• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has decided to test an Air-breathing Propulsion System after successful test of Reusable launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD).
• The system aims to capitalize on the oxygen in the atmosphere instead of liquefied oxygen while in flight.
• The air-breathing propulsion system uses natural oxygen present in the atmosphere up to 50 km from the earth’s surface to burn the fuel stored in the rocket.
• This system would help in reducing the lift-off mass of the vehicle as there will be no need of carrying liquefied oxygen on board the vehicle.
• In turn help in increasing the energy efficiency of the rocket and also make it cost-effective.
• ISRO is now evolving and testing various technologies to bring down the cost of launch vehicles. 

• A series of giant tsunamis swept across an ocean on Mars 3.4 billion years ago.
• The impacts kicked up enormous waves that raced across the water and swamped the shoreline.
• Imagine this enormous red wave coming towards you, up to 120 meters (393.7 feet) high. Rodriguez and his colleagues mapped traces of two of these tsunamis.
• It may help resolve long-standing arguments about whether Mars had an ancient northern ocean.
• Mega tsunamis could have wiped away some of that shoreline, happening as often as every 3 million years. 

3) Indian Coast Guard Ship `ARUSH` Commissioned.

• The Indian Coast Guard ship `Arush`, the seventeenth in the series of twenty Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), designed and built by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited, was commissioned at Kochi.
• The special features of the ship include an Integrated Bridge Management System (IBMS) and Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS).
• The ship has been named ICGS `Arush`, literally meaning `first ray of sun`.
• The Indian Coast Guard will be a 150 ships/ boats and 100 aircraft maritime force in next few years.
• In addition to these operational assets, a coastal surveillance network is being established with 46 stations to ensure real-time coastal surveillance.
• The 50-meter indigenous FPV displaces 421 tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots with an endurance of 1500 nautical miles at economical speed of 13 knots, equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and advanced communication and navigational equipment.

• Microsoft and Facebook have joined hands to lay a giant state-of-the-art sub-sea cable across the Atlantic Ocean connecting the US with Europe and beyond so as to facilitate faster speed and access to the Internet.
• The 6,600 km MAREA cable will be the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic - eight fiber pairs and an initial estimated design capacity of 160 terabits per second of bandwidth (Tbps).
• Microsoft and Facebook are collaborating on this system to accelerate the development of the next-generation of Internet infrastructure and support the explosion of data consumption and rapid growth of their respective cloud and online services
• The submarine cable system, to be operated and managed by Telxius.

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test-fired an advanced version of BrahMos land-attack supersonic cruise missile at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan`s Jaisalmer district.
• Two squadrons of IAF already have been equipped with the land-attack version of the missile version (One squadron has about 70 to 80 missiles).
• IAF is deploying this version of the missile in the border areas to take out the enemy’s communication towers, runways, and radar in case of a conflict.
• BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has been designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture of India and Russia.
• It has derived its name from the names of two rivers, India’s Brahmaputra River and Russia’s Moskva River.
• It can strike a target at maximum range of 290 km. It is two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant.

• Microsoft and Facebook have joined hands to lay a giant state-of-the-art sub-sea cable across the Atlantic Ocean connecting the US with Europe and beyond so as to facilitate faster speed and access to the Internet.
• The 6,600 km MAREA cable will be the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic - eight fiber pairs and an initial estimated design capacity of 160 terabits per second of bandwidth (Tbps).
• Microsoft and Facebook are collaborating on this system to accelerate the development of the next-generation of Internet infrastructure and support the explosion of data consumption and rapid growth of their respective cloud and online services
• The submarine cable system, to be operated and managed by Telxius.

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to test an air-breathing propulsion system, which aims to capitalise on the oxygen in the atmosphere instead of liquefied oxygen while in flight.
• The mission would be on a sounding rocket.
• Generally, vehicles that are used to launch satellites use combustion of propellants with oxidiser and fuel. The air-breathing propulsion system aims at using oxygen present in the atmosphere up to 50 km from the earth’s surface to burn the fuel stored in the rocket.
• This system, when implemented, would help in reducing the lift-off mass of the vehicle since liquefied oxygen need not be carried on board the vehicle. This would also help increasing the efficiency of the rocket and also make it cost-effective.

