Information Technology

& Computers
Current Affairs
By: Siddharth Sir
 VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN)
Why in news?
• Recently, the Central government has asked virtual private
network (VPN) companies to keep a record of their logs of
customer information as directed by Indian Computer
Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
 Networks
• Telecommunication network allowing comp. to transfer data
in and out.
• Best known computer network – Internet
• Categorization on basis of size and purpose:
1. PAN
2. LAN
3. MAN
4. WAN
• A remote access VPN connects remote users from any
location to a corporate network.
• A site-to-site VPN, connects individual networks to each other.
About CERT-In :
• CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to
computer security incidents as and when they occur.
• CERT-In was established in 2004 as a functional organization
of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Functions:
• Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on
cyber incidents.
• Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents
• Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents
• Coordination of cyber incident response activities.
• Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes relating to
information
• security practices, procedures, prevention, response and
reporting of cyber incidents.
About CERT-In guidelines
• New directives by CERT-In under Information Technology
Act, 2000 state that:
 All cloud service and VPN providers to maintain a series of
extensive customer information for at least five years, even
after cancellation or withdrawal of the registration.

 Data centre companies and cryptocurrency exchanges are

also asked to collect and store user data.
 5G SPECTRUM AUCTION
Why in News?
• A record over ₹1.5 lakh crore worth of 5G telecom spectrum was
sold in recently held auction.
About 5G spectrum
• Spectrum relates to the radio frequencies allocated to the mobile
industry and other sectors for communication over the airwaves.
• Spectrum is a sovereign asset.
• Operators are most likely going to use a mix of low-band, mid-
band, and high-band spectrum to deliver the type of 5G
experience that their customers demand.
E-Band:
• Broadband and WiFi players opposes giving E band exclusively to
Telcos.
• E band is the range of radio frequencies from 60 GHz to 90 GHz in
the electromagnetic spectrum.
• E-band is a major solution of 5G's microwave transmission.
 FIFTH GENERATION (5G)
Why in news?
• Recently, Prime Minister inaugurated the country's first 5G
testbed.
• The 5G testbed has been developed as a multi-institute
collaborative project by eight institutes led by IIT Madras.
• It is the Country’s first 5G testbed to enable startups and
industry players to test and validate their products locally.
 Generations of Mobile phones

1G - Voice only

2G - Voice , Data: GPRS,

EDGE (Both voice and
data travelled
separately)
3G - Voice , Data: HSPA

4G - Voice : VoLTE (Voice is converted

Data : LTE into data, then
transmitted)
5G is an amalgamation of various technologies such as:
 Massive multi-user MIMO (Multiple input multiple output) enabled
network.
 Small cell stations to connect the base stations and users
seamlessly.
 Mobile Edge Computing that brings cloud computing closer to the
user.
 Beamforming allow for directional transmission or reception.
Other Steps taken by Government to boost 5G Tech
 Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has formed the 5G
India Forum (5GIF).
 National Digital Communication Policy-2018 lays out the objectives
with respect to 5G services in India.
 5G Vertical Engagement and Partnership Program (VEPP) initiative:
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has invited Expression of
Interest for initiative to enable close collaboration between User
verticals and 5G Tech stakeholders.
 5G Airwave Interference
• Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) flagged concerns over
likely interference of 5G C-Band spectrum with aircraft radio
altimeters as both operate in mid C-Band frequency range.
• A radio altimeter provides direct height-above-terrain information to
various aircraft systems and use of altimeters in C- band ensures
highly precise measurements of plane’s altitude.

• For telecom service providers, C-Band ensures coverage as well as

high bandwidth, resulting in faster internet speeds, for rolling out 5G
services.
Private captive 5G networks
• Union Cabinet has allowed private captive 5G telecom network in
India.
• A private captive 5G network is a network set up by a private entity
for the use of enterprise concerned, and no one else.
 Network slicing in 5G
• A network configuration that allows multiple networks (virtualized
and independent ) to be created on top of a common physical
infrastructure.
 Fiberisation
• The process of connecting radio towers with each other via optical
fibre cables is called fiberisation.
• The backhaul is a component of the larger transport that is
responsible for carrying data across the network.
• It represents the part of the network that connects the core of the
network to the edge.
• It is necessary to increase the density of mobile towers to provide
better coverage to consumers and businesses.
 5G OPEN RADIO ACCESS NETWORK (RAN)

Why in News?
• Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), WiSig
Networks Private Limited and VVDN Technologies Private
Limited have signed an agreement for developing 5G Open
RAN and other products together.
About RAN
• Part of network that connects the main network infrastructure to
end-users.
• It connects individual devices to other parts of a network through
radio connections.
• It provides the critical technology to connect users to the mobile
network over radio waves. It acts as a bridge to access all the key
applications on the web.
Current RAN technology is provided as an integrated platform of
both hardware and software.

It is difficult to mix vendors for its different units.

Idea of Open RAN is to enable operators to mix and match

components from different vendors.

• Open RAN will create a multi-supplier RAN solution that allows for
the separation between hardware and software with open
interfaces.
Standalone (SA) 5G: A telecom network where both core
network and radio access network (RAN) are upgraded to 5G.
 It replaces the LTE network 4G wireless communications
standard and allows completely independent operation of a
5G service without any interaction with an existing 4G core.

Non-standalone 5G:
 In this, only RAN part of the network is upgraded.
 It is built over an existing 4G network.
• Advantage of SA over NSA: superior voice quality,
significantly more speed, lower latency etc.
• Challenges of SA 5G: not all phones will have support for SA
5G, will cost more etc.
 6G Technology

Able to use higher

Provide substantially
frequencies than 5G
higher capacity
networks

It seeks to utilize the Terahertz waves fall

terahertz band of between infrared waves
frequency (currently and microwaves on the Much lower latency
unutilized). electromagnetic spectrum. (delay)

• These waves are extremely tiny and fragile, but there's a huge
amount of free spectrum up there that would allow for spectacular
data rates.
 Various modes of network connections:
1. Bluetooth
2. WiFi Direct
VoWiFi:
• Mobile phone converts voice to data and sends to
telecom tower via WiFi
• No extra charges
• No mobile app needed
• Calls can be made even when mobile connectivity is
zero.
 LiFi vs WiFi
Parameter LiFi WiFi
Medium Light waves Radio waves
Privacy Blocked by walls hence Less secure and need
more privacy other techniques to secure
data
Speed Faster (1Gb/sec) Slower (150 mb/sec)
Coverage About 10 m About 32 m

Li-Fi is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system for running wireless

communication.
• Advantages – no electromagnetic interference, low cost and high data
rate, much higher than traditional bluetooth.
 White WiFi
• At present, unused spectrum is allotted to television
broadcasters. This unused gap is called “White space”.
Microsoft wants to use it, to beam wifi on a bigger scale of
10 kms radius, with 15 mbps speed at a cost of Rs.10 lakh
per router.
• This can provide internet connectivity to villages and tribal
areas.
What is RFID technology?
• RFID stands for ‘Radio-frequency identification’
• Digital data is encoded in RFID tags or smart labels which
is captured by a reader.

