people to the Net
Microsoft in 2014 announced a white spaces project a plan to use unused TV spectrum of Doordarshan & the
govt to provide connectivity
Indias internet penetration is < 20%, whereas in China, Russia & Brazil it is nearly 50%
Googles plan, more technologically audacious, is to use a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space,
designed to connect people in rural & remote areas, help fill coverage gaps, & bring people back online after
disasters
Interestingly, the govt itself is working on a mega plan to make internet ubiquitous in India with Digital India project
Comments
More Internet is also good for a countrys GDP
A research study claimed that an 0.46 percentage point increase in the GDP of low- & middle-income countries
when a 1% increase in broadband penetration is achieved
But more significantly, more Internet is good for the Internet companies, as Googles revenues are positively
correlated with the worlds Internet population
This makes sense for Internet companies to do everything to increases the size of the pool as also improve it
Google Fiber, which seeks to provide fiber-to-the-premises at 100 times the broadband speeds of today, is one
Google Fiber, which seeks to provide fiber-to-the-premises at 100 times the broadband speeds of today, is one
such. Facebook is said to be considering the use of drones & satellites to connect people
A recent Morgan Stanley report predicted Indias user base to exceed 600 million in 2020, which means 46% of the
population would have been covered
92% of internet consumption in India happens through mobile wireless (mobile + dongle)
2016 World Development Report - 'Digital Dividends'
Digital dividends not spreading rapidly - World Bank
60% of the worlds population still offline. Almost 1.063 billion Indians were offline even though India ranked among
the top 5 nations in terms of the total number of Internet users
Institutional & regulatory barriers to efficiency are exacerbating the problem of low & unevenly distributed digital
dividends from growing Internet penetration across countries
Although there are positive outcomes from a deepening digital economy in countries such as India, the automation
of jobs in some cases was leading to inequalities in the labour market btw high-skill & low-skill workers
Although 40% of the worlds population is connected by the Internet, it is important to be mindful that we do not
create a new underclass
With nearly 20% of the worlds population unable to read & write, the spread of digital technologies alone is
unlikely to spell the end of the global knowledge divide
The report also cautioned that with the advent of big data, which includes the likes of Indias Aadhaar unique
identity project, secret snooping by govts can be for legitimate law enforcement reasons, but sometimes violates
laws & rights, as the Edward Snowden revelations about spying by the security agencies of the US, the UK, & others
have shown
There are many examples of success stories worldwide where the power of the Internet had been leveraged to
improve the delivery of public services
But the delivery of services through the Internet ultimately depends on the regulation of the service sector itself
& India ia among the countries which has the greatest restrictions on service trade
A poor business climate and vested interests often hold back digital adoption. Among online firms, the economics of
the Internet may enable natural monopolies to exploit their dominant position, hurting consumers & suppliers
Hence India needs to have an appropriate business environment, which shapes how firms adopt & use
technology
World Wide Web celebrates 25th anniversary
12-03-2014
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web
The web started as a collaboration platform at CERN

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, in 1998 said the Web is an abstract (imaginary) space of
information
Tim was a physicist wanted his work to be open for others to view. He simply provided a platform for others to
build, collaborate & innovate
Tim proposed the 3 technologies HTML (HyperText Markup Language), URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) & HTTP
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol). The web was built on the foundation of these three, and they still remain in use
Growth
In the beginning, the webpages were static, read-only text pages. Images would open in another browser window
This changed when the first user-friendly browser Mosaic was launched. It proved to be critical in the explosion of
This changed when the first user-friendly browser Mosaic was launched. It proved to be critical in the explosion of
web
Netscape Navigator came much later & turned the web on its head
However, what made the World Wide Web even more attractive was that CERN waived its royalties in April 1993.
This paved the way for innovation & made the web what it is today
The dot-com bubble burst in the late 90s saw a number of web startups go bust. But the ones that have survived
Amazon, Google & eBay have today become industry giants
Today, the advent of social media made Frigyes Karinthys 6 degrees of separation theory a virtual reality
According to it, we all are just six introductions away from any other person on the planet
Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook have all made this possible
13-03-2014
European research organization CERN was the birthplace of web or www. The first website at CERN was also the
first website in the world
In 1993, CERN put the world wide web software in the public domain
Web is not internet: The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks. It is a path on which the
web runs
It is not the internet. That is a hardware network made up of servers, fibre optic, microwave and comsats talking
to each other in TPC/IP, a protocol designed by Robert E. Kahn & Vinton Cerf
The Web, which consists of interlinked data, rides on the internet. It is made up of electrons & talks to our
browsers in HTML & HTTP, the mark-up language & transfer protocol written by Berners-Lee
14-03-2014
It has created millions of new jobs supported by hitherto impossible business models, like the online bookstore, but
it has also wiped out traditional ways of making a living, like bookselling
It has rekindled protest politics directed against authoritarian or unresponsive govt (Tunisia, India)
It also has sparked off a mini crime wave on the Dark Web, the part of the medium inaccessible to search engines &
casual surfers, where drugs, guns, assassination contracts & child pornography enjoyed a flourishing market until a
recent crackdown
The next wave of enterprise will be fuelled by unstructured data, which Big Data methodologies trawl in search of
patterns which are not perceptible to the human intelligence but can be discerned by powerful computers
processing data in bulk
The most valuable source of unstructured data is social media
However, in the near future, the volume of data being generated will go into overdrive as the Internet of Things
takes off
17-03-2014
After the invention of the printing press, this is the most defining development in the world of communication
Its impact is still growing & its full potential yet to be realised despite the many changes it has brought in its wake
In March 1989, a British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, working at CERN, submitted a paper titled Information
Management: A Proposal that gave birth to the World Wide Web
The Web has generated billions of dollars in economic growth, turned data into the gold of the 21st century,
unleashed innovation in education & health care, whittled away geographic & social boundaries, revolutionised the
media, & forced a reinvention of politics in many countries by enabling constant two-way dialogue btw the rulers &
the ruled
Few principles allowed the web, as a platform & to support such growth
By design, the Web is universal, royalty-free, open & decentralised
Thousands of people worked together to build the early Web in an amazing, non-national spirit of collaboration;
tens of thousands more invented the applications & services that make it so useful to us today
There is still room for each one of us to create new things on & through the Web
Global Internet access

2/3rd of the worlds population does not have Internet access
Internet from space
New battle
Although both Facebook & Google have said that they dont want to become internet service providers
But when free Wi-Fi starts covering the globe in near future, traditional telecom service providers are bound to feel
threatened
If you have Wi-Fi everywhere no one is going to use their services which shall lead to more regulatory battles ahead
This could even wipe out the entire telecom industry
Project Loon
It is an affordable balloon-powered Internet

Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural & remote
areas, help fill coverage gaps, & bring people back online after disasters
Project Loon balloons will travel in the stratosphere, approx. 20 km above the Earths surface, latching on to layers
of wind as directed by software algorithms to determine where they need to go. In the end, they will form one large
communications network
The inflatable envelopes are made from sheets of polyethylene plastic (15m wide & 12m tall when fully inflated)
They are designed to stay up for at least 100 days in one go
The electronics are powered by an array of solar panels
The small box under the balloon will contain circuit boards that control the system, radio antennas to communicate
with other balloons & with Internet antennas on the ground
Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area about 40 km in diameter using LTE
Project Loon partners with telecom companies to share cellular spectrum
In June 2013, Project Loon was tested in New Zealand
Aquila
23-10-2015
It is a solar-powered aircraft with a wide wingspan, that can stay up for months on end
Cruising altitude: around 18 km, much higher than commercial aircraft
Footprint: 100 km diameter
They will move, but around a small zone. When the plane moves the RF (radio frequency) system will adjust so that
it continues to have the same terrestrial footprint
While these aircraft try & create a grid of connectivity, there will also be dark spots without connectivity in areas
with no substantial population. Those areas could be fed by satellite
Internet.org
Internet.org is a global Internet access initiative of Facebook & 6 other technology giants, namely Ericsson,
MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm & Samsung, launched in 2013 which aims to bring the internet to 2/3rds of the
worlds population that doesnt have it
worlds population that doesnt have it

Sharing tools, resources & best practices, Internet.org partners will explore solutions in 3 major opportunity areas:
affordability, efficiency, & business models
Affordability: developing technology that decreases the cost of delivering data to people worldwide
Efficiency: improve data compression capabilities and make data networks and services run more efficiently
Business models: introduce business models that give people more ways to go online
Jana
08-05-2015
Jana, a Boston-based start-up, offers the emerging world free access to the Internet without violating net neutrality
principle
It launched Jana Loyalty, a product that seeks to reward its smart phone users in 2 ways
it reimburses users the cost of downloading & using an app of Jana's clients
it gives free additional data with which the user can access any content online
The free data can also be used however they choose; users can surf the web, download a new app, or watch a video
Instead of making Wikipedia or Facebook free for all, Jana wants to make the entire Internet more affordable to
everyone & at the same time, make it less costly for people to explore fun & useful new apps
Jana's launch comes at a time when social media giant Facebook's attempts to provide a limited version of the
Internet free has been attracting criticism from supporters of Net neutrality, especially in India
OneWeb
26-06-2015
It is supported by a global consortium of Qualcomm, Virgin Group, Airbus, Coca-Cola, Intelsat & Grupo Salinas
It aims to provide affordable internet access to all
It aims to build a communications network with an initial constellation of 648 low earth orbit satellites that will
provide connectivity around the world
The OneWeb User Terminals contain embedded LTE, 3G, 2G & Wi-Fi access capabilities that extend the reach of
mobile operators
OneWeb satellites will provide high-speed connectivity to a small user terminal, which transmits broadband access
through Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G & 2G to the surrounding area
Free-space optical communication
28-03-2014
makes use of light to transmit data through space using invisible, infrared laser beams
is a promising technology that potentially allows to boost the speed of internet connections provided by satellites &
drones
For lower density areas, low-Earth orbit & geosynchronous satellites can beam internet access to the ground
White-fi
14-07-2015
White-Fi or television White-Space technology works like Wi-Fi on a bigger scale
It puts the unused spectrum in the TV channels to a good effect
This technology has potential to provide free connectivity to large sections of the Indian population through wider
coverage & economical deployment & licence-free access
Low density of population & low-income group segments remain unattractive to commercial telecom providers, &
in such a scenario, White-Fi technology can be best suited to provide digital connectivity
Internet Safety
Internet addiction
Internet addiction
08-06-2014
Technology addiction or internet addiction is recognised by mental health professionals as akin to addictive
disorders concerning drugs or alcohol.
It is the propensity to excessively engage in activities involving the cellphone, internet and social networking sites to
the detriment of ones health, social life or mental state.
Teenagers are particularly prone to the addiction, which manifests itself in acts like constantly checking instant
messaging apps, frequently changing status messages and profile photos on social networks, and uploading selfies
daily.
In many cases, the addiction leads to insomnia, depression and social withdrawal.
Experts say these cases are likely to be the tip of the iceberg in a country where smart phones and tablets are being
adopted at a roaring pace.
Few de-addiction clinics are also practicing in India.
16-10-2014
The existence of Internet addiction disorder linked to conventional devices such as phones and PCs is hotly debated
among psychiatrists. Many researchers maintain that its effects are merely symptoms of other psychological
problems.
It was not included as a clinical diagnosis in the 2013 update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders
Safe internet for children
31-03-2015
In 2014, a survey done in India found that 30% of Indian children accessing the Internet have experienced some kind
of cyber harm including cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, hacking & defamation
The survey reveals that 34% of children rarely speak to their parents about their online activities
Researching for school & project work, social networking, downloading music & movies rank highest in their list
of online activities
Online risks affecting children include cyber-bullying, identity theft & fraud, danger from online predators, &
exposure to pornography or other inappropriate images
Fundamentally, keeping kids safe online is about communication, & thus the importance of starting the
conversation to discuss online risks cannot be overstated
Basic ground rules like protecting passwords should become second nature
Safer Internet Day is observed on February 10th every year
The opportunities presented by the Internet outweigh the dangers, but all stakeholders including parents,
educators, regulators & telecoms operators must commit to ensuring that our children are safe online
04-05-2015
Internet on brink of collapse: Experts
The internet is heading towards a 'capacity crunch'
The cables & fibre optics that relay information to our laptops, smartphones & tablets will have reached their limit
within 8 years, & fibre optics can take no more data from a single optical fibre, scientists warned
The boom of internet television, streaming services & ever-more powerful computers has increased the strain on
our communications infrastructure
The internet companies could always put down additional cables - but that will mean higher bills
In 2005, broadband internet had a maximum speed of 2 mb/sec. Today 100 mb/sec download speeds are available
in many parts of the world
Net Neutrality
Saturday, May 10, 2014
2:31 PM
Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers (ISPs) should not be allowed to discriminate btw
packets of data or charge differently by user, content, site, platform, or application
Net neutrality means all end users are able to access content, applications & services of their choice at the same
level of service quality, internet speed & price with no priority or degradation based on the type of content,
applications or services
Net neutrality ensures that the wealthiest website or one with virtually no resources has equal access to the users
Net neutrality advocates argue that the internet is akin to a public utility, as essential to the functioning of modern
society like electricity
Today, there are about 1 billion websites, of which about 175 million are active
The bulk are small organisations, movements, non-commercial news organisations, or new service providers
These websites & innovative services springing up on the Internet every day would be badly hurt without net
neutrality
The Internet would, then, be very much like cable TV, where select TV channels are carried by networks to viewers
Net neutrality & start ups
The principle of net neutrality that an ISP cannot discriminate btw packets of data has been integral to the
evolution of the internet into the innovative, disruptive marketplace of ideas
The economics of internet entrepreneurship would be affected by compromising on net neutrality
Currently, costs are low enough to allow startups to offer their apps & services to consumers without initial
outside funding
Internet as a right
New era of Internet rights activism
A strong opinion has emerged that those who cannot afford connectivity must be provided some basic free
connectivity as an entitlement to be ensured by the govt
Such emerging public opinion in favour of free basic connectivity, if concretised into public policy, will be the first
true expression of the Internet as a right, a concept which has begun to be discussed globally
There is emerging public consciousness which now sees the Internet not just in pure market terms, but as a unique
social phenomenon which requires special public interest regulation
It is likely to usher a new era of Internet rights activism, with people claiming digital technologies as a right & not
just something that the market provides on its own terms especially in the emerging world of Internet of Things
The Internet can be seen as a new neutral system of society, one that organises our lives, which can become very
dangerous if its manipulative potential is not closely watched & kept in check
Platform neutrality
There will always be corporatist tendencies to place control points on this neutral network, with various kinds of
free services as the incentive, but which would lead to far greater economic & other forms of exploitation
An eg. is just how Facebook used its monopoly social networking platform for a huge political campaign in its
own favour pushing hard for its 'Free Basics', making & sharing lakhs of template responses to the TRAIs
consultation
The same platform functionality was not available to other users, who could be holding other views on the
subject
The implications of such platform abuse are grave
A monopoly social networking platform should be allowed to discriminate among its users in such a blatant way &
with such far-reaching social consequences
Net neutrality & zero-rating are therefore just the first key Internet regulation issues that we are facing
As the Internet quickly transforms our social systems & becomes an essential element, there will soon be other
kinds of platform neutrality issues
The EU is already conducting a public consultation on platform governance. The French Digital Council has brought
out a comprehensive report on platform neutrality. A draft bill on Internet rights in the Italian legislature lays out
public interest guidelines for platforms
public interest guidelines for platforms
US internet regulator & net neutrality

04-04-2014
Brazils internet law- internet bill of rights
It enshrines the principle of net neutrality
It also ensures that 100m Brazilian internet users enjoy online privacy (by barring providers from scanning through
their data) & freedom of expression (a court order is required to force the removal of contentious content)
It also extends the reach of Brazilian law to any internet service in the world with Brazilian users
Penalties include fines of up to 10% of a firms Brazilian revenues or even blocking services
10-05-2014
Pressure mounts on FCC over net-neutrality changes
> 50 venture capitalists & 100 technology companies & > 100 civil liberty groups have sent a letter expressing
concerns about proposals to allow internet service providers (ISPs) to charge for prioritised network access
The debate has taken on new urgency in recent months as ISPs grow increasingly impatient with the glut of
bandwidth-heavy services such as video-on-demand
They want to charge companies such as Netflix, Amazon & Disney a fee to ensure their traffic is carried at high
speed on their networks
In Feb 2015, Verizon won a landmark case that challenged the FCC's right to stop it charging such fees
12-05-2014
US internet regulator is increasingly isolated on the controversial plan to junk net neutrality
In April 2014, the US Federal Communications Commission announced a plan to propose new rules that would allow
internet giants like Google, Amazon & Netflix to pay internet service providers (ISPs) for privileged last mile
delivery of their data packets to consumers, effectively creating a tiered internet with fast lanes, where deeppocketed companies would be able to protect their dominant positions from challenges by start-ups
If established companies are able to pay for better access speeds or lower latency, the internet will no longer be
a level playing field
Brazil recently passed an exemplary internet governance regulation that enshrined net neutrality in law
12-11-2014
US President Obamas unequivocally supported an open, undifferentiated internet
This means that ISPs cannot restrict speed or access for companies depending on how much bandwidth they
consume
Creating fast lanes for certain content, or for only some deep-pocketed privileged websites, would harm the level
playing field that has been integral to the emergence of once-upstarts like Google and Facebook
In the US, ISPs have campaigned against net neutrality
In early 2014, the FCC controversially seemed to undermine net neutrality, attracting fierce criticism and prompting
a rethink
FCC is due to unveil new rules on net neutrality soon
As the debate continues in the US, India too should enshrine net neutrality in law
25-11-2014
Proponents & opponents of net neutrality highlight two equally important aspects of the future role of internet in
our lives the right to its content & the incentive to create the infrastructure to access it
Thus, AT&T & Comcast in the US want large content players, such as Netflix & Google, whose video services
consume almost half their bandwidth, to share the costs of creating & maintaining infrastructure
Accepting such a demand is a downhill slope for content companies, whose advertisement-driven business
models depend on increasing reach & usage of date services
27-02-2015
US regulator approves 'net neutrality' rules for ISPs
ISPs now must act in the "public interest when providing a mobile connection to your home or phone, under rules
approved by US FCC
approved by US FCC
The plan puts the Internet in the same regulatory camp as the telephone & bans business practices that are "unjust
or unreasonable"
The goal is to prevent providers from slowing or blocking web traffic, or creating paid fast lanes on the Internet
15-04-2015
Situation abroad
The US Federal Communication Commission in February 2015 made net neutrality binding on service providers in
the US, treating them as 'common carrier' services
Chile was the earliest adopter of net neutrality with Netherlands & Brazil following suit. The EU is expected to join
the list soon
Net neutrality in India

25-11-2014
In India, the challenge is scarcity, not competition (as in US), as the broadband market suffers from small size, not
from dominance by any player or technology
Fixed lines constitute barely 1/3rd of Indias limited broadband connections
Roughly 90% of the 251 million users of the internet access it on mobile phones
Wireless networks pose unique challenges for ensuring net neutrality
Expanding or upgrading the predominantly narrowband wireless network is a financial, technical & regulatory
challenge
Imposing net neutrality prematurely might be counterproductive in India
India needs massive investments in its networks wireless & wireline infrastructure to reach the levels of
developed countries
Net neutrality could hurt unserved regions, where the profits from it will already be weak
Major promoters of net neutrality, such as Facebook & Google, recognise the environment in developing countries
They are entering zero rating arrangements with mobile operators to offer preferential, cheap or free access
to their services
11-02-2015
Facebook launches Internet.org in India
Facebook announced a tie-up with Reliance Communications to launch Internet.org in India
The tie-up gives subscribers of the Reliance Communications who have Internet-enabled handsets free access to
38 Websites a mix of news, music, education, weather & health sites
The list includes Facebook, Wikipedia, & Reliance Astrology etc.
The lone search option available is Microsofts Bing. They can be accessed via an Android app
+ves
This partnership will not only accelerate internet penetration In India, it will also open new socioeconomic
opportunities to users in fields like education, information & commerce
This can be a big step forward in the efforts to connect every one in India to the internet & help people discover
new tools & information that can create more jobs & opportunities
-ves
They're offering a limited version of the internet, one that centers on Facebook, to low-income internet users
This raises concerns that this is not a charitable effort, but a customer acquisition strategy
The Internet.org model violates most definitions of net neutrality, as it provides access to a limited menu of
services claiming to be the Internet rather than providing actual access to the Internet at a low cost
Since it is an exclusive deal with a single mobile service provider, it also calls into question the genuineness of
Facebooks publicly-stated motive of bringing the Internet to a billion people
28-03-2015
TRAI seeks views on net-neutrality
There are no norms for net neutrality in India as of now
Worldwide, there is an ongoing debate among govts, industry & consumers regarding regulations of OTT (over-thetop services like Whatsapp, Skype, Hangouts etc.) services & net-neutrality
top services like Whatsapp, Skype, Hangouts etc.) services & net-neutrality
Presently, users are not charged any fee by the operators to make calls or send messages using these applications.
They just need to pay the regular data charge for Internet browsing
However, telecom operators are of view that the OTT are eating up a part of their revenues without investing in
networks
Recently, Bharti Airtel received a lot of flak when it had announced plans to charge extra for Internet voice calls.
It later rolled back the plans
The issue, however, led to intense debate over the issue of net-neutrality in India
The impact on voice services in India due to OTT is not considerable
As voice calling rates here are the lowest
Also, mobile internet penetration is only around 20%, that too predominantly on 2G, & quality of service of such
OTT apps is not as good as traditional voice services offered by operators
However, there is some amount of cannibalisation on international calling, where rates are substantially higher
04-04-2015
After spending billions of dollars in setting up infrastructure & bringing themselves under regulatory scrutiny,
telecom companies cant bear the fact that numerous applications ride on their networks for free
Some of the apps have millions of subscribers & command valuations of billions of dollars
Some like Skype & WhatsApp compete head on with the voice & messaging offerings of the telcos, who to be fair
also need money to invest in building networks
Still, whats not to be forgotten is that the telcos do benefit from the apps that piggyback on them
More app usage means more data consumed & more money inflow. Whether telcos are really aggrieved or not
is debatable
The licence to violate net neutrality will mean telcos could now be in a position to ensure some sites are served
faster than others
It could also mean it becomes costlier to use certain applications
Most importantly, it could endanger the very feature of the Internet that has over the years made it possible for
countless start-ups, right from the Googles to the Flipkarts, to dream & act big
Its well acknowledged that the Internet has disrupted the world of business like no other technology has in
recent decades
It has helped start-ups with hardly any capital & clout to still make a mark
So by rejecting net neutrality, which will enable telcos to play the gatekeeper to a valuable resource, we will
be shutting the door on the entrepreneurial aspirations of millions
The absence of net neutrality will definitely benefit the telcos while at the same time harming the market by
unleashing monopolistic tendencies
Telcos dont want to be dumb pipes that agnostically transfer data. The cost of their ambition will be the loss of
the Internets openness
09-04-2015
After Reliance Communications decided to provide free access to partner applications & websites, Bharti Airtel has
announced the launch of Airtel Zero, where it will give free access to partner apps
This has fired up the simmering debate around net neutrality
Net Neutrality is a concept where content & application providers get equal treatment by ISPs. There is access to all
websites, nothing is blocked, & the speed of access is not differentiated
By entering into a partnership, the telecom operators provide preferential access to the website or application of
the provider &, in turn, generate revenue from them
For the website owner or application provider, this gives them access to millions of customers of the telecom
operator, thereby leading to a pick-up in their number of transactions, & ultimately lifting their valuation
10-04-2015
The debate on net neutrality picked up steam in 2010, when the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lost
its case against Comcast in the US Supreme Court (FCC lost arguing against net neutrality)
TRAI recently sought public comments on net neutrality
the govt will have to step in & treat internet access as a utility & make investments in infrastructure
Breach of net neutrality will lead to a collapse of the start-up market & negatively impact innovation
Another aspect of paid prioritisation is free data. The consumer can be disincentivised to use rival apps. The
Another aspect of paid prioritisation is free data. The consumer can be disincentivised to use rival apps. The
problem arises when a clearly inferior product is given preference. This goes against internet, where meritocracy
rules
Facebook & Googles recent decision to join the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) is worrying
The COAI counts among its members carriers like Airtel & Vodafone, lobbying the govt & Trai to do away with
net neutrality
This contradicts their stance in the US, where they joined a coalition of companies to advocate for net neutrality
14-04-2015
the Competition Commission of India is examining whether Indian telecom operators are violating net neutrality
Unfortunately, the TRAI's Consultation Paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-Top (OTT) Services appears to
propose only 2 choices: that we either accept licensing of Internet services or compromise on net neutrality
If TRAIs claims are accepted, any business that uses the Internet e-retail, media or health care can
potentially be regulated by TRAI as an OTT service. This is indeed regulatory overreach on a grand scale
The definition of the Internet as a bunch of OTT services that may need licensing has the potential of creating a
closed Internet
The Internet has grown due to its open character. Anybody can connect to the Internet & offer an application or
a service, or provide a website containing blogs & other content
If net neutrality is violated, telecom operators would not have incentive to expand their infrastructure or bandwidth
Once bandwidth is choked, bigger Internet players will be willing to pay network operators to speed up their
packets
Net neutrality regulation, thus, provides an incentive to expand the network to relieve congestion, rather than
constrain the bandwidth for earning monopoly profits
This was recognised most recently in the American Federal Communication Commissions decision to classify
Internet services as a public utility, thus adopting net neutrality
TRAI can regulate monopolies directly, or refer such issues to the Competition Commission
It can also regulate the interconnection rates btw external networks that connect to Indian networks
All Internet companies such as Google & Facebook use their home networks to connect to Indian consumers,
with servers located in their home jurisdiction
Higher delivery charges would help create extra revenue for the Indian network operator
14-04-2015
Internet is one of the finest creations of the human mind & it is a property of the entire human race
Brazil, an emerging market peer where internet penetration is around 50% passed an internet bill of rights that
makes net neutrality law in 2014
15-04-2015
Legal provisions
The IT Act 2000 does not have provisions that prevent service providers from controlling the internet to serve their
business needs. Trai's guidelines promote non-discrimination but the body is advisory in nature
Net neutrality as a concept is not defined under Indian law, but it is directly connected with Article 21, which
pertains to the Right to Life. One cannot lead a dignified life without access to the Internet
Anything curtailing net neutrality would also derail Digitial India
Situation abroad
The Federal Communications Commission just recently voted for what is seen as strong Net neutrality rules. This is
to ensure ISPs neither block, throttle traffic nor give access priority for money
Europe is trying to correct a 2013 proposal for Net neutrality, in which privileged access was allowed to 'specialised
services.' This was vague & threatened Net neutrality
Chile last year banned zero rated schemes, those where access to social media is given free to telecom subscribers
15-04-2015
Situation abroad
The US Federal Communication Commission in February 2015 made net neutrality binding on service providers in
the US, treating them as 'common carrier' services
the list soon
20-04-2015
The Internet Age has thrown a new class system comprising Netizens & Citizens. Thanks to the social media, the
Netizens have become a powerful force. And, their collective bargaining capacity is proving to be an effective trendsetting tool
23-04-2015
Net neutrality violation takes away right to free speech
Freedom of speech also means the freedom to listen. When several people speak (in the sense that there are
several apps & websites available) but I can listen to only a few (as in, some apps & websites may be slower or could
cost more), it violates the freedom of expression
When some websites & applications come free of usage costs, it would influence user away from content that has
to be paid for, establishing discrimination based on price. Similarly, regulators should ensure that telecom service
providers do not practice non-price discrimination whereby they can throttle the speed of access to certain websites while allowing faster access to preferred sites
28-04-2015
Govt looks at law to clarify dos & donts
Against the backdrop of telecom players repeatedly challenging regulatory rulings in the US, the govt & the TRAI are
veering towards the view that there is a need for a public law spelling out dos & donts to ensure net neutrality
DoT has constituted a committee to look into it
Clearly defined dos & donts will see India stand out among nations on the extent of neutrality & regulatory
measures undertaken to enforce them
Very few countries have opted for specific legislations on net neutrality
At present, there are no legal provisions for either the govt or the regulator to enforce non-discriminatory access to
the internet (net neutrality)
While TSPs Airtel & Reliance launched separate services in association with select content providers offering free
data access to their websites, they soon withdrew it, not coz of any govt or regulatory fiat, but due to a public
outcry
As things stand today, very high internet traffic growth rate is leading to network congestion & spectrum crunch,
forcing TSPs to adopt traffic management tools that restrict flow of data on the Internet
They also employ a host of tariff & commercial measures that militate against principles of net neutrality, such
as data caps & fair usage policy, thereby incentivising & discriminating with select content & apps
05-05-2015
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that it is not sustainable to offer the whole internet for free but is possible for
internet.org to give basic services without any cost
Facebook also said that Internet.org is open to all content & application developers who meet certain guidelines
This follows criticism from free web advocates that the social networking site was "hand- picking services"
violating principles of net neutrality
Telecom panel on net neutrality
15-05-2015
Telecom panel bats for net neutrality
The committee feels that law should be put in place to explicitly prohibit mobile operators from offering differential
tariffs for internet-based voice calls & data surfing as well as sponsored data such as Airtel Zero or Facebooks
Internet.org
Such offerings, the committee feels, go against the tenets of net neutrality
The proposed law will clearly lay down when an operator can block sites or slow down speeds, which would be
allowed only if it spots illegal content, spam, viruses & as part of traffic management during periods of congestion
or emergency
Evolution of technology cannot be stopped. Technology can be disruptive & operators have to adapt their business
models or perish
models or perish
DoTs Net Neutrality report