• US space agency NASA successfully deployed the first experimental inflatable room attached to the International Space Station.
• NASA Astronaut Jeff Williams began introducing air into the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, but he only filled air into the spacecraft for a very short time, ranging from one to 30 seconds, each time.
• The 1,400 kg Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was built by Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace under a $17 million NASA contract.
• BEAM was launched to the orbiting lab last month in an effort to test and validate expandable habitat technology.
• Inflatable habitats are designed to take up less room on a spacecraft, but provide greater volume for living and working in space once expanded, according to NASA. 

• Australian researchers built the world’s first scanning helium microscope (SHeM).
• It was made by the scientists belonging to the University of Newcastle.
• The new microscope will enable scientists to study human, animal and plant samples, as well as computer chips and pharmaceutical drugs, without damaging or changing them.
• It will be useful in major industries such as solar energy, defence, explosives and information technology.
• SHeM could help with the clean-up of toxic or even radioactive spills, without harming the surrounding flora or fauna.

• NASA successfully launched a super pressure balloon from New Zealand`s South Island Wanaka Airport.
• The launch marks the fifth attempt to get the massive balloon airborne, with previous bids thwarted by bad weather.
• The balloon is 532,000 cubic metres and aims to remain airborne for more than 100 days.
• Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.
• It is expected to circumnavigate the globe in the mid-latitudes of southern hemisphere once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere.
• The balloon`s operational float altitude is 33.5 kms (20.8 miles) and it will be visible from the ground, particularly at sunrise and sunset, in the southern hemisphere`s mid-latitudes.
• Its flight operations throughout the mission will be controlled by NASA’s balloon experts at Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

• Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile was successfully test-fired from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha.
• It was carried out by Strategic Force Command (SFC) from a mobile launcher at launch complex-3 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.
• Prithvi-II is a tactical short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by indigenously by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It is the first missile indigenously developed by DRDO under India’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).

1. The twin-engine Prithvi-II is 8.56 metre in length, 1.1 metre in width and weighs 4,600 kg.
2. It has the ability to dodge enemy missiles and uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.
3. Capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of nuclear as well as conventional warheads.

• A multidisciplinary research team from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) have developed world’s first genetically engineered clone of the Zika virus strain.
• The development of complementary DNA (cDNA) clone, as it is called, is expected to speed up many aspects of Zika research, including vaccine and therapeutic development.
• The clone comprises of five fragments of complete zika viral genome which were individually cloned and assembled into the full-length Zika virus clone.
• It will help scientists to quickly develop countermeasures and also to explore evolution of Zika virus.
• It will also help to find how the Zika virus has evolved to spread more quickly and cause more severe diseases in people.
• This biological breakthrough will also aid the development of vaccine and therapies against the infection of vector borne Zika virus which has been linked to serious birth defects.

• A joint US-Australian military research team successfully tested a hypersonic technology in the Australian desert.
• The team was running a series of 10 trials of the hypersonic technology at the world’s largest land testing range located at Woomera in Australia and at Norway’s Andoya Rocket Range.
• Scramjet attached to a rocket booster was successfully sent to an altitude of 278 km at Mach 7.5 (seven times the speed of sound).
• Scramjet is a supersonic combustion engine that uses oxygen from the atmosphere for fuel. It is lighter and faster than fuel-carrying rockets and is suitable for flying at hypersonic (Mach 5 and above) speed.
• Hypersonic flight involves travelling at more than 5 times the speed of sound (Mach 5).
• It is a game-changing technology that could revolutionise global air travel, and also provide cost-effective access to space.
• It can be very useful as an alternative to a rocket for putting satellites into space. 

