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Science & Technology Current Affairs March 4th Week 2020

ARCI developed technology to improve fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines:

International Advanced Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI) developed ultrafast laser surface texturing technology. The technology can improve the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines.
    
Highlights:
 
♦ Laser surface micro-texturing offers precise control of the size and shape.
♦ The density of micro-surface texture features gains momentum as a way to control friction and wear. 
♦ The special feature of the technology is a pulsating laser beam creates micro-dimples or grooves on the surface of materials in a very controlled manner. 
♦ The texture traps wear debris when operating under dry sliding conditions. It provides effects like enhancing oil supply that can lower friction coefficients and may enable reduced wear rate. This will improve the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines.

India to begin coronavirus antibody tests:

India is expected to begin coronavirus antibody tests to confirm whether a person has been previously infected with the virus. The change is intended to help you understand the country`s COVID-19 epidemiology.

Highlights:

♦ The antibody test is named as "serological test".

♦ The test looks for antibodies in the blood, it is different from the current, diagnostic tests that determine active infection through nasal or throat swabs. 

♦ Serological tests will help the scientists and doctors to determine if a person has previously had a viral infection, based on the presence of antibodies in the blood, possibly even if they were asymptotic.

♦ It is not a confirmatory test. It will be used for the purpose of surveillance to generate data and understand whether people got exposed to the virus. 

 

 

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Science & Technology Current Affairs March 2nd Week 2020

ARI developed ARI-516, a hybrid variety of grapes:

Scientists from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) have developed a hybrid variety of grapes, ARI-516. It is resistant to fungal diseases, high yielding, and has excellent juice quality.

Highlights:

♦ ARI-516 was developed by interbreeding of two species from the same genus Catawba variety of Vitis labrusca and Beauty seedless variety of Vitis vinifera.

♦ The hybrid suitable for the preparation of juice, raisin, jam, and red wine, and farmers are enthusiastically adopting the variety. 

♦ It is expected that the hybrid can benefit farmers, the processing industry, and consumers. 

♦ The grape has superior quality fruits and higher yield per unit area. It matures in 110-120 days after pruning.

♦ ARI-516 grape variety has been recently identified for release by the Varietal Identification Committee of ICAR-All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Fruit, for cultivation states like Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana,

Astronomers found Iron raining exoplanet:

Astronomers from Spain`s Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) has discovered an exoplanet WASP-76b where it "rains iron." The conditions of the exoplanet was discovered by Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations (ESPRESSO). The high-resolution instrument is installed on the European Southern Observatory`s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.

Exoplanet WASP-76b:

♦ Exoplanet WASP-76b is located 360 million light-years away, toward the constellation Pisces. 

♦ It has days when its temperatures exceed 2,400 degrees Celsius (4,352 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature is hot enough to evaporate metals.

♦ At nights, with strong winds, cool down the iron vapor so that it condenses into drops of Iron.

 

♦ The planet always keeps the same face towards its star as it rotates around it.

Eleventh Bengaluru INDIA Nano conference and exhibition held at Bengaluru:

Eleventh Bengaluru INDIA Nano conference and exhibition showcased technologies and products developed by academia and companies in nanotechnology. 

Organized by:

The three-day event was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of Karnataka, and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), in association with other Govt Institutions and corporate companies. 

Highlights:

♦ Research work to tackle infections related to antimicrobial resistance, eco-friendly batteries, and tools on nanotechnology, which was developed for agriculture were showcased by JNCASR at the exhibition.

♦ A set of Zn-air eco-friendly batteries were also displayed.

♦ Rhino Lure and Rhyncho Lure, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and residual free control strategy tools to monitor and manage Rhinoceros Beetle and Red Plam Weevil pests and protect crops like coconut, date palm, oil palm, and arecanut were exhibited.

 

 

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Science & Technology Current Affairs March 1st Week 2020

Researchers detected biggest explosion since Big Bang:

Researchers have detected evidence of a colossal explosion in space which is five times bigger than anything observed before. The huge release of energy is expected to have occurred from a supermassive black hole which is located around some 390 million light-years from Earth. Also, the scientists stated that the explosion might have left a giant dent in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster.

Ophiuchus galaxy cluster:

Ophiuchus galaxy cluster is a large galaxy that contains a supermassive black hole. The source of the gigantic eruption to jets has carved out a large cavity in the hot gas. The amount of energy required to create the cavity in Ophiuchus far exceeded the previous record holder, a cluster known by the designation MS 0735+74. The cluster contains thousands of individual galaxies intermingled with hot gas and dark matter. 

US and European X-ray telescopes found a curved edge to it. It is suspected that it might be the wall of a cavity that had been sculpted in its plasma by emissions from a gargantuan black hole in one of the core galaxies. The theory was confirmed by a new low-frequency telescope data from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India.

 
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