What Are Marsquake ?
Context: Recently, NASA has reported that its InSight Mars lander detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet. The rover first landed on Mars in November 2018, and has since heard 1,313 quakes. The largest previously recorded “marsquake” was detected in August 2021. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article: What […]
Rocket-Propelled Grenade
Context: The Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police’s Intelligence headquarters in Mohali has brought the weapon into focus. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article: What is the Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG)? What are the origins of the RPG? Can such weapons be easily procured by terrorists? What is the Rocket-Propelled […]
What Is Virtual Private Network ?
Context: Virtual private network (VPN) service providers are up in arms against a new directive of The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or Cert-In, a wing of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, that mandates they must maintain all customer data for five years. VPN service providers have said the new directive would mean […]
ISRO’s Goal For Venus Mission
Context: India’s Venus mission has been conceived. The project report for ‘Shukrayaan-I’ – the name given to ISRO’s Venus mission, is ready and the budget has also been identified for it. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (Space Technology and advancements in Space Technology) Dimensions of the Article: About Venus Observations and explorations of Venus About Shukrayaan- […]
Biotechnology UPSC Previous Year Questions
Biotechnology (Science and Technology) UPSC Previous Years Prelims Questions 1. Consider the following statements: [UPSC (Pre) – 2020] 1. Genetic changes can be introduced in the cells that produce eggs or sperms of a prospective parent. 2. A person’s genome can be edited before birth at the early embryonic stage. 3. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells […]
ISRO Gearing Up For Multiple Space Missions in 2022
Context: After a rather muted 2021 in terms of satellite launches, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for a number of missions in 2022. Relevance: Prelims, GS-III: Science and Technology (Space Technology) Dimensions of the Article: Chandrayaan-3 Gaganyaan Aditya-L1 XPoSat Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System Earth Observation Satellites Chandrayaan-3 The Chandrayaan-3 is the […]
Where 5G rollout stands in India and in other countries?
Context: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said that Gurugram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jamnagar, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, and Gandhi Nagar would be among the first cities to get 5G services in 2022. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (IT & Computers, Innovations & Discoveries) Dimensions of the Article: 5G Technology and Spectrum How […]
Defence Ministry notifies positive indigenisation list of subsystems
Context: Following the two positive indigenisation lists barring import of 209 major platforms and systems, the Defence Ministry notified a list of another 2,500 subsystems and components and 351 more imported items to be made locally in the next three years. Relevance: GS-III: Industry and Infrastructure, GS-III: Indian Economy (Foreign Trade), GS-III: Science and Technology […]
IAF helicopter crash: ‘Black box’ recovered
Context: The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) (popularly known as ‘black box’) of the Mi-17V5 chopper of the Indian Air Force that crashed with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 defence personnel on board at Kattery in the Nilgiris were recovered. Relevance: Prelims, GS-III: Science […]
Three Indian companies are top 100 in arms sales: SIPRI
Context: Three Indian companies are among the world’s top 100 for combined arms sales in 2020, said a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global arms trade. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology, GS-II: International Relations (International Groupings & Agreements affecting India’s Interests) Dimensions of the Article: About SIPRI Highlights […]