China on India’s 5G exclusion
Context: China expressed “concern and regret” at India’s move to not include Chinese telecommunication firms among the companies permitted to conduct trials for the use of 5G technology in May 2021. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (IT & Computers, Innovations & Discoveries), GS-II: International Relations (India’s neighbors, Foreign Policies and Developments affecting India’s Interests) Dimensions […]
COVID-19 connection with Neanderthal Genomes
Context: Studies show that we, Human Beings (Homo Sapiens) have inherited regions of host genomes from Neanderthals, which are an extinct species of hominids that were the closest relatives to modern human beings, that increase the risk of getting severely ill and protect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (Biotechnology) Dimensions of […]
Oxygen Crisis: Oxygen Shortage in India explained for UPSC
Context: Oxygen Crisis in India – Oxygen Shortage for Covid-19 patients treatment There are serious calls to address the Oxygen Crisis in India due to shortage of Oxygen as infected patients of the second wave of Covid-19 are left gasping for breath as hospitals in some states are operating on the edge due to a […]
Antimicrobial resistance, the silent threat
Context: As serious as the current health and economic crisis is, COVID-19 may just be the harbinger of future crises – because Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century seems to be ignored. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology, GS-II: Social Justice (Health related issues) Mains Questions: How can engaging the […]
China launches “Tianhe” module for its space station
Context: China launched an unmanned module containing what will become living quarters for three crew on a permanent space station that it plans to complete by the end of 2022. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (Space technology, Developments in Science and Technology), Prelims Dimensions of the Article: About China’s Tiangong Space Station About Tianhe About […]
China to hold talks on building asteroid defence system
Context: China will hold discussion on building a defence system against near-earth asteroids – China is stepping up efforts towards realizing its longer term space ambitions. China has made space exploration a top priority in recent years, aiming to establish a programme operating thousands of space flights a year and carrying tens of thousands of […]
Russia plans its own space station in 2025
Context: As tensions simmer between Russia and a number of Western countries on the ground, the head of the Russian space agency has announced work has begun on a space station of its own. Russia recently celebrated its proud history in space, marking the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to go […]
‘Britcoin’ not bitcoin
Context: The British finance minister told the Bank of England (BoE) [Similar to RBI in India] to look at the case for a new “Britcoin”, or central bank-backed digital currency, aimed at tackling some of the challenges posed by cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (Developments in Science and Technology, Application of […]
Copyright war: Oracle vs. Google case
Context: Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favour of Alphabet Inc.’s Google in a case where it was accused by Oracle of violating the country’s copyright law. Relevance: GS-III: Science and Technology (Intellectual Property Rights), GS-II: International Relations (Foreign policies and developments affecting India’s Interests) Dimensions of the Article: The story so far More […]
ARIES facility to host the support centre for Aditya-L1
Context: The Indian programme to study the Sun and the region between the Sun and the Earth from space – Aditya-L1 – is due to be launched in 2022. Relevance: Prelims, GS-III: Science and Technology (Space technology, Developments in Science and Technology) Dimensions of the Article: About Aditya-L1 What is Lagrange Point 1? Role of […]