Science & Tech by Kumar Manish

PERTUSSIS Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, has seen a significant surge in Europe, with approximately 32,000 cases reported between January and March 2024. Caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, whooping cough spreads easily from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or close contact. In its early stages, pertussis symptoms resemble those of a common cold, including a runny nose, low-grade fever, sneezing, and occasional cough. As the infection progresses, severe coughing fits develop, often accompanied by a high-pitched "whoop" sound.

NAKSHATRA SABHA » The Uttarakhand government has inaugurated a three-day NAKSHATRA Sabha. It was organised at George Everest peak in Mussoorie by the Uttarakhand Tourism Department in collaboration with an Astro tourism company, Starscapes. » It aimed at promoting astro tourism in the region. The event promised a comprehensive astro-tourism experience, featuring stargazing through specialised instruments, talks by experts, an astrophotography competition, and special solar observations.

AGNIKUL COSMOS: » The private space company Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched its first indigenously built rocket, Agnibaan, marking a significant achievement in the aerospace sector. Agnibaan's distinction lies in its power source: the world's first fully 3-D printed engine. Launched from Agnikul's custom launchpad at ISRO's Sriharikota facility, this semi-cryogenic engine is a single piece of hardware without any components, moving parts, joints, welding, or fusing, making it an unprecedented innovation in rocket technology. India is also expanding its space infrastructure with the construction of a second spaceport at Kulasekharapattinam in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district. This facility will be dedicated to Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs), complementing ISRO's primary spaceport, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This launch is not the first by an Indian private company; in November 2022, Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its Vikram rocket, named after Vikram Sarabhai.

Three New Ramsar sites added: Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh have been added to the list of India's Ramsar sites. The total number of Ramsar sites in India is now 85. The Ramsar Convention, which came into existence in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Orangutan diplomacy In line with China's 'Panda diplomacy,' Malaysia announced its own 'Orangutan diplomacy' in May this year, intending to gift orangutans to palm oil-buying countries. However, after widespread criticism regarding the removal of orangutans from their natural habitat, the policy has been changed. According to the latest proposal, importers of Malaysian palm oil will be offered to "sponsor" one or more orangutans. Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, has been under immense pressure to make its palm oil industry more sustainable. Orangutan Status: Orangutans are found only in Indonesia and Malaysia. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Critically Endangered 

Pyrocumulonimbus clouds Pyrocumulonimbus clouds form from extreme heat in wildfires or volcanic eruptions, causing hot air, smoke, and ash to rise and cool, leading to cloud formation. These clouds can produce lightning and strong winds, spreading fires further. The rise in their occurrence may be linked to climate change, as more frequent and intense wildfires become the norm globally. 

Californium On August 9, Bihar's Gopalganj police seized what they suspected was a highly 'radioactive' substance Californium. Californium is a silvery-white synthetic radioactive metal with the atomic number 98 on the periodic table. It was first made in 1950 at Berkeley, California — from where it derives its name — Californium is a very strong neutron emitter and is used in portable metal detectors for identifying gold and silver ores, to help identify water and oil layers in oil wells, and detect metal fatigue and stress in aeroplanes. It is highly radioactive and prohibitively expensive, with one gram costing Rs 17 crore in the international market.

Chandrayaan-4 According to the ISRO's chairman, ISRO's Chandrayaan-4 mission would not be launched at one go and instead, different parts of the spacecraft would be sent into orbit through two launches, and the spacecraft would be assembled in space before proceeding to the Moon. ISRO has planned to launch the Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) mission to demonstrate docking of spacecraft in Earth's orbit for Chandrayaan-4. India's space station, named Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) which is planned in 2035, would also be set up by carrying different parts of the infrastructure in multiple launches.

Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES) It is a planetary defence mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is seeking to collaborate with the European Space Agency (ESA) on its recently announced Ramses mission to track and study the Apophis asteroid that is slated to make a close encounter with the Earth in 2029.

Mini-moons are asteroids that are unable to escape Earth's gravity and remain in orbit for an extended period of time. They are usually very small and difficult to detect; only four mini-moons of Earth have ever been detected, and none are still orbiting the planet. The asteroid was detected with the assistance of the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It is reported to be only 33 feet long and too small to be seen with the naked eye or conventional amateur telescopes. However, the asteroid is visible using professional astronomers' telescopes. Asteroid 2024 PT5 has arrived from "the Arjuna asteroid belt, a secondary asteroid belt made of space rocks that follow orbits very similar to that of Earth" at an average distance of about 150 million kilometres from the Sun.

Out of the space missions listed, three are related to the exploration of Venus: 1. Akatsuki – A Japanese space mission designed to study the atmosphere of Venus. 2. VERITAS – A future NASA mission planned to map the surface of Venus. 3. EnVision – A European Space Agency mission aimed at studying Venus' atmosphere, surface, and subsurface. Cassini, on the other hand, is primarily known for its exploration of Saturn and its moons, not Venus. So, three of the four missions are related to the exploration of Venus.

Hope we have discussed most of these questions in our class ☝️☝️