• The indigenously developed fecal incontinence management system ‘Qora‘was launched by Minister of State for Science & Technology Y.S. Chowdary in New Delhi.
• The FIMS-Qora was developed under the Union Ministry of Science & Technology’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Bio design Programme by M/s. Consure Medical, New Delhi.
• It is aimed to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India to develop innovative and affordable medical devices to augment unmet clinical needs of India.
• FIMS-Qora help in reducing skill level required to use a device, and introducing a new level of care for patients outside the ICU.
• This affordable novel technology will help to address the clinical and economic implications of FI by expanding indications for use.

1. Fecal incontinence (FI) is a medical condition marked by inability to control one’s bowel movements. It causes feces (stool) to leak unexpectedly from the rectum.
2. This medical condition worldwide affects nearly 100 million bed ridden patients. Furthermore, about 50% of the psychiatric ward patients due to long-term neurological diseases have FI.

• Three Indian naval ships arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ) on a four-day visit.
• The ships INS Deepak, INS Tarkash and INS Delhi, arrived under the command of Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet.
• During the visit, the crew of IN ships will undertake professional interactions with the Royal Navy of Oman pertaining to nuances of maritime operations, including means of combating maritime terrorism and piracy.
• In addition, calls on senior Government and military authorities, sporting and cultural interactions and sharing of best practices, aimed at enhancing cooperation, strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two navies.
• Bilateral relations between India and Oman have been historically strong based on deep cultural affinity and vibrant economic linkages.
• Since then, naval cooperation between the countries has progressed steadily with increased port visits by naval ships and training of RNO personnel by the Indian Navy in hydrography, diving, training, logistics and dockyard management. 

• Scientists have used sunlight to efficiently turn seawater into hydrogen peroxide, which can then be used in fuel cells to generate electricity.
• It is the first photo-catalytic method of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production that achieves a high enough efficiency so that the H2O2 can be used in a fuel cell.
• The most earth-abundant resource, seawater, is utilised to produce a solar fuel that is H2O2.
• Researchers developed a new photo-electrochemical cell, which is basically a solar cell that produces H2O2.
• When sunlight illuminates the photocatalyst, it absorbs photons and uses the energy to initiate chemical reactions seawater oxidation and the reduction of O2 in a way that ultimately produces H2O2.
• The researchers expect that the efficiency can be improved in the future by using better materials in the photo-electrochemical cell, and they also plan to find methods to reduce the cost of production.

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched its maiden indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
• It was carried up on a solid rocket motor (SRM). The 9 ton SRM was designed to burn slowly to accommodate the vertical lifting of winged body.
• The launch was part of a series of technology demonstration missions, which is considered as a first step towards realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully re-usable vehicle.
• After launch RLV-TD glided back onto a virtual runway in Bay of Bengal and re-entered the atmosphere after reaching a height of over 70 km.

1. RLV-TD is winged body aerospace vehicle that operated in hypersonic flight regime.
2. It is capable of launching satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter the atmosphere.
3. The RLV-TD was 6.5 meter long and has aeroplane like structure. It weighs about 1.75 tonnes and is very similar to the retired US space shuttle.

• The Indian Navy has commissioned indigenously built highly maneuverable Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli at the commissioning ceremony held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• It would be deployed for coastal patrol and surveillance operations along the East Coast of India.
• INS Tarmugli is indigenously conceived, designed and built by M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE).
• INS Tarmugli weighs 320-tonne and is 48 meters in length. It can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots.
• It is capable of operating in shallow waters at high speeds and is equipped with enhanced fire power.
• It is equipped with of a 30 mm CRN 91 gun, an electronic day-night fire control system namely Stabilised Optronic Pedestal (SOP), two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns (HMG) and multiple medium machine guns. 