Applications of RFID technology:

1. Logistics and supply chain - increase efficiency, reduce
errors and improve on quality
2. Inventory tracking
3. Tracking attendees
4. Increase level of security
5. Real time location system
Q. Consider the following statements related to 5G technology in India
1. A wireless communication technology using radio waves or radio frequency
(RF) energy to transmit and receive data.
2. 5G technologies will enter services gradually, beginning in 2019 and
advance to a full range of services by 2024.
Which of the above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 2 both
(d) None
Q. Consider the following statements related to Virtual Private Networks (VPN):
1. A site-to-site VPN connects remote users from any location to a corporate
network
2. A remote access VPN, connects individual networks to each other.

Which of the above is/are incorrect?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 2 both
(d) None
 Artificial Intelligence
• Describes the action of machines accomplishing tasks that have historically
required human intelligence.
• Example: Facebook’s list of suggested friends, Upcoming sale of the favourite
brand of shoes and clothes
AI: Machine mimics human intelligence
ML: Machine improves with experience, by itself
DL: Machine learns from vast amount of data
Applications of Machine learning and Deep learning?
• Medical imaging: finding tumors and other malignant in the human
body.
• Marketing: forecasting are being used for predicting sales.
• Development of industrial robotics.
• Self-driving car industry: algorithms are used for navigating the
vehicle to its destination.

• To analyze customer reviews and gain insights about their sentiments.

• E-commerce: deep Learning based recommendation systems to
provide insights to the customers based on their purchasing patterns.
 GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Why in News?
• Recently, Tech companies around the world are harnessing
Generative AI for various use cases.
More about News
• There has been increasing popularity of generative AI programs, such
as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google’s BARD AI, DALL-E, Codex, GPT-3 etc.
• These programs are a conversational AI language based on deep
learning model built on the transformer architecture.
• It uses a deep neural network and is trained on corpus of text data
from the internet, allowing it to generate human-like text and to
perform various tasks like question answering, and conversation.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
• Describes algorithms that can be used to create new content like
audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos.
• Achieved by training machine learning models on large amounts of
data using neural networks and then using these models to
generate new, synthetic data, like already existing data.

• Prominent frameworks or models of generative AI like Generative

adversarial networks (GANs), Transformer-Based Models (TBMs)
and Variational AutoEncoders (VAEs).
LaMDA (Language Models for Dialog Applications):
• LaMDA is a machine-learning language model created by Google as a
chatbot that is supposed to mimic humans in conversation.
• Like BERT, GPT-3 and other language models, LaMDA is built on
Transformer, a neural network architecture that Google invented and
open-sourced in 2017.
• It is designed to be able to engage in free-flowing conversations about
virtually endless number of topics.
Generative adversarial networks (GANs):
A generative adversarial network (GAN) has two parts:
1. The generator learns to generate plausible data. The generated
instances become negative training examples for the discriminator.
2. The discriminator learns to distinguish the generator's fake data
from real data. The discriminator penalizes the generator for
producing implausible results.
 GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP ON AI (GPAI)
Why in News?
• India took over the Chair of Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) from France.
Responsible AI for Youth 2022
• National E-Governance Division of Ministry of Electronics & IT in
collaboration with Intel India launched ‘Responsible AI for Youth 2022’
program.
• Program is aimed at enabling school students with Artificial
intelligence (AI) skills in an inclusive manner through exclusive
hands-on learning and mentorship opportunities.
• It is open to all school students studying in classes 8-12 across
India.
 SATELLITE COMMUNICATION
Why in News?
• Recently TRAI releases recommendations on ‘Licensing framework
for Establishing and Operating for Satellite Earth Station Gateway
(SESG).
More about the news
• SESG, also known as Gateway Hub, acts as a bridge between
space-based communication network and terrestrial
communication network.
• It houses the equipment that convert Radio Frequency (RF) signal
to an Internet Protocol (IP) signal for terrestrial connectivity.
• Satellite communication refers to any communication link that involves the
use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path.
• The commercial launch of SATCOM services for telecom industry is expected
in India and companies such as Starlink, OneWeb and others are preparing
for this.
• They have plans to send thousands of LEO (low-Earth orbit) satellites into
space to provide global coverage.
 OTHER COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
 Wi-Fi
• RailTel, a mini Ratna PSU under Ministry of Railways, has launched
PM-WANI scheme based access to its Public Wi-Fi services across
100 railway stations.
• Wi-Fi network can also be accessed through Mobile App ‘Wi-DOT’,
built by RailTel and C-DOT.

• PM-WANI, by Department of Telecommunications, aims to elevate

wireless internet connectivity in the country through Public Wi-Fi
Hotspot providers.
 Splinternet
• Russia-Ukraine war has threatened to splinter the internet.
• Splinternet refers to ‘Internet that is increasingly fragmented due to
nations filtering content or blocking it entirely for political purposes’.
• For Example:
 China’s ‘Great Firewall’ keeps American tech giants out while pushing
online services developed indigenously.
 Russia, in 2019, passed the sovereign
internet law — or the online Iron Curtain
— that enabled the country to disconnect
its internet from the rest of the world.
 GigaMesh
• GigaMesh is an innovative wireless network solution that can give fibre-
like bandwidth internet services to suburban and rural areas.
• It aims to address congestion issues in 4G infrastructure and provide high-
tech and affordable internet connectivity.
• Developed by: Astrome, a deep-tech startup.
• The startup is supported by AI & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), the
Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
• It is the world's first multi-beam E-band Radio that is able to communicate
from one tower to multiple towers simultaneously while delivering multi
GBPS throughput to each of these towers.
• A single GigaMesh device can provide up to forty links with 2+ Gbps
capacity, communicating up to a range of ten kilometers.
 DARKNET
Why in News?
• Germany has shut down Russia-linked ‘Hydra Market’- considered
as world's biggest and oldest DarkNet marketplace of illegal items
and services.
About DarkNet
• Also known as Dark Web, it is that part of the Internet which cannot be
accessed through traditional search engines like Google nor is it accessible
by normal browsers like Chrome or Safari.
Surface Web-
• Everything that can be found by a search engine like Google.
• E.g. info on websites freely accessible by all

Deep Web –
• Everything that can't be found by search engine like google.
• One needs authentication (login) to access this info.
• E.g. email; bank statements

Dark Web-
• One needs specific software to access this info, e.g. TOR
(the onion router), Freenet
• Uses public internet infra, but its hidden and anonymous.
• Used for: trading stolen data; organizing anti-govt. protests.
 4-D PRINTING
• In recent years, 4D printing technology has enhanced the potential of
cancer therapeutics such as surgery, hyperthermia, chemotherapy,
therapeutic devices etc.
About 4-D printing
• A renovation of 3D printing wherein special materials is used to print
objects that change shape post-production.
• Need Stimuli or triggers to start transformation: Such as moisture,
temperature, light, electrical current, stress, pH etc.
• Materials used: Hydrogels, Thermo-responsive, Photo and magneto
responsive, Piezoelectric materials, pH-responsive etc.
• Properties: Self-assembly, self-adaptability, self-healing, shape memory,
self-capability etc.
Piezoelectric materials
• Printing techniques: Similar to ones used in 3D such as fused deposition
modelling (FDM), jet 3D printing (3DP), selective laser melting (SLM), direct
ink writing (DIW), electron beam melting (EBM), etc.
• Selective laser melting (SLM): utilizes high power-density laser to fully melt
and fuse metallic powders to produce near net-shape parts with near full
density (up to 99.9% relative density).