The report is recommendatory in nature which along with the report of TRAI when it comes would be used by
the govt to finalise its policy on net neutrality
17-07-2015
What is the big takeaway from the DoT committee report on Net Neutrality?
The Dept of Telecommunications (DoTs) Net Neutrality report says the core principles of Net Neutrality must be
adhered to, & that user rights on the Internet need to be protected so that service providers are not able to
restrict their ability to access any service on the Internet
What does it say on the continuing use of OTT messaging services such as WhatsApp & Skype?
It rejects the demand for regulation of over-the-top (OTT) messaging services. But the panel is okay with subjecting
VoIP calls within the country to regulation & calls for a liberal approach on OTT VoIP international call services
What is unclear is how the govt will make the distinction btw VoIP OTTs & Messaging OTTs, as these two spheres
are the same now
The committee has said that while messaging on an OTT service like WhatsApp should not regulated, if the same
app also offers voice-calling services, they should be subject to regulations that are already in place for TSPs/ISPs
So does this mean TSPs/ISPs have no choice but to continue to allow these OTT messaging services?
Service providers cannot regulate messaging services as per the recommendations
What about zero-rating platforms like Facebooks Internet.org & Airtel Zero?
The committee says that content & application providers cannot be permitted to act as gatekeepers & go against
the principles of Net Neutrality
It also notes that very often the content market sees the rise of a leader, & that if these end up directing users to
specific content, it amounts to a violation of Net Neutrality
Based on what the committee has recommended, Internet.org or even Airtel Zero rating app will be seen as
violating the principle of Net Neutrality
What does the panel say on traffic management practices by TSPs or ISPs?
While the report is in favour of legitimate traffic management practices, it says that TSPs/ISPs must make
adequate disclosures to users about their traffic management policies
Additionally, traffic management that is exploitative or anti-competitive should not be allowed
Essentially, if a TSP starts, say, a video-streaming or music service, it cannot slow down the speed of a competing
service of a similar nature on its networks
What about tariff plans? Can TSPs/ISPs offer lucrative tariff plans in return for claiming for themselves the right to
gatekeep the content you access?
No. The panel says tariff plans offered by TSPs/ISPs must conform to the principles of Net Neutrality, & TRAI will
have the power to examine these tariff plans
So a special tariff plan for WhatsApp or even Wikipedia which offers the service for free, could be seen to be in
violation of the principle of Net Neutrality
What does the committee say on search neutrality?
The committee has not made any recommendations on the issue, other than flagging this as a concern for public
policy
Search neutrality demands that search engines not base their rankings on editorial decisions, & show results based
on relevance
What happens now?
These are recommendations of the panel, & finally TRAI will have to decide what to adopt. Even after that, the
regulations could face legal challenges from stakeholders
17-07-2015
Taking a somewhat middle-of-the-road approach, a DoT-appointed committee on net neutrality has recommended
that apps of OTT players like Skype, WhatsApp & Viber can continue to be used for making international calls or for
messaging, but they will have to be licensed when they are used for making either local or national long-distance
(NLD) calls
While partial regulation of OTTs has been recommended by the DoT panel, on the contentious issue of sponsored
While partial regulation of OTTs has been recommended by the DoT panel, on the contentious issue of sponsored
data plans it broadly views them against the principles of net neutrality
20-07-2015
DoTs recent report on net neutrality recommended to bring VoIP domestic calling services, including applications
such as WhatsApp, under licensing
The suggestion is that such services be regulated through exercise of licensing powers available under section 4
of the Indian Telegraph Act to ensure a level playing field
This does not straightaway mean such calls will be chargeable
The more obvious implication is that such applications cant operate without the govts permission, which might
be granted only on the fulfilment of certain conditions or the payment of a fee, or both
The report repeatedly pitches for net neutrality
21-07-2015
The DoT report refers the most contentious section on the Zero Rating services such as Airtel Zero & FacebookReliance Internet.org back to TRAI
DoTs treatment of VoIP is also inconsistent: it proposes that domestic VoIP calls be licensed, but not international
calls
The report accepts that net neutrality principles are basic to the Internet
29-09-2015
Digital divide & Internet for all
Facebook's idea
Free Basics is more open than its earlier avatar (Internet.org)
Facebook opened up its platform for outside developers
Encryption of information flowing through the platform is the other initial loophole that has been plugged
There is also some merit in the thinking that people who can afford Internet cannot sit in judgement about the
quality of Internet that is made available for those who cannot afford it
All of that, however, cant erase the fundamental problem with such a service, which is that it allows Facebook to be
a gatekeeper to the Internet where none existed earlier
Free Basics is a suboptimal solution to the problem of lack of Internet access
Better alternative
There are alternatives that manage to offer free data to users without donning the role of a gatekeeper
One such alternative goes by the name Jana, the Boston-based start-up
Jana rewards its smart phone users in 2 ways It reimburses users the cost of downloading its clients app
It also gives them free data, with which they can access any content online
08-10-2015
Ethical concerns of Net neutrality
In the absence of a specific law mandating a neutral Internet, telecom companies can discriminate btw different
applications
In April 2012, Airtel announced Airtel Zero, an initiative that would allow applications to purchase data from
Airtel in exchange for the telecom company offering them to consumers free of cost
Telecom companies that wish to discriminate btw applications & Facebook argue that some access is better than no
access at all
Basically it is a clash of values: btw access to the Internet (in a limited form) & the maintenance of neutrality
The fundamental core of Internet lies in a commitment to both openness & a level playing field
Problem with Free Basics & Airtel Zero, is that the consumer has no choice in which websites he or she might
want to access free of cost (paternalistic web)
Although Facebooks CEO argues that these two values are not fundamentally opposed to each other, but can
coexist. He is possibly correct at a theoretical level
But the history of markets tells warns us to be very careful in allowing predatory practices, devised to achieve
short-term goals
As citizens, each of us has a fundamental right to freedom of speech & expression which might be affected if we
allow the domination by a few applications
allow the domination by a few applications

They are trying to achieve a laudable end, but by unethical means
Negating Net neutrality, in a bid to achieve greater access to the Internet could prove profoundly injurious in the
long run
It could eventually lead to these telecom companies abusing their dominant positions
Consumers might benefit in the short run, only for serious damage to competition in the long run
Free Basics from Facebook: violating net neutrality in disguise
Free Basics is not free, basic Internet as its name appears to imply. It has a version of Facebook, & only a few other
websites & services that are willing to partner Facebooks proprietary platform
TRAI has stopped this service for now, pending its public consultation on the subject
Today, there are nearly 1 bn websites. If we consider that there are 3.5 bn users of the Internet, 1 out of 3.5 such
users also offers content or services
The reason that the Internet has become such a powerful force for change in such a short time is precisely coz
anybody, anywhere, can connect to anybody else, not only to receive, but also to provide content. All that is
required is that both sides have access to the Internet
All this would stop if the ISPs or telecom companies are given the right to act as gatekeepers
Tim Wu, the father of net neutrality, has written that keeping the two sides of the Internet free of gatekeepers is
what has given a huge incentive for generating innovation & creating content
This is what has made the Internet, as a platform, so different from other mass communications platforms such as
radio & television
In spite of this increase in connectivity, we have another 600 million mobile subscribers who need to be connected
to the Internet
Instead of providing Facebook & its few partner websites & calling it basic Internet, we need to provide full
Internet at prices that people can afford
The main barrier to Internet penetration is the high cost of data services in the country
Till now, TRAI has not regulated data tariffs. It is time it addresses the high price of data in the country
There are various ways of providing free Internet, or cost-effective Internet, to the low-end subscribers
They could be provided some free data with their data connection, or get some free time slots when the traffic
on the network is low
2G data prices should be brought down drastically, as the telcos have already made their investments &
recovered costs from the subscribers
The danger of privileging a private platform such as Free Basics over a public Internet is that it introduces a new kind
of digital divide among the people
A large fraction of those who will join such platforms may come to believe that Facebook is indeed the Internet
Providing affordable internet: Ensuring greater competition & level playing field
Much like primary education, an Internet connection allows a citizen to participate in the modern economy. Just as
society as a whole benefits if all citizens are educated, it benefits if all citizens are connected
If the objective is to connect the whole world to the Internet, then Free Basics by Facebook (previously known as
internet.org) is a controversial method to achieve it
The company wants to provide a subset of the Internet free of charge to consumers, with mobile telecom
operators bearing the costs of the traffic. Facebook acts as the unpaid gatekeeper of the platform
This kind of arrangement has come to be called zero rating & attracted criticism from Internet civil society
groups
Free Basics scheme has one unavoidable, inherent flaw: Facebooks central role, which puts it in a privileged
position to monitor its users traffic, & allows it to act as gatekeeper
There is no technical restriction that prevents the company from monitoring & recording the traffic of Free
Basics users
Zero rating in general & Free Basics by Facebook in particular has many defenders among advocates of free markets
& capitalism. They argue that if the mobile operator wishes to lose money or cross-subsidise some users at the cost
of others, then it should be allowed to do so
Competition is the key
But, how did the hundreds of millions of people around the world become Internet subscribers?
But, how did the hundreds of millions of people around the world become Internet subscribers?
coz they could afford it. They could afford it coz market forces competition drove prices down to levels that
made an Internet connection affordable
Unless govt policies get in the way, there is no reason why the same forces will not reduce prices further to
make the service affordable to ever more people, with lower disposable incomes
There is empirical evidence for this:
The 980 million mobile phone subscribers in India are able to make phone calls coz they can afford the
charges. All this happened without a mobile phone operator providing free calls to a limited set of numbers
They also cut costs by skimping on customer service, overloading spectrum & sharing tower infrastructure
Operators innovated in retailing, launching prepaid packages & recharging these connections
TRAI should reflect on its own success in transforming India from a low teledensity country to a moderately high
teledensity one & ensure market competition is allowed to take its course
TRAI can give license to more telecom operators
The govt can make enough spectrum available so that mobile operators can lower prices & ensure adequate
service quality
The path to achieving the dream of Digital India lies not in foreign companies deciding on what basic services Indias
poor ought to access free of charge, but by encouraging ever greater competition & a level playing field
The regulator should have a hawkish approach towards anti-competitive behaviour by existing market players
Growth as a force multiplier
If the Indian economy grows at 8% over several years, the income effect will make Internet connections more
affordable even if prices do not fall
In other words, the best scheme to bring the Internet to all involves boosting competition to bring down prices &
pursuing economic growth to raise peoples incomes
30-12-2015 GS II, III - The Hindu by Dr.Tilak HR
Net neutrality requires Internet be maintained as an open platform on which network providers treat all content,
applications & services equally
Free Basics allows customers to access selected social networks, & services like healthcare, education & job listings
from their phones without a data plan
In Free Basics, Facebook has decided voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) & video are not good for users, so they
will not have them
Since Google hasnt signed up as a partner with Facebook, users cannot access it. This also includes any of the
billions of websites that haven't partnered with Facebook
India has just woken up to the advantages of mobile Internet & any such splitting will create a have versus have
nots list' in the country
At the start of startup India revolution, we cannot have some Indian developers & entrepreneurs blocked by
large corporates to access consumer
Any segregation of the Internet into fast & slow, free or paid, app or web will undermine PM Modi's digital India
Any segregation of the Internet into fast & slow, free or paid, app or web will undermine PM Modi's digital India
program
The practice of zero rating (toll-free data or sponsored data) is not compatible with this (net neutrality), since it
allows companies to act as 'stronger gatekeepers' & discriminate against the open Internet
Free Basics developers cant innovate on technology without the permission of Facebook
Telecom operators & Facebook also need to approve services
Free Basics shifts agency (who has decision making rights) from the end user to Facebook. But Indias constitution
guarantees agency to each citizen, which is why they have fundamental rights & universal franchise
While Facebook may claim to be benign, once it is legally approved, others will abuse it for private gain, according
to the experts
'Digital Colonialism or Data colonialism', the exploitation of resources while denying rights
Free Basics, like all forms of zero rating, comes from the same school of thought that considers a 'benevolent
dictatorship' better than democracy for progress
Companies should pay money, data time or anything else to the consumer directly by using tools like Gigato, a datasponsoring app. These tools reimburse users for data without violating the net neutrality
06-01-2016
Net neutrality has implications for issues concerning the development of the internet & its adoption in India
These include licensing of internet applications like those permitting voice calling, payment of carriage fees to
telecom companies, & zero-rated plans like Internet.org/ Free Basics
Internet of things (IoT)

30 April 2014
08:03
The Internet of Things: Dr. John Barrett at TED: youtube link- watch?v=QaTIt1C5R-M,
IoT refers to a digital ecosystem where the needs of consumers are seamlessly recognised by Internet -connected
devices around them, enabling the fast & automated delivery of services
30-04-2014
The Internet of things refers to uniquely identifiable objects and their virtual representations in an Internet-like
structure. Kevin Ashton proposed the term Internet of things in 1999, though people have discussed the concept since
at least 1991.
If all objects and people in daily life were equipped with identifiers, they could be managed and inventoried by
computers. Equipping all objects in the world with minuscule identifying devices or machine-readable identifiers could
transform daily life. For instance, business may no longer run out of stock or generate waste products, as involved
parties would know which products are required and consumed.
A person's ability to interact with objects could be altered remotely based on immediate or present needs, in
accordance with existing end-user agreements. For example, such technology could enable much more powerful
control of content creators and owners over their creations by better applying copyright restrictions and digital
restrictions management, so a customer buying a Blu-ray disc containing a movie could choose to pay a high price and
be able to watch the movie for a whole year, pay a moderate price and have the right to watch the movie for a week,
or pay a low fee everytime she or he watches the movie.
Today however, the term Internet of things (commonly abbreviated as IoT) denotes advanced connectivity of devices,
systems, and services that goes beyond the traditional M2M and covers a variety of protocols, domains and
applications.
According to Gartner, there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the Internet of Things by 2020. According to ABI
Research, more than 30 billion devices will be wirelessly connected to the Internet of Things (Internet of Everything) by
2020.
An alternative view, from the world of the Semantic Web focuses instead on making all things (not just those
electronic, smart, or RFID-enabled) addressable by the existing naming protocols, such as URI. The objects themselves
do not converse, but they may now be referred to by other agents, such as powerful centralized servers acting for their
human owners.
The next generation of Internet applications using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) would be able to communicate
with devices attached to virtually all human-made objects because of the extremely large address space of the IPv6
protocol. This system would therefore be able to scale to the large numbers of objects envisaged.
Trends and characteristics
Intelligence
In the future the Internet of Things may be a non-deterministic and open network in which auto-organized or
intelligent entities (Web services, SOA components), virtual objects (avatars) will be interoperable and able to act
independently (pursuing their own objectives or shared ones) depending on the context, circumstances or
environments.
Architecture
The system will likely be an example of event-driven architecture, bottom-up made (based on the context of processes
and operations, in real-time) and will consider any subsidiary level. Therefore, model driven and functional approaches
will coexist with new ones able to treat exceptions and unusual evolution of processes (Multi-agent systems, B-ADSc,
etc.).
Complex system
In semi-open or closed loops (i.e. value chains, whenever a global finality can be settled) it will therefore be considered
and studied as a Complex system due to the huge number of different links and interactions between autonomous
actors, and its capacity to integrate new actors. At the overall stage (full open loop) it will likely be seen as a chaotic
environment (since systems have always finality).
Size considerations
The Internet of objects would encode 50 to 100 trillion objects, and be able to follow the movement of those objects.
Human beings in surveyed urban environments are each surrounded by 1000 to 5000 trackable objects.
Time considerations
Time considerations
In this Internet of Things, made of billions of parallel and simultaneous events, time will no more be used as a common
and linear dimension but will depend on each entity (object, process, information system, etc.). This Internet of Things
will be accordingly based on massive parallel IT systems (Parallel computing).
Space considerations
In an Internet of Things, the precise geographic location of a thingand also the precise geographic dimensions of a
thingwill be critical. Currently, the Internet has been primarily used to manage information processed by people.
Therefore, facts about a thing, such as its location in time and space, have been less critical to track because the person
processing the information can decide whether or not that information was important to the action being taken, and if
so, add the missing information (or decide to not take the action). (Note that some things in the Internet of Things will
be sensors, and sensor location is usually important.) The GeoWeb and Digital Earth are promising applications that
become possible when things can become organized and connected by location.
Applications
For example, Songdo, South Korea, the first of its kind fully equipped and wired ubiquitous, or smart city is near
completion. Nearly everything in this digital metropolis of smart homes is planned to be wired, connected and turned
into a constant stream of data that would be monitored and analyzed by an array of computers with little, or no human
intervention. Thus, Internet of Things, or embedded intelligence in things, with "smart systems that are able to take
over complex human perceptive and cognitive functions and frequently act unnoticeably in the background" is a close
reality.
Fields of applications include: waste management, urban planning, environmental sensing, social interaction gadgets,
sustainable urban environment, continuous care, emergency response, intelligent shopping, smart product
management, smart meters, home automation and smart events.
Criticism and controversies
While technologists tout the Internet of Things as one more step toward a better world, scholars and social observers
have some reservations and doubts about approaching ubiquitous computing revolution.
Experts feel that technology already influences our moral decision making, which in turns affects human agency,
privacy and autonomy. They caution against viewing technology merely as a human tool and advocates instead to
consider it as an active agent.
A different criticism is that the Internet of Things is being developed rapidly without appropriate consideration of the
profound security challenges involved and the regulatory changes that might be necessary. In particular, as the Internet
of Things spreads widely, cyber attacks are likely to become an increasingly physical (rather than simply virtual) threat.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) expressed concern regarding what is, in their view, the ability of Internetconnected devices to erode people's control over their own lives. The ACLU wrote that "Theres simply no way to
forecast how these immense powers -- disproportionately accumulating in the hands of corporations seeking financial
advantage and governments craving ever more control- will be used. Chances are Big Data and the Internet of Things
will make it harder for us to control our own lives, as we grow increasingly transparent to powerful corporations and
government institutions that are becoming more opaque to us."
One often-neglected concern regarding Internet-connected devices technologies pertains to the environmental
impacts of the manufacture, use, and eventual disposal of all these semiconductor-rich devices. Modern electronics are
replete with a wide variety of heavy metals and rare-earth metals, as well as highly toxic synthetic chemicals. This
makes them extremely difficult to properly recycle.
While these devices can serve as energy-conservation equipment, everyday good habits can bring the same benefits.
Practical, fundamental considerations such as these are often overlooked by marketers eager to induce consumers to
purchase automation items that may never have been needed in the first place.
30-04-2014
With the advent of the Internet of things, potentially billions of devices will report data about themselves, making it
possible to create new applications in areas as diverse as factory optimisation, car maintenance, or simply keeping
track of your stuff online
11-01-2015
Put simply, this is the interconnection of smart devices through unique identifiers without requiring a human -tohuman or human-to-machine interaction
Every device inside & outside our home will be seamlessly connected to each other
Every device inside & outside our home will be seamlessly connected to each other
This, in turn, can lead to better healthcare, environmental monitoring, cyber security, even large -scale deployment
as in the case of Songdo, South Koreas prototype smart city that is nearing completion
Almost everything is to be connected & converted to a constant data stream to be monitored & studied without
human involvement
India's IoT policy
28-01-2015
WG-ICT deliberations with US on Indias IoT programme
building smart cities is contingent on an effective IoT policy
Such a system, however, relies on extensive data collected from citizens vehicle records, dietary habits, or even
consumption patterns placing a premium on privacy & information security
Moreover, an IoT system needs sustained collaboration btw the domestic private & public sectors
In Oct 2014, the Dept of Electronics & IT put out a draft IoT policy
Foreign corporations will be keen to contribute to the smart cities project
the Indian IoT industry is estimated to be worth $15 billion by 2020
before the WG-ICT can negotiate the terms of operation for US technology giants in Indias IoT market, domestic
measures that account for data privacy & IPRs of local & foreign manufacturers must be in place
Mobile Phones
16 April 2014
09:31
IMEI nos: The International Mobile Station Equipment Identity numbers are used to either locate or block the use of
stolen mobile phones
Smart phones
09-06-2014
The rise of cheap smartphones will allow vast portions of the population (from middle classes in cities to small
businesses in rural areas) access to mobile broadband
Mobile commerce can offer endless opportunities for entrepreneurs
Mobile banking has given consumers cheaper access to their finances, reducing the need to travel to bank branches
Health related apps provide basic information about health & medicine, reducing travel & the pressure on doctors
05-10-2014
Hit in India
Smartphone penetration in India is still low, at 10% in 2013-14
Ever since the launch of the worlds first smartphones, the iPhone in 2008, they have been steadily proliferating
Smartphones now account for over 70% of total cell phones in developed markets
As people begin to understand the Internet & the power of data, the smartphone increasingly becomes a mass
product. For many people, phones are the first gateway to the Internet
24-07-2015
Smartphone penetration is now 26%
Cell phone radiation
29-01-2014
With more than 90 crore mobile phone users across the country, business is booming for cell service providers in
India. Falling prices and wider mobile coverage have led to the cell phone becoming a ubiquitous part of modern
life.
There are around five lakh cell phone towers in the country. When a cell phone makes a call, the signal goes to the
nearest base station tower, from there it goes to the base station tower nearest to the phone to which the call has
been made.
The electromagnetic waves emitted by the towers travel in a cascading umbrella formation, making the strongest
impact a few hundred metres away from the tower. This means that the building on which the tower is erected is
relatively safe.
the radiation levels set by the government are far from safe, even after being reduced from 4,500 milliWatt per
square metre to 450 milliWatt per square metre in September 2012. To put it in perspective, Austria allows
radiation up to one milliWatt per square metre.
Numerous studies have confirmed that there is a direct link between proximity to cell towers and acoustic neuroma
(a cancer of the inner ear), astrocytomas (all cancers of the brain), etc.
Recent studies have shown associations with cancers of the lung, pancreas, ovaries, thyroid and many childhood
cancers
In India, cell operators are allowed to transmit 20W of power per carrier from the individual cell tower antenna. One
In India, cell operators are allowed to transmit 20W of power per carrier from the individual cell tower antenna. One
operator may have four to six carrier frequencies and there may be two to four operators on the same rooftop or
tower. So, the total transmitted power may be 100 to 400W, making the entire area nearby an open microwave
oven.
According to an independent group of scientists, who brought out the Bio-Initiative Report 2007, safe radiation
density is 1.0 milliWatt per square metre for outdoor, cumulative RF (radio frequency) exposure and 0.1 for indoor.
The safe limit should be less than 0.1 milliWatt per square metre for indoor, cumulative RF exposure.
New mobile radiation norms from September 1, 2013
Companies manufacturing or importing mobile phones for sale in India will have to ensure that the handsets are
compliant with new radiation norms that will be effective from September 1
With the new SAR norm, India would become one of few countries that are following the most stringent norm of 1.6
watt per kg average over six minutes period on 1 gram of human tissue
All companies will have to display radiation emitted from mobile phones on the handset in terms of SAR (specific
absorption rate) unit
05-02-2014
Compliance with the Prescribed Limits of EMF Radiation from Mobile Towers:
WHO has recommended that National authorities should adopt international standards to protect their citizens
against adverse levels of RF fields. They should restrict access to areas where exposure limits may be exceeded
WHO has referred to the International Commission on Non-lionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) which has
prescribed the levels limiting Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) emission from Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) as safe for
general public
DoT adopted the EMF radiation limits prescribed by ICNIRP in 2008 which was further reduced to 1/10th of the safe
limit prescribed by ICNIRP with effect from Sept 2012
Display of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values on mobile handsets have been issued which include:
Mobile handsets manufactured & sold in India or imported from other countries shall be checked for compliance of
applicable SAR limits
SAR level for mobile handsets shall be limited to 1.6 Watt/Kg, averaged over a mass of 1 gram of human tissue
SAR value is to be displayed on the handset similar to display of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
17-04-2014
An unscientific report on mitigating EM radiation effects by CPWD
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) uploaded a draft document titled Guidelines for mitigation of the
effects of electromagnetic radiations in built places
The electromagnetic fields of vast array of frequencies & magnitude in the vicinity of human habitat may result into
irreversible bodily changes which may be damaging & sometimes fatal too
It lists loss of memory, fatigue, dizziness, ringing in the ears, long reaction time heart palpitation, and cancer etc as
health risks from electromagnetic radiation
The document hardly has any scientific basis, uses scary language & is riddled with questionable claims
Comments
WHO in 2011 has classified 'radiofrequency' electromagnetic radiation as a possible group 2b carcinogen. This 2b
group contains possible carcinogens with weaker evidence
No adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use, the WHO states
22-04-2014
No link between mobile phone radiation & cancer, says Padma awardee doctor
India-born oncologist Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee urged WHO to remove cellphone radiation from the list of possible
carcinogens on the ground that the preponderance of evidence suggests there is no link btw radiation from
mobile phones & cancer
he argued that the drastic increase in cellphone usage does not mirror incidence of brain cancer, neither is the
he argued that the drastic increase in cellphone usage does not mirror incidence of brain cancer, neither is the
radiation emitted by cellphones of the nature that can directly damage DNA
But there is not enough data to make a similar claim about radiation emitted by cellphone towers since the
dosage is higher in this case
21-06-2014
Ionising radiation causes damage to molecules, they break the chemical bonds & can cause health hazards
But non-ionising radiations (from mobile tower antennae & phones) do not cause breakage of bonds or damage
the molecules (DNA break)
Such radiation cause only local change in temperature depending on the extent of use
the waves used in mobile phone technology are probably at the lowest end of the electromagnetic spectrum
A number of researches & studies have been conducted around the globe to ascertain if there is any relationship
btw the emissions from the mobile phone & cancer. However, there is not enough evidence proving mobile phones
cause cancer in humans
25-06-2014
Mobile radiation not harmful: Doctors, health experts
the entire issue began when some people made some co-relation between an incidence of cancer and telecom
towers without any basis
Various environmental groups, NGOs & activists in India have voiced their concerns over adverse health affects from
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) emissions from antennas on cell towers & mobile phones
This has led to opposition against setting up of mobile phone towers on buildings by various resident welfare
associations in cities
All scientific research has found no health effect
Non-ionising radiation such as mobile emission causes only local change in temperature depending on the extent of
use
29-01-2014
The ability to respond quickly to an email or text showcases your availability & allows you to meet tight deadlines.
However, being in touch day & night sets us up for missteps brought on by distraction, heightened emotions & fatigue
16-04-2014
How mobile phones are making the world better
The cellphone has become more of a tool & less of a toy, especially among the poor, and those trying to help them,
in emerging markets
It helps deliver, via text message, water, energy, financial services, health care & even education
WHO estimates that > 700 million people do not have access to clean drinking water & > 2.5 billion have no access
to toilets. Yet according to the International Telecommunications Union, 96% of the world is connected via
cellphone - which is why it has become a means of doing good
InSight: using mobiles to create credit scores for the poor and create a tool for customers in southern India without
bank accounts or financial histories. This data can be sold to banks, microfinance institutions and nonprofit groups
that want to engage the 400 million so-called unbanked people in India
Mhealth: mobiles used for health services, is the most evolved of the mobile sectors
3 companies - Dimagi, ZMQ & Medic Mobile - have turned cellphones into mHealth tools through open-source
software that can be used by rural health workers
Dimagi is part of a maternal health project, along with the international charity Care, in Bihar, India
In partnership with Grameen Foundation, a microfinance organization, Dimagi is putting cellphones into the hands
of health workers to monitor pregnancies and educate expectant mothers about prenatal and neonatal care
ZMQ developed a mobile program for India's campaign against polio
Deployed in 13 high-risk districts throughout the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the mobile software is intended
for use by 1,300 community health workers to track vaccination rounds, register vaccinated families and collect data
on missing children
MDhil operates on a subscriber model: For one rupee, a user gets three health-related messages via mobile text
DhilCare, performs electrocardiogram testing remotely & transfers the results through 2G networks to cardiologists
for diagnosis
CGNetSwara: unique cell phone-based social media networking system which gives the Adivasi Gonds of central
CGNetSwara: unique cell phone-based social media networking system which gives the Adivasi Gonds of central
India (Chhattisgarh) a voice that reflects their interests, their local news and events. It is an effective source of
feedback and grievance redressal from the grassroots
Quantum Computing
27 February 2014
23:35
Quantum Computers Animated, +Nanotechnology Documentary Quantum Computing, what it is, how it works, D-Wave
Quantum Computer
A quantum computer (also known as a quantum supercomputer) is a computation device that makes direct use of
quantum-mechanical phenomena, such as superposition & entanglement, to perform operations on data
Introduction
Moore's Law states, the number of transistors on a microprocessor continues to double every 18 months
The year 2020 or 2030 may find the circuits on a microprocessor measured on an atomic scale
And the logical next step will be to create quantum computers, which will harness the power of atoms and molecules to
perform memory and processing tasks. Quantum computers have the potential to perform certain calculations
significantly faster than any silicon-based computer. Scientists have already built basic quantum computers that can
perform certain calculations; but a practical quantum computer is still years away.
Quantum computing was first theorized less than 30 years ago, by a physicist at the Argonne National Laboratory. Paul
Benioff is credited with first applying quantum theory to computers in 1981. Benioff theorized about creating a
quantum Turing machine. Most digital computers are based on the Turing Theory
Defining the Quantum Computer
The Turing machine, developed by Alan Turing in the 1930s, is a theoretical device that consists of tape of unlimited
length that is divided into little squares. Each square can either hold a symbol (1 or 0) or be left blank. A read-write
device reads these symbols and blanks, which gives the machine its instructions to perform a certain program. Does
this sound familiar? Well, in a quantum Turing machine, the difference is that the tape exists in a quantum state, as
does the read-write head. This means that the symbols on the tape can be either 0 or 1 or a superposition of 0 and 1; in
other words the symbols are both 0 and 1 (and all points in between) at the same time. While a normal Turing machine
can only perform one calculation at a time, a quantum Turing machine can perform many calculations at once.
Today's computers, like a Turing machine, work by manipulating bits that exist in one of two states: a 0 or a 1. Quantum
computers aren't limited to two states; they encode information as quantum bits, or qubits, which can exist in
superposition. Qubits represent atoms, ions, photons or electrons and their respective control devices that are working
together to act as computer memory and a processor. Because a quantum computer can contain these multiple states
simultaneously, it has the potential to be millions of times more powerful than today's most powerful supercomputers.
This superposition of qubits is what gives quantum computers their inherent parallelism. This parallelism allows a
quantum computer to work on a million computations at once, while your desktop PC works on one.
A classical computer has a memory made up of bits, where each bit represents either a one or a zero. A quantum
computer maintains a sequence of qubits. A single qubit can represent a one, a zero, or any quantum superposition of
these two qubit states; moreover, a pair of qubits can be in any quantum superposition of 4 states, and three qubits in
any superposition of 8. In general, a quantum computer with n qubits can be in an arbitrary superposition of up to 2 n
different states simultaneously (this compares to a normal computer that can only be in one of these 2 n states at any
one time)
Quantum computers also utilize another aspect of quantum mechanics known as entanglement. One problem with the
idea of quantum computers is that if you try to look at the subatomic particles, you could bump them, and thereby
change their value. If you look at a qubit in superposition to determine its value, the qubit will assume the value of
either 0 or 1, but not both (effectively turning your spiffy quantum computer into a mundane digital computer). To
make a practical quantum computer, scientists have to devise ways of making measurements indirectly to preserve the
system's integrity. Entanglement provides a potential answer. In quantum physics, if you apply an outside force to two
atoms, it can cause them to become entangled, and the second atom can take on the properties of the first atom. So if
left alone, an atom will spin in all directions. The instant it is disturbed it chooses one spin, or one value; and at the
same time, the second entangled atom will choose an opposite spin, or value. This allows scientists to know the value
same time, the second entangled atom will choose an opposite spin, or value. This allows scientists to know the value
of the qubits without actually looking at them
Quantum decoherence
One of the greatest challenges is controlling or removing quantum decoherence. This usually means isolating the
system from its environment as interactions with the external world cause the system to decohere.
Decoherence is irreversible, as it is non-unitary, and is usually something that should be highly controlled, if not
avoided
QUBIT CONTROL
Computer scientists control the microscopic particles that act as qubits in quantum computers by using control devices Ion traps use optical or magnetic fields (or a combination of both) to trap ions
Optical traps use light waves to trap and control particles
Quantum dots are made of semiconductor material and are used to contain and manipulate electrons
Semiconductor impurities contain electrons by using "unwanted" atoms found in semiconductor material
Superconducting circuits allow electrons to flow with almost no resistance at very low temperatures
Today's Quantum Computers
Quantum computers could one day replace silicon chips, just like the transistor once replaced the vacuum tube. But for
now, the technology required to develop such a quantum computer is beyond our reach. Most research in quantum
computing is still very theoretical
The most advanced quantum computers have not gone beyond manipulating more than 16 qubits, meaning that they
are a far cry from practical application. However, the potential remains that quantum computers one day could
perform, quickly and easily, calculations that are incredibly time-consuming on conventional computers. Several key
advancements have been made in quantum computing in the last few years. Let's look at a few of the quantum
computers that have been developed
2007
Canadian startup company D-Wave demonstrated a 16-qubit quantum computer. The computer solved a sudoku puzzle
and other pattern matching problems. The company claims it will produce practical systems by 2008. Skeptics believe
practical quantum computers are still decades away, that the system D-Wave has created isn't scaleable, and that many
of the claims on D-Wave's Web site are simply impossible (or at least impossible to know for certain given our
understanding of quantum mechanics)
If functional quantum computers can be built, they will be valuable in factoring large numbers, and therefore extremely
useful for decoding and encoding secret information. If one were to be built today, no information on the Internet
would be safe. Our current methods of encryption are simple compared to the complicated methods possible in
quantum computers. Quantum computers could also be used to search large databases in a fraction of the time that it
would take a conventional computer. Other applications could include using quantum computers to study quantum
mechanics, or even to design other quantum computers
But quantum computing is still in its early stages of development, and many computer scientists believe the technology
needed to create a practical quantum computer is years away. Quantum computers must have at least several dozen
qubits to be able to solve real-world problems, and thus serve as a viable computing method
Cryptocurrency
31 January 2014
13:37
Bitcoins
It is an open source P2P money