• Scientists from the Queen’s University (Canada) have developed the world’s first holographic flexible Smartphone named HoloFlex.
• HoloFlex, is capable of rendering 3D images with motion parallax and stereoscopy to multiple simultaneous users without head tracking or glasses.
• HoloFlex features a high-definition Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) touch-screen display.
• Images are rendered into 12-pixel wide circular blocks rendering the full view of the 3D object from a particular viewpoint.
• These pixel blocks are projected through a 3D printed flexible micro lens array consists of over 16,000 fish-eye lenses.
• The Smartphone is also equipped with a bend sensor which allows the user to bend the phone. It helps in moving objects along the z-axis of the display.

• UK’s first baby named Biagio Russo was born in Oxford using Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) method.
• This method uses a revolutionary In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique resulting in better selection of embryos to transfer during the treatment.
• NGS also known as high-throughput sequencing is bio medical process that allows doctors to easily choose the embryos which have the strongest chance of growing into healthy babies.
• This method helps doctors to move away from traditional manually count and identify problems caused by embryos produced in IVF having the wrong number of chromosomes.
• Unlike traditional screening methods, NGS can spot embryos that have more subtle DNA faults and embryos that have only some cells with chromosomal defects.

• Multinational company Google has announced the launch of its free high-speed public WiFi service at Ujjain, Jaipur, Patna, Guwahati and Allahabad railway stations.
• Google has been deploying the service over the extensive fibre network of Indian Railway`s arm Railtel which provides Internet services as RailWire.
• The service is now available in 15 stations across India.
• This is in continuation with its project to provide high-speed public WiFi service at 100 Railway stations across India by end of the year.
• Google Covering 100 of the busiest train stations in India, the project will be eventually rolled out to cover 400 train stations across India.

• NASA’s unmanned Kepler space observatory has discovered the largest trove of exoplanets outside our solar system.
• It has discovered total of 1,284 exoplanets and it is more than double the number of known exoplanets found with the Kepler space telescope.
• The new trove of 1,284 exoplanets nearly 550 are said to be rocky planets like Earth, based on their size.
• NASA has discovered nearly 5,000 total planet candidates, of them more than 3,200 have been verified and 2,325 of these were discovered by Kepler.

1. The unmanned Kepler space observatory was launched in 2009 and was tasked with determining how commonly, Earth-like planets occur throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
2. The Kepler observatory works by observing a dimming in the light of a star, known as a transit, each time an orbiting planet passes in front of it. 

• The Indian Navy decommissioned its fleet of iconic Sea Harriers at a function organised at INS Hansa base in Vasco, Goa.
• The Harriers will be replaced by a squadron of Russian MIG 29k jets and the retired aircrafts will be put on display in museums.

1. The aircraft was developed by the British in the 1960s. It was used for both reconnaissance and strike.
2. In India Sea Harriers were inducted in 1983 and played a pivotal role in various operations.
3. It is best known for the ability to take off and land vertically. It is only class of jet that can hover like a helicopter.
4. During their service, the aircrafts had operated from both INS Vikrant and INS Viraat aircraft carriers. 

• Reliance Jio has quietly launched its new wallet app on the Apple and Android app stores.
• The new app, which joins Jiochat Messenger and My Jio apps in the respective stores, is called JioMoney Wallet.
• JioMoney is a semi-closed prepaid wallet that aims to enable mobile-based transactions. Using it customers can store money and use it for purchasing goods and services.
• Customers can use JioMoney’s digital wallet, a Jio Money card or any other credit/ debit card directly from the wallet to pay merchant seamlessly and instantly.
• JioMoney digital wallet also gives consumers the option of opening a Digital Bank Account or linking their existing account.
• The service will enable customers to make bill payments, mobile and DTH recharges, send/receive money and insurance premium payments, as well as for online shopping.
• It also allows users to send and receive money to and from family and friends.

• The Indian Air Force has launched its Electronic Maintenance Management System (e-MMS) Project, an automated military maintenance system.
• It was inaugurated by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha at the Air Force Station in Pune, Maharashtra.
• The system would transform the manner in which the maintenance activities are executed and managed by the IAF.
• The e-MMS project is one of the largest Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) IT implementation in the world.
• The project has been designed and developed by the Indian IT giant Wipro.
• It will transform IAF’s paper-based legacy maintenance system to an online system as it will be implemented in IAF’s hierarchy and functioning.
• It will help to transform work environment of IAF to become more efficient.
• And help to monitor the operational availability of all fleets and systems in real time at various hierarchical levels.