Direct ink writing Electron beam melting

 QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION (QKD)
Why in News?
• Bengaluru-based start-up QNu labs recently innovated advanced
secured communication through quantum key distribution (QKD)
systems.
More about News
• Developed By: QNu Labs under aegis of Innovation for Defence
Excellence (iDEX).
What is Quantum computers?
• Quantum Technology is based on the principles of Quantum
mechanics.
• Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides
a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of
atoms and subatomic particles.
• Quantum computing is the use of quantum phenomena such as
superposition and entanglement to perform computation.
• Einstein called Entanglement as ‘spooky action at a distance’.
Differences between Classical and Quantum computers:

Classical Computer Quantum Computers

1. They work on classical physics. 1. They work on quantum physics
2. They use transistors. (physics at atomic and subatomic
3. State of transistor at any given level)
time, is called a Bit. 2. They use photons and electrons.
4. At a time, Bit can take single 3. State of photon/electron at any
value from either of the two given instant is called Qubit.
values: either 0 or 1 (like a tube 4. At a time, Qubit can take multiple
light). values, i.e. at a time a qubit can be
5. Transistors work independently both 0 and 1 (like a fan with
of each other regulator) (Superposition)
5. Photons and electrons work
together (entanglement)
 iDEX is operational framework of Defence Innovation Organization (DIO),
a special purpose vehicle under Ministry of Defence.
• Objective of iDEX: To create an ecosystem to foster innovation,
entrepreneurship, and technology development, specifically in Defence and
Aerospace sector.
 About quantum key distribution (QKD)
• QKD is a secure communication technology that uses quantum physics to
construct a cryptographic protocol.
• It allows two parties to generate a shared secret key that can be used to
encrypt and decrypt messages.
• In traditional cryptography, security is usually because an adversary is
unable to solve a certain mathematical problem while in QKD, security is
achieved through laws of quantum physics.
• Two such laws are Superposition and Entanglement.
 How does quantum key distribution works:
• The end-result is that QKD can utilize an authenticated communication
channel and transform it into a secure communication channel.
• It is designed in a way that if an illegitimate entity tries to read the
transmission, it will disturb the qubits – which are encoded on photons.
• This will generate transmission errors, leading to legitimate end-users
being immediately informed.
 Human
Health &
Diseases
Current Affairs
By: Siddharth Sir
Microbes: very small living things and are sometimes called
micro-organisms. Microbes cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Pathogens: Disease causing microbes

Common human diseases
By Bacteria By Virus Passed through Vectors
1. Cholera 1. Smallpox 1. Chikungunya
2. Leprosy 2. the common cold , Flu 2. Dengue
3. Tuberculosis 3. Measles, Mumps, 3. Yellow fever
4. Plague 4. Hepatitis 4. Zika virus
5. Syphilis 5. Herpes 5. Malaria
6. Anthrax 6. Polio, Rabies 6. Japanese encephalitis
7. Ebola and Hanta fever 7. Lymphatic filariasis
 Monkey Pox
• Viral disease
• Spreads via close contact
• Cause flu-like symptoms and
pus filled skin lesion.
 Monkey Pox Chicken Pox
• Viral disease • Viral disease
• Sores are usually larger and • sores are usually smaller
deeper in the skin • while chickenpox arrives
• Sores from monkeypox show in waves
up all at once • sores are very itchy
• Sores are extremely painful • usually last about two
• usually stay longer weeks
Human Papillomavirus
• HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that may cause cervical cancer.
• In India, cervical cancer accounted for 9.4% of all cancers and 18.3%
(1,23,907) of new cases in 2020.
• Cervical cancer can be eliminated if all prepubertal girls are given
HPV vaccination globally.
 Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)
• Scientists have found that the cancer-causing EBV can infect the
neuronal cells leading to diseases of the central nervous system and
brain cancer.
Marburg virus disease (MVD)
• Ghana has reported first-ever suspected cases of MVD.
• viral disease with a fatality ratio of up to 88 percent.
• It belongs to same family as Ebola.
• It was first identified in 1967 in Germany’s Marburg and Frankfurt.
• Fruit bats of Pteropodidae Family are key carriers of the disease.
• human-to-human transmission
• no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved
 Tuberculosis
• (WHO) released new guidance to support National Strategic
Planning (NSP) for the tuberculosis (TB).
• TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most
often affects the lungs.
• It is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze
or spit.
• Two categories of TB:
1. Pulmonary TB (affects lungs)
2. Extra Pulmonary TB (affects both lungs and other organs).

• BCG vaccine (Bacille Calmette-Guérin):

• Spreads via close contact
• Cause flu-like symptoms and pus filled skin lesion.
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB)
& Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB)
 National Steps taken to eliminate TB:

1. National Strategic Plan (NSP), 2017-2025

2. National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)

3. NIKSHAY Portal

4. NIKSHAY Poshan Yojana (NPY)

5. TB Free India Campaign

Global commitments and efforts taken to eliminate TB:
• Moscow Declaration, 2017: It is commitment to increase multisectoral
action and enhance accountability in the global TB response towards ending
TB by 2030
• WHO End TB Strategy: It serves as a blueprint for countries to reduce TB
incidence by 80%, TB deaths by 90%, and to eliminate catastrophic costs for
TB-affected households by 2030.
• Find. Treat. All. #EndTB: It is the joint Initiative of WHO, Stop TB Partnership,
and Global Fund to diagnose treatand report 40 million people with TB,
including 3.5 million children and 1.5 million people with Drug ResistantTB.
WHO GLOBAL TB REPORT, 2022:
• Deaths from TB increased between 2019 and 2021, reversing years of
decline between 2005 and 2019. (Attributed to Covid-19 pandemic.)
• Around 10.6 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2021, an
increase of 4.5%
• TB is the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 (above
HIV/AIDS).
India specific findings:
• With 28% of cases, India has the highest TB patient count.
• Gap between estimated TB incidence and reported number of people
newly diagnosed is highest in India (24%).
• India was among the three countries that accounted for most of the
reduction in 2020 (67% of the global total).
 Tomato Flu
• It has been reported from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Odisha.
• It is caused by a virus and shows symptoms similar to those of
COVID-19 but is not related to SARS COV-2.
• There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for disease
 Langya henipavirus
• Reported in China
• Zoonotic virus
• It is also detected among domestic goats
and dogs.
• Symptoms: Fever, fatigue, cough, loss of
appetite etc. with health impacts such as
Renal and Liver Failure
 Lumpy Skin disease
• Recently, nearly 57,000 cattle across India were killed due to a viral
infection called the Lumpy Skin Disease.
• LSD is a vector-borne pox disease that is caused by Capripoxvirus.
• Vectors such as blood-feeding insects.
Symptoms:
• the appearance of circular, firm nodes on the animal’s hide or skin that look
similar to lumps. excessive nasal and salivary secretion.
Spread:
• not zoonotic
• first discovered in 1929 in Africa, and parts of West Asia.
• It was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in 2019 in north west
China, Bangladesh and India.
• Recently, Lumpi-ProVacInd vaccine has been developed by Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) – National Equine Research Center, Hisar
(Haryana) in collaboration with the IVRI, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
• live attenuated vaccine
 Influenza