Bitcoin is described as the first decentralized digital currency
Being an 'open source' product, bitcoin can be mined by anyone through a complex computer software through
solutions shared on an entire network, although the process is complex and such 'mining' can be done only on very
powerful computers
Basic Understanding
Bitcoin is an experimental, decentralized digital currency that enables instant payments to anyone, anywhere in the
world. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority - managing transactions and issuing
money are carried out collectively by the network.
The original Bitcoin software by Satoshi Nakamoto was released under the MIT license. Bitcoin is one of the first
implementations of a concept called crypto-currency which was first described in 1998 by Wei Dai on the cypherpunks
mailing list.
Building upon the notion that money is any object, or any sort of record, accepted as payment for goods and services
and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context, Bitcoin is designed around the idea of a new
form of money that uses cryptography to control its creation and transactions, rather than relying on central
authorities. It gained popularity after 2009, in the wake of the global financial crisis
Bitcoin uses public-key cryptography, peer-to-peer networking, and proof-of-work to process and verify payments.
Bitcoins are sent (or signed over) from one address to another with each user potentially having many, many
addresses. Each payment transaction is broadcast to the network and included in the blockchain so that the included
bitcoins cannot be spent twice
After an hour or two, each transaction is locked in time by the massive amount of processing power that continues to
extend the blockchain. Using these techniques, Bitcoin provides a fast and extremely reliable payment network that
anyone can use
Technical features
These are the basic features of any Bitcoin-like network.
Bitcoins can be transferred between arbitrary nodes on the network.
Transactions are irreversible.
Double spending is prevented by using a block chain.
Transactions are broadcast within seconds and verified within 10 to 60 minutes.
Transaction processing and money issuance are carried out collectively through mining.
Transactions can be received at any time, regardless of whether your computer is turned on or off.
Economic rules
These rules are enforced collectively by the Bitcoin network.
Hard limit of about 21 million bitcoins.
Bitcoins are divisible to 8 decimal places, yielding a total of approximately 211014 currency units.
Transactions are cheap and mostly free
Advantages of BitCoins
The proponents of this type of digital currency describe its potential benefits as follows:
Bitcoins are sent easily through the Internet, without needing to trust any third party.
Transactions are irreversible by design.
Funds received are available for spending within minutes. It cant be stolen.
Cost very little, especially compared to other payment networks.
The supply of bitcoins is regulated by software and the agreement of users of the system and cannot be
manipulated by any government, bank, organization or individual.
The limited inflation of the Bitcoin systems money supply is distributed evenly (by CPU power) to miners who help
The limited inflation of the Bitcoin systems money supply is distributed evenly (by CPU power) to miners who help
secure the network.
The Bitcoin network never sleeps, even on holidays!
Bitcoin transactions are secured by military grade cryptography. Nobody can charge you money or make a payment
on your behalf
Disadvantages of BitCoins
Bitcoins Are Not Widely Accepted: Bitcoins are still only accepted by a very small group of online merchants. This
makes it unfeasible to completely rely on Bitcoins as a currency. There is also a possibility that governments might
force merchants to not use Bitcoins to ensure that users transactions can be tracked. Apart from this, high degree
of anonymity is concerning as this currency might be used for illegal transactions.
Bitcoin Valuation Fluctuates: The value of Bitcoins is constantly fluctuating according to demand. As reflected in
recent crash of its exchange value.
No Buyer Protection: When goods are bought using Bitcoins and the seller doesnt send the promised goods, no
action can be taken to reverse the transaction. This problem can be solved using a third party escrow service like
ClearCoin, but then, escrow services would assume the role of banks, which would cause Bitcoins to be similar to a
more traditional currency.
Risk of Unknown Technical Flaws: The Bitcoin system could contain unexploited flaws. As this is a fairly new system,
if Bitcoins were adopted widely, and a flaw was found, it could give tremendous wealth to the exploiter at the
expense of destroying the Bitcoin economy.
Built in Deflation: Since the total number of bitcoins is capped at 21 million, it will cause deflation. Each bitcoin will
be worth more and more as the total number of Bitcoins maxes out. This system is designed to reward early
adopters which lean towards so-called Ponzi scheme. Since each bitcoin will be valued higher with each passing day,
the question of when to spend becomes important. This might cause spending surges which will cause the Bitcoin
economy to fluctuate very rapidly, and unpredictably.
No Valuation Guarantee: Since there is no central authority governing Bitcoins, no one can guarantee its minimum
valuation. If a large group of merchants decide to dump bitcoins and leave the system, its valuation will decrease
greatly which will immensely hurt users who have a large amount of wealth invested in Bitcoins. The decentralized
nature of bitcoin is both a curse and blessing.
Apart from the above mentioned limitations of the Bitcoins, international community, especially, Central Banks of
various nations (European Central Bank report, October, 2012) are concerned regarding misuse of this digital currency
for illegal operations.
The mass production of illegal drugs is widely recognized as devastating plague to all peoples of all cultures. A study
administered by the United Nations found that in 2005, the global drug market generated approximately $321.6 billion
US dollars, representing almost 1% of worldwide commerce. Now, as it is evident that BitCoins easily lend itself
to money laundering and the anonymous nature of transactions. Unsurprisingly, one the most significant bottlenecks
in the drug trade are the laundering of money from first-world markets to their final destination, generally in
clandestine territories far from the reach of the law. A simple internet connection and some capital investment could
completely eliminate the most significant obstacles to the flow of currency.
It is apparent that there are many issues regarding the illegal drug trade and the viability of BitCoins. However, as we
all know, it is only one of the many dastardly industries that would broadly benefit from BitCoins. For example, those
who run prostitution rings or are human traffickers would greatly benefit as it would eliminate all tangible evidence, as
history has witnessed that many criminals were only convicted of money-based crimes such as tax evasion. Therefore
this, pivotal tool of law enforcement cannot be compromised. Not to mention, money laundering is the important tool
used for terrorist group fundings and BitCoins may become a handy tool in the hands of enemies of humanity. Due to
these concerns already Europen Central Bank has derecognised the BitCoin Currency transactions
Bitcoin bubble
Isn't it fitting that the next financial bubble could be triggered by speculation in a completely dematerialised
currency? A Bitcoin is about as substantial as a hole in the ether, but it punched through the $1,000 barrier last week
on Mt Gox, the biggest Bitcoin exchange, making it the most expensive currency on earth. Paradoxically, the digital
currency achieved this feat shortly after the marketplaces where it first found favour, the escrow bazaars for
contraband goods and services hidden inside the Tor anonymous network, were laid waste by law enforcement
agencies and hackers.
The responses to the sudden rally of Bitcoin are equally paradoxical. Germany is ready to invest in it. Ben Bernanke
cautiously expects it to make something of itself in the future.And China has banned its banks from touching it. The
most creative uses that people have dreamed up for the first completely digital currency range in ethical value from
almost illegal to utterly contemptible. And ironically, a Bitcoin billionaire could starve to death, because you can't buy
almost illegal to utterly contemptible. And ironically, a Bitcoin billionaire could starve to death, because you can't buy
food with it.
But as commerce migrates online and sunders ties with banknotes and the paper trail, digital currencies will become
mainstream. Bitcoin is only the first mover in a sunrise sector built on new ways of calibrating scarcity and value, the
basis of all currencies. But don't break out the bubbly just yet. First, the bubble needs to be popped
14-02-2014
Risks
Bitcoin exchange rates are becoming extremely volatile
Bitcoins have no backing of any govt which means in the event of a liquidity crisis, nobody is bound by law to
help
Potential money laundering risks
The source of traditional hard currency converted into Bitcoin is unknown, no records are being kept. So, they
can be used to finance terror
There is a real chance of criminals using it for drug dealings & other illegal activities
Risk of 'e-ponzi' or an electronic version of investor fraud, given the growing promotion of bitcoin as an investment
product without any enabling regulations for them
Cyber security issues, given the huge scope of money laundering & other illegal activities
Lured by so-called appreciation in bitcoin value, people may invest in this & risk losing everything
Digital currency is a totally new concept in India & even the jurisdiction is not clear as yet on who should regulate
them
Is bitcoin a currency?
Bitcoin is not actually a currency. It's a store of value, a distributed ledger. It's a great place to put assets, especially
in places like Argentina with 40% inflation where the govt's currency does not hold value
It's also a good investment vehicle if you have an appetite for risk. But it won't be a currency until volatility slows
down. Whenever the regulatory framework is clearer, & the volatility comes down, then we can consider it as a
currency
Germany officially recognises bitcoins as a private money
Silk Road website raided coz it dealt transactions only in bitcoins in exchange of criminal activities- FBI called it the
most sophisticated criminal market place on the internet- specially coz of bitcoins anonymity
It is next to impossible to stop bitcoins- sheer engineering marvel
08-03-2014
If a market for bitcoins exists, it should be regulated rather than demonised
Bitcoin's runaway success shows that there is a demand for a completely dematerialised currency which is not
based on physical value but only on the calculus of scarcity, & which can be transmitted across the internet,
bypassing formal banking channels
A market for such currencies obviously exists, & nations should collaborate to regulate them rather than driving
them offshore & underground
In the media, Bitcoin coverage has been driven by the fear of the unknown
Stories highlight the popularity of Bitcoin with internet escrow services which facilitate peer to peer trades in
drugs & other contraband
Reports abound about excessive Bitcoin volatility, about China banning the currency to prevent offshoring,
about the biggest Bitcoin agency being hacked & filing for bankruptcy
Conclusion
Digital currencies will be as mainstream as plastic money in the very near future
12-03-2014
A ban on bitcoin is not the answer to the RBIs regulatory concerns.
In 2013, bitcoin boomed from $13 to $1,250 per unit value
The RBI issued a notification in Dec, 2013, cautioning users about the underlying fluctuations in the price of bitcoin
& also the maintenance of its value
& also the maintenance of its value

Virtual currency is a currency that relies on cryptography, peer-to-peer networking & decentralisation
Bitcoin is turning out to be the perfect digital currency with features like frictionless, anonymous &
cryptographically secure
Given that bitcoin is invisible to law enforcement agencies & taxation depts, its growing appeal is understandable
Concerns
The volatility in bitcoin results in high risk for investors
Taxes are seen as the medium of providing growth to the economy & virtual currencies like bitcoin are a threat to
the federal taxation system due to their intrinsic quality of not identifying the person transacting in the currency
Money laundering - It is said to pose a threat to the federal economic system due to its links to black money &
support for anti-national activities
Hawala transactions may take new shape through virtual currencies like bitcoin
There could be security risk in transactions relating to trading in virtual currencies like bitcoin (similar to plastic
money as well)
What should RBI do?
The RBI must not throw the baby out with the bathwater
If it desires to counter the rise of these currencies, it must take some intelligent steps like lowering the transaction
fee; accelerating the process of receiving payments through cards or the banking system, etc.
The RBI could also try to incorporate virtual currencies in their framework for typical transactions like forex, which
may counter the typical problems of current account deficit
Conclusion
People invest to earn & if they think bitcoin helps earnings, they will trade in it; if not, bitcoin will perish
automatically
12-03-2014
What is a Bitcoin?
Unlike traditional currencies issued by central banks, Bitcoin has no central monetary authority
It is under-pinned by a peer-to-peer computer network made up of its users machines, on the lines of networks like
BitTorrent (a file-sharing system) or Skype (the audio, video & chat service)
How are they generated?
Bitcoins are mathematically-generated by computers in the network executing complex number-crunching tasks, a
process termed as mining. The mathematics of the Bitcoin system aims at a scenario where it becomes
progressively more difficult to mine Bitcoins over time
First appearing in 2009, there are > 12 million Bitcoins in circulation
The system is set up so that it becomes increasingly difficult to produce them, with a maximum limit of 21 million
expected by around 2140
Bitcoin keeps a public register of every unit in existence & the network means that there is no need for a central
authority
The computing power required to carry out the mathematical tasks is so great that it is currently impossible for any
single computer to create Bitcoins on its own, ensuring that the network remains in control
The entire network is used to monitor & verify both the creation of new Bitcoins through mining, & the transfer of
Bitcoins between users. A log is collectively maintained of all transactions
How can one acquire it?
There are 3 main routes. Purchasing them at a Bitcoin exchange or exchanging Bitcoins with other individuals are
the traditional routes. The 3rd route is through mining
What are the risks?
A Bitcoin is not backed by a financial authority or real asset, which is why transactions are not subject to the same
regulations as other currencies
While every single transaction made using Bitcoin is posted publicly, the identity of the user remains anonymous
making it hard to track perpetrators in the case of theft
The most common vulnerability is user error. Similar to physical cash stored in a digital form, Bitcoin wallets can
be accidentally deleted, lost or stolen
Has the currency run into major controversy?
The biggest controversy by far has been the one involving Mt Gox, a Bitcoin exchange based in Tokyo that had
emerged as its largest trading platform. It was launched in July 2010, & by 2013 was handling an estimated 70% of
all Bitcoin transactions
all Bitcoin transactions

In Feb 2014, it suspended trading, closed its website & exchange service, & filed for bankruptcy protection. It said
that around 850,000 Bitcoins belonging to customers & the company were missing & likely stolen, an amount
valued at > $450 million at the time
The number of viruses designed to steal Bitcoins from wallets (programmes that hold Bitcoins on users computers
or smartphones have increased greatly in the past year)
Theres no sophistication involved in the storage of bitcoin in wallets
What did the RBI warn?
The RBI, in Dec 2013, warned the public against the use of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, pointing out that users
expose themselves to potential financial, legal & security related risks
21-03-2014
Future of crypto-currencies
The technology behind Bitcoin could support a revolution in the way people own & pay for things
Bitcoins dont move around when they are transferred. They are best understood as entries in a giant ledger (record
book) - the blockchain, which contains the transaction history for every Bitcoin in circulation
It is kept up to date with the help of cryptography & copious computing power, provided by a global network of
tens of thousands of computers
Again, openness helps the system remain secure: the blockchain is public so every participant can check whether a
transfer comes from the rightful owner
This set-up is the first workable solution to one of the difficult problems of the digital world: how to transfer
something of value from one person to another without middlemen having to provide security for transcations
And Bitcoin does the trick while being open (unlike conventional payment mechanisms, which aim for security
by shielding themselves from outsiders)
Bitcoins technology (blockchain) could be used to transfer ownership both in other currencies & of any kind of
financial asset
This, in turn, would allow the creation of decentralised exchanges which let asset holders trade directly. And
money could be programmed to come with conditions: for eg. it might be released only if a 3rd person agrees
Some want ownership of devicesa car, sayto be represented by a Bitcoin, or a tiny fraction of it
The car would work only when turned on with a key that includes the Bitcoin token. This would make
managing ownership of & access to physical assets much easier
The token could be sold or rented out temporarily, enabling flexible peer-to-peer car-rental schemes. Such
smart property would turn the blockchain into a global registry of ownership in physical assets
A number of startups are working on bringing such applications to market
Coloured Coins & Mastercoin will soon release software that enables trade in other financial assets, including
stocks & bonds
The most ambitious project is Ethereum: it will launch a new blockchain, similar but unrelated to Bitcoin, with a
programming language to encode financial instruments & other contracts
Even the banks too have started exploring how they could use the technology in other ways
Global banks could, for instance, use Bitcoin-like systems to move money btw subsidiaries. They could even
issue their own crypto-currencies
Some risks
Some experts say that the bitcoin network may reach its maximum capacity of 300,000 transactions per day as new
applications come online
Another worry is that as the bitcoin blockchain, which has already trebled in size to 15GB in Feb 2014, continues to
grow, fewer of the networks participants will store it
Conclusion
Even if Bitcoin were to break down, another similar system would most likely take its place
04-11-2015
How the bitcoin's technology can transform our economy?
BITCOIN has a bad reputation
The decentralised digital cryptocurrency, powered by a vast computer network, is notorious for the wild
fluctuations in its value, the zeal of its supporters & its degenerate uses, such as extortion, buying drugs & hiring
hitmen in the online bazaars of the dark net
Analysis
Analysis
The value of a bitcoin has been pretty stable, at around $250, for most of 2015
Among regulators & financial institutions, scepticism has given way to enthusiasm
the EU recently recognised it as a currency
The blockchain technology behind bitcoins
The blockchain lets people who have no particular confidence in each other collaborate without having to go
through a neutral central authority. Simply put, it is a machine for creating trust
An example of peer-to-peer technology with dubious origin but later revolutionised file sharing
A helpful analogy is with Napster, the pioneering but illegal peer-to-peer file-sharing service that went on line
in 1999, providing free access to millions of music tracks
Napster itself was swiftly shut down, but it inspired a host of other peer-to-peer services
Many of these were also used for pirating music & films
Yet despite its dubious origins, peer-to-peer technology found legitimate uses, powering internet startups such
as Skype (for telephony) & Spotify (for music streaming)
Benefits of blockchain technology
It is a shared, trusted, public ledger that everyone can inspect, but which no single user controls
The participants in a blockchain system collectively keep the ledger up to date: it can be amended only according
to strict rules & by general agreement
Bitcoins blockchain ledger prevents double-spending & keeps track of transactions continuously. It is what
makes possible a currency without a central bank
Blockchains are also the latest example of the unexpected fruits of cryptography
Mathematical scrambling is used to boil down an original piece of information into a code, known as a hash
Any attempt to tamper with any part of the blockchain is apparent immediately coz the new hash will not
match the old ones
In this way this technology can help keep information secret (vital for encrypting messages & online shopping &
banking)
Blockchains meet the need for a trustworthy record, something vital for transactions of every sort
Dozens of startups now hope to capitalise on the blockchain technology
Potential uses
to make cheap, tamper-proof public databasesland registries
Financial-services firms are contemplating using blockchains as a record of who owns what instead of having a
series of internal ledgers
it could save banks up to $20 billion a year by 2022
25 banks have just joined a blockchain startup, called R3 CEV, to develop common standards, & NASDAQ is
about to start using the technology to record trading in securities of private companies
Blockchains can also implement business rules, such as transactions that take place only if two or more parties
endorse them, or if another transaction has been completed first
Blockchains threatening centralised institutions
The spread of blockchains may be threat to centralised institutions & bureaucracies, such as banks, clearing houses
& govt authorities that are deemed sufficiently trustworthy to handle transactions
Given the decline in trust in govts & banks in recent years, a way to create more scrutiny & transparency could be
no bad thing
Way ahead
Drawing up regulations for blockchains at this early stage would be a mistake: the history of peer-to-peer
technology suggests that it is likely to be several years before the technologys full potential becomes clear
In the meantime regulators should find ways to accommodate new approaches within existing frameworks, rather
than risk stifling a fast-evolving idea with overly prescriptive rules
The blockchain has the potential to transform how people & businesses co-operate
The real innovation is not the digital coins themselves, but the trust machine that mints them
11-11-2015
Basic understanding of Bitcoins & its emerging uses
What is bitcoin?
Bitcoin is both a type of virtual currency (digital token), & the network on which those tokens can be stored &
moved around
Each unit of the virtual currency is nothing more than an entry on a digital ledger, just as most dollars & cents exist
Each unit of the virtual currency is nothing more than an entry on a digital ledger, just as most dollars & cents exist
only as entries on a banks digital ledger
The price of a Bitcoin is set on the open market, generally on exchanges where people offer to buy & sell Bitcoin,
similar to the way that a stocks price is set
Normal currencies are, of course, tracked by banks (& their employees & computer systems)
Bitcoins, in contrast, are kept on a ledger that is maintained & updated by any user of Bitcoin who wants to help
The constantly updated ledger is kept on the computers of all the users just as Wikipedia entries are written &
kept current by the encyclopedias users rather than by any central authority
The work maintaining Bitcoins ledger is done according to rules that are established by the Bitcoin software
It is the communally maintained ledger on which all Bitcoin accounts & transactions are recorded known as the
blockchain that makes the currency so different from existing ones
Coz there is no central authority in Bitcoin just the network of users keeping the records there is no one to
shut down accounts or demand personal information from Bitcoin users
Anyone can open an account & spend whatever Bitcoins they have as long as they have the password (secret key)
for their account
Where do Bitcoins come from?
From the moment the Bitcoin network started operating in 2009, a new bundle of Bitcoins (initially 50) was released
every 10 minutes or so, essentially for free, to one of the computers helping to update & maintain the blockchain
ledger
Computers on the network take part in a sort of computational race to win these new coins, a process that came to
be called Bitcoin mining
This giveaway provided an incentive for people to join & support the network with their computers
New coins will be released in this way until there are 21 million in the world (currently scheduled to happen
sometime in 2140)
Once a user wins a new bundle of Bitcoins he or she can divide them up in any way (up to 8 decimal points) &
distribute them to anyone else with a Bitcoin address
Initially, people sent their Bitcoins to friends for free. Now, there are exchanges on which people offer to buy & sell
Bitcoins & the price has swung wildly, reaching a high above $1,200 in intraday trading in late 2013
How do you spend a Bitcoin?
Anyone with a Bitcoin address, which is similar to an email address, can send & receive Bitcoins from anyone else
with a Bitcoin address
Creating a Bitcoin address is free. Each address comes with a private key, a sophisticated password, that provides
access to the coins in the address
There are thousands of merchants that now accept Bitcoin payments online. These companies will generally
provide a Bitcoin address where money can be sent in order to complete a transaction
For the merchants, Bitcoin is preferable to credit-card payments coz the merchant doesnt have to pay a fee to a
credit-card company. For consumers with credit cards, there is less of a clear advantage to using Bitcoin
Why was Bitcoin so attractive to drug dealers?
The online drug bazaar known as the Silk Road offered a place for vendors to sell illegal goods, like heroin &
cocaine, for Bitcoin
Coz Bitcoin can be sent anywhere in the world almost instantly, essentially for free, & coz the payments can be sent
without either side knowing the identity of the other, the system is an obvious choice for criminal activity
Law enforcement officials have had some luck in tracking down Bitcoin users by looking at the IP address associated
with a particular Bitcoin address, or by tracking down users on the blockchain ledger of all Bitcoin transactions. But
this has proved to be a slow & relatively unsuccessful investigative method
The operator of the Silk Road was eventually apprehended, not coz his Bitcoin transactions were traced, but coz he
accidentally left his personal email address on a public website
The Silk Road was quickly replaced by imitators that are still flourishing today, offering drugs for Bitcoins
Is Bitcoin useful for things besides buying drugs?
The Silk Road helped demonstrate that Bitcoin could be used to send money quickly & cheaply around the world,
without requiring a bank account
Slowly, there is increasing interest in using the Bitcoin network as a payment system for legitimate purposes
One often-discussed use is as way for immigrants to send remittances more cheaply to family members overseas
who dont have bank accounts or govt identity cards. This has begun to catch on in places like Argentina, Indonesia
& Africa
Other developers have looked to use Bitcoin for very small online payments, of a few cents, which are generally not
Other developers have looked to use Bitcoin for very small online payments, of a few cents, which are generally not
possible in the existing financial system coz of the minimum payments required for credit-card transactions
More recently, financial institutions have grown interested in the idea that the Bitcoin network & its ledger, the
blockchain allows for direct online transactions of all sorts, even those that dont involve Bitcoins
Banks & financial firms are now looking at using the blockchain to allow for cheaper, faster stock & bond trades
Dogecoin
Dogecoin is a Litecoin-derived cryptocurrency that features the Shiba Inu (Dog) from the "Doge" Internet meme on
its logo. It was introduced on 8 December, 2013.
Dogecoin has a fast initial coin production schedule, compared with other cryptocurrencies. There will be
approximately 100 billion coins in circulation by the end of 2014. Thereafter, 5.2 billion coins will be produced per
year.
While there are currently few commercial applications for Dogecoin, the currency is gaining traction as an Internet
tipping system, in which social media users grant Dogecoin tips to other users for providing interesting or
noteworthy content. Dogecoins are associated with the motto "To the moon!".
Dogecoin was created by programmer and former IBM engineer Billy Markus of Portland, Oregon.
His hopes were reaching a broader demographic than the investors who made up Bitcoin's economy and something
that wouldn't be involved with the controversial history behind Bitcoin (namely its association with the Silk Road).
The currency's popularity and value are rapidly growing. Unlike many popular cryptocurrencies, DOGE is primiarily
traded on Crypsy a large US based FinCEN regulated exchange.
Dogecoin functions using public-key cryptography, in which a user generates a pair of cryptographic keys: one
public and one private. Only the private key can decode information encrypted with the public key; therefore the
keys' owner can distribute the public key openly without fear. The public key is the Dogecoin address to which other
users can send Dogecoins. The private key, however, must be kept secret and secure.
Dogecoin community would put together a fund-raising effort aimed at helping Indian athletes reach the Sochi
Winter Olympics
ICT
19 February 2014
00:46
Information & Communication Technology

IT Skills
Programming/application development
Help desk/technical support
Networking
Mobile applications & device management
Project management
Database administration
Security compliance/governance
Business intelligence/analytics
Contributions of Indians in IT?
Google Person Finder
Google Person Finder is a web application available in Hindi & English

Allows individuals to post & search for the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster
All data entered into Google Person Finder is available to the public & searchable by anyone
Also lets Press agencies, non-governmental agencies etc. contribute to the database & receive updates
Flipora
20-04-2014
Flipora knows who you are, offers what you want
The two entrepreneurs Jonathan Siddharth and Vijay Krishnan
Flipora, a Web discovery engine headed by two Indian graduates of Stanford University, recently crossed the 28
million users mark. Available in 11 languages, the engine has users from over 200 countries
The engine uses machine learning (algorithms) to infer a users interests based on their Web browsing history &
Facebook activity & then helps users discover websites personalized to their interests
WoNoBo
A local service called WoNoBo offers street view for some Indian cities
WoNoBo is 360-degree-view platform & it facilitates the creation of local communities online. It also enables local
businesses to have an online, social presence
It was launched on October 15, 2013 when Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat,
It was launched on October 15, 2013 when Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat,
Jaipur, Goa, Kolkata, Agra & Pune were added. Gradually more & more cities are being added
USB PD (Power Delivery) standard
USB has become a ubiquitous power socket for many small devices such as cell phones, MP3 players & other hand held devices
USB cables can carry direct current and also data. Eg. a laptop charging a mobile phone
USB Power Delivery offers the following features:
Increased power levels from existing USB standards up to 100W
Power direction is no longer fixed. This enables the product with the power (Host or Peripheral) to provide the
power
Optimize power management across multiple peripherals by allowing each device to take only the power it
requires, and to get more power when required for a given application
Intelligent & flexible system level management of power via optional hub communication with the PC
Allows low power cases such as headsets to negotiate for only the power they require
HTML5
It is the next evolution of web development standards by which application developers create end-user experience
HTML5 standard is evolved by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to meet the goal of Open Web Platform
W3C interoperable, open web standards help to ensure data accessibility independent of devices & platforms
It provides a full programming environment for cross-platform applications with access to device capabilities, video
& animations, graphics, style, typography & other tools for digital publishing, extensive network capabilities & more
It is capable of making the Web useful on mobile & wireless devices, which will be next paradigm shift for internet
growth in India
The Web has become the main channel for govts to deliver services to citizens. Hence, Web technologies play a
crucial role in the relationships btw govts, industry & common citizens
LiFi technology
Imagine an office where every computer, mobile phone & tablet is connected to the Internet, not through an ethernet
connection or via Wi-Fi, but just through the overhead lights
How it works?
They set up two laptops on a table, one with a conventional connection to the Internet, linked to a piece of kit
which is in turn connected to a conventional light fitting
The other computer has a bulky unit attached to it, effectively a light receiver. Its by making the light flicker very
rapidly that data is conveyed from one computer to the other
Its a bit like Morse code, but in a very sophisticated way, achieving very high data rates
Researchers are trying to miniaturise the receiver so that it can be fitted into any smartphone
Researchers are trying to miniaturise the receiver so that it can be fitted into any smartphone
Why an alternative?
Although Wi-Fi is indeed a great success, the radio spectrum is getting overcrowded
We have deployed so many wireless access points that they interfere with each other & slow down the actual data
rates
We need other pipes, fatter pipes, & light is a big pipe for wireless connectivity
Security benefits
Light-generated Internet connections do not travel through walls, so cannot be intercepted like a Wi-Fi signal
Virtual Private Networks
29-04-2014
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, such as the Internet. It enables a
computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it is directly connected to the private
network, while benefiting from the functionality, security and management policies of the private network. A VPN is
created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, virtual tunneling
protocols, or traffic encryptions.
VPN connectivity overview