• The Islamic State’s ``Library of Zeal`` has released an application for teaching the Arabic alphabet to children on Android devices.
• The vocabulary taught by it includes jihadist themes along with words like ‘tank’, `gun` and `rocket`.
• The IS’s ‘Library of Zeal’ has released an application, titled Huroof, for teaching the Arabic alphabet to children on Android devices.
• The alphabet application is not the Islamic State’s first mobile application, however it is the first to be directed exclusively at children.

• National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, for Research and Development (R&D) in fields of mutual interest.
• Extraction of Gallium from Bayer Liquor will be NALCO`s first R&D project with BARC with an objective to develop indigenous technology for this strategic metal.
• Its integrated operations cover the entire aluminium production value chain from mining bauxite, refining alumina, smelting aluminium, captive power generation to a strong logistic network in terms of rail & port facilities.
• Nalco has the largest integrated alumina-aluminium complex of Asia. 

• The United States has activated a land-based missile defence station (Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System) in Deveselu, Romania.
• The missile defence station is part of NATO’s larger European shield to protect member countries from short and medium-range missiles, particularly from the Middle East.
• Deveselu missile defence station has uses powerful computer and radar technology to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.
• It also allows on-shore sites and warships to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles while they are still in space.
• US has spent 800 million dollars on the site in Romania.

• The multilateral Red Flag Aerial combat exercises between US, NATO and allied forces and India Air Force (IAF) concluded in Alaska, US.
• This was the second time India had participated in such an exercise after 2008.
• IAF’s participation in this inter-continental exercise was to showcase its capability in undertaking integrated air operations and gain also operational lessons.
• The exercise was conducted multiple simulated scenario to provide realistic settings with a Red Force, defending their airspace and assets and a Blue Force acting as offensive side.
• Red Force was constituted by US F-16 fighters, while the IAF planes along with other USAF aircraft such as F-15, F-16 and F-22 and US Navy F-18, constituted the Blue Force.

• India successfully test fired an indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, Ashwin.
• It was launched from the complex of Abdul Kalam Island (formerly known as Wheeler Island) off Odisha coast.
• This was the 12th test in the series to develop interceptor missiles.
• It was test fired to validate various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode.
• AAD interceptor missile Ashwin is the advanced version of low altitude supersonic ballistic interceptor missile.
• It is indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile.
• It weighs around 1.2 tonnes and has a diameter of less than 0.5 meter.
• The missile also has its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars.
• With this, India became the fourth country to have successfully developed this anti-ballistic missile system. The other three are United States, Russia and Israel.

• China has successfully launched Yaogan-30 remote-sensing satellite into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) using the Long March-2D rocket.
• Yaogan-30 was carried by a Long March-2D rocket, the 227th mission for the Long March rocket family.
• The rocket was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in Gobi desert in northwest China’s Gansu Province.
• The Yaogan-30 satellite was built by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
• It is part of second generation of the Yaogan series inaugurated in 2008. The first Yaogan satellite was launched in 2006.
• It has two deployable solar arrays along with batteries. It uses the CAST-2000 platform, which has a dry mass of about one metric ton.
• The satellite will be used for experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief. 

• Kalvari`, Indian Navy`s first indigenous Scorpene-class stealth submarine, sailed out for first sea trial in the Mumbai naval dockyard.
• INS Kalvari is also known as Tiger Shark (or S50).
• It is a diesel-electric attack submarine which is built under the strategic Project 75 by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in collaboration with French naval defence and Energy Company DCNS.