Influenza A virus

H1, H2, H3 are marked as swine flu H5, H7, H9 are marked as
bird flu/Avian flu
• Influenza viruses are classified into subtypes based on two surface
proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA)
• Avian influenza virus subtypes include A (H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).
• Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) virus occurs mainly in birds and is
highly contagious among them.
• Asian H5N1 is especially deadly for poultry.
India’s Status:
• Previously in 2019, India was declared free from Avian Influenza (H5N1),
which had also been notified to the World Organization for Animal
Health (OIE).
• The status will last only till another outbreak is reported.
• Outbreak Jan 2021 – H5N8

Note: Two viral diseases successfully eradicated globally:

1980 – Small pox  viral disease to humans
2011- Rinderpest  viral diseases in cattle, buffalo etc.
 WORLD MALARIA REPORT 2022 RELEASED BY WHO

• Despite continued impact of COVID-19, malaria cases and deaths

remained stable in 2021.
 There were an estimated 247 million cases and 619000 malaria
deaths globally in 2021
 India accounted for 79% of cases and about 83% of all malaria
deaths in WHO South-East Asia Region.
 Malaria:
• Caused by parasite Plasmodium
• Spread by female Anopheles Mosquito
• World Malaria Day 2022 theme ‘Harness
innovation to reduce the malaria disease
burden and save lives’.
• Malaria is a leading cause of human
morbidity and mortality.
• 5 parasite species cause malaria in humans, and 2 of this P. falciparum
(most prevalent on African continent) and P. vivax (prevalent outside of
sub-Saharan Africa)– pose greatest threat.
India’s efforts in this regard:
• At the East Asia Summit in 2015, India pledged to eliminate the disease by
2030.
• India launched the five-year National Strategic Plan for Malaria
Elimination.
• This marked a shift in focus from malaria “control” to “elimination”.
Objectives:

• Eliminate malaria from all low and moderate Category endemic states/UTs
(26) by 2022
• Interrupt indigenous transmission of malaria in all States/ UTs (Category 3)
by 2027 to maintain malaria-free status of the country by 2030.
 Non communicable diseases
• WHO report “Invisible numbers – the true scale of
noncommunicable diseases” stated that NCDs led to 66% of deaths
in India in 2019.
• Long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic,
physiological, environmental and behaviours factors.
CAR-T cell Therapy
 INCOVACC
• Bharat Biotech's iNCOVACC, the world's first intranasal vaccine for
Covid-19 received approval for emergency use in India.
• It is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus vectored
vaccine with a pre- fusion stabilized spike protein.
NOBEL PRIZE: PHYSIOLOGY
OR MEDICINE 2022

Svante Pääbo “for his discoveries

concerning the genomes of extinct
hominins and human evolution.”
 NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
• WHO released Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2023.
• They are ‘neglected’ because they are almost absent from the
global health agenda.
• NTDs are caused by a variety of pathogens including viruses,
bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins. Their epidemiology is complex
and are often related to environmental conditions
• They thrive in areas where access to clean water and sanitation is
scarce – worsened by climate change.
• India has the world's largest absolute burden of at least 10 major
NTDs, including dengue, lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, visceral
leishmaniasis or kala-azar and rabies.
 IMMUNE IMPRINTING
• Scientific studies have found that immune imprinting can make bivalent
boosters less effective.
 Bivalent boosters are variant specific booster shots of vaccines to
develop better immunity against coronavirus.
• Immune imprinting is a tendency of the body to repeat its immune
response based on the memory of first infection through infection or
vaccination.
 Imprinting acts as a database for immune system, helping it put up a
better response to repeat infections.
 This makes the variant specific booster dose less effective.
• Concept of immune imprinting came to light for thefirst time in 1947.
Q. Consider the following statements regarding Monkey Pox disease:
1. Monkeypox is a zoonotic viral disease that has symptoms similar to
smallpox.
2. It can be transmitted through direct contact with the blood, cutaneous
or mucosal lesions of an infected animal but human-to-human
transmission is not possible.
Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q. Consider the statements regarding BBV154 or Incovacc vaccine:
1. It is the world’s first intranasal vaccine to be approved as a booster dose
for Covid-19
2. It may create local antibodies in the upper respiratory tract, which has
the potential to prevent infection and transmission.
3. The vaccination will be given through nasal spray, eliminating the need
for needles and syringes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3
Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Bird flu disease:
1. People coming in close contact with infected alive or dead birds can get
infected with the H5N1 Bird flu.
2. It spreads rapidly from person to person.
3. It attacks the respiratory tract of the Humans and may cause severe
respiratory illnesses such as Pneumonia or Acute Respiratory Distress
Syndrome (ARDS).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3
Q. Consider the following statements regarding Genomes of extinct hominins and
human evolution:
1. The ancestors of modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans coexisted and
interbred.
2. The Denisovan form of the gene EPAS1 gives an advantage in high-altitude
survival and is frequent among modern Tibetans.
3. David Julius and Ardem have been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine for their work on extinct hominin genomes and human evolution.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3
Q. ‘Persistent Viral Shedding’, sometimes seen in the news, is a condition of:
(a) Full Immunity development against a Virus
(b) A special type of viral infection developed in Old age people
(c) When recovered patients continue to carry some of virus within their
system
(d) When recovered patients are not affected again by the virus already
infected
Biotechnology
Current Affairs

By: Siddharth Sir

 GENOME EDITING
GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) CROPS
• Why in news?
• Recently the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) issued Guidelines
for Safety Assessment of Genome Edited Plants, 2022 easing norms
for research into genetically modified (GM) crops.
• Guidelines exempts Genome Edited plants falling under the
categories of Site directed nuclease (SDN)1 and SDN2, from
Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of hazardous
Microorganisms/ Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, Rules,
1989, under the Environment (Protection) Act (1986).
SITE-DIRECTED NUCLEASE (SDN) TECHNOLOGY

• SDN or sequence specific nuclease (SSN) refers to the

practice of cleaving DNA strands to affect the subsequent
genome editing.
• SDN technology takes advantage of targeted DNA break and
host’s natural repair mechanisms to introduce specific small
changes at the site of the DNA break.
• Site Directed Nuclease (SDN) 1 introduces changes in the host
genome's DNA through small insertions/deletions without
introduction of foreign genetic material.
• In SDN 2, the edit involves using a small DNA template to
generate specific changes.
 SDN1 and SDN 2 do not involve alien genetic material and
the result is indistinguishable from conventionally bred crop
varieties.
 SDN 3 process involves genes of foreign origin.
• SDN-1 and SDN-2 do not produce new plant varieties that fall
under the scope of the GMO legislation.
• In SDN-3, the newly developed plant falls under GMO legislation
only if foreign DNA exceeding 20 base pairs is inserted.
 What is Gene editing?
 Definition:
• The manipulation of the genetic material of a living organism by deleting,
replacing, or inserting a DNA sequence, typically with the aim of improving a
crop or farmed animal or correcting a genetic disorder.

 The 2020, Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer

A. Doudna for discovering the CRISPR-Cas9 genetic scissors, which allows
scientists to ‘cut-paste’ inside a genetic sequence.