A virtual private network connection across the Internet is similar to a wide area network (WAN) link between sites.
From a user perspective, the extended network resources are accessed in the same way as resources available within
the private network.
VPNs allow employees to securely access their company's intranet while traveling outside the office. Similarly, VPNs
securely connect geographically disparate offices of an organization, creating one cohesive network. VPN technology is
also used by Internet users to connect to proxy servers for the purpose of protecting personal identity and location.
VPNs in mobile environments
Mobile VPNs are used in a setting where an endpoint of the VPN is not fixed to a single IP address, but instead roams
across various networks such as data networks from cellular carriers or between multiple Wi-Fi access points. Mobile
VPNs have been widely used in public safety, where they give law enforcement officers access to mission-critical
applications, such as computer-assisted dispatch and criminal databases, while they travel between different subnets
of a mobile network. They are also used in field service management and by healthcare organizations, among other
industries.
Increasingly, mobile VPNs are being adopted by mobile professionals who need reliable connections. They are used for
roaming seamlessly across networks and in and out of wireless-coverage areas without losing application sessions or
dropping the secure VPN session. A conventional VPN cannot survive such events because the network tunnel is
disrupted, causing applications to disconnect, time out, or fail, or even cause the computing device itself to crash
WebRTC
10-06-2014
Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) is an open protocol that enables web browsers quickly to set-up audio &
video connections btw two or more computers without the addition of new software or running a separate
program, such as Skype or FaceTime
Users simply click on a link from a website or an e-mail invitation, & WebRTC opens up an area inside their web
browser for the audio-video session to begin
WebRTC is an open-source project that began with a group of companies, including Cisco, Ericsson, Google &
Mozilla
Google Cardboard
Google Cardboard is a fold-out cardboard smartphone mount that, when combined with lenses, a magnet, a piece
of hook-and-loop fastener & a rubber band & held against the face, affords a virtual reality experience
A smartphone with stereoscopic display software fits into this device & the lenses allow a person to perceive images
as one single 3D image
The headset is designed by Google
Google has the list of parts, schematics, and assembly instructions freely available on their website, recommending
people assemble one themselves from readily available parts
The hardware was announced at Google I/O 2014
Comments
Virtual reality has made exciting progress over the past several years. However, developing for VR still requires
expensive, specialized hardware
Google Cardboard is a no-frills enclosure that transforms a phone into a basic VR headset
Wearable Technology
22-05-2014
Edison: SD-card sized PC
How small a computer can get? If you ask Intel it is already as small as a SD card! Intel has unveiled Edison, a computer
housed in an "SD card form factor".
The device uses Quark microprocessor technology that was showed by Intel a few months ago. Intel CEO Brian
Krzanich said that the "computer" is meant to be used in wearable smart devices like a health tracker or in everyday
products like coffee mugs that has to be connected to the internet.
Edison has built-in wireless capabilities and support for multiple operating systems. "It is a full system. It's a full
Pentium-class PC in the form factor of an SD card," said Krzanich. Edison will be available in the middle of 2014.
"Wearables are not everywhere today because they aren't yet solving real problems and they aren't yet integrated with
our lifestyles," said Krzanich. "We're focused on addressing this engineering innovation challenge. Our goal is, if
something computes and connects, it does it best with Intel inside."
In his keynote address at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Krzanich showed an example of Edison can be
used. He said that it can be attached to the clothes of a baby.This will allow parents to monitor the baby even if they
are not in the same room. For example, if the coffee mug used by parents also has Edison and can connect to the
internet, it can talk to the device attached to the baby's clothes and tell parents whenever the baby is getting
uncomfortable.
Edison is Intel's attempt to not repeat the mistake it made in the smartphone market.With smartphones and tablets,
Intel failed to see the trend and did not address the market properly until 2012. Now when the companies are
Intel failed to see the trend and did not address the market properly until 2012. Now when the companies are
expected to push smartglasses and smartwatches, Intel intends to not repeat the mistake it made earlier.
"Most of my career a computer has been something you hold in your hand [...] or sits on your desk... That idea is about
to be transformed," said Krzanich.
One of Intel's most serious competitors, Qualcomm announced a smartwatch - Toq -- a few months earlier. On
Monday, Intel too joined the bandwagon by showing the prototype of the smartwatch it is developing. The company
also said that it was developing smart earbuds - called Jarvis -- with biometric and fitness capabilities. The earbuds will
read a message to the user or track his physical movement.
In addition to developing reference devices for wearable technology, Intel will offer a number of accessible, low-cost
entry platforms. These are allegedly aimed at helping lower entry barriers for individuals and small companies to create
innovative Internet-connected wearables or other small form factor devices.
At his keynote, Krzanich also said that Intel, along with its hardware partners, will launch tablets that dual-boot
Windows and Android.
The company will make McAfee security app for mobiles and tablets available for free this year. "As corporate bringyour-own-device programs have grown in popularity, many firms have prohibited Android-based devices that weren't
compatible with their companies' security requirements. Intel this year will offer Intel device protection technology,
which will help Intel-based Android mobile devices meet most security standards for use at home and work," the
company said in a press note
19-05-2014
Cassette can store huge data
Storing data on tapes may seem a little antiquated, since the invention of CDs, cloud services and other forms of digital
storage, but many businesses and archives around the world continue to do this.
And now, by tweaking how it produces the magnetic tape, Sony has created a way not only to boost the potential of
the iconic material match to its digital rivals, but to surpass them.
The Japanese firm has developed tape for businesses that can store up to 185 terabytes of data 74 times the capacity
of traditional tapes and the equivalent of 3700 Blu-ray discs
It could, in theory, be used by anyone but has been designed specifically for organisations that need to store large
amounts of data
Magnetic tapes with a coating of magnetic powder are used as the mainstream form of tape storage media with a
recording capacity of 2.5TB
Previously, if companies wanted to increase this capacity, theyd need to use technology to shrink the size of the
magnetic particles on which data is stored
This can be a tricky and expensive process, and in many cases isnt cost-effective.
Sonys new tape consists of a soft magnetic underlayer with a smooth surface created using a vacuum thin film-forming
technique called sputter deposition.
Sputter deposition involves shooting argon ions on to polymer film to produce layers of extremely fine crystal particles
in a uniform pattern, just 5 micrometres thick.
Until now, when the sputter method was used to create this layer of magnetic particles on a polymer film, it changed
the shape and layout of the crystal and made the underlayer feel rough.
This variation in size restricted how much data could be stored on it.
By optimising the sputter technique, as well as developing a smooth, soft magnetic layer, Sony made it possible to
shrink the crystals while keeping their shape.
When Sonys magnetic tape was measured it was found to have a recording density equivalent to about 74 times the
capacity of traditional coated tape media used for data storage.
capacity of traditional coated tape media used for data storage.

This is also five times the 35TB capacity of the cassette developed by FujiFilm and IBM in 2010.
Sony said it will continue to work towards getting this next-generation storage ready to sell, as well as develop the
technology to make it even more efficient, with the aim of increasing recording densities even further
17-04-2015
Big Data Analytics

12 October 2014
16:50
Dream april 2015-3,

The big of big data is construed as a reference to the sheer volume, velocity (of generation) & variety (of sources)
of the datasets involved
20-05-2014
An R&D Perspective
By definition, Big Data, is data whose scale, diversity, and complexity require new architecture, techniques, algorithms,
and analytics to manage it and extract value and hidden knowledge from it. In other words, big data is characterised
by volume, variety (structured and unstructured data) velocity (high rate of changing) and veracity (uncertainty and
incompleteness).
In the Big Data research context, so called analytics over Big Data is playing a leading role. Analytics cover a wide family
of problems mainly arising in the context of Database, Data Warehousing and Data Mining research. Analytics research
is intended to develop complex procedures running over large-scale, enormous in-size data repositories with the
objective of extracting useful knowledge hidden in such repositories. One of the most significant application scenarios
where Big Data arise is, without doubt, scientific computing. Here, scientists and researchers produce huge amounts of
data per-day via experiments (e.g., disciplines like high-energy physics, astronomy, biology, bio-medicine, and so forth).
But extracting useful knowledge for decision making purposes from these massive, large-scale data repositories is
almost impossible for actual DBMS-inspired analysis tools. From a methodological point of view, there are also
research challenges. A new methodology is required for transforming Big Data stored in heterogeneous and differentin-nature data sources (e.g., legacy systems, Web, scientific data repositories, sensor and stream databases, social
networks) into a structured, hence well-interpretable format for target data analytics. As a consequence, data-driven
approaches, in biology, medicine, public policy, social sciences, and humanities, can replace the traditional hypothesisdriven research in science.
Big Data: Science & Technology - Challenges
Some of the S&T challenges that researchers across the globe and as well as in India facing are related to data deluge
pertaining to Astrophysics, Materials Science, Earth & atmospheric observations, Energy, Fundamental Science,
Computational Biology, Bioinformatics & Medicine, Engineering & Technology, GIS and Remote Sensing, Cognitive
science and Statistical data. These challenges requires development of advanced algorithms, visualization techniques,
data streaming methodologies and analytics. The overall constraints that community facing are
1. The IT Challenge: Storage and computational power
2. The computer science : Algorithm design, visualization, scalability (Machine Learning, network & Graph analysis,
streaming of data and text mining), distributed data, architectures, data dimension reduction and implementation
3. The mathematical science: Statistics, Optimisation, uncertainty quantification, model development (statistical, Ab
Initio, simulation) analysis and systems theory
4. The multi-disciplinary approach: Contextual problem solving
BIG DATA ANALYTICS AND THE INDIA EQUATION
To tap the analytics momentum, India now needs to build a sustainable analytics eco-system that brings in a strong
partnership across the industry players, government, and academia. Some of the key actions for analytics eco-system
in India would be around.
1. Talent Pool - Create industry academia partnership to groom the talent pool in universities as well as develop
strong internal training curriculum to advance analytical depth.
2. Collaborate - Form analytics forum across organization boundaries to discuss the pain-points of the practitioner
community and share best practices to scale analytics organizations.
3. Capability Development - Invest in long term skills and capabilities that forms the basis for differentiation and value
creation. There needs to be an innovation culture that will facilitate IP creation and asset development.
4. Value Creation - Building rigor to measure the impact of analytics deployment is very critical to earn legitimacy
within the organization.
Big Data and analytics offers tremendous untapped potential to drive big business outcomes. For organizations to
Big Data and analytics offers tremendous untapped potential to drive big business outcomes. For organizations to
leverage India as a global analytics hub can be one of the key levers to move up their analytics maturity curve.
Broad contours of DST initiated BDI programme
To promote & foster Big Data Science, Technology & Applications in the country & to develop core generic
technologies, tools & algorithms for wider applications in Govt
To understand the present status of the industry in terms of market size, different players providing services across
sectors/ functions, opportunities, SWOT of industry, policy framework (if any), present skill levels available etc.
To carryout market landscape survey to assess the future opportunities & demand for skill levels in next 10 yrs
To carryout gap analysis in terms of skills levels & policy framework.
To evolve a strategic Road Map and micro level action plan clearly defining of roles of various stakeholders Govt.,
Industry, Academia, Industry Associations and others with clear timelines and outcome for the next 10 years.
23-02-2014
Visitors to Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey may notice the bright, clean lighting that
now blankets the cavernous interior
There is an expanding market for light fixtures capable of capturing and analysing vast amounts of data about the
habits of ordinary citizens.
Using an array of sensors and eight video cameras around the terminal, the light fixtures are part of a new wireless
network that collects and feeds data into software that can spot long lines, recognise license plates and even identify
suspicious activity, sending alerts to the appropriate staff.
To customers like the Port Authority, the systems hold the promise of better management of security as well as energy,
traffic and people. But they also raise the spectre of technology racing ahead of the ability to harness it, running risks of
invading privacy and mismanaging information, privacy advocates say.
What began as a way to help governments and businesses save energy by automatically turning lights on and off has
become an expanding market for lights, sensors and software capable of capturing and analysing vast amounts of data
about the habits of ordinary citizens.
The light fixtures are outfitted with special chips and connect to sensors, cameras and one another over a wireless
network. Data that is collected say, a particular car pulling up to the terminal can then be mined and analysed for
a broad range of applications.
Las Vegas is testing a street lighting system that can broadcast sound, and plans to use it mainly to control lighting and
play music or to issue security alerts at a pedestrian mall.
Copenhagen, Denmark, is installing 20,000 street lamps as part of a system that could eventually control traffic,
monitor carbon dioxide levels and detect when garbage cans are full. Other government agencies and businesses have
begun replacing thousands of lighting fixtures with LEDs, mainly to cut costs.
The system could, once software is developed, also make shopping more convenient a potential boon for malls
losing business to the Internet. Sensing a shopper pulling into a parking lot, the system could send an alert to a
smartphone, showing empty spaces, or a coupon.
We see outdoor lighting as the perfect infrastructure to build a brand-new network, said Hugh Martin, Sensitys chief
executive. We felt what youd want to use this network for is to gather information about people and the planet.
But that is precisely what worries privacy advocates.
There are some people in the commercial space who say, Oh, big data well, lets collect everything, keep it around
forever, well pay for somebody to think about security later, said Justin Brookman, who studies consumer privacy at
the Center for Democracy and Technology. The question is whether we want to have some sort of policy framework in
place to limit that.
Even those developing the technology acknowledge the concerns. Im not saying that I know the exact balance point,
but there is a lot of value, I think, if we do it right, to this information, Martin said, whether that value is heightening
security or helping stores compete with Amazon.
In Las Vegas, officials say they are not interested in using the video and audio surveillance capabilities of the system
they are testing, called Intellistreets, and are instead looking at the use of audio broadcasting to enhance ambience
and safety in public areas.
In Copenhagen, the emphasis is on efficiency, said Eric Dresselhuys, an executive vice president of Silver Spring
Networks, which designed the network to connect that system. Executives say the potential for the advanced lighting is
nearly boundless.
nearly boundless.
No one really wanted the smartphone 20 years ago because they didnt know they could have it, said Fred Maxik,
founder and chief technology officer of Lighting Science Group, which manufactures LEDs. And I think the same is true
of lighting today: No one knows what lighting is going to be capable of.
03-05-2015
Big data are used in sports to analyse performance & weaknesses of the opponents
20-05-2015
According to the optimists, big data in combination with the Internet of Things (IoT) promises a future where
all important decisions about business, life, & society would be taken purely on the basis of data
Human judgment, which is typically partial, flawed, & conflicted & often distorted by factors that are not
measurable, & do not compute, such as moral qualms, or empathy need never come into the picture
This, they believe, would make for greater efficiency, higher productivity, & the optimal utilisation of resources
for the greatest good of the greatest number
Such decision-making is driven purely by big data analytics. Its called evidence-based decision-making. Its
semantic twin is actionable information
Evidence-based decision-making can & does pay off brilliantly in business operations this is what enterprise
software solutions do, & they were indeed the tech precursors of big data analytics
Besides, big data already plays a major role in the management of infrastructure & industry, not to mention
security, military affairs, health, & geopolitics, as the Snowden leaks made amply clear
With the advances in cloud & mobile computing, the non-stop generation of data on a never-before scale is bound
to change how humans think, & therefore act & live
Chris Andersen, the former editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, in a widely debated piece titled The End of Theory:
The data deluge makes the scientific method obsolete says His logic is that since processing of big data can give us correlations that can predict accurately, causation is no
longer relevant
So theory, or explanations of the world based on the model of cause & effect (which is how humans have
traditionally made sense of the world), are now obsolete
In other words, we no longer need to think. Collect data, feed them into the mouth of analytics, & wait for
solutions to emerge
The World Economic Forum notes in its 2014 Global Technology Report that data is a new form of asset class,
adding, data are now the equivalent of oil or gold. And today we are seeing a data boom rivaling the Texas oil
boom of the 20th century & the San Francisco gold rush of the 1800s
The number of app downloads growing from 10 billion in 2010 to 77 billion in 2014, which many believe is trillions
of dollar global opportunity to create value over the next decade
India & BDA
Evidence-based policy-making & actionable information pops up in govt documents & the reports of bodies
such as the UN or the World Bank
the large pool of English-speaking engineering/ mathematics graduates makes India an attractive destination for
the off-shoring of BDA, which Indian tech entrepreneurs are well placed to exploit
with several citizen-to-govt transactions, such as passport applications & tax payments migrating online, & the
state unwilling to relax its grip on Aadhaar, & plans afoot to digitise medical records, it is clear that Big Data will
come to play a major role
Threats
And given the billions of dollars the preferred term is value riding on the so-called information economy, it
is unlikely that the raw material for data manufacture (ie. people) will have much say in the matter
The exponential growth of big data analytics, & its increasing utilisation in govt policy, is premised on many things,
including growth in IT infrastructure, the digital inclusion of those hitherto excluded by poverty, & an overarching
colonisation of the analog universe by the digital
Many of us have already voluntarily surrendered our privacy, either for the sake of convenience
But privacy while critical for a functional democracy is not the only casualty of big data. The graver threat is
a digital replay of colonial era exploitation, with data replacing mineral resources & raw materials as the source
of value (data colonialism)
Data-as-gold metaphor used by the WEF report to draw an analogy btw the flow of raw materials from the
colonies to Europe, & the flow of data from the erstwhile colonies to the developed West today
colonies to Europe, & the flow of data from the erstwhile colonies to the developed West today
The objective in both cases is the same: extraction of value
the West has been mining African nations for health data without the Africans benefiting in any way
The philosophical basis of big data, which is rooted in the abstractions of statistics
It is well known that statistics grew as a discipline to address the needs of the modern state, which had to
administer populations on a big scale
In big data, the post-modern state has found a fitting collaborator for monitoring, & pre-emptively controlling,
sections of the populations that, in circumstances of prolonged deprivation or injustice, can be prone to
unseemly eruptions against those who control the levers of the state
Even the term actionable information, often invoked in the context of big data, suggests that it is not humans who
have to decide what is to be done, & therefore take responsibility for the choices being made, but somehow the
data or information itself which decides (for humanity) the action to be taken. This, finally, is the inescapable social
cost of big data analytics
While evidence-based policy-making may be good for business & the tech industry, it is only politics-driven policymaking that can make a positive difference to peoples lives
29-10-2015
Using big data to prevent disease
Eg. Using big data to understand diseases that made it spread is necessary for epidemic prevention
13-12-2015
Open data revolution
Given the astonishing scale of the data deluge, not much has been achieved. The reasons might be the data that have been made available are often useless
the data engineers & entrepreneurs who might be able to turn it all into useful, profitable products find it hard
to navigate
too few people are capable of mining data for insights or putting the results to good use
it has been hard to overcome anxieties about privacy
The privacy problem
The thorniest problem for open data now is privacy
Govts rushing to release individual-level data such as tax, medical or education records are walking into a massive
minefield
Such data are among the most valuable: they can boost, for eg. precision medicine, which tailors each patients
treatment. But a privacy scandal can cause a backlash against all open data
Open-data activists have joined forces with bureaucrats & entrepreneurs to sort out all these problems
Some researchers & activists argue that almost all data can be cleverly scrambled to make them anonymous
Others doubt that this can ever be foolproof: as more data are published, it will become easier to mix & match from
different sources to figure out who is who
In the end, it will come down to a judgment about how much privacy is worth risking for the sake of better medical
treatments, for eg.
Different countries are likely to come to different conclusions: in Sweden, for eg. everyones income-tax records are
online, including names
Cloud Computing
04 February 2014
20:38
DREAM 2014 March- Page 12,
Uses
Cloud computing has the potential to transform the way IT is consumed & managed, resulting in improved cost
efficiencies, accelerated innovation, faster time to-market, & the ability to scale applications on demand
There is a major shift towards the cloud model leading to substantial benefits. However, the legal, contractual,
economic & security aspects of cloud computing are evolving & are yet to attain maturity
Across the world, govts in US, UK, the EU, Australia & Singapore see cloud services as an opportunity to improve
govt service delivery outcomes by eliminating redundancy, increasing agility & providing information & ICT services
at a cheaper cost
National Cloud Under MeghRaj
The National Cloud is being implemented by NIC. In order to utilise and harness the benefits of Cloud Computing,
Government of India has embarked upon an ambitious initiative GI Cloud which has been named as MeghRaj. The
focus of this initiative is to accelerate delivery of e-services in the country while optimizing ICT spending of the
Government. This will ensure optimum utilization of the infrastructure and speed up the development and deployment
of eGov applications. The architectural vision of GI Cloud encompasses a set of discrete cloud computing environments
spread across multiple locations, built on existing or new (augmented) infrastructure, following a set of common
protocols, guidelines and standards issued by the Government of India. Two Policy reports viz., GI Cloud Strategic
Direction Paper and GI Cloud Adoption and Implementation Roadmap have been prepared by the Department of
Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY).
The National Cloud will help the departments to procure ICT services on demand in the OPEX model rather than
investing upfront on the CAPEX. The Cloud Services available are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service
(PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Storage as a Service (STaaS). Some of the features of the National Cloud include
self service portal, multiple Cloud solutions, secured VPN access and multi location Cloud. NIC is providing Cloud
services under the umbrella of MeghRaj.
Introduction
The Government of India has implemented a number of ICT initiatives under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP),
including creation of ICT infrastructure both at the centre and state levels. The infrastructure thus created will provide
the basis for adoption of cloud computing for the government with the objective of making optimum use of existing
infrastructure, re-use of applications, efficient service delivery to the citizens and increasing the number of etransactions in the country, thus helping achieve the ultimate goal of NeGP.
To harness the benefits of cloud, Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY) of Government of India has embarked upon
an ambitious project termed as GI Cloud. The GI Cloud is the Government of Indias cloud computing environment
that will be used by government departments and agencies at the centre and states. In other words, it will enable the
government to leverage cloud computing for effective delivery of e-services.
This initiative will comprise the formation and implementation of a cloud computing environment at a national level
that will act as a common repository of cloud-based infrastructure resources and applications available on a sharable
basis. This will be possible by creating seamlessly operated infrastructure across the country by interconnecting the
components of network and data centres while comprehensively addressing all security related aspects. This will, interalia, enable Rapid Replication of the successfully implemented applications across the country.
While the GI Cloud initiative will focus on setting up an eco-system for cloud adoption by the Government, leveraging
the existing infrastructure, DeitY has established a Working Group headed by Shri Kris. Gopalakrishnan to recommend
an overall Policy framework for cloud services in the country.
The need for GI Cloud

The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) has led to the creation of common ICT infrastructure such as State Wide Area
Networks (SWANs), State Data Centres (SDCs) and Common Service Centres (CSCs) as well as development of guidelines
Networks (SWANs), State Data Centres (SDCs) and Common Service Centres (CSCs) as well as development of guidelines
and standards to ensure interoperability, standardisation and integration of various services to provide a single face of
the government to the people. The progress of NeGP and other national initiatives like National Data Centres (NDCs),
NICNET, National Knowledge Network (NKN) and National Optical Fibre Network (NoFN) highlight the fact that core ICT
infrastructure has been rolled out and there is considerable reach in terms of connectivity both at the national and
state level.
The GI Cloud is envisaged to be established initially on national and state data centre assets (adapted for the cloud
through virtualisation) and connected through existing network infrastructure such as the SWANs, NKN, as well as the
internet. Based on demand assessment and taking into account security related considerations, government may also
engage the services of private cloud providers.
The GI Cloud will provide services to government departments, citizens and businesses through internet as well as
mobile connectivity. In addition to accelerating the delivery of e-services to citizens and businesses , the governments
cloud-based service delivery platform will also support a number of other objectives including increased
standardisation, interoperability and integration, a move towards an opex model, the pooling of scarce, under-utilised
resources and the spread of best practices. It will also support on-going cost effectiveness and manageability.
With cloud computing there is considerable scope of speeding up the development and roll out of e-Governance
applications, enhancing agility in customising and deploying ICT to meet specific business needs, while at the same time
increasing government ICT efficiency (through re-use and economies of scale).
For realizing this vision and to establish the envisaged cloud computing platform, a well-defined adoption strategy and
roadmap are critical.
Definition of cloud computing adopted for GI Cloud
The US National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NIST) definition of cloud computing is the most widely
adopted one and has been adopted by the Government of India for GI Cloud.
It states the following:
Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly
provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
The model defined above comprises of five essential characteristics (viz. on-demand self service, ubiquitous network
access, metered use, elasticity and resource pooling), three service models (infrastructure as a service, platform as a
service and software as a service), and four deployment models (public cloud, private cloud, community cloud and
hybrid cloud). These have been depicted in the figure below.
Visual model of NIST Working Definition of Cloud Computing

Visual model of NIST Working Definition of Cloud Computing

Key drivers and potential benefits of GI Cloud:
Optimum utilisation of existing infrastructure: The government has already invested in core ICT infrastructure
build-up. The GI Cloud can initially be built on the existing infrastructure, or by its augmentation. Cloud computing
will enable optimum utilisation of this infrastructure and reduce duplication of cost and effort.
Rapid deployment and reusability: Applications developed by one entity (for e.g. departments at the centre and
states and private organisations) can be made available on the e-Gov AppStore. These applications can be deployed
and re-used by other departments with the required customisations. As a result government departments will have
the freedom to focus on their core objectives including policy, programs and process improvements or new
applications development where a similar application does not already exist.
Manageability and maintainability: The GI Cloud will provide a single directory of services providing integrated
visibility and control helping departments to dispense with the requirement of lengthy procurement and
maintenance of ICT infrastructure, an exercise which many find difficult to perform.
Scalability: Applications and infrastructure deployed on the common GI Cloud platform can take advantage of the
virtualised nature of the cloud to scale as required. This essentially becomes more useful for applications where
there is a burst of demand for ICT resources at regular intervals.
Efficient service delivery and agility: Faced with the continued budget challenges all government departments need
to find ways to deliver their services to citizens and business as economically as possible without compromising the
achievement of desired outcomes. GI Cloud shall provide the framework for government department at the centre
and in states to enable roll out of such services much faster compared to current the traditional mode. Easy and
quick access to ICT resources will lead to a faster and more agile service delivery of citizen-centric services by the
government.
Security: A security framework for the entire GI Cloud will lead to less environmental complexity and less potential
vulnerability. This will also help bring out the essential interoperability across various cloud environments in the
country.
Cost reduction: The pay-per-use model of pricing in cloud will ensure that ICT resources and applications are made
available without significant investment in infrastructure purchase and maintenance.
Ease of first time IT solution deployment: Ease of procurement of software as a service provides an opportunity to
agencies going for first time automation to leapfrog as they can buy services directly without going through the
entire IT evolution cycle.
Reduced effort in managing technology: Since most cloud offerings are based on prebuilt standardised foundation
of technology that facilitates better support, GI Cloud will reduce governments effort in managing technology. Easy
provisioning of computing resources will ensure more consistent technology upgrades and expedite fulfilment of IT
resource requests.
Increased user mobility: Cloud will facilitate user mobility and collaboration through shared data and applications
stored in the cloud when authorised anytime, anywhere availability.
Standardisation: There are outstanding issues that are being faced and dealt by all government departments in
order to maintain the reliability, portability, security, privacy, and citizen-confidence & trust in government services.
GI Cloud shall prescribe the standards around interoperability, integration, security, data security and portability etc.
GI Cloud shall consist of framework for citizen services to comply with standard practices, eliminate vendor lock-in
scenarios, etc.
Potential risks and issues of GI Cloud:

Cloud computing is not a new technology. Rather it is a new model of IT service delivery. As outlined in Gartners Hype
Cloud computing is not a new technology. Rather it is a new model of IT service delivery. As outlined in Gartners Hype
Cycle for Cloud Computing 2012, most cloud computing technologies and concepts are more than two years from
mainstream adoption. This signifies the fact that cloud computing is yet to mature both in terms of technology and
business readiness as well as adoption by the market. Issues like standards for security, interoperability, licensing,
governance and contracting in cloud are still being deliberated upon and work is in progress worldwide. So, a clear
understanding of the associated risks is required for the adoption of cloud computing by the government.
Risks and issues :
Cloud standards
Existing cloud standards pertaining to implementation, storage and migration need to be interpreted to understand
their applicability for the GI Cloud environment.
Adoption of open standards as per Government of Indias policy on open standards on interoperability and data
portability is required in order to reduce the risk of vendor lock-in and inadequate data portability.
Security and privacy
Risk of compromise of confidential information and intellectual property (IP).
Risk of inappropriate access to personal and confidential information.
Appropriate privacy and security measures need to be in place.
Application design
Traditional application design approaches are different from cloud based application design.
All new applications must be designed keeping basic cloud design premises in mind. In order to ensure this,
guidelines on application development and design need to be adopted.
Existing applications need to be assessed and if required customised in line with cloud design principles to make
them cloud ready.
Integration with legacy environment
In order to have a fully operational cloud environment, cloud based applications need to be integrated with existing
onpremise legacy applications.
However the opportunity for customisation of existing applications and services may be limited, leading to increased
complexity in integrating with existing legacy environments.
Licensing
Existing software licensing models may not facilitate cloud deployment especially from the point of cloud service
delivery.
To facilitate Government departments in deployment of cloud services, a comprehensive framework will be
developed on the usage of various licensing models. This framework will be flexible to take into account emerging
technologies and business models to leverage the same in the best interest of government.
Location of data
The dynamic nature of cloud may result in uncertainty as to where data actually resides (or where it is in transit) at a
given point in time. This raises concerns related to data ownership, accessibility, privacy and security.
The decision regarding storage and transmittal of data to different cloud models may, therefore, be based on
application sensitivity, data classification and other relevant privacy and security related considerations including
the regulatory and legal framework of the hosting jurisdiction.
Vendor lock-in
Due to the rapid emergence of cloud computing through the initiatives of individual companies, many offerings are
proprietary in nature, creating challenges in migrating data and applications to the cloud, or switching cloud
providers. This puts customers at significant risk if the need arises for systems to interoperate across cloud and inhouse environments or to retrieve data and/or applications if a cloud provider withdraws from the market. These
issues are to be managed though appropriate standards and contract provisions.
Portability
Applications developed on one platform may not be portable to, or executable on another.
Loss of control
Loss of control may lead to resistance to change. As the need to maintain servers and other data centre
infrastructure diminishes, the form of the IT function in government may change.
Users may spawn instances unnecessarily and wastefully, just because it is possible and easy.
Funding model
Due to the different funding models like pay-per-use , subscription etc. , some part of ICT capital budgeting will need
to be translated into operating expenses (OPEX), as opposed to capital expenditure (CAPEX). This will affect
budgeting for ICT and may have an effect on the ICT procurement.
New procurement guidelines, funding and a sustainability model need to be identified to address this.
Performance and conformance
Need to ensure that guaranteed service levels are achieved in the GI Cloud else it may affect effective service
delivery.
SLAs are required to be defined for each of the services that will be provided by the GI Cloud. Existing contractual
agreements and SLAs both with third part data centre operators, and cloud service providers, may be evaluated and
customised to meet the governments requirements.
For failure to adhere to the service levels, proper penalty clauses must be incorporated. This will require proper
interpretation of SLAs. Proper institutional mechanism should be established to resolve any conflict and provide for
timely intervention (if required).
A fully functional 24x7 helpdesk may be incorporated.
Skills requirement
A direct result of transitioning to a cloud environment results in demand of resources with different skill sets than
those in the traditional environment.
Given that the Government departments are generally understaffed in ICT, this presents an opportunity for
requirements identification. A well defined capacity and capability building exercise needs to be carried out across
the country to ensure projects do not suffer due to lack of skilled resources.
Ongoing training programmes and plans need to be in place for training existing resources and upgrading their skill
set in line with the new requirement.
Change management
More than being a technology, cloud is a new model of service delivery
Adopting cloud across various government departments and agencies at centre and states would call for intensive
change management initiatives. The capacity and capability building exercise should incorporate orientation
programmes to address these
The procurement teams in state and central nodal agencies need to be trained on procuring for cloud and move
away from the traditional experience of procuring hardware and software
Such a comprehensive change management initiative would require proper communication at all levels
Vision
To accelerate delivery of e-services provided by the government and to optimise ICT spending of the government.
Policy
Government departments at the centre and states to first evaluate the option of using the GI Cloud for implementation
of all new projects funded by the government. Existing applications, services and projects be evaluated to assess
whether they should migrate to the GI Cloud.
Policy principles:
All government clouds to follow the standards and guidelines set by Government of India
At the time of conceptualisation of any new Mission Mode Project (MMP) or other government project the existing
services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) of GI Cloud to be evaluated first for usage
All new applications to be cloud ready
Objective
Government of Indias objectives in adopting a cloud computing strategy is as follows:
Optimum utilisation of infrastructure
Speeding up the development and deployment of eGov applications
Easy replication of successful applications across States to avoid duplication of effort and cost in development of
similar applications
Availability of certified applications following common standards at one place
GI Cloud Strategy
Architectural vision of GI Cloud
The architectural vision of GI Cloud focuses on a set of discrete cloud computing environments spread across multiple
locations, built on existing or new (augmented) infrastructure, following a set of common protocols, guidelines and
standards issued by the Government of India. The GI Cloud services will be published through a single GI Cloud Services
Directory.
The GI Cloud is envisaged to consist of multiple National and State Clouds. The agencies responsible for operating and
managing the National and State Clouds may engage Managed Service Providers (MSPs) for managing the respective
cloud computing environments.
These cloud computing environments will utilise the existing network infrastructure such as the SWANs, NKN, NOFN
integration hubs as well as the internet.
GI Cloud Environment
The figure above depicts an overview of the GI Cloud consisting of cloud computing environments at the national and
state levels termed as National Clouds and State Clouds respectively. While one of the National Clouds will be built
utilising the infrastructure available under the National Data Centre(s), other National Clouds may also be established.
These may be new or established by augmentation of the existing data centres available at state level. Based on
demand assessment and taking into account security related considerations, government may also engage the services
of private cloud providers. The willing state clouds built on state data centres can also associate themselves with the GI
Cloud and publish their services in the GI Cloud Services Directory.
Services provided by National Clouds would include infrastructure (compute, storage and network), platform, backup
and recovery, infrastructure scaling of the State Clouds, application development, migration and hosting etc. Over a
period of time, other clouds at the national level could also provide remote infrastructure management for the State
period of time, other clouds at the national level could also provide remote infrastructure management for the State
Clouds.
The vision is also focussed on national and state level shared, reusable applications and services that will allow any
government department or agency to accelerate its eGovernance progress by using applications which other agencies
or departments have already developed and made available in the government cloud environment. The National Cloud
and each of the other clouds at the national level are envisaged to host an eGov AppStore that will act as a common
platform to host and run applications at National Clouds which are easily customisable and configurable for reuse by
various government agencies/departments at Centre and States without investing effort in development of such
applications.
Components of GI Cloud
Deriving from the architectural vision, GI Cloud is envisaged to include the following components:
Cloud computing platforms
Common platform to host and run applications - eGov AppStore
GI Cloud Services Directory that will act as the single window or portal for GI Cloud service delivery
Integrated infrastructure acting as a backbone for delivering cloud services
Common set of protocols, guidelines and standards for GI Cloud
The institutional mechanism will consist of an Empowered Committee and Architecture Management Office. DeitY
will be the administrative department responsible for implementation and monitoring of the entire GI Cloud
initiative. DeitY will be assisted by Expert Group, CoE, Auditors, Cloud Management Office etc. Agencies responsible
to operate cloud environments and provide cloud services
Centre of Excellence for cloud computing for awareness building, best practices creation, providing advisory services
to the departments on cloud adoption, showcasing the cloud technologies, international collaboration and research
and development.
Services to be provided by GI Cloud

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS): The GI Cloud will make available compute, storage and network in an on-demand
pay-per-use model to potential departments at centre and states.
Platform-as-a-service: The GI Cloud will make available platforms (programming languages and tools for development
and testing of applications that are independent of underlying infrastructure) on-demand. Production environment will
also be provided for hosting of applications on the GI Cloud.
Software-as-a-service: Applications (core applications and common applications like payment gateway, messaging
platform, MIS reporting etc) can be made available in the GI Cloud through the eGov AppStores or in a pure SaaS
model. The eGov AppStores will host both cloud and non-cloud enabled applications. Any department can use the
services of eGov AppStores through two primary means either by directly running the application available from the
respective eGov AppStore on a virtualised environment (i.e. used as a service) or can also download the application
from the respective eGov AppStore. For complex applications that require major modifications to be used by different
states, only a productised version of the same whose core is downloadable will be available at the eGov AppStores.
However, for generic applications that can be used by multiple departments at centre and states with little or no
modification, options will be provided for running the same from cloud or download from the respective eGov
AppStore and run.
Data-as-a-service: GI Cloud will also look at data as a service which is similar to SaaS and the data can be provided on
demand to the user.
Though the focus has been on pay-per-use or metered usage model of pricing, other pricing models like flat rate pricing
(especially for services that are not usage sensitive e.g. DR) or pricing based on different levels of service/usage bands
will be explored and suitably incorporated for GI Cloud.
A GI Cloud Services Directory will be created to provide a single window for discovery of services and related
information by the consumer.
NIST Definition of Cloud Computing

Essential characteristics of cloud computing
The Government of India has adopted the following five essential characteristics of cloud computing as defined by NIST,
and generally accepted by industry.
On-demand self-service: A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and
network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider.
Broad network access: Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that
promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and
workstations).
Resource pooling: The providers computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant
model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer
demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over
the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or data centre). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, and network
bandwidth.
Rapid elasticity: Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases automatically, to scale
rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the consumer, the capabilities available for
provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be appropriated in any quantity at any time.
Measured service: Cloud systems automatically control and optimise resource use by leveraging a metering
capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and
active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both
the provider and consumer of the utilised service.
Cloud computing service models
The Government of India has adopted the three basic types of cloud service offerings as defined by NIST, and generally
accepted by industry.
SaaS
The capability provided to the consumer is to use the providers applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The
applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface, such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based email), or a program interface. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud
infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with
the possible exception of limited user specific application configuration settings.
PaaS
The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired
applications created using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools supported by the provider. The
consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating
systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly configuration settings for the
application-hosting environment.
IaaS
The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental
computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control
over operating systems, storage, and deployed applications; and possibly limited control of select networking
components (e.g., host firewalls).
Cloud computing deployment models
There are four basic cloud deployment models, as outlined by NIST, which relate to who provides the cloud services.
The Government of India may employ one model or a combination of different models in delivery of applications and
business services.
Private cloud
The cloud infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organisation comprising multiple consumers (e.g.,
The cloud infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organisation comprising multiple consumers (e.g.,
business units). It may be owned, managed, and operated by the organisation, a third party, or some combination of
them, and it may exist on or off premises.
Community cloud
The cloud infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a specific community of consumers from organisations that
have shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be owned,
managed, and operated by one or more of the organisations in the community, a third party, or some combination of
them, and it may exist on or off premises.
Public cloud
The cloud infrastructure is provisioned for open use by the general public. It may be owned, managed, and operated by
a business, academic, or government organisation, or some combination of them. It exists on the premises of the cloud
provider.
Hybrid cloud
The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community, or public)
that remain unique entities, but are bound together by standardised or proprietary technology that enables data and
application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds)
Windows Azure
Windows Azure is a cloud computing platform and infrastructure, created by Microsoft, for building, deploying and
managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed datacenters. It provides both PaaS
and IaaS services and supports many different programming languages, tools and frameworks, including both
Microsoft-specific and third-party software and systems. Windows Azure was released on February 1, 2010.
Windows Azure infographics-pdf
Features
Windows Azure is Microsoft's cloud application platform. In June 2012, Windows Azure released the following new
features:
Websites allows developers to build sites using ASP.NET, PHP, or Node.js and can be deployed using FTP, Git,
Mercurial or Team Foundation Server.
Virtual machines let developers migrate applications and infrastructure without changing existing code, and can run
both Windows Server and Linux virtual machines.
Cloud services - Microsoft's Platform as a Service (PaaS) environment that is used to create scalable applications and
services. Supports multi-tier scenarios and automated deployments.
Data management - SQL Database, formerly known as SQL Azure Database, works to create, scale and extend
applications into the cloud using Microsoft SQL Server technology. Integrates with Active Directory and Microsoft
System Center and Hadoop.
Media services - A PaaS offering that can be used for encoding, content protection, streaming, and/or analytics.
The Windows Azure Platform provides an API built on REST, HTTP, and XML that allows a developer to interact with the
services provided by Windows Azure. Microsoft also provides a client-side managed class library which encapsulates the
functions of interacting with the services. It also integrates with Microsoft Visual Studio, Git, and Eclipse.
Services
Web sites - High density hosting of web sites. This feature was announced in preview form in June 2012 at the Meet
Windows Azure event. Customers can create web sites in PHP, .NET, and Node.js, or select from several open source
applications from a gallery to deploy. This comprises one aspect of the Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings for the
Windows Azure Platform.
Virtual machines - Announced in preview form at the Meet Windows Azure event in June 2012 the Windows Azure
Virtual Machines comprise the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering from Microsoft for their public cloud.
Customers can create Virtual Machines, of which they have complete control, to run the Microsoft Data Centers. As
of the preview the Virtual Machines supported Windows Server 2008 and 2012 operating systems and a few
distributions of Linux. Since May 2013, the Virtual Machine offering left the preview state and went into General
distributions of Linux. Since May 2013, the Virtual Machine offering left the preview state and went into General
Availability state (GA).
Cloud services - Previously named "Hosted Services", the Cloud Services for Windows Azure comprise one aspect of
the PaaS offerings from the Windows Azure Platform. The Cloud Services are containers of hosted applications.
These applications can be internet-facing public web applications (such as web sites and e-commerce solutions), or
they can be private processing engines for other work, such as processing orders or analyzing data.
Developers can write code for Cloud Services in a variety of different programming languages; however, there are
specific software development kits (SDKs) started by Microsoft for Python, Java, Node.js and .NET. Other languages
may have support through Open Source projects. Microsoft published the source code for their client libraries on
GitHub.
Data management
SQL Database
Tables
BLOB Storage
Business Analytics
SQL Reporting
Data Marketplace
Hadoop
Identity
Active Directory
Rights Management
Access Control Service
Messaging
Windows Azure Service Bus
Queues
Media Services
Mobile Services
Implementation
Windows Azure uses a specialized operating system, called Windows Azure, to run its "fabric layer" a cluster hosted
at Microsoft's datacenters that manages computing and storage resources of the computers and provisions the
resources (or a subset of them) to applications running on top of Windows Azure. Windows Azure has been described
as a "cloud layer" on top of a number of Windows Server systems, which use Windows Server 2008 and a customized
version of Hyper-V, known as the Windows Azure Hypervisor to provide virtualization of services. Scaling and reliability
are controlled by the Windows Azure Fabric Controller so the services and environment do not crash if one of the
servers crashes within the Microsoft datacenter and provides the management of the user's web application like
memory resources and load balancing.
22-03-2014
Microsoft asks SMBs to trade-in old hardware for Azure credits
In a bid to woo Small & Medium business, Microsoft India has announced a new trade-in scheme, offering them an
opportunity to exchange legacy hardware & use the proceeds to buy credit on Microsofts cloud service Windows
Azure
Space Science
06 March 2015
14:28
General Science NIOS-498, Std 11 Physics TN (Part I & II)-146,

Space means the vast, limitless & continuous expanse (or region) beyond the earths atmosphere
How we use space with the help of space vehicles for various purposes of importance to mankind, (eg. for the study
of earths atmosphere or surface or heavenly object like planets, or for communication). This field of knowledge is
called space exploration
Uses
Daily weather forecasts, live matches on TV through satellite, telecom signals via a satellite enables speaking with
people far away, satellite pictures estimate forest cover etc.
Remote Sensing
Astronomical Unit is the mean distance between the Earth and the Sun
Satellite Navigational System

during the coming decade, the usage of navigation system is expected to increase significantly at a global level
The market is predicted to grow to approximately 250 billion per annum by 2022
New smart phone capabilities alongside integrated technologies & multiple software based applications could
revolutionize the market in near future
GPS
Globally, the most commonly known navigation system is USs Global Positioning System (GPS)
This system has a long history and is in use since 1978 however, it has been made globally available only since 1994
and is presently the worlds most utilized SYSTEM
Such system offers real-time position, navigation and timing (PNT) services globally
Vehicles, aircraft and ships increasingly rely on equipment with satellite navigation capability. Smartphones and
other mobile devices providing map and location-based services too take the aid of GPS signals.
Although GPS transmits radio signals to users free of cost it needs to be remembered that this system is under the
control of the US Air Force. The system essentially came into being for the purposes of military and has significant
strategic utility for the USs security ARCHITECTURE
It has 31 operational satellites flying in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km. Each
of these satellite circles the earth twice a day
GLONASS
Russian constellation called GLONASS became operational in 1995
Galileo
Presently, the EU and the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing their approximately 30 satellite global
navigational system called Galileo which is expected to be up and running by 2020
BeiDou
BeiDou regional Navigation Satellite System became operational by 2003 & has a projected accuracy of 10 METERS
Chinas global navigation satellite system called BeiDou-2 (COMPASS) comprising of 35 satellites (five in
geostationary orbit and 30 in MEO) is currently under development & is expected to become operational by 2020
Space Science Page 1
geostationary orbit and 30 in MEO) is currently under development & is expected to become operational by 2020
QZSS
Japan is also developing a regional system with Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) which is expected to be in place
by 2017
Reusable Rockets
24-04-2014
SpaceX takes a step towards rocket reuse
the U.S. space company, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), successfully launched its rocket with an
unmanned capsule carrying cargo for the International Space Station. The mission also took a step towards making
the rocket reusable, with its spent first stage making a controlled descent into the Atlantic Ocean
Much of the human conquest of space has been achieved with expendable launch vehicles, rockets that are used
just once. Such one-time use has made space travel exorbitantly expensive
Although it was hoped that reuse of the Space Shuttle would lower launch costs, this complex flying machine ended
up being more expensive than expendable rockets.
SpaceX, a company established by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, is trying a different path for making its rockets
capable of undertaking multiple launches.
They are figuring out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes
Through their rocket, attempt is being made to recover it's both stages
returning the first stage is no easy task. The rocket is at a height of about 80 kilometres and travelling at 10 times
the speed of sound when the first stage engines shut down and the stage itself separates from the upper stage. The
first stage must then be slowed and brought down in a carefully controlled descent.
The first stage had been equipped with four legs intended for a future touchdown on land
, once that stage has finished its job and detached itself from the rest of the rocket, it will fire its engines again.
Instead of crashing into the sea, it will make a controlled descent, deploy its legs, slow almost to a stop off the coast
But, if a stage is brought back in this fashion, some of the propellant it carries must be set apart for manoeuvres
leading to touchdown. That will reduce amount of payload the rocket can take
The payload that a reusable version carried would be 40% lower than an expendable one. But even with that
penalty, reuse would greatly reduce drop launch costs
24-04-2014
space flight is superlatively expensive. For all their technological sophistication, rockets are one -shot wonders.
After they have fired their engines for a few minutes they are left to fall back to Earth, usually splashing
ignominiously into the ocean
But a reusable machine would slash the cost of getting into space
several of USs privately run space firms are planning to use reusable launch vehicles
ultimate goal is to have the first stage fly all the way back to the pad it was launched from, and to land itself facing
upwards. It will then be taken away, serviced, refilled with rocket fuel and readied to fly again
being the biggest, the first stage is the most expensive part, so retrieving it should make a huge difference to
launch costs
need to recover the second stage, toothough the greater altitude and speed the second stage reaches makes this
a far tougher proposition
Some experts opine that launch costs are a small part of the total cost of developing, building & running a satellite
network
Reusable rockets can help private business organisations, research institutions and even wealthy private individuals
to launch their own customised payloads
to launch their own customised payloads

This would also let human beings colonise space with relatively low cost
Challenges
The shuttle itself was intended to fly every week. In the end, it made only 135 trips over the course of 30 years.
There is a credible case that it proved more expensive, in the long run, than old-fashioned throwaway rockets would
have done. Yet SpaceX has already shaken up an industry once mired in stifling conservatism. A successful fully
reusable rocket would just be the latest example in a long tradition of it confounding its critics
Low Earth orbit (LEO)
A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with an altitude between 160 km (88 min orbital period) & 2,000 km
(127 min orbital period)
Objects below 160 km will experience very rapid orbital decay & altitude loss
With the exception of the manned lunar flights of the Apollo program, all human spaceflights have taken place in
LEO (or were suborbital)
All manned space stations to date, as well as the majority of artificial satellites, have been in LEO
Use of LEO
Although the Earth's pull due to gravity in LEO is not much less than on the surface of the Earth, people & objects in
orbit experience weightlessness because they are in free fall
A low earth orbit is simplest & most cost effective for a satellite placement & provides high bandwidth & low
communication latency
Earth observation satellites & spy satellites use LEO as they are able to see the surface of the Earth more clearly as
they are not so far away. They are also able to traverse the surface of the Earth. A majority of artificial satellites are
placed in LEO, making one complete revolution around the Earth in about 90 minutes
The International Space Station (ISS) is in a LEO about 400 km above the Earth's surface
Since it requires less energy to place a satellite into a LEO & the LEO satellite needs less powerful amplifiers for
successful transmission, LEO is still used for many communication applications
Because these LEO orbits are not geostationary, a network (or "constellation") of satellites is required to provide
continuous coverage. (Many communication satellites require geostationary orbits, & move at the same angular
velocity as the Earth)
Lower orbits also aid remote sensing satellites coz of the added detail that can be gained
Remote sensing satellites can also take advantage of sun-synchronous LEO orbits at an altitude of about 800 km
& near polar inclination
ENVISAT is one example of an Earth observation satellite that makes use of this particular type of LEO
Space debris
The LEO environment is becoming congested with space debris due to the frequency of object launches
This has caused growing concern in recent years, since collisions at orbital velocities can easily be dangerous, &
even deadly
Collisions can produce even more space debris in the process, creating a domino effect, something known as Kessler
Syndrome
The Joint Space Operations Center (part of US Strategic Command) currently tracks > 8,500 objects larger than 10
cm in LEO
However, studies suggest that there could be approx. 1 million objects larger than 2 mm, which are too small to be
visible from Earth-based observatories
Space debris
the density of space junk around Earth in low-Earth orbit
Since the beginning of space age in 1957, satellite launches & other space missions have left behind a vast amount
of junk in space, making it very congested
According to NASA, space debris is a "collection of defunct man-made objects in orbit around Earth - old satellites,
spent rocket stages, & fragments from disintegration, erosion, & collisions - including those caused by debris itself'
Most of the orbital debris is within 2,000 km of the Earth 's surface & the gratest concentrations are found at
750-800 km
> 5 lakh pieces of space junk, btw 1-10cm in size, are orbiting the Earth at the moment at a speed of 17,500
miles/hour. The speed is high enough to cause damage to a satellite incase of a collision
In Low Earth-orbit, objects travel at 4 miles (7 km) per second. At that speed, even a tiny fleck of paint has heavy
impact on collision with other objects
This can damage critical components such as pressurised items, solar cells & can also create new pieces of
potentially threatening debris
In 2007, China's anti-satellite test, which used a missile to destroy an old weather satellite, alarmed the world by
adding as much as 10% to the debris in Earth's near-space area
Damage control
Most of the space debris with size > 4 inches can be tracked & the only biggest threat comes from untrackable
debris
The US Dept of Defence maintains a debris monitoring system & informs satellites, including foreign ones, when a
collision is imminent
In such a situation, missions are known to conduct "debris avoidance manoeuvers" to dodge incoming debris. But if
the tracking devices are not able to spot the debris in time & alert the crew, then the members are advised to shift
to a "space lifeboat" called Soyuz spacecraft, smaller missions that are used to ferry the astronauts to & from the
station
The move is meant for damaging collisions" coz it may result in the complete destruction ofthe primary spacecraft
The Clean Space One project
A group of Swiss engineers have developed a technology that can "gobble up space junk in a Pac-man-like
approach". The "sensitive" project is expected to be launched in 2018
29-06-2014
NASA estimates that > half a million bits of debris - from defunct satellites to marble-sized fragments like lens
covers and copper wire - are orbiting Earth. Millions more are too small to track
Space junk has been recognised as a hazard
Experts agree that the situation has now reached the so-called Kessler Effect - when the number of objects in lower
Earth orbit is dense enough that collisions could cause a cascade
The debris field is now acting as a real barrier to operations in the lower Earth orbit which is threatening commerce
in inner space, and make launching out of Earth's environment extremely risky
Space junk will orbit for anything btw a few years to a century or more before gradually falling to the atmosphere
and burning up
Way ahead
There have been more than a dozen proposals, most either made or funded by major space agencies, to speed up
the process or destroy the debris remotely
They range from a giant tether that would generate electricity to slow down space junk until it falls into lower orbits
to deploying tungsten dust that could, the theory goes, sweep smaller debris into the lower atmosphere. Australian
researchers have proposed zapping debris with lasers. Others involve balloons, a solar sail, a wall of frozen water
and harpoons
and harpoons
None has yet been fully implemented, mostly coz of cost
30-06-2014
India's PSLV C23 launch was delayed by 3 minutes due to space junk in the low earth orbit to avoid collision
08-09-2014
Robots to protect ISS from deadly junk in lower Earth orbit
Robots are now being employed to protect the International Space Station (ISS) from potentially damaging space
junk and help repair defunct satellites
The space laboratory regularly changes orbit to avoid colliding with derelict satellites, rocket stages and other
objects whizzing around Earth at huge xspeeds. These robots may fly out to assess the danger presented by the vast
array of objects not already tracked by radar.
01-01-2016
According to NASA, there are over 50,000 pieces of debris (space junk) traveling at speeds up to 17,500 mph around
the Earth
The rising population of space debris increases the potential danger to all space vehicles, but especially to the
International Space Station, space shuttles & other spacecraft with humans aboard
Rise in space junk could provoke armed conflict say scientists
The steady rise in space junk that is floating around the planet could provoke a political row & even armed conflict,
according to scientists
Impacts from space junk, especially on military satellites, posed a special political danger & may provoke political
or even armed conflict btw space-faring nations. The owner of the impacted & destroyed satellite can hardly quickly
determine the real cause of the accident
> 23,000 pieces of space junk > 10cm are being tracked, but estimates suggest there could be half a billion
fragments ranging from 1cm to 10cm, & trillions of even smaller particles
The junk poses the greatest danger to satellites in low Earth orbit, where debris can slam into spacecraft at a
combined speed of > 30,000mph
Low Earth orbit which stretches from 100 to 1200 miles above the surface, is where most military satellites are
deployed
Even tiny pieces of debris have enough energy to damage or destroy military satellites. Even small flecks of paint
that have flaked off spacecraft can be hazardous
The warning comes after an incident in 2013 when a Russian satellite, Blits, was disabled after apparently colliding
with debris created when China shot down one of its own old weather satellites in 2007
The Chinese used a missile to destroy its satellite, an act that demonstrated its anti-satellite capabilities, & left
3,000 more pieces of debris in orbit
The amount of debris cluttering low Earth orbit has risen dramatically in half a century of spacefaring. Without
efforts to clean up the space environment, scientists warns of a cascade process in which chunks of debris crash
into one another & produce ever more smaller fragments
Jade Rabbit- Chinese Lunar Mission

Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)
09-09-2014
Indias participation in TMT Project involving astronomy research institutes in India, USA, Canada, Japan & China
TMT will be the worlds largest telescope when it becomes operational in 2023, capable of peeping into the farthest
corners of the Universe and address some of the most fundamental scientific problems of this century
08-01-2015
Govt approves TMT project in Hawaii
28-06-2015
Global code of conduct on use of outer space

06-03-2015
US flags threat to satellites from China
the US expressed concern over China developing disruptive counter-space technologies & underscored the need for
an early conclusion of a global code of conduct on use of outer space
US alleges that China has satellite-jamming capabilities & is pursuing a full suite of anti-satellite systems
A comprehensive strategy to deal with that threat includes developing rules of the world for use of outer space &
also making our satellite systems more resilient
06-03-2015
1st Indo-US Space Security Dialogue
US seeks deeper cooperation with India for early conclusion of a global framework on code of conduct for space &
stressed on maintaining long-term security & sustainability of outer space environment, including space situational
awareness & collision avoidance
The US is interested in collaborating with India on many things including maritime domain awareness & improving
space situational awareness capability
Indian & US space agencies have cooperated in Indias Chandrayaan mission launched in 2008
During the visit of US President Obama to India in Jan 2015, both nations pledged to enhance space cooperation for
peaceful purposes
01-01-2013
Aryabhatta award
Aryabhatta award
A.E. Muthunayagam, will receive the prestigious Aryabhatta award, instituted by the Astronautical Society of India
(ASI), for 2010 and V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, will receive the award for 2011. They have
been selected for their achievements in rocketry.
New planets
Dwarf planets
Currently there are 5 officially recognised dwarf planets in the solar system
The term was adopted in 2006 to describe objects orbiting the Sun that are neither planets nor natural moons
Pluto's case
19-07-2015
At a diameter of 1,473 miles, Pluto is slightly larger than what was previously estimated
This makes Pluto the biggest dwarf planet (bigger than the dwarf planet Eris), & the largest object in the Kuiper
belt (a region filled with chunks of rock & ice that orbit the Sun past Neptune)
In 2006, Pluto was relegated to the status of dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union which states that
a full-fledged planet is an object that orbits the Sun & is large enough to have become round due to the force of its
own gravity
Pluto doesn't meet this criteria as its orbit crosses Neptune's orbit, & was thus dropped from the solar system
New Planet- 2012VP113 (Biden)
06-04-2014
29-01-2015
Ceres - a dwarf planet
NASAs Dawn Spacecraft studies & sends images of the dwarf planet Ceres (earth's nearest dwarf planet)
It is one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt btw Mars & Jupiter. It almost resembles a planet & hence in 2006,
promoted as a dwarf planet (a status it now shares with Pluto)
Ceres is also the smallest of the solar system's 5 officially recognised "dwarf planets", the freshly created category
into which Pluto was moved. (The other 3 Haumea, Eris & Makemake are all, like Pluto, out beyond the orbit
of Neptune)
Ceres has all the ingredients needed to have hosted some interesting prebiotic chemistry & could shed light not just
on how the solar system got started, but how life did too
Ceres is known to have atleast 25% of water
15-03-2015
The 9th planet (Planet X)
Scientists have recently claimed they had found clear evidence of the existence of the 9th planet of the solar system
Scientists are inferring the existence of Planet X from its ghostly gravitational effects on 6 objects beyond Neptune
The planet, they claim, is roughly the size of Neptune & is yet to be spotted. However, other than their calculations,
there is no direct evidence that the planet actually exists
Based on their calculations, the scientists say the gaseous planet is around 10 times the mass of Earth
It is estimated to be anywhere btw 200 & 1,200 times the distance from the Sun to Earth (1 Astronomical Unit or
AU), as it has an extremely elliptical orbit
The researchers claim that the planet orbits the sun every 15,000 Earth years or so
During the solar system's infancy, 4.5 billion years ago, they say, the planet was knocked out to the extreme outer
edges of the solar system where it settled into a distant elliptical orbit, & where it could be found today
What makes a planet?
The International Astronomical Union lists 3 criteria for being described as a full-size planet 1. It is in orbit around the Sun
1. It is in orbit around the Sun

