Science and technology

Dated: 17/02/2015
Mealy bug makes a feast of fruit trees
Scientists of Kerala Agriculture University (KAU) have confirmed mealy bug infestation in the fruit plants of
Idukki district.
About the Disease and the Bug:
The disease can easily spread to a wide area and the infestation, carried through ants, can destroy plants,
including trees.
This is for the first time that the Mealy bug is spotted in Kerala State. It was earlier reported in Odisha.
The root mealy bug sucks moisture out of plants roots causing the plant to die. The symptoms are not
noticed initially and the infestation spreads fast.
The ant, Acropyga acutiventris, carries the bug across plantations.
Bug control:
Elimination of the bug would not be easy. Continuous effort from six months to one year is needed to
control it in an area. If it spreads, containing the bug would be hard.
The main step is to identify the disease early and destroy the affected plants, thus avoiding the bugs
spread.
Treatment:
The first step in disease control is prevention of ants movement.
Since the bug affects weeds, destroying of weeds followed by lime application are recommended as
primary steps. In severely affected areas, Chlorpyriphos and Bio-agent Verticillium are also used for the
treatment.
Sources: The Hindu.
New aggressive form of HIV accelerated AIDS:
A new aggressive form of HIV can proceed to AIDS in just three years, a recent research on the topic has
proved. This happens so rapidly that the patients may not even realize that they have been infected with the
virus. Engaging with unprotected sex with multiple partners increases the risk of contracting multiple strains of
HIV. Once inside the host, these strains recombine into a new variant of the virus, scientist says.
One such recombinants appears in patients from Cuba is more deadly than the other strains
Mechanism of infection:

Dated: 18/02/2015
Scientist develop molecule to treat inflammatory disease:
Scientists in Australia (Researchers at Queensland), Marvel Molecule; Fights one of the main causes of
inflammatory disease(inflammation in immune cells) and also could be the key to formulating improved
treatments like Alzheimers, arthritis and multiple sclerosis

This molecule could lead to much safer and cheaper treatments (Molecule known as MCC950)- the molecule
has been reported to be tested on animals and blood samples from patients in the United States. These patients
had very severe forms of inflammatory disease known as Muckle Wells Syndrome
The molecule could be taken orally and would be cheaper than the present protein-based treatments. It is small
and passes easily from the gut to the bloodstream very quickly.
Dated: 19/02/2015
New Laser technique to hunt for Earth like planets around distant stars: This process ahs been made
easy based on this new technique. The technique will allow spectral analysis of distant starts with
unprecedented accuracy and advanced research in other areas of astrophysics such as detailed
observations on the Sun and measurement of the accelerating Universe by observing distant quarsers. A
Solar telescope can be successfully combined with Laser Frequency Comb (LFC) a tool for measuring
the color frequency of light. A LFC is a tool which emits continuous pulses of light, containing millions
of different colors often spanning across the entire visible spectrum

Displacement cuts life expectancy among Tribal people:

Dated: 20/02/2015
Prithvi II successfully test fired: The missile is indigenously developed nuclear capable S-to_s missile
with a strike range of 350 km. The missile is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines. Uses
advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering trajectory. First missile to be developed by
DRDO under Indias prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program).
Sources: Economic Times

NASA probes small Moons orbiting Pluto: Exactly after 85 years that NASA discovered the planet (/)
Pluto, it has also spotted small moons orbiting the same. The moons Nix and Hydra are visible in the
New Horizon spacecraft. The discovery of Pluto heralded the discovery of the new Kuiper Belt. Hydra
is the outermost moon orbits Pluto every 38 days, while Nix orbits it in 25 days.
India signed up to become one of the 44 founding members of the International Consortium for
telecommunications Satellite: The International Consortium is entrusted with control and managing the
global system based on satellites orbiting the sky. It will entitle India to a 5% share of the $200 million
(Rs. 100 crores) complex which by the end of 1967 is supposed to provide the world with cheaper faster
and more efficient network of communications. She plans to construct a ground station in India worth $
5 million (rs. 2.5 crores).
Rare Planet with extreme seasons have been discovered: Dense and massive planets known so far with
the extreme od temperature conditions known. KEPLER-432b has been revolving around a giant star.
This star has already exhausted in its nuclear fuel and is expanding immensely. The radius of it is four
times than our Sun and will get even larger in future. As this star is reddish in color, astronomers have
named it as the RED Giant. The orbit brings the planet incredibly close to its star and sometimes much
farther, which creates enormous temperature difference in the planet, close to 52 earth days. During the
winters the temperature in KELPER 432b is around 500 degrees celcius, while during summer it can
increase to nearly 1000 degrees celcius. The planet was previously identified as a transient planet
candidate by the NASA Kepler Satellite mission. From the vantage point of the Earth, a transient planet
passes in front of its host star, periodically dimming the received stellar light.
Dated: 25/02/2015
1. New study finds 8 genetic errors that cause aging of brain

A global team of about 300 scientists studied over 30,000 brain scans of people from 33 countries and found
that eight common genetic mutations are behind the aging of brain.
This was the largest collaborative study of the brain to date and its findings could lead to targeted therapies and

interventions for Alzheimers disease, autism and other neurological conditions.