 CRISPR guides Cas9 to particular gene

 Cas9 does the cutting

 Base Editing
• Recently, scientists in the United Kingdom (UK) have
successfully tested a new form of cancer therapy, ‘Base
Editing’ for the time in a patient with T-cell Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL).

• T-ALL is a type of blood cancer in which the T-cells start

destroying healthy cells instead of helping in immunity (that’s
T-cells’ normal function).
• Using the technique of base editing, the molecular structure
of just one base in a genetic code can be altered, effectively
changing its genetic instructions.
• Genetic code refers to the instructions contained in a gene
that tell a cell how to make a specific protein.
• GEAC has recommended the environmental release of transgenic
hybrid mustard Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11).
Commercial use: under Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)
supervision and will be subject to Seed Act, 1966.
Develop: Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop
Plants.
• Process used: Crossing Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ (barnase
line) with an East European ‘Early Heera-2’ mutant (barstar)
 Contains two alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
 First gene (‘barnase’) codes for a protein that impairs pollen
production and renders the plant into incorporated male sterile.
 Second is the ‘barstar’ gene that blocks the action of the barnase
gene.
 DMH-11 - 28% more yield than the national check and 37 % more
than the zonal checks and its use has been claimed and approved by
the GEAC.
 “Bar gene” maintains the genetic purity
of hybrid seed
Related News:
• Haryana government issued NOC to conduct field trials on BG-2
RRF, herbicide-tolerant and insect resistant variety of BT cotton.
 So far, India has allowed commercial use of BG-1 and BG-2 GM
cotton while BG-2 RRF approval is pending at various stages.
 BG-2 RRF can provide protection against pest attack such as
American Bollworm.
 GENOME SEQUENCING
• In a recently published research, an international team described the
first-ever sequencing of a complete human genome.
• Previous effort of sequencing was incomplete as DNA sequencing
technologies couldn’t read about 8% of the genome.
 Human Genome Project
 International research effort to determine the DNA sequence of
the entire human genome.
 It began in 1990 and completed in 2003.
 It was coordinated by National Institutes of Health, USA and
Department of Energy, USA.
Various Initiatives taken for Genome Sequencing
 IndiGen programme
 Aims to undertake whole genome sequencing of 1000 Indian
individuals representing diverse ethnic groups from India.
 Funded by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
 Genome India Project

 Aims to collect 10000 genetic samples from citizens across India

to build a reference genome.
 By Department of Biotechnology.
 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE
• The process of constantly monitoring pathogens and analyzing their
genetic similarities and differences.
• WHO’s Science Council (SC) issued its first report on accelerating
access to genomics for global health, arguing that it is not justifiable
ethically or scientifically for less-resourced countries to gain access
to such technologies long after rich countries do.
• SC was established (2021) by the Director General of WHO to
provide guidance on the science and research strategy of the
organization.
 CLONING
• Recently, China has successfully cloned a wild Arctic wolf for the first
time in the world.
• Cloning: Process of producing genetically identical copies of a
biological entity (genes, cells, tissues, and even entire organisms),
either by natural or artificial means
• Not identical: Despite having the same genetic material clones
do not always look identical as environment also plays a role in
deciding the physical feature of an organism.
• In mammals including humans, identical twins (monozygotic
twins) are natural clones.
Three different types of artificial cloning:
1. Gene/DNA cloning: Transfer of a DNA fragment from one organism
to a self-replicating genetic element, such as a bacterial plasmid.
2. Reproductive cloning: Transferring nuclear material isolated from a
somatic cell into an enucleated oocyte (egg cell).

3. Therapeutic cloning is like reproductive cloning till the production of

the embryo. The produced embryo is then grown in the laboratory.
 INDIAN BIOLOGICAL DATA CENTER
• First national repository for life science data in India.
• Also, as per the Biotech-PRIDE guidelines, released last year, IBDC
is mandated to archive all life science data generated from publicly
funded research in India.
• Established at: Regional Centre of Biotechnology, Faridabad in
collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• Storage: Digitised data will be stored on a four-petabyte
supercomputer ‘Brahm’.
• Supported by: Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Data sharing: As per FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and
Reusable) principle.
 FAIR Data Principles were proposed by a consortium of scientists
and organizations to support the reusability of digital assets.
Biotech PRIDE (Biotech Promotion of Research and Innovation
through Data Exchange) Guidelines 2021
 Released by: Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
 These guidelines enable exchange of information to promote
research and innovation in different research groups across the
country.
 These Guidelines are applicable for all biological data generated
through research conducted within the country.
Related News:
Maharashtra Cabinet approved the Gene Bank Project
• It is a type of biorepository to preserve plants (by collecting seeds,
plants, tissue cultures) and animals (by collecting sperm and eggs).
At National level, several such facilities are established such as:
• National Gene Bank at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources,
Pusa (It is world’s 2nd largest refurbished gene bank).

• National Animal Gene Bank at National Bureau of Animal Genetic

Resources, Karnal.
• Indian Seed Vault at Chang La (Ladakh).
 Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP)
• Department of Biotechnology has developed BioRRAP to track the
regulatory approvals for a research proposal on a single portal.
• BioRRAP provides a single route to direct the applicant to
regulatory agencies providing requisite approval relevant to the
biological research.
 Anticancer mRNA vaccine
• Recently, the results of a trial of messenger Ribonucleic Acid
(mRNA-4157/V940) vaccine made by Moderna and MSD (Merck &
Co.) when taken along with an immunotherapy drug Keytruda has
shown promising results against advanced melanoma, a kind of
skin cancer.
 Anticancer mRNA vaccine
Mechanism:
• To build the vaccine, researchers took samples of patients’
tumors and healthy tissue.
• After analysing the samples to decode their genetic sequence
and isolate mutant proteins associated only with the cancer,
that information was used to design the vaccine.
• It allows the body’s immune system to seek and destroy cancer
cells.
• Works with Keytruda, to disable a protein called Programmed
Death 1 (PD-1), that helps tumors to evade the immune system.
• When injected into a patient, the patient’s cells act as a
manufacturing plant, producing perfect copies of the mutations for
the immune system to recognise and destroy.
• Having been exposed to the mutations without the virus, the body
learns to fight off the infection.
RT-PCR process
Q. With reference to CRISPR Cas9, consider the following statements;
1. CRISPR-Cas9 is a unique technology that enables geneticists and
medical researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing, adding
or altering sections of the DNA sequence.
2. CRISPR is an acronym for “Clustered Regulated Interspliced Short
Pattern Repeats.”
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both
(d) None
Q. With reference to human genome project (HGP), consider the
following statements;
1. For this project different types of methods are used like sequence
annotation and bioinformatics.
2. In this project, the total number of genes was determined 3000.
3. It was coordinated by National Institutes of Health, USA and
Department of Energy, USA.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 1 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
HGP involved two major approaches:
1. Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) – This approach
focussed on identifying all genes expressed as RNA.
2. Sequence Annotation – This blind approach involved
sequencing the whole genome (coding and non-coding)
and later assigning functions to the different regions.
Q. Consider the following pairs;
Biotechnology Area of study
1. Gold biotechnology - Computational biology
2. Red biotechnology - Biopharma products
3. Yellow biotechnology - Biotech in industrial industry
4. Violet biotechnology - Patents, Publications and Intellectual Property
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) Only one pair
(b) Only two pairs
(c) Only three pairs
(d) All four pairs
• Biotechnology have been derived namely –