2. It has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium, that means it must be large enough to have become
round due to the force of its own gravity
3. It has "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit it should have become gravitationally dominant, & there
are no other bodies of comparable size other than its own satellites under its gravitational influence
Pluto was downgraded to the status of a dwarf planet coz it did not meet this criteria
Pluto was demoted coz of discovery of Eris in 2005 which was as big as Pluto, orbited the sun at a distance nearly
3 times greater & was one of many such objects in the Kupier Belt led to the International Astronomical Union
classifying both Eris & Pluto as dwarf planets
02-04-2014
Something new under the sun
A miniature planet sheds light on the extremities of the solar system
MODERN telescopes can see things billions of light-years away, so it may seem surprising that there remains
anything to be discovered in the Earths backyard. But there is. On March 27th, for example, in a paper published in
Nature, Chadwick Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory, in Hawaii, and Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for
Science, in Washington, DC, announced that they have found a new member of the suns retinue, in a part of the
solar system of which astronomers know little
The object in question, thought to be 450km across and provisionally dubbed 2012VP113, is much farther away
than Neptune, the icy world that is the most distant of the suns proper planets. Neptune is about 30 astronomical
units from the sun (an astronomical unit, or AU, is the average radius of Earths orbit, about 150m kilometres). The
highly elliptical orbit followed by 2012VP113 brings it no closer to the sun than 80 AU. At its most distant, though
this is hard to estimate until more data are available, it may be as much as 500 AU away.
This orbit puts 2012VP113 much farther out even than the Kuiper belt, a collection of icy asteroids beyond the orbit
of Neptune in which Pluto (which was booted out of the planetary club in 2006) makes its home. Instead, the two
researchers suggest their find is a member of the inner part of the Oort cloud, a collection of dwarf planets,
asteroids and comets thoughtbut not yet provedto surround the sun, and which may extend as much as half of
the four light-year distance to Alpha Centauri. The Oort cloud is believed to be the source of many comets. But
some models of how the solar system works suggest there ought to be a gulf of empty space between the Kuiper
belts edge and the Oort clouds beginning, somewhere around 10,000 AU from the sun. Uncomfortably for those
models, 2012VP113 sits in that gap.
The Oort-cloud-gap theory has already taken one hit. In 2003 Mike Brown, of the California Institute of Technology,
discovered a dwarf planet called Sedna, 1,000km across, travelling in an orbit (see diagram) similar to that of
2012VP113exactly where it should not have been, in other words. Finding one such body could have been a fluke.
A second, though, strongly suggests that the inner Oort Cloud is real, according to Megan Schwamb, of the
Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, in Taiwan, who worked with Dr Brown
Regardless of whether Sedna and 2012VP113 are part of an inner Oort cloud, their weird orbits need explaining.
They have probably not been like that from the start. The sun and its retinue condensed from a rotating disc of gas
and dust, and anything produced this way should have ended up in a more-or-less circular orbit, such as those the
and dust, and anything produced this way should have ended up in a more-or-less circular orbit, such as those the
modern planets follow.
One idea is that the two eccentrics were kicked into their orbits by a close encounter with Neptune (which is how the
Kuiper belt is thought to have been created). That seems unlikely, though, for both are too far from Neptune for its
gravity to have had much influence on them.
Another theory is that they were forced into their current orbits during the solar systems youth, perhaps by a close
encounter with another star that formed in the same nebula as the sun. If so, then they have probably orbited
undisturbed ever since, and may thus provide a window onto the earliest years of the solar system.
Elliptical thinking
There is, however, a more intriguing possibility. Sedna, 2012VP113 and a handful of smaller objects share similar values
of a particular orbital characteristic called the argument of perihelion, which describes the angle that their orbits
form with the plane of the solar system. Computer models suggest these angles should be randomly distributed. So far,
they do not seem to be. And that is a puzzle. According to Drs Trujillo and Sheppard, one possible explanation is that
the gravity of something big, distant and unseen is marshalling the orbits of these smaller hunks of rock. The two
researchers say their data are compatible with the idea of a giant planet lurking in the far reaches of the solar system.
Compatible with is not the same as proof of, of course. Unlike the makers of science-fiction films, most
astronomers are sceptical of Planet X hypotheses, of which there have been plenty over the years. So far only one
has proved correctNeptune itself, whose existence was inferred in the 19th century from irregularities in the orbit of
Uranus. But things should become clearer in the not-too-distant future, when new telescopes more capable of spotting
dim, distant objects come into operation. When these get going, they will probably find that Earths backyard holds
plenty more surprises.
24-04-2014
Private space exploration
This is the age of private space exploration, especially in US
The US govt has reduced assistance to NASA & opened the space for private companies
SpaceX, Virigin Galactic etc are companies trying to explore space
Billionaires are donating money for it
Low earth orbit Space tourism
It might be that private companies are trying to own space
Mining on the moon for Helium 3 for example might get privately owned
We dont really have laws or regulations in space for private space explorations. All the laws which exist are for
countries only
02-05-2014
Gravitational lensing
The galaxy cluster is so massive that its gravity distorts, brightens, & magnifies light from more distant objects
behind it, an effect called gravitational lensing
11-05-2014
Saturn Opposition
The ringed planet will be in opposition, a once-a-year occurrence, that means that it will be at its brightest and most
clearly visible for all sky watchers. An opposition occurs when the Sun is on one side of the Earth and the object is
directly opposite on the other.
At opposition, a planet is visible all night, rising around sunset, culminating around midnight and setting around
sunrise. Half of the planet visible from the Earth is completely illuminated, the Saturn Opposition occurs after one year.
Experts said the event can be watched with naked eyes. It would not lead to partial blindness. With telescopes,
Experts said the event can be watched with naked eyes. It would not lead to partial blindness. With telescopes,
amateur astronomers will be able to watch the rings of Saturn, experts added
27-09-2014
Earths water older than the sun: study
A significant fraction of our solar systems water is older than than the sun indicating that abundant, organic-rich
interstellar ices should probably be found in all young planetary systems, says pioneering research.
08-11-2014
How planets are formed?
All planets are believed to form within clouds of gas & dust that collapse under gravity. Over time, the surrounding
dust particles stick together, growing into rocks, which eventually settle into a thin protoplanetary disk
Once these planetary bodies acquire enough mass, they dramatically reshape themselves into tighter and more
confined zones
22-01-2015
NuSTAR is a space x-ray telescope which is used to study the most extreme environments in the universe, which emit
x-rays
22-02-2015
Europa is Jupiter's satellite
Space war
29-04-2015
concern over China developing "disruptive and destructive" counter-space capabilities, which includes both "hard
kill" capabilities that was demonstrated by its anti-satellite test in 2007, but also growing space jamming
capabilities, which would effect denial of service of US or other satellites
Both the US and erstwhile USSR during the cold war had started on the path of anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities. But
given the "intricate" connection with nuclear deterrence, both countries stepped back. If they had engaged in ASAT
development then which could have seen a nuclear explosion in space, it would have spelt the end of manned
space missions, or space walks by astronauts since the radiation levels would have rendered it impossible
the space domain is more crowded today, with more countries, including India, becoming capable players in outer
space
A related problem is the issue of space debris - China's 2007 ASAT test produced 36,000 pieces of space debris,
many of whom have later threatened China's own satellites
Extra-terrestrials (ETs) & Alien Life
26-05-2014
Does life exist beyond Earth? Aliens could be discovered within 20 years, scientists say
Life may exist on at least half a dozen other worlds (besides the Earth) & it may just take us another two decades to
discover it, according to scientists
Scientists are searching for life beyond Earth using 3 different methods
The 1st method involves the search for microbial extraterrestrials or their remains
Most efforts, so far, to find alien life have focused on Mars & potential life-bearing moons in the outer solar
system
But at least a half-dozen other worlds (besides Earth) that might have life are in our solar system
A 2nd scientific initiative scans the atmospheres of distant planets to search for telltale signs of oxygen or methane,
A 2nd scientific initiative scans the atmospheres of distant planets to search for telltale signs of oxygen or methane,
which, on Earth, are mostly associated with life
The 3rd method involves hunting for technologically advanced extraterrestrial life that is sending radio or other
signals out into space
The idea behind the Search of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), is to eavesdrop on signals that are deliberately
or accidentally leaked from another world
We already have the technology that would allow us to send bits of information across light years of distance to
possible extraterrestrials
01-06-2014
05-06-2015
05-06-2015
Life cannot live by water alone. Other elements are needed notably carbon & nitrogen. And that is what makes
Enceladus & Europa (icy moons of solar system) so interesting
There is evidence that the oceans on both are in contact with a rocky seafloor that can provide the elements life
needs
23-06-2015
21-07-2015
Stephen Hawking launches biggest-ever search for alien life
Together with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking launched the $100 -million
Breakthrough Listen project, perhaps the most intensive search for alien life yet
The project will attempt to eavesdrop on radio conversations taking place btw advanced life forms light years
beyond the solar system, much like the satellite dishes of the Allen Telescope Array at the SETI (Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California
Human attempts to colonise space
British theoretical physicist & cosmologist Stephen Hawking wrote - We are in danger of destroying ourselves by
our greed & stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small & increasingly polluted &
overcrowded planet. I dont think the human race will survive the next 1000 yrs, unless we spread into space
He further said: I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so
Humans will be the Extra Terrestrials (ETs) when they set foot on other planets through space expeditions
In order to sustain human life if (or when) Earth becomes uninhabitable (from the effects of catastrophic global
warming, new virulent strains of pathogenic bacteria, or some such development), alternative worlds need to be
explored, & with Destination Mars being rolled out, humans are daring to cross the frontier lines of Planet Earth,
with an intent to check if life exists & if human colonies can be set up?
The Netherlands-based non-profit organisation Mars One hopes to land astronauts on Mars by 2026, but this is
supposedly a one-way trip, with no return plan addressed
Still, > 2 lakh people applied for the honour of being among the first few aliens to visit Mars
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk envisions a colony in Mars, with a population of 80,000 human beings. The
key to this plan lies in developing the right space launch vehicle
NASAs human spaceflight programme too has the long-term goal of getting astronauts to the vicinity of the red
planet by the mid-2030s
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai

17 October 2014
11:36
He is also called the Father of the Indian space program

He put India on the international map in the field of space research
Indian space missions

09 April 2015
13:56
ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation
50 yrs of Indian Radioastronomy ?
Space Commission
It is the highest policy-making body for matters related to space exploration in India & is headed by ISRO chairman
Members are taken up by independent space scientists & experts (Foreign Secretary is newly inducted into it)
29-06-2014
Isro has so far launched 35 satellites from 19 countries around the globe, bringing a huge sum to the country as
foreign exchange
01-07-2014
PM speech on successful launch of PSLV C23
Effort of scientists from Upanishads to Upagrah
India has the potential to be the launch service provider of the world
it has a critical role in realizing the vision of a Digital India the power of 125 crore connected Indians
the works of our ancestors, who included visionaries like Bhaskaracharya & Aryabhata, still continue to inspire
generations of scientists.
India must share the fruits of its advancement in space technology with the developing world, and neighbours in
particular. He called upon the space community to take up the challenge of developing a SAARC satellite that can be
dedicated to our neighbourhood as a gift from India.
Indias age-old ethos of the whole world being one family, Indias space programme is driven by a vision of service to
humanity, not a desire of power.
He called upon the space community to proactively engage with all stakeholders to maximize the use of space
science in governance and development.
02-07-2014
China uses its space capabilities for soft-power diplomacy (for eg. agreement with Brazil to jointly build earth
observation satellites)
05-10-2014
Antrix is the commercial arm of ISRO
20-11-2014
ISRO to rope in industry to focus on R&D
ISRO is looking at means to consolidate its partnership with industry to produce launch vehicles & operational
communication satellites so that the team can concentrate more on research & development
It wants to create an entity on the lines of Arianespace a commercial satellite launch company representing 10
European countries
Indias Mars Orbitor Mission (MOM) saw 125 firms participating, whether in the making of the space launch vehicle,
payload or ground system
20-11-2014
ISRO wins Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament & Development for 2014
For its contributions in strengthening international cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space & for the
organisations role in addressing the needs of rural Indians in remote areas
organisations role in addressing the needs of rural Indians in remote areas

23-03-2015
Uses from ISRO
Space organisations like Isro are generally perceived as suppliers of remote-sensing data & communications
platforms
Isro does provide data for weather forecasting, water conservation & mapping crops, minerals, forest cover &
other resources
Its communications network delivers telemedicine, distance education & media
However, the design & fabrication of space systems, & even the infrastructure to develop them, offer spinoffs that
can accelerate development or be commercialised by industry
Isro contributes to material sciences, using its experience with ceramics, refractories, structurals & coatings, which
space components need to survive the hostile environments & massive accelerations that they are exposed to
Communications hardware & electronics designed for space can be spun off into cheap market products
NASA was a pioneer in video imaging & transmission techniques, which found use in satellite TV. It perfected the
smoke detector, & the cochlear implant was born of its signal processing technology
Cryogenic propulsion technology
Cryogenics is the science of very low temperatures
A cryogenic space engine uses hydrogen as fuel, stored at -253C & liquid oxygen as oxidizer at -183C
US, Russia, China, Japan & the European Space Agency have mastered it
30-08-2015
ISROs 2nd consecutive successful launch of GSLV, with an indigenous cryogenic upper stage (CUS) carrying GSAT-6
in Aug 2015
most of the communication satellites ISRO currently makes are beyond the GSLV-Mk-IIs 2-tonne capability
Indias dependence on foreign space agencies to launch those heavier satellites will continue till the GSLV-Mk-III is
tested & declared operational
India spends approximately Rs.500 crore per launch, & the cost is rising with each launch
The global trends reflect an increase in the size of communication satellites & a reduction in the size of earth
observation satellites
India's journey
Isro Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in southern Tamil Nadu
Mastering this complex, high performance cryogenic propulsion technology will go a long way in building self
reliance for the Indian Space Programme
20-07-2015
India's GSLV-Mark III project aimed at carrying 4-tonne payloads, including future manned missions, has got a boost
with Isro successfully test-firing on ground CE-20, the first indigenous high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine
GSLV-Mk III is expected to make its first flight by the end of 2016
India has so far used 6 of 7 cryogenic engines procured from Russia & needs indigenous engines to fly GSLVs to
propel its future space missions
India had developed an indigenous cryogenic stage called CE-7.5 with an engine thrust of 7.5 tonnes
Compared to this, CE-20 will have a higher thrust of 19 tonnes and will be capable of carrying satellites that weigh
up to four tonnes
The first flight of a GSLV with the indigenous CE-7.5 cryogenic engine on December 25, 2010 was a failure, but on
January 5, 2014 GSLV-D5 (Mk II) used the engine to successfully put in orbit communication satellite GSAT-14 which
weighed 1,982kg
National Law for Space- A need
19-07-2015
Experts bat for space law
Experts bat for space law

50 years after it started the space programme & later entered the global market with products & satellite launches,
India does not have a space law to protect sovereign, public or commercial interests
Why needed
India is among the 5 countries that do not have a space law; while 15 others including the US, Russia, Japan, China,
Kazakhstan & Ukraine, have laws based broadly on the Outer Space Treaty of 1967
A law was needed to ensure that space assets & applications are used for the right causes
As global trends change fast (commercialisation & privatisation of outer space), a clear & comprehensive law will
also help a budding space industry to grow
Experts opine that we should have had a national law before ISROs international launch services as the country
could face huge liabilities
As a new set of entrepreneurs had emerged & govt spending in the sector increased, the risk scenario is also
changing
Today the applications of space programmes have grown tremendously (High resolution images, Broadcasting &
Internet)
There are 15,000 objects in space orbits [that can threaten working satellites]
The future will be much more complex as space tourism gets popular
Also in South Asia, India is the only custodian of remote sensing data
Space activities are currently guided by a handful of international space agreements, the Constitution, national laws,
the Satellite Communications (SatCom) Policy of 2000 & the revised Remote sensing policy or 2011
The future national space law can include a regulator, registration & licence of private operators, compensation for
harm caused by space objects, insurance, investor disputes, & rescue of space tourists, environmental damage &
handling of intellectual property issues
Privatisation of the Indias space programme
Space industry enclaves (parks) to come up
Two space industry enclaves or parks that have been conceived one for launchers at Sriharikota & a smaller one
at an existing Bengaluru spacecraft campus signal increased privatisation of the nations space programme over
the next 5 yrs
ISRO wants to groom & engage domestic industry in the launch vehicles area from integrating sub-systems up to
assembling, & even launching the PSLV
The current production works of different parts of launch vehicle are scattered across different industry's respective
locations. But the launch industry initiative must be close to ISROs launch complex (Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at
the 145-sq km Sriharikota range), on the lines of the launch complex of Europes Arianespace in French Guiana
On the spacecraft front, ISRO plans to increasingly support small & mid-sized industries
ISITE, short for ISRO Satellite Integration & Test Establishment, is already open to a few suppliers who assemble
& test their spacecraft systems for the ISRO
In the coming yrs, more satellites will be needed for replacing the ageing ones in orbit & new advanced
communication, Earth observation & navigation spacecraft
Industrys present capacity is unable to meet the increasing launch frequency, for both internal & commercial
satellites. Hence a private-public industry consortium initiative is expected to improve industry's capacity &
frequency of launches
Astrosat
It is Indias Multi Wavelength Space Observatory
Astrosat bears instruments looking at the cosmos in 5 frequency bands: the near & far ultraviolet, soft & hard Xrays, & the visible spectrum
Analysis
India is not just a provider of scientific talent & cheap launch services to the worlds space efforts, but a scientific
partner & a contributor to humanitys understanding of the universe
27-09-2015
27-09-2015
Astrosat is Indias first astronomy observatory to study distant celestial objects
It carries 5 instruments
Moving in a near Equatorial orbit 650 km above Earth, Astrosat will study black holes, scan the distant universe, star
birth regions beyond our galaxy, binary & neutron starts over at least 5 yrs
It will simultaneously observe the sky in multiple light bands or wavelengths of ultraviolet, optical, low & high
energy X-ray
29-09-2015
Astrosat aims at understanding the high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars & black
holes, to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars, to study star birth regions & high energy processes in star
systems lying beyond the Milky Way galaxy
The mission also intends to detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky, to perform a limited deep field survey
of the universe in the ultraviolet region
The other institutions that participated in the gigantic task of Astrosat launch are Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics & Raman Research
Institute
30-09-2015
Since the Earths atmosphere does not allow X-rays & ultraviolet energy from distant cosmic objects to reach
ground-based telescopes, space observatories become important to unravel celestial mysteries
Stars & galaxies emit in multiple wavebands
The ability to simultaneously study a wide variety of wavelengths visible light, ultraviolet & X-ray (both low- &
high-energy) bands has tremendous implications for scientists globally, particularly those in India
It will enable Indian researchers to work in the frontier areas of high-energy astrophysics
Future programs
GSLV Mark III
It is one of the heaviest indigenous launch vehicles that is been developed till date
The vehicle is 42.4 mt tall (other GSLV is 49 mt)
is a three-stage vehicle (also have a passive cryogenic stage/engine)
will also include a unmanned crew module for characterisation of re-entry from the space. Indias dream of sending
its astronauts into space shall come true
shall help ISRO put heavier communication satellites (btw 4,500-5,000 kg.) of INSAT-4 class into orbit
shall enhance Indias capability to be a competitive player in the multimillion dollar commercial launch market
The vehicle envisages multi-mission launch capability for GTO (geo transfer orbit), LEO (low earth orbit), Polar and
intermediate circular orbits
The main purpose of the mission is to study the aerodynamics and stability of the rocket
Expenditure: India pays around Rs.500 crore as launch fee for sending up a 3.5 tonne communication satellites
whereas the GSLV rocket costs just around Rs.220 crore
05-04-2014
GSLV-Mark III will carry a 'novel payload' to space as a prelude to manned missions
It is an experimental mission to test solid stage S200, liquid stage L110 & cryo stage
A crew capsule will also be on board which will help us characterise atmospheric reentry conditions & give us
data to validate our own life support systems
02-11-2014
02-11-2014
GSLV Mark-III set for partial test flight
GSLV Mark-III is set for its first partial test flight in the first half of December
It also tests features of an unmanned crew module that will be flown down from space and recovered from sea.
In the crew module test
the main objective is to look at heating during re-entry and how a vehicle of that size and shape performs in the
crucial space phase.
The thermal protection systems around the crew module must withstand the [high] temperature
A failsafe, parachute-aided descent of the crew module is crucial for flying future Indian astronauts into space
and getting them back to Earth safely.
Mark-III can have its first full developmental flight carrying a full satellite of about 3,500 kg only when the
cryogenic stage is qualified; that could take two to three years.
ISRO now depends on costly foreign launchers to put its 3-tonne communication satellites into space.
Chandrayaan 2
The Chandrayaan-1 project was instrumental in confirming the presence of water on the lunar surface
It is an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission to Moon

ISROs capability to soft-land on the lunar surface will be demonstrated with this mission
Chandrayaan-2 is configured as a two module system comprising of an Orbiter Craft module (OC) & a Lander Craft
module (LC) carrying the Rover developed by ISRO
Both the modules are interfaced mechanically by an inter module adapter
The Orbiter Craft with payloads onboard will orbit around the moon & perform the objectives of remote sensing
the moon. The payloads on the orbiter will conduct mineralogical & elemental studies of the Moons surface
The Lander Craft with scientific payloads will soft land on the lunar surface at a predetermined location on the
lunar surface
The Rover is released by the Lander Craft & has the mission objective of performing mobility activities on low
gravity & vacuum of Moon surface with Semi-Autonomous navigation & hazard avoidance capability
The Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) & Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) payloads
onboard Rover would perform elemental analysis of the lunar surface near the landing site
11-05-2014
The GSLV-Mark II with an indigenous cryogenic engine will put Chandrayaan-2 in orbit in 2017
19-03-2014
In the case of communication satellites, satellite is usually put at an altitude of 36,000 km above the equator. The
satellite would take 24 hours for one revolution, which is equal to what it takes for the Earth too (to rotate on its
axis)
If you look at GSLV Mark III, which we are now developing, it is far more powerful compared to GSLV. In GSLV, we
can put a 2,200 kg satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit that means in an orbit where the apogee is 36,000
km and perigee is 200 km whereas in GSLV Mark III, we can take to the orbit a satellite of 4,000 kg. So thats
almost double the capacity
Perigee means the distance closest to the Earth and apogee is the farthest point
The Mars Orbiter Mission is critical for space exploration. It also shows Indias capability to take a spacecraft to a
distance of 400 million km, control it properly there & then conduct experiments
The objective of this mission is to prove our technological capability to precisely orbit a satellite around Mars.
There have been 51 Mars missions; only 21 were successful
Secondly, the scientific objective is to study the presence of methane. Why is methane important? We want to
understand the existence of life on Mars
Cost & time, both. We have done it at 1/10th the cost
Cost & time, both. We have done it at 1/10th the cost

we had decided from the seventies that Indian industries, both public and private, are going to be part of us. We
also make the best use of the academic community in doing research activities
If you look at the turnover of Antrix, it has been going up. We recently launched a SPOT 6 satellite, one of the best
remote sensing satellites in the world, & SPOT 7 is ready to be launched
Antrix has been contributing a lot to the communication satellite programme. A number of satellites of foreign
countries are lined up for launch using our PSLV. The recently launched microwave remote sensing satellite is also
going to be used by foreign customers through an arrangement with Antrix
Mission Aditya
A solar mission to study the Sun
For studying the corona & the solar flares from a low earth orbit
05-04-2014
Aditya is designed to study sun & its features like coronal emissions
20-09-2015
ASTROSAT is a multi-wave length observatory capable of studying distant celestial objects & the first dedicated
astronomy satellite to be launched by the ISRO
06-03-2015
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR), likely to be launched by 2021
this is a high-end satellite that will help in earth observation & monitoring climate change
15-11-2015
India's solar mission 'Aditya' & its importance
Aditya is Indias first dedicated scientific mission to study the sun
It will study the suns outer most layers, the corona & the chromosphere, collect data about coronal mass ejection &
more, which will also yield information for space weather prediction
The project costs approximately Rs 400 crores & is a joint venture btw ISRO & physicists from Indian Institute of
Astrophysics, Bengaluru; Inter University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics, Pune; Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research, Mumbai, & other institutes
It aims to put a heavy satellite into what is called a halo orbit around the L1 point btw the Sun & the Earth. This
point is at a distance of about 1.5 million km from the earth
At this point, the satellite can maintain its position with respect to the Sun & the Earth
A halo orbit would be a circular orbit around the L1 point
The satellite will have to use its own power (spend energy) to remain in position within in this orbit without
losing its way
Such orbits have not been attempted too often
Studying the corona
Solar coronagraph is a combination of imaging & spectroscopy in multi-wavelength which will enhance
understanding of the solar atmosphere
The images will be used to study the highly dynamic nature of the solar corona including the small-scale coronal
loops & large-scale Coronal Mass Ejections
The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun & the chromosphere is the second inner layer
The data can help us understand the corona & solar wind, which is a spewing of charged particles into space, at
speeds as high as 900 km/s & at about 1 million C temperature, affecting the environment there
Just like on earth, environment in space changes due to happenings in the sun, such as solar storms (flares). This is
known as space weather
Impact of space weather
Solar storms & space weather affect satellite operations
They may interfere with electronic circuitry of satellites & also, through enhanced drag (friction effects), impact
satellite mission lifetimes
They also impact the positional accuracy of satellites & thus impact GPS navigational networks
Space weather also impacts telecommunications, satellite TV broadcasts which are dependent on satellite-based
Space weather also impacts telecommunications, satellite TV broadcasts which are dependent on satellite-based
transmission
How will Aditya mission help
The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating btw different models for the origin of solar
storms & also for constraining how the storms evolve & what path they take through the interplanetary space from
the Sun to the Earth
At the moment, there are models & calculations made by NASA which Indian scientists use to maintain their
satellites. Now, there is a possibility of Indians developing their own space weather prediction models
Human Space Flight Mission Programme
The objective of it is to undertake a human spaceflight mission to carry a crew of two to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) &
return them safely to a predefined destination on earth
The programme envisages the development of a fully autonomous orbital vehicle carrying 2 or 3 crew members to
about 300 km low earth orbit & their safe return
26-09-2014
MkIII will test the recovery of a dummy crew module from sea. The module is the core of a future Human Space Project,
in which a couple of astronauts will fly close to Earth for a few days.
Re-usable Satellite launch vehicle