The study known as the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis (ENIGMA) Network was
led by researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and
involved 190 institutions. The findings are published on Jan 21 in Nature. This is the first high-profile study
since the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the US launched its Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) centers of
excellence in 2014.
ENIGMAs scientists screen brain scans and genomes worldwide for factors that help or harm the brainthis
crowd-sourcing and sheer wealth of data gives us the power to crack the brains genetic code, said Paul
Thompson, professor at Keck School of Medicine and principal investigator of ENIGMA.
Our global team discovered eight genes that may erode or boost brain tissue in people worldwide. Any change
in those genes appears to alter your mental bank account or brain reserve by 2 or 3 percent. The discovery will
guide research into more personalized medical treatments for Alzheimers, autism, depression and other
disorders.
The study could help identify people who would most benefit from new drugs designed to save brain cells, but
more research is necessary to determine if the genetic mutations are implicated in disease.
The ENIGMA researchers screened millions of spelling differences in the genetic code to see which ones
affected the size of key parts of the brain in magnetic resonance images (MRIs) from 30,717 individuals. The

MRI analysis focused on genetic data from seven regions of the brain that coordinate movement, learning,
memory and motivation.
The group identified eight genetic variants associated with decreased brain volume, several found in over onefifth of the worlds population. People who carry one of those eight mutations had, on average, smaller brain
regions than brains without a mutation but of comparable age; some of the genes are implicated in cancer and
mental illness.
In October 2014, the NIH invested nearly $32 million in its Big Data Initiative, creating 12 research hubs across
the United States to improve the utility of biomedical data. USCs two BD2K centers of excellence, including
ENIGMA, were awarded a total of $23 million over four years.
2. India is the home of 18% of the worlds raptors:

These raptors serve as a barometer of ecological health: they play a very important ecological role by
maintaining the balance especially the number of rodents under control. There are two kinds of raptors-Diurnal
and Nocturnal. Out of the total 333 species of Diurnal raptors found in the world, 101 of them are found in the
Indo Malayan region. Indias bio-geographical regions support 69 species of raptors, in different habitats.
Dated: 27/02/2015
1. Documentary of Indian contribution to Science: The Quantum of Science directed by Raja Choudhury
is a 52 mins documentary based on the contribution of Indians to the world of science. It is bound to
intrigue young minds in the field of science, despite so many hurdles.Produced by Public Service
Broadcasting trust and The Public Diplomatic Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. Also won
the National Film award for the best film in the field of education (2013). Basically based on the
revolutionary works of three eminent scientist in the early part of the 20th century- Satyendra Nath Bose,
Meghnad Saha and C V Raman. The intriguing part of this film is that the director has not only
confined himself in lab works of scientists, but also portrayed unknown aspects of their individual
personalities, hitherto unknown to the layman.
Dated: 28/02/2015

National Science Day 2015

National Science Day will be celebrated on February 28th every year.
This years theme: Science for Nation Building. It has been chosen for the purpose of raising public
appreciation on scientific issues for the development of nation.

About National Science Day:

National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28th February to mark the discovery of the Raman
Effect, for which a Nobel Prize winning research paper submitted by Sir C.V. Raman was accepted on that day.
What is Raman Effect?
Raman Effect is a phenomenon in spectroscopy discovered by the eminent physicist C.V. Raman.
Raman Effect, change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules. When
a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light
emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most of this scattered light is of
unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its
presence is a result of the Raman Effect.
Theme of National Science Day 2014: Fostering Scientific Temper and Energy conservation.
Sources: PIB, ncsm.gov.in.
Dated: 02/03/2015
1. CERN to test New Particle Model: The Higgs particle can disintegrate into particles of dark matter,
according to a new model that is being tested at the particle physics laboratory CERN. According to the
Standard model guiding all the elementary particles of the Universe, that was developed in the late
1970 s, particularly predicted the existence of elementary undiscovered particles. And the last particle
to guide this theory had been the Higgs particle, or the Higgs Boson. The existence of this particle was
confirmed by the scientists at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN, 2012. The problem with this model
is that it is unable to explain various theories regarding the dark matter that takes up a large part in the
Universe.
Dated: 03/03/2015
1. Space X rocket blasts off with the worlds first all-electric satellite: (Space Exploration Technologies
Rocket): Space X is the privately owned companys name in California; with this being the third flight in
less than two months. Perched on the top of the rocket were a pair of satellites built by the Boeing and
owned by Paris based Eutelsat Communications and Bermuda-based ABS, whose majority owner is the
European private equity firm Permira. The satellites were outfitted with lightweight all electric engines
rather than the conventional chemical propulsion. The disadvantage of the electric owned satellite is
that it would take months and not weeks for the satellite to be launched in its orbit of operation. Space
X also flies cargo missions to the International Space Stations in NASA and is working gor an upgraded
version of spaceships to fly astronauts as well.