• It has superior stealth capability and is designed to operate in all theatres including the tropics.
• It can undertake various operations including multifarious warfare, Anti-submarine warfare, Intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.
• It can launch attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons and attack can be launched from underwater or on surface.
• It is equipped with Weapons Launching tubes (WLT) that can carry weapons on board and can be easily reloaded at sea.

• The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has launched mobile app ``Indian Customs- Guide to Travellers`` for dissemination of information about Customs Baggage Rules.
• `Indian Customs- Guide to Travellers` mobile app has been developed by Bengaluru Customs to inform international travelers - who may be traders, exporters or importers about the customs baggage rules.
• It is available on Android Play store, Apple Store and Windows Store.
• The app serves as a useful tool for quick information on the baggage rules and entitlements and thus serves to clarify doubts and concern of international passengers.

• The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy hidden in the night sky, located just over 110 million light-years away in the constellation of Pisces.
• The galaxy UGC 477 is a low surface brightness (LSB) galaxy. LSB galaxies like UGC 477 are more diffusely distributed than galaxies such as Andromeda and the Milky Way.
• With surface brightnesses up to 250 times fainter than the night sky, these galaxies can be incredibly difficult to detect.
• Many of the matter current in LSB galaxies is within the type of hydrogen fuel, somewhat than stars.
• The centres of LSB galaxies don’t include giant numbers of stars.
• Astronomers suspect that this is because LSB galaxies are mainly found in regions devoid of other galaxies, and have therefore experienced fewer galactic interactions and mergers capable of triggering high rates of star formation.
• LSB galaxies reminiscent of UGC 477 as a substitute look like dominated by darkish matter.

• An international team of scientists have discovered a trio of Earth-like exoplanets using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory.
• These planets were found orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth and are likely comparable in size and temperature to Earth and Venus.
• Michael Gillon-led team of astronomers of the University of Liege in Belgium used the TRAPPIST telescope to observe the ultra-cool dwarf star 2MASS J23062928-0502285, now also known as TRAPPIST-1.
• TRAPPIST-1 is about one eighth the size of the Sun (barely larger than Jupiter) and significantly cooler.
• Two of the planets have orbital periods of about 1.5 days and 2.4 days respectively, and the third planet has a less well-determined orbital period in the range 4.5 to 73 days.
• Three planets were found to orbit very close to their host dwarf star, the inner two planets only receive four times and twice, respectively, the amount of radiation received by the Earth.
• The third, outer, planet’s orbit is not yet well known, but it probably receives less radiation than the Earth does. 

• Scientists have developed world’s Smallest (Nano) Thermometer using DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) structures that can fold and unfold at specifically defined temperature functions.
• The University of Montreal researchers created a programmable DNA thermometer that is 20,000 times smaller than a human hair.
• It was developed using basic idea of the DNA molecules which unfold when heated to certain temperatures. RNA, proteins and other bio-molecules in the DNA fold and unfold.
• It can help in understanding of natural and human designed nanotechnologies by enabling to measure temperature at the nanoscale.
• Play a crucial role in answering a number of debatable questions in the field of science and technology. It may be used to create super-strong structures, repair cells and help nano-computing become more efficient.

• A group of researchers from University of Cambridge have built the world’s smallest (nanoscale) working engine.
• They have named the microscopic engine as ANTs (Actuating Nano-Transducers).
• The prototype engine was made of tiny charged particles of gold. It was bound together with temperature-responsive gel-like polymer called pNIPAM.
• The nanoscale engine is just a few billionths of a metre in size and uses light to power itself.

1. On heating the engine above critical temperature with a laser it stores large amounts of elastic energy in a fraction of a second.
2. The elastic energy is mainly produced after the gold particles are bound tightly together with the polymer through intermolecular attraction. When it falls below critical temperature, the polymer suddenly absorbs water and expands and the gold particles are pushed rapidly apart like a spring.
3. This stored energy generates a propulsive force on a microscopic scale that is a hundred times greater per unit weight than any known motor or muscle.
4.  
5. This engine can help to navigate in water, even enter living cells to fight disease or sense the environment around them.