16-06-2015
ISRO will flight test an indigenously developed re-usable satellite launch vehicle for the first time in September 2015
Under the project, a plane will be flown into outer space at 5 times the speed of sound, deliver the payload & then
land back like an aircraft
At present, the various stages in a satellite launch vehicle fall off in succession during launch & cannot be reused,
making such launches expensive
18-02-2014
GSAT-7
first Navy satellite to be launched
GSAT-7 is an advanced communication satellite built by ISRO to provide wide range of service spectrum from low bit
rate voice to high bit rate data communication
Indias first full-fledged military communications satellite which will be used exclusively by the Navy to shore up
secure, real-time communications among its warships, submarines, aircraft and land systems.
GSAT-7/ INSAT-4F is said to significantly improve the countrys maritime security and intelligence gathering in a wide
swathe on the eastern and western flanks of the Indian Ocean region
INSAT-3D
INSAT-3D is an advanced weather satellite of India configured with improved imaging System & Atmospheric Sounder
The KALPANA & INSAT-3A satellites of India are operational in geostationary orbit for the past one decade at 74
degree East and 93.5 degree East respectively.
These Satellites have imaging systems providing images in Visible, Near-Infrared, Shortwave Infrared, Water Vapour
and Thermal Infrared bands.
INSAT-3D adds a new dimension to weather monitoring through its Atmospheric Sounding System, which provides
vertical profiles of temperature (40 levels from surface to ~ 70 km), humidity (21 levels from surface to ~ 15 km) and
vertical profiles of temperature (40 levels from surface to ~ 70 km), humidity (21 levels from surface to ~ 15 km) and
integrated ozone from surface to top of the atmosphere.
The Imaging System of INSAT-3D has significant improvements over that of KALPANA and INSAT-3A :
Imaging in Middle Infrared band to provide night time pictures of low clouds and fog.
Imaging in two Thermal Infrared bands for estimation of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) with better accuracy.
Higher Spatial Resolution in the Visible and Thermal Infrared bands.
Also, INSAT-3D carries a Data Relay Transponder and Search and Rescue Transponder.
INSAT-3D will provide continuity to earlier missions and further augment the capability to provide various
meteorological as well as search and rescue services
INSAT-3D has a lift-off mass of 2060 kg, which includes about 1125 kg of propellant.
The propellant carried by INSAT-3D is mainly required to raise the satellite from the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
(GTO) to its final Geostationary Orbit and to maintain the satellite attitude during its life.
INSAT-3D is based on ISROs two Tonne Class platform (I-2K bus) employing light-weight structural elements like
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP).
The satellite has a solar panel generating 1164 Watts of power.
INSAT-3D is launched into a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by Ariane-5 VA-214 launch vehicle from
Kourou, French Guiana. The solar panel of the satellite will be deployed immediately after its injection into GTO.
Following this, ISROs Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan takes control of the satellite and performs the
initial orbit raising maneuvers using the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on-board the satellite, finally placing it in the
circular Geostationary Orbit.
Later, INSAT-3D will be put into its final orbital configuration and positioned at 82 deg East longitude.
The designed in-orbit operational life of INSAT-3D is 7 years
09-12-2014
India launches GSAT-16
GSAT-16 has 48 transponders, the largest number thus far on a communication satellite
GSAT will join a constellation of 10 satellites which forms the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system
Already we have existing 188 transponders on the INSAT system that broadcast television programmes, provide
educational & tele-medicine services, carry telephone conversations & relay data
In addition, close to 95 transponders have been leased on foreign satellites, principally to meet the needs of DirectTo-Home (DTH) television channels
the first indigenously-built INSAT satellites was launched in 1992
IRNSS System
IRNSS System
Once operational by 2016, the IRNSS system will offer navigational services for both civilian & defence purposes in
India & 1,500 km beyond its borders
Basic navigational services can take off with just 4 satellites in orbit, ie. 2014
The XL version of PSLV was earlier used for critical missions like Chandrayaan-1, Mars orbiter mission & the first
IRNSS satellite IRNSS-1A, 1B etc.
'XL' configuration which allows for higher payload
IRNSS system are built for a mission of 10 yrs
05-04-2014
When Pakistani troops took positions in Kargil in 1999, one of the first things Indian military sought was GPS data for
the region, but the US denied it to India. Hence the need arised.
With IRNSS, India can keep a close watch of not just its boundaries, but up to 1,500 km beyond that. It works on a
combination of seven satellites which would 'look' at the region from different angles, and, in the process, helps
calculate from relative data, real-time movement of objects by as less as 10m.
3 of the 7 satellites will be in geostationary orbits and the other 4 in inclined geosynchronous orbits. From ground,
the 3 geostationary satellites will appear at a fixed point in the sky. However, the 4 geosynchronous satellites
moving in inclined orbits in pairs will appear to move in the figure of '8' when 'seen' from ground.
Apart from navigation, the system will help in precise time keeping, disaster management, fleet management and
mapping.
Geopolitical needs teach you that some countries can deny you the service in times of conflict. It's also a way of arm
twisting. A system run by another country (like GPS) may be switched off in times of crisis leading to complete
collapse of certain services.
2 types of services that IRNSS will be offering
Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for civilian use (accuracy of 20m)
Restricted Services (RS) with accuracy of < 10m
India will join the small group of nations with their own satellite navigation systems
The US GPS, Russian GLONASS & French DORIS. By 2020, the EUs Galileo & Chinas BeiDou satellite arrays are
expected to be globally deployed
The need to own secure positioning services is obvious. A major geopolitical incident could render foreign GPS
systems hard to access, or impossible to trust
The extra accuracy which the IRNSS promises will assume significance for future developments like the Internet of
Things, to revolutionise logistics & inventory management & enhance telemetry services
The Isro is taking a significant step with the IRNSS, helping to future-proof the nation from the perspective of the
security & accuracy of data
06-04-2014
In aerial navigation, aircraft will use the IRNSS satellites when they are cruising, approaching an airport to land or
during landing.
will help ships navigate towards their destination through safe and short routes and in guiding them to enter
harbours.
In land navigation, drivers of cars and trucks, with a receiver in their mobile phone, can reach their destination
through the shortest route
In defence, the IRNSS will help missiles in accurately reaching their targets (circumventing hills). Air-launched
missiles will use these satellites to know where they are and head towards their targets. The atomic clocks on the
satellites will help missiles in executing their manoeuvres at the appointed time.
The uniqueness of the IRNSS is to have a system with satellites in the geostationary orbit instead of MEO.
For India development of its own navigational system was the need of the hour for civilian, commercial and strategic
purposes.
China has committed to provide Pakistan with a military quality signal of its BeiDou system (BDS)
Concerns
S-band frequency used for first time & problems could arise in miniaturizing the receiver antenna for S-band.
since satellites are at high elevation, they could restrict the system for providing accurate indoor applications
09-10-2015
The IRNSS would provide self-reliance in the strategically important area of position-related information
India wants to extend its services to SAARC countries
India wants to take IRNSS gradually over the entire globe, may be in less than a decade
It could be done by adding a set of regional satellites over adjoining countries
India is working towards this with other countries South Korea & the Gulf nations
21-01-2016
IRNSS- 5th satellite put into orbit
IRNSS is a network of satellites in space-based regional navigation system providing location services over India &
neighbouring areas
The IRNSS is regional & will cover the area over India & 1,500 km from Indias political boundaries, unlike the GPS
which is global. However, coz it is specific to the Indian region, it is expected to be even more accurate than the
GPS. The GPS system uses 24 satellites at present though it can support a constellation of 30 satellites
The IRNSS constellation had already started working after the launch of the 4th satellite in Mar 2015, the minimum
number required to make the system operational
GAGAN (GPS-Aided Geo Augmentation Navigation) is meant for navigation services for civil aircraft over the Indian
region
GAGAN enhances the GPS-derived details of location & time of objects or persons
In April 2015, ISRO & the Airports Authority of India also completed GAGAN, focussed on airlines, airports & the
civil aviation sector but applicable to land & sea-based services like highways, railways, maritime transport,
survey, telecom, etc.
The plan is to integrate IRNSS & GAGAN with Bhuvan (a satellite-based mapping service for the Indian mainland
developed by ISRO a few years ago)
Both IRNSS & GAGAN would help personal, public & industrial users, from transportation, railways, forestry,
farming, agriculture & security
Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM)

11-09-2014
It is a liquid-propellant engine which is carried on such satellites so that they can be moved from the temporary
orbit in which launch vehicles place them to the appropriate operational location
This engine was originally developed by the ISRO for its communication satellites
Such an engine can be shut off once the spacecraft achieves the desired velocity & fire several times if required,
allowing a change of orbit to be achieved with considerable precision
A solid-propellant motor, on the other hand, once fired, will continue to operate till the propellants are
exhausted
The Indian LAM took about 8 years to develop
The engine generates a thrust of about 45 kg. Pressurised helium gas drives the propellants, monomethyl
hydrazine & a nitrogen tetroxide mixture, from the tanks to the thrust chamber
It also propelled Indias Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe to the Moon & hurled the Mars Orbiter beyond Earths clutches
Another important development that took place was of a smaller liquid-propellant engine, known as a thruster
A spacecraft carries several thrusters that are typically fired in short bursts to correct its orientation & any drift in
the orbit
GAGAN, SIMRAN
GAGAN System (GPS Aided Geo-Augmented Navigation)
GAGAN is a joint effort of Airport Authority of India (AAI) & ISRO
In the aviation field, GAGAN will support more direct air routes, reduce fuel consumption & improve safety
In addition, GAGAN provides benefits to agriculture, all modes of transportation & public services such a defence
services, security agencies & disaster recovery management by aiding in search & rescue to locate the disaster zone
accurately
Since 14th February 2014, GAGAN has been continuously providing navigation signals from GSAT-8 & GSAT-10
satellites launched by ISRO, augmenting the performance of GPS signals received over Indian Airspace
GAGAN was already certified for en route operation since 30th December 2013
14-07-2015
15-01-2015
What is the working mechanism for GAGAN & SIMRAN navigation system?
GAGAN is GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation which improves the accuracy of Global Satellite Navigation System
(GNSS) receivers
The normal GPS system does not provide the necessary accuracy, integrity etc. required for civil aviation. The GPS
system is to be augmented for this
Various countries have different Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) & India is having GAGAN
This system consists of 8 Reference Stations called Indian Reference stations, 1 master control centre, 1
Indian Uplinking Station & a geostationary satellite having GPS transponders namely L1 & L2
Indian Uplinking Station & a geostationary satellite having GPS transponders namely L1 & L2
The reference stations receive GPS signals as well as signals from geostationary satellite
The signals received at reference stations are sent to master control centre. The master control centre processes
this data & computes the corrections for various errors
The corrected messages are formatted for GPS compatibility & sent to the uplinking station. The uplinking station
transmits this to geosynchronous satellite for broadcast to user terminals
The reference stations are located at widely distributed locations in India including at Port Blair
The geosynchronous satellite has GPS L1 compatible navigation transponder. Users like aircraft receive this satellite
signal along with GPS signals & compute their improved position for navigation
The GAGAN system incorporates ionospheric corrections by studying the ionospheric behaviour & modelling &
applying corrections
With this accuracy of < 0.5 mt will be provided by SBAS using GAGAN
GAGAN will offer high accuracies over wide geographical area like Indian airspace. GSAT-8 satellite has the GAGAN
payload. This system will be used by the Airport Authority of India for air traffic management
SIMRAN is Satellite Imaging for Rail Navigation
This provides real time information to people for accurate train tracking of trains
GPS receivers will be installed in trains to get the location of the trains & this information will be sent to a central
server which can be accessed by public to find the train location
This system has been developed by Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with IITKanpur
Indias Mars mission

18 February 2014
23:55
The Mars Orbiter Mission is an expression of Indias interest in planetary science
ISRO said the primary objectives of the mission are to demonstrate Indias technological capability to send a satellite
to orbit around Mars & conduct meaningful experiments such as looking for signs of life, take pictures of the red
planet and study Martian environment.
The satellite will carry compact science experiments, totalling a mass of 15 kg. There will be five instruments to
study Martian surface, atmosphere and mineralogy.
After leaving earth orbit in November, the spacecraft will cruise in deep space for 10 months using its own
propulsion system and will reach Mars (Martian transfer trajectory) in September 2014.
The 1350 kg spacecraft subsequently is planned to enter into a 372 km by 80,000 km elliptical orbit around Mars.
We want to look at environment of Mars for various elements like Deuterium-Hydrogen ratio. We also want to
look at other constituents neutral constituents, ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan
13-09-2014
firing the spacecrafts propulsion system, 440 Newton engine, to insert the spacecraft into the Martian orbit
25-09-2014
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) owes its success to three of its outstanding features: ISRO's ability to accurately
navigate the orbiter towards Mars through a "speedometer" distance of 65 crore km in space, ISRO's expertise in deep
space communication and the orbiters built-in autonomy that enabled the spacecraft to take decisions during
contingencies. After the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) put the Mars spacecraft into an earth-bound orbit on
contingencies. After the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) put the Mars spacecraft into an earth-bound orbit on
November 5, 2013, the ISRO navigated with finesse the spacecraft from its earth-bound phase to the sun-centric phase
and then the final Martian phase. ISRO was, in other words, able to take the Mars orbiter through a radio distance of 22
crore km over a period of 11 months and successfully slip the orbiter into Martian orbit. As Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said in his speech at the Mission Operations Complex-2 here on Wednesday, India successfully navigated the
spacecraft "through a route known to very few The huge distances in space entail a significant communication delay. It
would take around 20 minutes for a com mand from ground control to reach the spacecraft and another 20 minutes for
telemetry information about the health of its systems to be fed back: a round-trip delay of 40 minutes. Communication
with the spacecraft was carried out from the MOC-2 and the indigenously-built 30m-diameter antenna installed at
Byalalu village near here. To help work around the delayed communication, ISRO equipped the orbiter with the
autonomy to take decisions to set anomalies right on its own rather than wait for commands from the ground. The
orbiter has sensors and transmitters that can sense "misbehaviour' and switch over to the redundant system on its
own.
25-09-2014
The cheapest interplanetary mission ever to be undertaken by the world
If one analyses the cost of the Mars Orbiter mission of Rs.450 crore, for Indians it works out to be about Rs.4 per
person. Today, a bus ride would cost a lot more.
Indias Mars Orbiter mission has paved the way for cheaper and faster inter-planetary probes.
If the 20th century witnessed a space race between the U.S. and the USSR, the 21st century is seeing an Asian space
race. In most aspects of space technology, China is way ahead of India. It has larger rockets, bigger satellites and several
rocket ports. It even launched its first astronaut in space way back in 2003 and has a space laboratory in the making.
In 2008, when India undertook its first mission to moon Chandrayaan-1, China raced ahead and orbited its Change-1
satellite ahead of India. But in this Martian marathon, India has reached the finish line ahead of China. This now puts
India in the pole position as far as Asian Martian exploration goes. In 2012, the first Chinese probe to Mars Yinghuo-1
failed. It was riding atop a Russian satellite called Phobos-Grunt. But the Chinese probe failed to even leave earth.
Earlier in 1998, a Japanese probe to Mars ran out of fuel.
Challenges ahead
Coming up in the next few weeks is the test firing of Indias monster rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle Mk III, a rocket capable of carrying heavy payloads into space. This flight will carry a dummy crew module,
which is part of a programme for the development of critical technologies that ISRO seeks to develop as part of its
human space flight programme.
As ISRO says, the first astronaut could well be a woman. In a few weeks, an Indian navigation satellite will be also
launched into space. By 2017, ISRO wants to undertake Indias second mission to moon Chandrayaan-2 which will have
an Indian lander and a rover. Subsequently, it also wants to launch dedicated missions to study the Sun and the
planetary bodies in the solar system.
Criticism
How can poor countries afford space programmes?
The criticism seems partly directed at the fact that the mission was not privately funded, as research in the West
increasingly is; state money was channelled towards it without any marketable product emerging.
But inquiry and exploration are not the prerogative of advanced capitalist western nations with the rest of the world
eternally condemned to be a footnote in the history of science, even as its historical contributions to knowledge are
forgotten. It can be argued that in a better world the search for knowledge and the quest for social justice would be
necessarily intertwined.
Indias weather satellites helped reduce the number of deaths during cyclone Phailin last year.
Recent floods in Kashmir speak of failures, technological and political, to anticipate and respond to natural disasters.
Indeed, placing industrial development over ecological interests often causes such disasters in the first place.
Serious questions remain about whether science and technology and not just in poorer countries can have a
greater good in mind when the bottom line is profit. The space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was not an
affordable luxury undertaken for the sake of knowledge, but intrinsically tied to the military-industrial complex.
Perhaps national science and technology policy can be fully prised away from corporate and defence industry interests,
and placed firmly in the province of economic justice and social progress.
India is fortunate in having a long and diverse history of campaigning science movements that have sought to draw
both on indigenous knowledge traditions and direct modern scientific research towards progress in health, literacy,
environment, nutrition and sanitation. The best way for India to commemorate the success of Mangalyaan would be to
reopen a national debate about how science and technology can best be harnessed in the widest interests of its
reopen a national debate about how science and technology can best be harnessed in the widest interests of its
people.
08-10-2014
How India managed to send MOM into Mars orbit economically?
Indias space venture on a shoestring was thus made possible not only by less expensive engineering talent willing to
work around the clock, but also by using ingenious improvisation to cope successfully with resource constraints and
exceptionally tight timelines. ISRO built the final model of the orbiter from the start instead of building a series of
iterative models, as NASA does. They limited the number of ground tests. They used components and building blocks
from earlier and concurrent missions. They also circumvented the lack of a rocket powerful enough to launch the
satellite directly out of the earths gravitational pull by having the satellite orbit the earth for a month to build up
enough speed to break free from the earths gravitational pull
NASA
15 January 2015
14:28
Pluto- New Horizons spacecraft

NASA's Mars 2 rovers Curiosity & Opportunity are encircling Mars
Kuiper Belt a region of the solar system beyond the known planets
09-02-2014
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere & Volatile Evolution)
Shall explore the planets upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind . Scientists will
use MAVEN data to determine the role that loss of volatile compoundssuch as CO2, NO2, & H2Ofrom the Mars
atmosphere to space has played through time, giving insight into the history of Mars atmosphere and climate, liquid
water, and planetary habitability.
MAVEN will carry three instrument suites
The Particles and Fields Package will characterize the solar wind and the ionosphere of the planet .
The Remote Sensing Package will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere .
The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral ions.
Big Questions for MAVEN
How did life begin and evolve on Earth, and has it evolved elsewhere in the Solar System?
Microbial life forms have been discovered on Earth that can survive and even thrive at extremes of high and low
temperature and pressure, and in conditions of acidity, salinity, alkalinity, and concentrations of heavy metals that
would have been regarded as lethal just a few years ago. These discoveries include the wide diversity of life near sea
floor hydrothermal vent systems, where some organisms live essentially on chemical energy in the absence of sunlight.
Similar environments may be present elsewhere in the Solar System.
How did the sun's family of planets and minor bodies originate?
For the first time in human history we know of planets around other stars and many of those other planetary systems
look quite different from our own. Many have a planet like Jupiter, or even bigger, nearest to the Sun. If we are to
understand why this is the case, and how likely it is that there are Earth-like planets elsewhere, we need to better
understand how planets form.
Mars could have been, perhaps four billion years ago, a place friendly for life.
major questions about the history of Mars centre on the history of its climate and atmosphere, and how thats
influenced the surface, the geology and on the possibility for life
Planetary scientists believe that young Mars was blanketed with a thick layer of air heat-trapping carbon dioxide,
in particular that kept it warmer and wetter. Ancient channels on Mars look as if they were carved by flowing
water.
Atmospheric transformation
Sometime between then and now, the atmosphere went away, and Mars today is an airless, frigid desert with average
surface temperatures of 64 Fahrenheit, or 53 Celsius.
The once-bountiful air molecules must have either gone up, escaping into space, or down, transformed by chemical
reactions into rock. Hydrogen, the lightest of gases, can simply float away from gravitys grasp. Heavier molecules like
oxygen and carbon dioxide might have been knocked out by particles and radiation streaming from the sun . As the
solar wind sweeps by, it is able to strip off the atmospheric gas.
To figure out the puzzle of the missing atmosphere, Maven will carefully measure the wisps that remain
09-02-2014
Mars One project
Mars One project

Mission & Vision
Mars One is a not-for-profit foundation that will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023.
The Mars One mission plan consists of cargo missions and unmanned preparation of a habitable settlement,
followed by human landings.
In the coming years, a demonstration mission, communication satellites, two rovers and several cargo missions will
be sent to Mars
These missions will set up the outpost where the human crew will live and work.
Human settlement of Mars is the next giant leap for humankind.

Exploring the solar system as a united humanity will bring us all closer together.
Mars is the stepping stone of the human race on its voyage into the universe.
Human settlement on Mars will aid our understanding of the origins of the solar system, the origins of life and our
place in the universe.
As with the Apollo Moon landings, a human mission to Mars will inspire generations to believe that all things are
possible, anything can be achieved.
The mission design takes into account the expansion of the human colony where a new crew arrive every two years.
Mars One will select and train the human crew for permanent settlement.
The search for Astronauts began in April 2013.
> 78,000 registered for the selection programme within two weeks of its launch
Risks & Challenges
The challenge is to identify the risks in every step of the ten year Mission, from astronaut selection through training,
from launch to living on Mars.
Mars One has incorporated into its Mission plan a detailed risk analysis protocol, built by highly experienced
individuals, some of them with experience at NASA and the ESA.
Ever evolving, ever improving, Mars One is constantly working to reduce the risk of delay and failure at every level.
As is standard in the aerospace industry, every component will be selected for its simplicity, durability, and capacity
to be repaired using the facilities that are available to the astronauts on Mars
Mars One identifies two major risk categoriesLoss of human life:
Human space exploration is dangerous at all levels.
Mars is an unforgiving environment where a small mistake or accident can result in large failure, injury, and death.
Every system (and its backup) must function without fail or human life is at risk.
With advances in technology, shared experience between space agencies, what was once a one-shot endeavor
becomes routine and space travel does become more viable
Cost overruns:
Cost overruns are also not uncommon in large projects in any arena.
The risk for cost overrun in the Mars One Mission is reduced by using existing technologies
This risk analysis profile shall continue to evolve and improve over the years prior to the first humans walking on the
planet Mars.
10-05-2014
44 Indians shortlisted for one-way trip to Mars
Mars One is an ambitious private mission (Netherlands-based non-profit organisation Mars One) to send 4 people
on a planned one-way trip to Mars in 2024 to colonise the red planet
Ultimately, 6 teams of 4 people will be selected to train from 2015 to 2024
According to the mission plan, a reliable habitat will be set up on the planet, & crews of 4 will be sent every 2 yrs
The first trip to Mars (carrying 4 candidates) is expected to commence in 2024 & will last for about 8 months. Every
2 years from then, the other candidates will travel until all 24 reach Mars
2 years from then, the other candidates will travel until all 24 reach Mars
An entire human colony will be set up in a few years
The candidates will do research such as collection of samples using the tools provided to them by the payloads &
then the data will be sent down to earth through communication satellites for further analysis
Humans will also communicate, watch movies & lead a normal life just like those on earth
18-02-2014
Voyager I Spacecraft
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a space probe launched by the US space agency, NASA in 1977 to study the outer Solar
System & interstellar medium
It humanity's first spacecraft ever to leave the solar system into the interstellar space
18-02-2014
Mars Rover Curiosity
Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support microbes for which the
Curiosity rover has been looking for methane
But Curiosity found no methane in Mars
19-02-2014
Nasa's Juno spacecraft to Jupiter
It was launched in 2011 & will arrive in 2016

Kepler space telescope mission
The Kepler space telescope was launched in 2009 on a $600m (360m) mission to assess the likely population of
Earth-sized planets in our Milky Way Galaxy
Faulty pointing mechanisms eventually blunted its abilities in 2013, but not before it had identified thousands of
possible, or "candidate", worlds in a patch of sky in the constellations Cygnus & Lyra
It used transit technique - looking for the periodic dips in light as exoplanets pass in front of their host stars
Last year, astronomers used Kepler's data to estimate that one in five stars like the Sun hosts an Earth-sized world
The science team sifting data from the US space agency's (Nasa) Kepler telescope says it has identified 715 new
The science team sifting data from the US space agency's (Nasa) Kepler telescope says it has identified 715 new
planets beyond our Solar System.
These planets are all in multi-planet systems; they orbit only 305 stars.
The vast majority, 95%, are smaller than our Neptune, which is four times the radius of the Earth.
Four of the new planets are less than 2.5 times the radius of Earth, and they orbit their host suns in the "habitable
zone" - the region around a star where water can keep a liquid state.
The Kepler spacecraft had confirmed the existence of 246 exoplanets. It has now pushed this number up to 961.
That is more than half of all the discoveries made in the field over the past 20 years.
These results are based on the first two years of Kepler observations and with each additional year, we'll be able to
bring in a few hundred more planets.
Artist's impression: It is now clear that multi-planet systems are common
The habitable zone is the region around a star where water can keep a liquid state
Importance
This is the largest windfall of planets that's ever been announced at one time
These results establish that planetary systems with multiple planets around one star, like our own Solar System, are
in fact common
We now know that small planets - planets ranging from the size of Neptune down to the size of the Earth - make up
the majority of planets in our galaxy
19-04-2014
Most Earth-like planet yet' spotted by Kepler
The most Earth-like planet yet has been discovered, scientists report in the journal Science.
Kepler 186f orbits a star that is smaller and cooler than our Sun, but at a distance where water would be liquid
Kepler 186f orbits a star that is smaller and cooler than our Sun, but at a distance where water would be liquid
The rocky planet, Kepler 186f, is close to the size of Earth and has the potential to hold liquid water, which is critical for
life, the team says.
Nestled in the Milky Way, it is part of a five-planet system that orbits around a cool dwarf star.
It was spotted by the Kepler telescope, which has found nearly 1,000 new worlds since its launch in 2009.
Kepler 186f is about 500 light-years away from the Earth.
The researchers estimate that is a little bigger than our planet, with a radius that is about 10% larger than ours.
Because of its size, the team believes it is a rocky planet.
Kepler 186f travels around a small and cool star. Of the five planets in the system, its orbit is furthest out and lasts
about 130 days.
The team believes that it has the potential to hold water because with this orbital path it does not journey too close to
its star for the liquid to boil away or so far out that it would freeze. Scientists call this region the "habitable zone".
Prof Kane said: "Even though it is orbiting a star which is very different from our Sun, the planet itself - both in terms of
size and the amount of energy it is receiving from its star - is the most similar planet to our Earth that we've yet
discovered.
The European Space Agency recently approved the development of an orbiting telescope called Plato, which will be
tuned specifically to detect true Earth analogues.
11-01-2015
Scientists found 8 new planets orbiting their stars at distances compatible with liquid water, bringing the total
number of potentially habitable Goldilocks planets to a few dozen, depending on how the habitable zone is
defined
NASAs Kepler spacecraft, now in its 5th year of seeking planets like earth
As the ranks of these planets grow, astronomers are beginning to plan the next step in the quest to end cosmic
loneliness, gauging which hold the greatest promise for life & what tools will be needed to learn about them
Finding Goldilocks planets closer to earth will be the job of TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite,
scheduled to be launched in 2017
For all of Keplers bounty, the exact analogue of Earth, a planet the same size orbiting the same type of star as the
sun Earth 2.0, in astronomer parlance has not yet been found
Planets smaller than 1.6 times the size of Earth (on a line consistent with Earth & Venus), supposed to be made of
rocks
09-04-2014
CassiniHuygens spacecraft
CassiniHuygens is an unmanned spacecraft sent to study planet Saturn & its many natural satellites
Launched in 1997
One of its objective was to determine 3-D structure & dynamic behavior of the rings of Saturn
15-01-2015
Orion spacecraft to go deeper into space by NASA
09-04-2015
NASA's New Horizon on Pluto- to reach in 2019
25 yrs of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Pillars of creation picture taken by Hubble telescope
09-04-2015
James Webb space telescope shall be a successor to HST
23-04-2015
The Hubble Space Telescope a joint venture btw NASA & the European Space Agency (ESA) was launched in its
orbit 552 km above Earth on April 24, 1990 by the space shuttle Discovery
It has provided breathtaking images, produced fundamental discoveries & brought about a paradigm shift in our
understanding of the universe
With its 2.4m diameter mirror, HST has observed the universe in a range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet, visible to
infrared, & has changed the way astronomers view the universe
Hubble has unlocked the wonders of the universe & placed our world into a context of 100 billion stars in 100 billion
galaxies
The Hubble, which has so far travelled > 3 billion miles, has made > 1.2 million observations since 1990 by
completing an orbit around the Earth every 97 minutes at a speed of about 8 km/sec
23-04-2015
Accurately measuring the Hubble constant (H0), the initial rate of expansion of the universe, from which one can
determine the age of the universe is a major preoccupation of astronomers
One of the key projects of the HST was the determination of H0 more accurately
the HST was instrumental in democratising cutting edge astronomy
It allowed, & even encouraged younger scientists to lead interesting projects
23-04-2015
Achievements of HST
One of the first achievements of HST was to determine the rate at which our universe has been expanding
This requires an accurate measurement of the distances of far away galaxies, which is almost impossible with
ground-based telescopes
This was one of the key projects of the telescope, & it was aptly named after Edwin Hubble, the discoverer of the
expansion of the universe
The observations with HST settled the rate of expansion within 10% accuracy, ushering a new age in astronomy
The clear images taken with HST also helped to pinpoint distant supernovae of a special type that astronomers use
to measure distances
This allowed the astronomers to measure the distances of even more distant galaxies, or equivalently peer back
further in the history of the universe
This led to the momentous discovery that our universe is not only expanding, but also accelerating
The crash landing of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter gave a unique photo-op for HST in 1994. It was the first
time a collision of a comet with Jupiter was studied in detail, a process that is supposed to occur once every few
centuries
Another interesting discovery made by HST (in March 2015) in our solar system is that of a subsurface ocean in
Ganymede, a Jovian satellite
Ganymede, a Jovian satellite

Then in 1996, a long exposure photograph of the universe through a hole in Milky Way produced a photograph of
numerous galaxies, among which there were some that existed in the very first billion years of the universe
It told us how the process of star formation in galaxies first increased & then waned in the last few billion years
or so. Astronomers are still trying to understand this evolution
Another revolutionary discovery in astronomy that HST helped to make was that almost every galaxy contains a
black hole in its centre. It also appears that the black hole mass is intimately connected to the galaxy mass
Does the black hole form first & fix the mass of the galaxy that should form around it, or is it the other way
around? It is to be found out
the clarity of HST images & its ability to image in infrared wavelengths has helped astronomers to discover some
crucial phases in newly born stars
It appears that the birth of stars is marked by a lot of violence, of gas being thrown out at great speed,
sometimes in the form of jets
09-12-2015
ESA's LISA Pathfinder to detect gravitational waves
Hubble telescope is merely the best-known of a clutch of telescopes in orbit around Earth
These instruments all look at the cosmos in different ways, but they have one thing in common: their view is
restricted to various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum
Hubble takes its pictures in & around the visible-light part of the spectrum
LISA Pathfinder (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) by European Space Agency detects waves of gravity, rather
than light, X-rays or gamma rays
Gravitational waves are rippling distortions in space given off when massive bodies are accelerated
They are predicted by Einsteins general theory of relativity
Physicists have compelling indirect evidence that they are real. But researchers have never seen a gravity wave
directly
Since gravity waves stretch & compress space, one way to spot them is to look for temporary changes in the
distance btw 2 fixed objects
Some Earth-based experiments, such as LIGO, an American detector, use tuned lasers for this purpose
The idea is that passing gravity waves, by distorting the tunnels, will distort the beams paths & produce a signal
The trouble is that the distortions such instruments are hunting for are tiny. That makes them both hard to see &
hard to distinguish from other, more pedestrian effects
LIGOs operators must account for things like passing traffic, logging in distant forests & the constant, almost
unnoticeable seismic grumblings of the Earth itself
LISA Pathfinder takes this idea & moves it into space, where things are much quieter
Liquid water in Mars
30-09-2015
New evidence of liquid water on Mars
The discovery of liquid water (in the subsurface) on Mars marks a major milestone in Martian Science
Mars lost its atmosphere 4 billion years ago & with it, the atmospheric pressure on Mars was reduced to < 1/10th
of the atmospheric pressure on Earth, making water chemically unstable on the surface
Thus, liquid water is not stable on the Martian surface at present water can be there either as ice or as water
vapour
The discovery of liquid water below the subsurface makes a human mission logistically easier & cheaper, enhances
chances of life on Mars, & provides a way to generate rocket fuel on Mars
The discovery of water on Mars is significant coz life on Earth has been associated with water
The largest cost of interplanetary travel is the cost of escaping Earths gravity & the gravity of Mars
The discovery of water on Mars can help pave the way for efficient conversion of the liquid water into oxygen
that can be used as rocket fuel for the return trip
that can be used as rocket fuel for the return trip