1. Blue biotechnology (marine and aquatic application)

2. Green biotechnology (agriculture processes)
3. Red biotechnology (medical)
4. White biotechnology (industrial)
5. Yellow biotechnology (with Insects)
Q. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be potentially utilised in:
1. To diagnose genetic disease
2. To detect low levels of viral infection
3. To analyze minute traces of blood
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Q. With Reference to GM mustard crop developed in India, consider
following statements:
1. GM mustard has genes that allow the plants self pollination and not
cross pollination
2. Its commercial use shall be under Indian Council of Agriculture
Research (ICAR) supervision and will be subject to Seed Act, 1966.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both
(d) None
Space Technology
Current Affairs

By: Siddharth Sir

 MARS ORBITER MISSION
Why in news?
• India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft has lost
communication with the ground stations, bringing an end to
its life after eight long years.
 MARS EXPLORATION
Why study Mars?
• It is the planet that is closest and most similar to earth.
• To learn about changes that can fundamentally change
a planet.
• To establish future home for humans.
• To expand human understanding of planetary
evolution; solar system, universe.
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM):
• India's 1st interplanetary mission; Unmanned; No lander/rover
• Launched by PSLV in November 2013; reached in September 2014.
• India became 4th country to reach Mars; 1st from Asia; 1st in maiden
attempt
• It has five payloads in the orbiter which helped in following:

1. Prepared an atlas and albedo map of Mars through

detailed pics
2. Close distance photos of its two moons Phobos and
Deimos
3. Found that dust storms can rise up to hundreds of kms.
Mars 2020 mission:
• NASA’s mission; launched in July 2020;
• It has ‘Perseverance’ rover and ‘Ingenuity’ helicopter drone.
• Aim is to look for bio-signatures and habitable conditions for humans.
• MOXIE will make oxygen from CO2 (95% of Mars atmosphere has CO2).

News:
• NASA’s Perseverance Rover has landed on Mars.
• Launch: 30th July, 2020
• Landing: 18th February, 2021
• Landing Site:
Jezero Crater (an ancient river delta that has
rocks and minerals that could only form in
water).
‘Perseverance’ rover
Related News
NASA’s Perseverance Rover
• Recently, it placed a titanium tube containing a rock sample on
the surface of Mars.
• Igneous rock sample was collected from Mars Jezero Crater called
South Séítah.
• Recently, it also captured the solar eclipse on Mars featuring
Phobos, one of Mars' two moons (other is Deimos).
• MOXIE was sent (by Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
with NASA’s Perseverence rover.

A Technicians in the clean room are NASA’s Experiment MOXIE

carefully lowering the Mars Oxygen In- successfully creates oxygen
Situ Resource Utilization Experiment on Mars
(MOXIE) instrument into the belly of the
Perseverance rover.
 POLAR SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE (PSLV)

Why in News?
• PSLV on its 55th mission (PSLVC53) successfully launched
three Singaporean satellites in the second commercial
mission of New Space India Limited (NSIL).
 2001
1994

2010
1992
1979
 GSLV Mark-III PSLV

Uses (liquid oxygen

and liquid
hydrogen)
More about News
• Besides placing satellites in orbit, ISRO also achieved successful
launch of PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM),
• About POEM: A platform which allows in-orbit scientific
experiments using the final (fourth) stage of PSLV.
• Dedicated Navigation Guidance and Control system: Act as
platform’s brain to stabilize it with specified accuracy.
• Power source: Mounted solar panels and a Li-Ion battery.
Basic orbits

LEO – Lower Earth Orbit

MEO – Medium Earth Orbit
GEO – Geostationary orbit
 NAVIC (NAVIGATION WITH INDIAN
CONSTELLATION)
Why in News?
• Centre is pushing smartphone makers to enable support for its
NavIC navigation system in new devices from next year.
 Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

• IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system

developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
• The main objective is to provide reliable position, navigation and
timing services over India and its neighbourhood.
• The IRNSS constellation was named as “NavIC” (Navigation with
Indian Constellation) by the Prime Minister.
• NavIC provides two types of services:
1. Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is meant for the general public.
2. Restricted Service (RS) is an encrypted service meant for
authorised users and agencies.
• India has become the 4th country in the world to have its
independent regional navigation satellite system recognised by the
IMO as a part of the World Wide Radio Navigation System
(WWRNS).
8 33
5
Important Navigation Systems:
• USA navigation system: The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a
satellite-based navigation system that consists of 24 orbiting
satellites.
• Glonass is Russian Satellite Navigation System considered as a
counterpart to GPS of the USA.
• BeiDou Navigation Satellite System of China: A hybrid constellation
consisting of around 30 satellites in three kinds of orbits.
• Galileo is Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System.
• QZSS - Japan
• About GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation)
 GAGAN is an Indian Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS)
jointly developed by AAI and ISRO for India and neighbouring
countries in the equatorial region.
 It is one among the only four Space-Based augmentation systems
available in the world which also includes US(WAAS) Europe
(EGNOS) and Japan (MSAS).
 Benefits of GAGAN: Air traffic control, manage road and railways
transport, help farmers in crop spraying etc.
 The others under development include China’s BeiDou SBAS, South Korea’s
Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS), Russia’s System for
Differential Corrections and Monitoring (SDCM), and the Southern
Positioning Augmentation Network (SPAN) of Australia and New Zealand.
 The SBAS is a navigation system, which builds on the Global Navigation
Satellite Systems (GLONASS), and adds to the accuracy and integrity of
these navigation tools.
 For aircraft operators, both civilian and military, it means that pilots can
land aircraft at smaller airports and airstrips using navigation guidance
without expensive instrument-based landing systems being installed on the
ground.
• Airports Authority of India (AAI) successfully conducted flight trials
using GAGAN based LPV approach procedure.
• India is the first country in the Asia Pacific Region to achieve such a
landmark in field of Air Navigation Services (ANS).

• LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance) permits aircraft

guided approaches that are operationally nearly equivalent to
Category 1- Instrument Landing System (Cat-1 ILS), without the
need for ground-based navigational infrastructure.
• CAT I relies only on altimeter indications for decision height,
whereas CAT II and CAT III approaches use radio altimeter (RA) to
determine decision height.
 ARTEMIS I
Why in news?
• Recently, NASA’s Artemis 1 mission successfully lifted off
from the Kennedy Space Centre.
 Artemis (NASA)

