- PRATUSH Telescope
- Astronomers are looking forward to opening a new window on the universe by posting high-resolution telescopes on the moon, and in orbit around it, including one from India called PRATUSH.
- About
- Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen (PRATUSH) is a radio telescope to be sited on the moon’s far side.
- It is being built by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru with active collaboration from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- Initially, ISRO will place PRATUSH into orbit around the earth. After some fine-tuning, the space agency will launch it moonwards.
- Main roles: It will be to detect signals from the first stars and galaxies, reveal the cosmic dawn of the universe, answering the question when the first stars formed, the nature of the first stars and what was the light from the first stars.
- It will carry a wideband frequency-independent antenna, a self-calibrating analog receiver and a digital correlator to catch radio noise in the all-important signal from the Dark Ages.
- The target instrument sensitivity is at the level of a few millikelvin without being limited by any systematic features.
2. INDIA SHIFTS ITS MYANMAR STAFF TO YANGON OVER CONFLICT
- India Relocates Consulate Staff in Myanmar Due to Security Concerns Reason: Citing the ongoing conflict between Myanmar’s military junta and ethnic armed groups, India has temporarily relocated its consulate staff from Sittwe, Rakhine, to Yangon
- Details
- The consulate in Mandalay remains operational
- This move highlights concerns about the security situation in Rakhine state • Possible Implications
- This relocation might affect visa processing, trade relations, and citizen services offered by the consulate in Sittwe
- It indicates a cautious approach by India towards the situation in Myanmar
- Rakhine state has a history of ethnic tensions and violence
- Sittwe is a strategically important location for India due to its proximity to its northeastern states
3. TIDALLY LOCKED PLANET
- Recently, an international team of astronomers and astrophysicists has confirmed the first known observance of a tidally locked super-Earth exoplanet.
- A tidally-locked planet in its orbit around a star keeps the same face towards the star. This happens when the rotation period of the planet around its own axis becomes equal to its revolution period around the star.
- On a tidally locked planet, one side is always facing a star while the other is cloaked in perpetual darkness. The dark side could be so cold that water and would-be atmospheric components (e.g., carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or methane) are frozen, certainly an inhospitable environment for life.
- Examples of Tidal Locking:
- The Moon is tidally locked to the Earth because it rotates in exactly the same time as it takes to orbit the Earth. That is why we only see one side of the Moon.
- Pluto-Charon system: Here both bodies are of comparable size and are close together, both bodies can be tidally locked to each other
- Tidal locking does influence how a planet moves, because tidal locking slows down its spin.
- This phenomenon of tidal locking can happen with other bodies in space too, as astronomers often say that binary stars or star systems that have two stars at their center, are most likely tidally locked to each other.
4. myCGHS App
- Recently, the secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the myCGHS app for the iOS ecosystem of devices.
- About
- It is designed to enhance access to Electronic Health Records, information, and resources for Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) beneficiaries.
- It is developed by the technical teams of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) Himachal Pradesh and NIC Health Team.
- It is a convenient mobile application offering features aimed at enhancing information and accessibility for CGHS beneficiaries.
- It facilitates a wide range of services, including booking and cancellation of online appointments, downloading CGHS card and index card, accessing lab reports from CGHS labs, checking medicine history, checking medical reimbursement claim status, accessing referral details and locating nearby wellness centers etc.
- The app features security features like 2-factor authentication and functionality of mPIN ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of users’ data.
- Key Facts about Central Government Health Scheme
- It gives healthcare facilities to registered employees and pensioners of the Central Government of India.
- The enrolled members are provided reimbursement and cashless facilities under this scheme.
- It covers health care under different systems of medicine, such as Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and Unani.
- CGHS beneficiaries can undergo treatment at any empanelled private hospital of their choice.
5. IISc RESEARCH DESIGN NOVEL HYDROGEL TO REMIVE MICROPLASTICS FROM WATER
- A new hydrogel has been designed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for removing microplastics from water
- Microplastic Threat: Microplastics, tiny plastic fragments, are a health concern as they can enter our bodies through drinking water and potentially cause illnesses
- Challenge of Filtration: Traditional methods like filtration membranes tend to clog with microplastics, limiting their effectiveness
- New Hydrogel Solution: IISc researchers created a hydrogel with a unique 3D structure for microplastic removal.
- Hydrogel Design: The hydrogel consists of three intertwined polymer layers (chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyaniline) forming a strong network
- Degradation with Light: Nanoclusters of copper substitute polyoxometalate (Cu-POM) are incorporated within the hydrogel to degrade microplastics using UV light
- High Efficiency: The hydrogel can remove a significant percentage (over 90%) of two types of microplastics from water This new hydrogel design shows promise for a more sustainable solution to address microplastic contamination in water.
ONE LINER
- World Health Organization (WHO) has set 2020 as the target year to Eradicate Hepatitis
- Mamta Sagar won the WOW (World Organisation of Writers) World Literature Prize.
