Showing posts with label Science & Techonlogy. Show all posts
Sep 29, 2015
Google to provide Wi-Fi in 400 Indian railway stations
Search engine giant Google has announced to provide high-speed public Wi-Fi in 400 Indian railway stations.
To set up public Wi-Fi hotspots, Google is working with the Indian Railways and RailTel, a government-owned provider of telecommunications infrastructure to the railways.
The project will be implemented in phased manner and initially it will cover 100 of the busiest stations in India before the end of 2016. The first stations are expected to come online by end of October 2015.
The internet service will be offered free initially with an aim to make the project self-sustainable in order to provide Wi-Fi to more stations and other places.
Once this project is implemented successfully it will benefit around 21 million passengers of Indian Railways. Presently, India has about 300 million people online or having internet connectivity.
Sep 28, 2015
India’s 1st dedicated satellite for astronomy research Astrosat successfully launched
India’s first dedicated satellite for astronomy research Astrosat has been successfully launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.
It was launched along with 6 foreign satellites by the ISRO’s work horse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C30 (PSLV-C30).
About Astrosat
- Astrosat is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory and one of the major scientific mission after the highly acclaimed Chandrayaan-I and Mangalyaan.
- Functions: As a space observatory it has ability to observe celestial bodies like cosmic X-Ray sources and distant stars in different wavelengths simultaneously.
- It will observe the universe through ultraviolet, optical, low and high energy X-ray components of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Sep 26, 2015
MOM completes one year of mission life around Mars
India’s globally acclaimed Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft also known as Mangalyaan has completed one year of the mission life around Mars on 24 September 2015.
During the entire one year, the spacecraft had acquired a large set of data of the red planet using all five payloads mounted on it by completing more than 120 orbits.
To mark first anniversary of MOM, Ahmedabad based Space Applications Centre (SAC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released Mar Atlas mobile application.
Mar Atlas contains compilation of photos taken at varying spatial resolutions by the Mars Colour Camera (MCC) fitted on board of the spacecraft. It also contains results obtained by other payload results in a form of scientific atlas.
About Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
- Mangalyaan is indigenously designed, built and launched by ISRO in record period of less than two years in 450 crore rupees (73 million US dollars) budget which is considered as cheapest inter-planetary mission till date to reach Mars.
Sep 21, 2015
China launches newly-developed smaller version Long March-6 carrier rocket
China has successfully launched a newly-developed smaller version of carrier rocket Long March-6 as part of the country’s space program.
It was launched from the base in the Northern Province of Shanxi and was carrying 20 micro satellites into the space.
About Long March-6
- High: 29.3 metres (97 feet)
- Abbreviation: LM-6
Sep 14, 2015
World’s first human head transplant scheduled for 2017
An Italian-Chinese medical team has planned to perform the world’s first head transplant on a 30-year-old Russian computer scientist in China and the procedure may take place by December, 2017. Dr Sergio Canavero, an Italian neurosurgeon, plans to perform the procedure which is expected to last up to 36 hours. Valery Spiridonov, who was diagnosed with a genetic muscle-wasting condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, has volunteered for the procedure despite the risks involved.
It will require Spiridonov’s head be cooled as well as the donor’s body to extend the period during which the cells can survive without oxygen. Canavero, who previously announced he will attempt to transplant a human head to a new body, will partner with Ren Xiaoping, a Chinese surgeon with the second affiliated hospital of Harbin Medical University, on this ultimate medical challenge. The operation is aimed at restoring independence of severely disabled people.
Sep 12, 2015
Europe launches two more Galileo satellites
Europe has put up another two spacecraft in its Galileo sat-nav system. The satellites were launched on a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana.With the successful launch, Europe came a step closer to setting up its own satellite navigation system. The European Space Agency’s Galileo project is meant as a European Union alternative to the U.S. Global Positioning System. Galileo is due to reach full operational capability by 2020, Joerg Hahn, head of the Galileo system procurement service.The Galileo project suffered a setback last year after two satellites were set in an incorrect orbit. ESA plans to launch two further Galileo satellites this year. The satellites for Galileo are being made by a German-UK consortium
Sep 11, 2015
First Dengue Treatment comes closer to reality
As per a new study, first dengue treatment has come closer to reality. Clinical trials for a dengue fever treatment could start within a year, following a discovery by University of Queensland scientists. The researchers had identified similarities in how the body reacted to dengue virus and bacterial infections, in a finding that would allow them to re-purpose existing drugs. Dengue virus is estimated to infect up to 400 million people globally each year. The World Health Organisation ranks it as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease in the world.
Dengue - Must Know Facts
- Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes.
- Dengue can affect anyone but tends to be more severe in people with compromised immune systems.
- Victims of dengue often have contortions due to the intense joint and muscle pain.
- Dengue prevention and control solely depends on effective vector control measures.
- Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and, to a lesser extent, Aedes albopictus.
- Till now there is no vaccine to protect against dengue.
- Dengue goes by other names, including “breakbone” or “dandy fever.”
- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 22,000 deaths occur yearly, mostly among children.
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