1) National conference on Nuclear energy
- The 6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy was organized by ASSOCHAM in New Delhi on 15th May. The theme of the conference was “Nuclear Energy: a ‘Clean’ Energy option”.
- The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in India. India is on course to double its nuclear power generation capacity to more than 10,000 mega watts (MW) over the next five years i.e. 2020.
- Nuclear power plants account for 3.5% of India’s current electricity generation, and its share in India’s future electricity generation will be less than 10% even if the installed capacity is tripled. However, along with other sources of energy such as hydropower and solar-power, it will play a role in reducing India’s reliance on coal for generating electricity.
- According to R.K. Sinha, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission the nuclear energy is the clean and green source of energy and it is a good option for energy if per capita consumption of power in India has to be increased.
- A Panel discussion on various issues such as contribution of nuclear energy to the decarbonisation of power sector, nuclear energy expansion & “Make in India” and Climate change & the future of nuclear energy was also held at the conference.
2) Opah, the world`s first warm-blooded fish species
- Fish found in waters off US, Australia and several other countries has developed an internal ‘heat exchange’ system
- The Opah is the first fish species found to be fully warm-blooded, circulating heated blood throughout its body much like mammals and birds, research has revealed.
- The fish, found in the waters off the US, Australia and several other countries, generates heat by constantly flapping its fins and has developed an internal “heat exchange” system within its gills to conserve the warmth.
- This adaptation means warm blood that leaves the opah’s body core helps heat cold blood returning from the surface of the gills where it absorbs oxygen, maintaining an average body temperature of about 4C to 5C.
- This system, likened by scientists to a car radiator, is similar to that used by mammals and birds, which are known as endotherms for their ability to maintain body temperature independent of the environment
- While tuna and some sharks can warm certain parts of their bodies, such as their brains and eyes, fish are generally classed among cold-blooded animals, known as ectotherms.
- Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration discovered the opah’s unusual internal system after analysing samples of gill tissue from fish captured off the west coast of the US. Because it can warm its body, it turns out to be a very active predator
- Opahs, which are an oval-shaped fish roughly the size of a car tyre, use this adaptation to become more effective predators. It swims faster, reacts more quickly and sees more sharply than the other marine life that, like the opah, dwell 50m to 400m underwater, NOAA said.
3) North Korea test-fired Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile
- North Korea on 8 May 2015 successfully test-fired a newly developed Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM). The nation described the missile as a world level strategic weapon. The underwater ballistic missile that will meet the latest military science and technology requirements of the country was test-fired after Leader Kim Jong-Un gave the order to test-fire the missile. He also watched its launch from attack submarine.