• ARTEMIS (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and

Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun) mission
• NASA mission
• to help in future space missions, like for Mars manned missions.
• News: NASA announces graduating class of 11 astronauts for
upcoming space missions including the Artemis Mission.
• The team includes an Indian American- Raja Chari.
• Orion is the spacecraft that will carry humans.
• Space Launch System is the rocket that will take spacecraft to
space. (like India has GSLV/PSLV)
• Gateway is a small spaceship that will orbit around Moon, like ISS
(International Space Station) orbits around Earth.
• the first woman and the next man to the Moon, which it plans on
doing through the Artemis lunar exploration program.
• Future Missions: Artemis I will be followed by Artemis II
(Planned for 2024) and Artemis III (Planned for 2026)
Related Information: Retrograde orbit
• After getting closer to the moon, the Orion spacecraft used
the gravitational kick it receives to enter a so-called "distant
retrograde orbit."
o Retrograde means that it will orbit the moon in the opposite
direction to the one in which the moon spins.
 JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE
Why in news?
• James Webb Space Telescope has provided astronomers with
a glimpse of the early universe in a new image.
 NEWS: James Webb Space Telescope
• Also called JWST or Webb
• Replacement for HUBBLE telescope
• large infrared telescope with a 6.5-
meter primary mirror.
• The telescope was launched on an
Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana
James Webb Space Telescope
in Dec. 2021.
• Study every phase in the history of our
Universe.
• Collaboration between NASA, the
European Space Agency (ESA), and
the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Major elements that comprise JWST:
• Telescope captured an image of a galaxy cluster called MACS0647,
as well as distant galaxy MACS0647-JD.
• Scientists believe that this might be an event of a galaxy merger in
the early universe.
• The distant galaxy is visible because of gravitational lensing.
 Gravitational Lensing
• The phenomenon of gravitational lensing occurs when a huge amount of
matter, such as a massive galaxy, cluster of galaxies or a black hole, creates a
gravitational field that distorts and magnifies the light from objects behind it.
• Gravitational lensing is based on Einstein's theory of general relativity
(Mass bend light). Gravitational lenses act like natural cosmic telescopes.
Key features of Webb
• Visibility Spectrum: Webb views the universe in infrared.
• It will be the only infrared specialized telescope in space that can see long
distances.
• Mirrors: Its primary mirror is 6.5 metres in diameter.
• Larger the mirror area collecting light, more details it can capture.
• Recently, a secondary mirror was also
deployed, reflecting light from primary
mirror to the instruments.
• Location/Orbit: It will not be in orbit around Earth but will orbit
Sun, 1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth at second Lagrange
point or L2.
• L2 lets telescope stay in line with Earth as it moves around Sun.
• This allows satellite's large sunshield to protect telescope from light
and heat of Sun and Earth (and Moon).
Comparison between Hubble vs. Webb vs. Herschel
 OBSERVATIONS MADE BY JWST
 New images of Jupiter
• New images of Jupiter presented its massive storms, colourful
auroras, faint rings and two small moons — Amalthea and Adrastea
(Nearer to Jupiter).
 Pillars of Creation (PoC) – Formation of new stars
• The three-dimensional pillars are made up of cool interstellar gas
and dust that appear at times semi-transparent in near-infrared light.
• PoC are located 6,500 light years from Earth, in the Eagle Nebula of
our Milky Way galaxy.
 Other observations made from images revealed by Webb
• SMACS 0723 (Called Webb’s First Deep Field): It is a cluster teeming with
thousands of galaxies, including the faintest objects ever observed in the
infrared.
• WASP-96b (spectrum): Hot, puffy planet outside our solar system reveals
clear signature of water, along with evidence of haze and clouds.
• Southern Ring Nebula: This planetary nebula is approximately 2,000 light-
years away.
a. Stephan’s Quintet: Group of galaxies, located in constellation Pegasus. Webb
revealed velocity and composition of gas near its supermassive black hole.

b. Carina Nebula: Webb’s look at “Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula unveils
the earliest, rapid phases of star formation that were previously hidden.
c. Einstein Ring: Einstein Ring is visible when light from a star or a galaxy
passes another galaxy or a massive object on its way towards Earth.

(b) (c)
(a)
 Exo-Moons
• Scientists at Indian Institute of Astrophysics have developed a
model to trace habitable exo-moons with the help of the James
Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
About Exo-Moons
• They are natural satellites that revolve around exoplanets (planets
orbiting stars other than the Sun).

• So far, 5000 exoplanets have been discovered by using several

telescopes (Kepler Hubble space telescopes etc.)
Astronomical Unit (AU) is the
average distance between Earth &
Sun (15 crore or 150 million km)
Voyager Program
• In August 2012, Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to enter
interstellar space.
• In Nov. 2018, Voyager 2 became the second spacecraft to enter
interstellar space.
• Two spacecrafts launched by NASA in 1977.
• Mission: study Jupiter and Saturn
• But they did much more than the initial mission.
• Voyager 2 also studied Uranus and Neptune.
• They are in interstellar space, and still sending us information.
• They detected increase in density of space outside the solar
system.
 Gaganyaan Mission
News: Human spaceflight module of Gaganyaan will be launched after the
second unmanned mission planned in 2022-23.
• Under the Gaganyaan schedule:
i. Three flights will be sent into orbit.
ii. There will be two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight.
iii. The Gaganyaan system module, called the Orbital Module will have three
Indian astronauts, including a woman for five to seven days.
• Aim: by 2022 when India completes 75 years of independence.
• First unmanned mission was planned in December 2021.
• It has been delayed due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown
• It will circle Earth at a low-earth-orbit
• at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth
Payloads:
• The payload will consist of:
1. Crew module - spacecraft carrying human beings.
2. Service module - powered by two liquid propellant engines,
and usually burns up during atmospheric reentry.
• equipped with emergency escape and emergency mission abort.
Launch: GSLV Mk III
Training in Russia:
• In June 2019 ISRO and the Russian government-owned Glavkosmos
signed a contract for the training
• It includes Russian support in the selection of candidates, their
medical examination, and space training.
• Training on Soyuz manned spaceship of Russian spacecraft. It
carries people and supplies to and from the space station.
 PRIVATE SECTOR IN SPACE
PROGRAMME OF INDIA
Why in news?
• Prime Minister recently called for higher participation of the private
sector in the space programme at inauguration event of the
headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in Ahmedabad.
• 1992 ANTRIX focusses on selling ISRO's products and services like
satellite launch.
• 2019 NEWSPACE also focusses on increasing private industry
participation in space programmes. (under the Companies Act, 2013).
• 2020 INSPACe is currently stated to promote private industry in space
program, but in future, it will become regulator of space activities in
India.
• INSPACe is not a commercial arm of ISRO.
• Antrix & NewSpace are both commercial arms of ISRO.
Department of Space

ISRO IN-SPACe
2020

Antrix NewSpace
1992 2019
 IN–SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion
and Authorisation Centre)
• a single-window, independent, nodal agency which functions as an
autonomous agency in Department of Space (DOS).

• Responsible to promote, enable authorize and supervise various space

activities of the NGEs (Non-Governmental Entities) that include:
1. Building of launch vehicles & satellites and providing space-based
services
2. Sharing of space infrastructure and premises under the control of
DOS/ISRO
3. Establishment of new space infrastructure and facilities
4. Sharing of technical facilities and expertise from ISRO.