• The US Navy conducted an initial test run of the world’s largest unmanned ocean-going vessel, 132-foot ship designed to travel thousands of miles at sea with no human crew.
• The vessel is called as ``Sea Hunter``, will allow the US to patrol waters without the risk of casualties should the ship come under attack.
• "Sea Hunter" has the potential to revolutionize not only the military`s maritime operations but commercial shipping, according to military officials.
• It could usher in the arrival of unmanned cargo vessels moving between countries.
• The military’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in conjunction with the Navy will be testing the ship off the San Diego coast
• ``Sea Hunter`` relies on radar, sonar, cameras and a global positioning system.Unmanned ships will supplement missions to help keep service members out of harm’s way.

• India has 34 Indian satellites are operational in the space.
• Which 13 are for communication, 12 for the purpose of earth observation and seven for navigation purpose and two space science satellites namely the Mars Orbiter Mission and Astrosat.
• It was also mentioned that about 30 service providers are utilising Ku-band (a part of K band) transponders onboard indigenous communication satellites for various communication applications.
• These applications include Direct-To-Home Television (DTH), Digital Satellite News Gathering, telecommunication, VSAT services for banking, tele-education and business communication etc.

• Aurobindo Pharma has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Fenofibrate tablets in 48 milligram (mg) and 145 mg dosage forms.
• Fenofibrate is used to treat high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
• The approved abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) is the generic version of AbbVie Inc.’s Tricor tablets.
• This is the 75th ANDA to be approved out of the Unit VII formulation facility in Hyderabad for manufacturing oral non-antibiotic products.
• Aurobindo now has a total of 259 ANDA approvals, including 222 final and 37 tentative approvals from FDA. 

• The south Goa-based defence shipyard, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) launched Shourya.
• The fifth of a series of six Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) designed in-house and built by GSL.
• It was launched by the Governor of Goa, Mridula Sinha, in the presence of GSl and ICG officials.
• The vessel is 105-metre long and is capable of cruising at a speed of 23 knots. It has a range of 6000 nautical miles.
• It is powered by twin diesel engines and carries four boats for boarding party operations. It is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment.
• The ship’s weaponry package has one 30 mm gun and two 12.7 mm guns associated with fire control system.
• It will also be deployed for monitoring sea lanes of communication and ocean surveillance.

• United states (US) based private space transport service company, SpaceX has successfully launched Japanese JCSAT-14 communication satellite into space.
• The satellite was place into its intended preliminary geostationary transfer orbit by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US.

1. JCSAT-14 Satellite is owned by Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation. The satellite will boost the company’s fleet of relay stations to 17.
2. The satellite is built by Space Systems/ Loral and is equipped with 26 C-band and 18 Ku-band transponders.
3. It has design life of 15 years and replaces the aging JCSAT-2A.
4. Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation is the only non-governmental provider of multi-channel pay television and satellite communications in Japan.

• NASA researchers have detected atomic oxygen in Mars` atmosphere for the first time since the last observation 40 years ago.
• It was detected using an instrument onboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
• SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 100-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Centre.
• The detected atomic oxygen was found in the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere known as the mesosphere.
• The observations were possible due to SOFIA’s airborne location, flying between 37,000 - 45,000 feet, above most of the infrared-blocking moisture in Earth’s atmosphere.
• Atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is notoriously difficult to measure as far-infrared wavelengths are needed to detect it.
• However SOFIA help to detect it as it has highly sensitive instruments including spectrometer.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled the first global digital elevation (topographic model) of Mercury.
• The model was unveiled by NASA’s MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) mission
• The MESSENGER mission shows stunning detail the topography across the entire innermost planet of our solar system.
• The model was created using more than 100,000 images acquired by the MESSENGER mission.
• These images were acquired with a large range of viewing illumination and geometries conditions, which help to determine the topography across Mercury’s surface.
• The new topographic map provides an unprecedented view of the region near Mercury’s North Pole which was earlier not available.