In Mars, there is no reason humans cannot live in temperature- & pressure-controlled chambers that are
shielded from radiation
The key will be to find resources on Mars that can be used to support humans during their temporary stay
there
The discovery of liquid water, perhaps, is a small step towards this broader goal
European Space Agency

20 December 2013
10:25
Gaia Satellite
The Gaia mission will make a very precise 3D map of our Milky Way galaxy
It is Europe's successor to the Hipparcos satellite which mapped some 100,000 stars.
The one billion to be catalogued by Gaia is still only 1% of the Milky Way's total.
But the quality of the new survey promises a raft of discoveries beyond just the stars themselves.
Gaia will find new asteroids, failed stars, and allow tests of physical constants and theories like General Relativity
(Einstein's theory of gravity).
Its map of the sky will be a reference frame to guide the investigations of future telescopes.
To get an undisturbed view of the sky, it will be stationed 1.5m km from Earth.
It will generate about 1 petabyte (one thousand million million bytes) of data in five years.
Supercomputing will be needed to prepare the final catalogue expected in about 2020-21.
As the Earth goes around the Sun, relatively nearby stars appear to move against the 'fixed' stars that are even
further away.
Because we know the Sun-Earth distance, we can use the parallax angle to work out the distance to the target star.
But such angles are very small - less than one arcsecond for the nearest stars, or 0.05% of the full Moon's diameter.
Gaia will make repeat observations to reduce measurement errors down to seven micro-arcseconds for the very
brightest stars.
CCD - THE COSMIC CAMERA
CCDs turn the light falling on their surface into an electronic signal that is then easily transmitted
The devices, which earned their inventors a Nobel in 2009, are integral to modern space missions
e2v produced 174 devices for the Gaia project. Four are seen above in their carrying jigs
The largest current space array is on Nasa's Kepler planet-hunting telescope - also from e2v
Copernicus & its Sentinels- radar system

05-04-2014
EU launches flagship Sentinel satellite project to monitor Earth
A Soyuz rocket has launched from French Guiana with the first satellite in the European Union's new multi-billion-euro
Earth-observation programme.
Earth-observation programme.
The Sentinel-1a spacecraft has been put in orbit on a mission to map the planet's surface using radar. It will be followed
by a fleet of other satellites - also called Sentinels - over the next five years. This as it is called Copernicus programme is
the biggest ever effort to characterise world.
Sentinel-1a will play an important role in responding to natural disasters

When the full satellite system is operational, it will be producing daily some eight terabytes of data to detail the state of
Earth's land surface, its oceans and its atmosphere.
European nations have so far committed 7.5bn euros (6.2bn; $10.3bn) to the project. But the vision for Copernicus is
that it is unending - that every Sentinel satellite is replaced at the demise of its mission, ensuring there is continuity of
information deep into this century.
"Once all the Sentinel satellites have been launched, the Copernicus programme will be the most efficient and fullest
Earth-observation programme in the world,".
What is Copernicus?
A project of the EU that is being procured by the European Space Agency

It pulls together all Earth-monitoring data, from space and the ground
It will use a range of spacecraft - some already up there and others newly commissioned
An invaluable contribution to the understanding of how our climate is changing
Important for disaster monitoring and response - earthquakes, floods, fires, etc
The EU will use Copernicus data to help design and enforce policies: fishing quotas, etc
Radar has myriad uses, from monitoring shipping lanes for pollution or icebergs, to mapping land surfaces to track
deforestation or the performance of rice production. However, a key use for Sentinel-1a will be in disaster response.
Radar is especially good at detecting the extent of flood waters, and this type of image is also regularly employed
following major earthquakes to assess the damage to infrastructure.
Sentinel-1a will test a new laser-based data-relay system that will be at the heart of the Copernicus system. The
technology, developed by German engineers, will not only handle more data than traditional downlinks but speed the
technology, developed by German engineers, will not only handle more data than traditional downlinks but speed the
information's receipt on Earth. The laser terminal will reduce the access time to data from hours to minutes.
Sentinels watching over Earth
Copernicus uses a range of technologies to get a broad picture of the health status of the planet
Sentinel-1: Radar's advantage is its all-weather observing capability, seeing through cloud
Sentinel-2: Multi-wavelength detectors to study principally land changes
Sentinel-3: Similar to S2, but tuned to observe ocean properties and behaviour
Sentinel-4: High-orbiting atmospheric sensor to give a global perspective on gases such as ozone
Sentinel-5: Low-orbiting, high-resolution atmospheric sensor to help monitor air quality
Sentinel-6: Future European name for the Jason sea-surface height mission with the US
Copernicus and its dedicated Sentinels will start to build continuous, cross-calibrated, long-term datasets.
These will be a boon to climate studies. But the EU hopes the data will prove to be a powerful tool also to help design
and enforce community-wide polices, covering diverse areas such as fish stocks management, air quality regulation,
and keeping track of waste disposal practices.
Radar to forecast flooding
The UK authorities made extensive use of satellite imagery over the wet winter
Radar scatters away from a satellite very efficiently over water surfaces
This makes it very easy to see those areas that are flooded
Radar is already used to assess the extent of flood inundation
Fast-return Sentinel data will permit flood forecasting as well
Radar to study earthquakes
Radar interferometry reveals fault locations.

Radar imagery is used to monitor how the ground moves over time
In cities, series of pictures can reveal areas subject to subsidence
In quake zones, before and after imagery will pinpoint ruptured faults
Sentinel-1a's production was delayed by the L'Aquila tremor in 2009
Sentinel data super-highway
Sentinel-1a will test the laser-link technology needed for Europe's rapid data-relay system
Current satellites dump data when passing over ground stations
This will be too slow for the expected terabytes of Sentinel data
A European Data Relay System is being devised, to use laser links
Sentinel data will be bounced off overhead satellites in near real-time
New Space Industry

18 February 2014
23:57
New Space industry aims to use private companies & the discipline of fixed-price contracts to cut the cost of getting
into space
Eg. Orbital Sciences company makes small satellites, launches a variety of other rockets, and has contracts with the
American armed forces
NASA is relying on the private sector for its space launches more heavily than before
Apart from having contract with Antares, NASA also has a similar contract with SpaceX (founded by Elon Musk, an
internet tycoon)
Space Tourism
Space is the final holiday frontier

It is one small step for tourists but one giant leap for tourism
Multiple companies are offering sales of orbital and suborbital flights, with varying durations and creature comforts.
Many companies view sub-orbital flights as a money-making proposition
Suborbital flights usually peak at an altitude of 100160 kilometres
Passengers would experience three to six minutes of weightlessness, a view of a twinkle-free starfield, and a vista of
the curved Earth below.
Virgin Galactic and Space Exploration Corporation [SXC] are expected to begin scheduled sub-orbital passenger
flights in 12 months time
Packages by SXC are expected to start at around 1 lakh dollars
02-11-2014
Two accidents, even though one was fatal, should not stop private enterprise from going into space
In Oct 2014, uncrewed Antares rocket operated by Orbital Sciences, a company contracted by NASA to fly supplies
to the International Space Station (ISS), blew itself up shortly after launch
In Nov 2014, VSS Enterprise, a spaceplane owned by Virgin Galactic, a firm that hopes to provide wealthy thrillseekers with flights to the edge of space, crashed during a test flight (1 pilot was killed)
Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Satellite

28 February 2014
16:05
Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Satellite
Visualization of the GPM Core Observatory and Partner Satellites.

Japan launches eye on Earth's weather
GPM Core Observatory Launch Animation
GPM is a next-generation satellite that will provide global, near real time observations of rain and snow from space.
Such data is long awaited by climate scientists and weather forecasters.
It will open a new revolutionary era in global weather observing and climate science. Therefore it will have a direct
impact on society and peoples daily lives worldwide.
The mission will significantly advance our understanding of Earths water and energy cycles and improve forecasting
of extreme weather events.
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) observatory will provide high resolution global measurements of rain
and snow every 3 hours.
Researchers will use the GPM measurements to study climate change, freshwater resources, floods and droughts,
and hurricane formation and tracking.
Major components of the GPM Core Observatory labeled, including the GMI, DPR, HGAS, solar panels, and more.
The 3850 kilogram GPM satellite is equipped with two instruments an advanced, higher resolution dual -frequency
precipitation (DPR) radar instrument (Ku and Ka band) built by JAXA in Japan and the GPM microwave imager (GMI)
built by Ball Aerospace in the US.
GPM will fly at an altitude of 253 miles (407 kilometers) above Earth quite similar to the ISS.
Its coverage runs over virtually the entire populated globe from 65 N to 65 S latitudes.
The $933 Million observatory is a joint venture between the US and Japanese space agencies, NASA and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Universe
31 August 2014
19:50
Big Bang
POLARBEAR is a cosmic microwave background polarization experiment located in the Atacama Desert, developed
by an international collaboration
Cosmic inflation theory
18-03-2014
A new look at the Big Bang
The first moments of the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago was a hyper-expansion of our universe known as inflation
Inflation was first proposed by MIT physicist Alan Guth in 1980
Inflation proposes that the initial expansion of the universe was caused by a repulsive form of gravity
The initial patch of the universe that underwent inflation would have been unbelievably small, about a billionth
of the size of a proton, & then expanded exponentially
BICEP-2 (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) radio telescope at the South Pole, scans cosmic
microwave background (CMB) to see existence of gravitational waves (eventually finding proof for Big Bang)
The detection of these gravitational waves represents the last untested element of Albert Einsteins general theory
of relativity, filling in a major gap in our understanding of how the universe was born.
The gravitational waves are ripples that move through space & time, and have been described as the first tremors
of the Big Bang
Their detection confirms an integral connection btw quantum mechanics & general relativity
Gravitational waves are a feature of the theories of relativity, & cosmic inflation is a feature of quantum mechanics
07-06-2014
Big Bang: Indian physicist says hes vindicated
Indian astrophysicist Abhas Mitra rubbished the much publicised claim by a team of US-led astronomers that they
had obtained "direct" evidence for the Big Bang origin of the universe (based on BICEP2 re
Acc. to cosmic inflation theory, the universe was born in a Big Bang & that its volume increased almost immediately
by an unimaginable factor (of 1078) in what is known as "cosmic inflation"
Rejection of the BICEP-2 result was based on exact mathematical proof that the Big Bang universe can expand only
with a uniform speed & the model simply does not allow inflationary cosmologies
05-09-2014
05-09-2014
Milky Way is a suburb of a supercluster called Laniakea
05-03-2015
No Big Bang, the universe was there all along: studies
Big Bang the point when the universe as we know it came into being
According to a new theory, there was no Big Bang & the universe existed all along, without beginning or end
Moreover, the theory also attempts to give an explanation of Dark Matter & Dark Energy two phenomena
that scientists are struggling to understand
It is widely believed that the universe originated some 13.8 billion years ago & the bursting forth of this monstrous
entity from a single point is termed the Big Bang
The Big Bang appears as a singular point (Hawking-Penrose singularity) in the mathematical equations that
define general theory of relativity
The laws of physics break down at this point & nothing can be known about what happened before this. In other
words, it marks the point of birth of the universe
Now, three scientists have come up with an alternative theory. In their theory, the universe may have existed all
along, perhaps with no beginning as dramatic as a Big Bang
Raychaudhuri equation (RE), which is an important step in deriving the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems
When it is treated in a classical formalism, the equation leads to the singularity. But the singularity vanishes
when the particles are treated as quantum particles & the fields are treated as classical
This leads to a solution which is the everlasting universe which was not born in a Big Bang
In the case of Dark Matter, scientists showed that it arises naturally
in the quantum corrected Raychaudhuri equation, one set of corrections can be interpreted as giving rise to
Dark Matter, while the other term was instrumental in preventing the Big Bang-like scenario & giving infinite
life to the universe (Dark energy)
Black holes
Black holes are formed when stars exhaust their 'nuclear fuel' or are 'dead'
They are abyssinian spaces that exert strong gravitational force on everything in their vicinity
The hole is called 'black' coz it absorbs all the light that hits the horizon, reflecting nothing
Chandra is a space telescope named after Chandrasekhar which detects X-rays to study galaxies
Black holes & telescopes to unravel their mysteries [Chandra, Astra-H telescope & Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)]
Black holes are so dense that its gravitational attraction can stop light (or anything else) escaping from its surface
Black holes are crucial building blocks of the universe
Most galaxies have 1 black hole at their centre Whether galaxies formed around pre-existing black holes or the holes formed after those galaxies had come into
being is not yet known
It is suspected that their central black holes help regulate galaxies rates of star formation
Black holes (or their surroundings) are often not black The process of attracting & swallowing matter acts like a giant particle accelerator as the matter spins around
the hole
the hole
As with such accelerators on Earth, this generates electromagnetic radiation, from radio waves to X-rays
A big black holes neighbourhood, with lots of spinning matter, can thus be very bright indeed
That neighbourhood is also a place where space & time themselves are warped more intensely than anywhere
else in the observable universe
This chaos, & black holes restricted dimensions (even the supermassive ones in galactic cores are mere
millions of kilometres rather than light-years across), makes studying them hard
The point of no return in the vicinity of black holes where matter is circling is called the event horizon
Chandra is a space telescope named after Chandrasekhar which detects X-rays to study galaxies
Japans space agency JAXA will launch Astro-H, a telescope that will help detect X-rays of exceptionally high
energies
As material slips ever closer to the event horizon, the precise details of its X-ray output are a signal of how it is
moving. Astro-H will be able to measure this radiation, & thus infer that motion with unprecedented precision
This will permit researchers to measure unambiguously, for the first time, how fast a black hole is spinning. That,
in turn, permits tests of Einsteins general theory of relativity that have remained out of reach until now
Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)
This is designed to capture an image, built up from radio waves, of the Milky Ways own supermassive black
hole, dubbed Sagittarius A* coz it is the brightest radio source in that constellation
Sagittarius A* (or, rather, its event horizon) should be about 12m km across
The EHT is not a single facility but rather a collaboration btw existing radio telescopes scattered across the world
Together, these instruments perform a trick called very long baseline interferometry. At times when they are
acting as part of the EHT, they will be pointed simultaneously at Sagittarius A*
The data thus gathered will then be shipped to a central facility, on enormous disk drives, & there carefully
combined in a way that makes it seem as if they had been collected by a single radio telescope with an aperture
nearly as wide as the Earth itself
This should solve a number of outstanding mysteries about black holes: precisely how material falls into them,
what causes the jets of material that sometimes squirt from near their polar regions, & just how good Einsteins
equations are at describing the most warped spacetime it is possible to see
Dream may 2015-10,

Dark Matter (DM) & Dark Energy (DE)
Dark energy makes 73% of total mass-energy content of the universe, dark matter 23% & ordinary matter 4%
Dark energy is accelarating the expansion of universe (it acts opposite of gravity & increases the distances btw the
galaxies)
The postulate of Dark Matter was put forward to account for the extreme velocities with which galaxies & clusters
of galaxies are observed to be rotating that the gravity generated by their observable matter alone cannot explain
At such speeds they should have been torn apart long ago
It is believed that something that cannot be seen directly with light (electromagnetic radiation, in general) &
hence the name Dark matter is providing that extra mass, generating the extra gravity, needed to hold them
together (more gravity, more speed)
DM dominates the matter in the universe, outweighing all the visible matter by nearly 6 times, but its existence can
be inferred only from the gravitational effect it seems to have on visible matter
Though existence of DM is now accepted (gravitational lensing- deflection in the path of light), & it is all around us
with varying densities, its nature has remained a mystery
Gravitational lensing is now being used as a tool to map the extent of dark matter
27-03-2014
Was dark matter observed in Kolar Gold Field experiments?
KGF experiments
The KGF experiments were sponsored by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), were carried out in 2
phases
The 1st phase experiments, during the 1960s-70s, studied cosmic ray neutrino interactions
2nd, during the 1980s, studied proton decay & set limits on protons lifetime
The unusual events, which were detected in a long tunnel at a depth of 2.3 km, were seen during both the phases
Dark matter observation in KGF experiments?
The handful of unusual events observed in the underground experiments at the Kolar Gold Field (KGF) mines during
the 1960-70s & the 1980s, which have remained unexplained to this day, may have been due to the decays of
hitherto unseen Dark Matter (DM) particles
Instead of the early interpretation of cosmic ray neutrinos interacting with the surrounding rock & producing a
massive particle which subsequently decayed to give rise to these anomalous events
the authors interpret the events to have been caused by the decay of a neutral DM particle with a mass of about
5-10 GeV & with a lifetime of the order of the lifetime of the universe (about 1010 years or 10 billion years)
26-04-2015
Galaxies appear to be rotating so fast that they should have spun apart long ago, throwing off stars. There just isn't
enough gravity to hold a galaxy together, unless you assume that it hides a huge amount of unseen matter
particles that neither emit nor absorb light
Said to be 5 times more abundant than the stuff we can see, dark matter is a crucial component of the theory
behind gravitational lensing, which large masses like galaxies can bend light beams & cause stars to appear in
unexpected parts of the sky
That was the explanation for the spectacular observation of an "Einstein Cross" reported in March 2015
Acting like an enormous lens, a cluster of galaxies deflected the light of a supernova into 4 images a
cosmological mirage
The light for each reflection followed a different path, providing glimpses of 4 different moments of the
explosion
But not even a galactic cluster exerts enough gravity to bend light so severely unless you postulate that most
of its mass consists of hypothetical dark matter
Gravitational lensing is now being used as a tool to map the extent of dark matter
Most theorists are believe that dark matter consists of WIMPs weakly interacting massive particles
Chinas dark matter probe- Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE)
Dark Matter gives rise to the otherwise unaccountably fast rotation rates of most galaxies in the universe
However, scientists are yet to detect a single particle of the stuff. They are unsure of its exact nature but
calculations suggest that it will be incredibly unreactive & so difficult to detect
DAMPE will therefore look for gamma rays, electrons & high-energy cosmic rays, all of which could hold clues about
the nature of dark matter
A similar detector, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, is attached to the International Space Station
Multiverses
10-05-2015
Comets
16 October 2014
12:34
Comet ISON
Rosetta space probe on Comet

Approved in 1993
Launched in March 2004, has travelled 6.2 billion-km journey through space
Composed of an orbiter and lander, Rosetta's objectives are to study comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in
unprecedented detail, using its 21 scientific instruments to study how the comet reacts to a close encounter with
the sun
The resulting data will help scientists learn more about the origin & evolution of our solar system & the role comets
may have played in bringing water & organic molecules to Earth, creating conditions for the emergence of life.
13-11-2014
Historic landing
European Space Agency's lander, Philae, made history by successfully landing on the surface of a speeding comet,
67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko the first time anyone has landed a spacecraft on a comet on Nov 2014
Meanwhile, the Rosetta spacecraft will remain in orbit around the comet through 2015. The orbiter will continue
detailed studies of the comet as it approaches the sun and then moves away
6 billion kmdistance travelled to reach comet
Its goal is to stick with the comet until it passes the sun in August 2015
Importance
this is the first attempt to orbit & land instruments on a space rock at almost zero gravity (a fast-rotating comet with
diameter of 5 km)
Though space probes have made contact with comets before, this will be the first full contact study of a comet by a
space probe
For Eg. In 2005, Nasas Deep Impact had lobbed a block of metal into the comet 9P/Tempel 1 to analyse the
vapours and dust it raised

In 2006, Nasas Stardust mission brought back samples & data from the comet 81P/Wild 2 and the asteroid 5535
Annefrank.
It is a big step for human civilisation as it will help humanity to take a big step not only in space science, but also in
understanding its own origins
comets like 67P hold ice and, if they are found to contain long-chain molecules too, they can provide an alternative
explanation for the origin of life
18-11-2014
After exausting its battery power, Philae now anticipates recharging of its solar panels to conduct its last long -term
science (LTS) phase, as the comet continues to move closer to the sun
Studying evolution of Solar System
The comet 67P belongs to a group of celestial bodies previously residing in the outer regions of our solar system,
but at a certain point of time were pulled into their current orbits by the huge gravity of Jupiter
Hence, having spent billions of years in the frigid peripheries, comets are widely known to have preserved the
signatures of astrochemical processes that occurred in interstellar and protostellar (period of the suns infancy)
environments
The exploration of comets is, therefore, akin to travelling via a time machine and arriving in an era when the Earth
did not even exist
Origin of Life
Comets are believed to have transported molecules responsible for the origin of life on Earth
Comets are abundant with organic material that has been processed for billions of years in space
Achievement
Despite the numerous conflicts on Earth, the vastness of space gives humans a common sense of oneness, heritage
& purpose
Humanity has achieved something extraordinary as it has set a footprint on a time-travelled comet
19-11-2014
Philae finds traces of organic molecules on comet
found traces of organic molecules & a surface much harder than imagined
Some astrophysicists theorise that comets seeded our fledgling planet with the beginnings of life-giving water and
organic molecules
17-01-2015
Comets are believed to be primordial clusters of ice & dust left from the building of the Solar System 4.6 billion
years ago & astrophysicists believe, comets contain insights into how the planets formed
The mission has been hailed as a landmark in space exploration, bringing together unprecedented feats of
navigation & engineering
Early analysis of data sent back by Rosetta suggest that asteroids, & not comets as previously theorised, provided
Earth with water
Comet Siding Spring
16-10-2014
Comet Siding Spring will hurtle past Mars on Oct. 19, coming to within about 139,500 km of the planet. That is
almost 1/3rd of the average distance between Earth and Moon
almost 1/3rd of the average distance between Earth and Moon

It originated in the Oort Cloud (The Oort Cloud is an extremely distant shell of icy bodies encircling the solar system)
As the comet is coming into the inner solar system for the first time, it will carry the signature of the pristine
material out of which the sun and the planets were born some 4.6 billion years back.
Observations of the comet will therefore aid in understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system.
The Oort Cloud comets take thousands to millions of years to return and some do not come back. Whereas Jupiter
Family Comets in orbits with a periodicity of less than 20 years.
Halleys Comet, which is thought to have once originated in the Oort Cloud but then settled down in the solar
system and lost its pristine nature after circling the sun many times.
Comet ISON, another visitor from the Oort Cloud, broke apart as it passed closed to the sun.
Last year, Observations of Comet ISON last year showed that it was carbon-rich, maybe in the form of organic
molecules.
19-10-2014
MOM spacecraft will have a ringside view of Comet Siding Spring
The comet comes within 1.35 lakh km of Mars, which is very close astronomically
Rosetta space probe on Comet
Approved in 1993
Launched in March 2004, has travelled 6.2 billion-km journey through space
Composed of an orbiter and lander, Rosetta's objectives are to study comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in
unprecedented detail, using its 21 scientific instruments to study how the comet reacts to a close encounter with
the sun
The resulting data will help scientists learn more about the origin & evolution of our solar system & the role comets
may have played in bringing water & organic molecules to Earth, creating conditions for the emergence of life.
13-11-2014
Historic landing
European Space Agency's lander, Philae, made history by successfully landing on the surface of a speeding comet,
67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko the first time anyone has landed a spacecraft on a comet on Nov 2014
Meanwhile, the Rosetta spacecraft will remain in orbit around the comet through 2015. The orbiter will continue
detailed studies of the comet as it approaches the sun and then moves away
6 billion kmdistance travelled to reach comet
Importance
this is the first attempt to orbit & land instruments on a space rock at almost zero gravity (a fast-rotating comet with
diameter of 5 km)
Though space probes have made contact with comets before, this will be the first full contact study of a comet by a
space probe
For Eg. In 2005, Nasas Deep Impact had lobbed a block of metal into the comet 9P/Tempel 1 to analyse the
In 2006, Nasas Stardust mission brought back samples & data from the comet 81P/Wild 2 and the asteroid 5535
Annefrank.
It is a big step for human civilisation as it will help humanity to take a big step not only in space science, but also in
understanding its own origins
comets like 67P hold ice and, if they are found to contain long-chain molecules too, they can provide an alternative
explanation for the origin of life
18-11-2014
After exausting its battery power, Philae now anticipates recharging of its solar panels to conduct its last long -term
science (LTS) phase, as the comet continues to move closer to the sun
Studying evolution of Solar System
The comet 67P belongs to a group of celestial bodies previously residing in the outer regions of our solar system,
but at a certain point of time were pulled into their current orbits by the huge gravity of Jupiter
Hence, having spent billions of years in the frigid peripheries, comets are widely known to have preserved the
signatures of astrochemical processes that occurred in interstellar and protostellar (period of the suns infancy)
environments
The exploration of comets is, therefore, akin to travelling via a time machine and arriving in an era when the Earth
did not even exist
Origin of Life
Comets are believed to have transported molecules responsible for the origin of life on Earth
Comets are abundant with organic material that has been processed for billions of years in space
Achievement
Despite the numerous conflicts on Earth, the vastness of space gives humans a common sense of oneness, heritage
& purpose
Humanity has achieved something extraordinary as it has set a footprint on a time-travelled comet
19-11-2014
Philae finds traces of organic molecules on comet
Some astrophysicists theorise that comets seeded our fledgling planet with the beginnings of life-giving water and
organic molecules
17-01-2015
Comets are believed to be primordial clusters of ice & dust left from the building of the Solar System 4.6 billion
years ago & astrophysicists believe, comets contain insights into how the planets formed
The mission has been hailed as a landmark in space exploration, bringing together unprecedented feats of
navigation & engineering
Early analysis of data sent back by Rosetta suggest that asteroids, & not comets as previously theorised, provided
Earth with water
Asteroids
04 April 2014
14:52
What Are The Differences Between An Asteroid, Comet, Meteoroid, Meteor and Meteorite?
Asteroid: A relatively small, inactive, rocky body orbiting the Sun.
Comet: A relatively small, at times active, object whose ices can vaporize in sunlight forming an atmosphere (coma) of
dust and gas and, sometimes, a tail of dust and/or gas.
Meteoroid: A small particle from a comet or asteroid orbiting the Sun.
Meteor: The light phenomena which results when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and vaporizes; a shooting
star.
Meteorite: A meteoroid that survives its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands upon the Earth's surface.
Size and Frequency
Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles.
About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up
before reaching the surface.
Every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.
Only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth's civilization comes along. Impact craters
on Earth, the moon and other planetary bodies are evidence of these occurrences.
Space rocks smaller than about 25 meters (about 82 feet) will most likely burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere
and cause little or no damage.
If a rocky meteoroid larger than 25 meters but smaller than one kilometer ( a little more than 1/2 mile) were to hit
Earth, it would likely cause local damage to the impact area.
We believe anything larger than one to two kilometers (one kilometer is a little more than one-half mile) could have
worldwide effects. At 5.4 kilometers in diameter, the largest known potentially hazardous asteroid is Toutatis.
By comparison, asteroids that populate the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and pose no threat to Earth,
can be as big as 940 kilometers (about 583 miles) across
Asteroid Redirect Mission
Asteroid Redirect Mission-pdf
NASA has encouraged citizen scientists to send project design & plans to capture asteroids & bring them closer to earth
to collect samples from them for further studies.
NASA has announced a proposal worth 6 million dollars for this.
Orion docking approach
Asteroid Sample Retrieval
Asteroid Sample Storage
Robotic Asteroid Redirect Vehicle with Orion
Asteroid Redirect Vehicle with Capture Bag and EVA

The Asteroid Retrieval & Utilization (ARU) mission, also known as the Asteroid Initiative, is a potential future space
mission proposed by NASA. Still in the early stages of planning and development, the ARU is a mission to bring a small
near-Earth asteroid into lunar orbit, where it could be further analyzed both by unmanned craft & by a future manned
mission. NASA hopes to complete the mission, which may take anywhere from six to ten years, in time to accomplish its
stated goal of landing humans on an asteroid by 2025
The Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization mission, excluding any manned missions to an asteroid which it may enable, is
predicted by a Keck Institute for Space Studies study to cost about $2.6 billion, of which $105 million has been
proposed for 2014. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has stated that: "This mission represents an unprecedented
technological feat that will lead to new scientific discoveries and technological capabilities and help protect our home
planet."
21-06-2014
NASA identifies candidate for asteroid capture
NASA has identified an odd, tiny Near-Earth Object as a valid candidate for its ambitious first-ever asteroid-capture
mission scheduled for the 2020s
The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) is a proposed spacecraft concept which aims to capture either a small asteroid or
a boulder from an asteroid.
Astronomers using NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope measured the size of the asteroid in question, called 2011 MD, at 6
metres in diameter. 2011 MDs structure appears to contain a lot of empty space and resembles a pile of rubble,
according to astronomers.
Spitzers infrared vision was key to sizing up the asteroid. From its perch up in space, Spitzer can use its heat-sensitive
infrared vision to spy asteroids and get better estimates of their sizes, said Michael Mommert of Northern Arizona
University, Flagstaff, the lead author of the study. The Spitzer results confirm that 2011 MD has characteristics suitable
University, Flagstaff, the lead author of the study. The Spitzer results confirm that 2011 MD has characteristics suitable
for the ARM proposal, elevating it to the valid candidate level. Valid candidates must have the right size, mass and
rotation rate to be feasibly captured by the robotic spacecraft, NASA said. Two other valid candidates have been
identified so far
Nanosats
10 June 2014
11:52
10-06-2014
Around 1,000 operational satellites are circling the Earth, some ofthem the size and weight of a large car. In the past
year they have been joined by junior offspring: 100 or so small satellites, some of them made up of one or more 10cm
(4-inch) cubes. They may be tiny, but each is vastly more capable than Sputnik, the first man-made satellite launched
by Russia in 1957. And many more are coming.
Space hardware used to cost so much that it was available only to generals, multinationals and the most privileged
scientists. No more. Many of these nanosats, as small satellites weighing no more than a few kilograms are called, have
been launched for small companies, startups and university departments, sometimes with finance raised on
crowdfunding websites. Their construction costs can be down in the tens of thousands of dollars, which makes them
thousands of times cheaper than today's big satellites. Admittedly, there is much they cannot do, but with that sort of
price differential, and some ingenious use of the abilities they do have, they could be surprisingly competitive players
on a number of fronts. In the next five years another 1,000 nanosats are expected to be launched.
Size does impose limits. Nanosats cannot peer as closely at the Earth or carry out as many experiments as big satellites.
But for some jobs that does not matter. The plans that companies already have include using nanosats for monitoring
crops, studying the sun and tracking ships and aircraft.

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