• Headquarters (IN-SPACe) in Ahmedabad

1. Hyderabad's Dhruva Space and Bengaluru's Digantara were authorized by
IN-SPACe for launch of payloads onboard PSLV Orbital Experimental Module
(POEM) of PSLV-C53.
 Digantara: specializes in in-orbit space debris monitoring and also operates
in the Defense-Space and aerospace technologies
 Dhruva Space: is known for creating small satellite systems for commercial
and government markets.
2. Mission Prarambh
• Involved launch of Vikram-S (VKS), India’s first privately built rocket by
Hyderabad based Skyroot Aerospace.
• The Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which would
carry three customer payloads.
• Help test and validate the majority of
the technologies in the Vikram series of
space launch vehicles
• VKS is a single-stage spin-stabilized (using 3-D printed solid thrusters) solid
propellant rocket.
• Skyroot has been working on three different Vikram rocket versions.
3. India’s first private launch pad unveiled at Sriharikota:
• Designed by Agnikul (a startup) and executed in support of ISRO
and IN-SPACe.
• It is specifically built to support liquid-stage controlled launches.
• The facility has two parts:
1. Agnikul launchpad
2. Agnikul mission control centre
 Agnibaan Launch Vehicle
• Two-stage launch vehicle
• Capable of taking payloads of up to 100 kilograms to a low-earth orbit
around 700 kilometres from the surface of the Earth.
• Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3-D printed engine fully designed
and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021,
making Agnikul the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO.
• Agnilet rocket is a “semi-cryogenic” engine that uses a mixture of liquid
kerosene and supercold liquid oxygen to propel itself.
 New Space India Limited (NSIL)
• It is country's first public sector undertaking in the space sector and
commercial arm of ISRO
• aimed at production and marketing of space-based services
• empowered to own the operational launch vehicles and space assets of
ISRO.

 Indian Space Association (ISpA):

• Launched in 2021, it is the apex, non-profit industry body exclusively
working towards development of private and public Space Industry in India.

 Antrix Corporation Limited:

• Marketing arm of ISRO to handle ISRO’s commercial deals
 Space Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development (SEED):
• early-stage encouragement programme to startups and MSMEs in focus
areas of interest to ISRO.
 SPACE SUSTAINABILITY
Why in news?
• United Nations Office of Outer SPACE Affairs and government of
AUSTRIA organized World Space Forum (WSF) 2022 under theme
“Sustainability in Space for sustainability on Earth”.
• World Space Forum is a platform, including governmental
institutions, international organizations etc., to promote
discussions on the role of space science and technology in global
sustainable development.
 Space sustainability refers to ensuring that all humanity can
continue to use outer space for peaceful purposes and
socioeconomic benefit now and in the long term.
Threats to space sustainability
1. Orbital crowding and Space Debris

2. Militarisation and weaponisation of the space:

• Development and testing of destructive antisatellite (ASAT)
weapons by countries like US, Russia, China, and India.
3. Rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO):
• It involves altering the trajectory of one or more space objects
to bring them into proximity to each other.

4. Space weather can impact satellites by damaging onboard

electronics and disrupting communications or navigation signals.
Global Initiatives
1. U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
2. Conference on Disarmament (CD)
3. Guidelines on space sustainability: Adopted by U.N. Committee on
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 2019.
4. Space Sustainability Rating (SSR): By World Economic Forum to
implement sustainable and responsible space missions.
5. ASAT test-ban resolution: A non-binding resolution (India
abstained) passed by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
calling for a ban on kinetic ASAT tests.
Indian Initiatives:
1. Project NETRA: Initiated by ISRO to provide first-hand information
on the status of debris.
2. Space Situational Awareness: IIIT Delhi is currently working on a
research project on SSA.
• Dig Antara, a space sector start-up of India, is going to set-up
India's first commercial SSA observatory in Garhwal region of
Uttarakhand.
• Further, India and US have also signed a bilateral SSA
arrangement
3. SPADEX: To provide in-orbit servicing, ISRO is developing a space
docking experiment called ‘SPADEX’.
• offering support in re-fuelling and other in-orbit services while
enhancing the capability of a satellite.
 Space Situational Awareness
• SSA refers to knowledge of space environment, assessment of
any threats to space activities and implementation of necessary
mitigation measures to safeguard space assets.
• SSA covers three main areas
1. Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) of manmade objects.
2. Space Weather (SWE) monitoring and forecast.
3. Near-Earth Objects (NEO) monitoring
(only natural space objects)
U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)
oversee five international treaties:
1. Moon agreement
2. Outer space Treaty: The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the
stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space,
prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, and details legally
binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space.

3. Rescue Agreement (1968): requires States to assist an astronaut in

case of accident, distress, emergency or unintended landing
4. The Liability Convention of 1972 establishes the standards of
liability for damage caused by space objects.

5. Registration convention: Rules for registration of space objects.

 BLACK HOLES
Why in news?
• The black hole at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy was
photographed for the first time.

Sagittarius A*
Black hole M87
• The first photograph of Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole
situated at the center of the Milky Way, was revealed by
astronomers of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).
• EHT is an international collaboration (of observatories) capturing
images of black holes using a virtual Earth-sized telescope.
• In 2019, astronomers captured the first ever photograph of a black
hole M87 in a distant galaxy called Messier 87.
• Event Horizon: There is a region of space beyond the black hole called the
event horizon. This is a "point of no return", beyond which it is impossible
to escape the gravitational effects of the black hole.
• Singularity: at the center of a black hole is the ultimate no man's land: a
place where matter is compressed down to an infinitely tiny point, and all
conceptions of time and space completely break down.

• Accretion disk: a thin band around black hole made of all the stellar debris,
dust and matter that was passing through the event horizon and this band
of matter which is at the edge of the horizon and has not fallen into the
black hole.
Types of Black hole:
A. Stellar black holes: They are formed by the collapse of individual stars
which are relatively small but extremely dense. It consumes dust and gas
from the galaxy to keep them growing.
B. Supermassive black holes: They may be the result of hundreds or
thousands of tiny black holes that merge, such black holes are thought to
be at the center of almost every galaxy, including the Milky Way.

C. Binary black holes: It is a system consisting of two black holes in close orbit
around each other.
Binary black holes
Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs)
• In 2018, scientists observed a black hole ripping a star into shreds
because it got too close.
• TDE refers to an event when a black hole violently rips apart stars
that gets too close.
• When a star comes close to a black hole, gravitational forces will
stretch or “spaghettify” star.
• Then, elongated material spirals around black hole, gets heated up,
and creates a flash that can be detected by us millions of light years
away.
“spaghettify” star
Gravitational waves:
• These are invisible ripples in space that form when:
 A star explodes in a supernova.
 Two big stars orbit each other.
 Two black holes merge.
 Neutron star-Black hole (NS-BH) merges.
• They travel at the speed of light and squeeze and stretch
anything in their path.
• These waves can only be detected by specialized devices like LIGO.
• GW were first detected in 2015 by Laser Interferometer Gravitational
Wave Observatory (LIGO).
• Two large observatories were built in the United States with the aim of
detecting gravitational waves by laser interferometry.
• These observatories use mirrors spaced four kilometers apart which are
capable of detecting a change of less than one ten-thousandth the
charge diameter of a proton.
 Sun Spots
• They are dark spots on Sun
• They have less temperature
• They are caused by strong magnetic field
• They usually follow 11 year solar cycle
Solar maxima:
• period of greatest sun activity
• Large number of sunspots appear.
• Large solar flares appear.
 Solar maxima more sunspots more solar flares more heat on earth
 Solar minima less sunspots less solar flares less heat on earth

• A sunspot, called AR3038, grew to almost twice its

size in the span of 24 hours.
• Magnetic field lines near sunspots can cause a sudden
explosion of energy called a solar flare.
 Dark SKY Reserve
• Department of Science & Technology has announced setting up of India’s first
dark sky reserve at Hanle in Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary.
• world’s highest-located sites for optical, infra-red, and gamma-ray telescopes.
• to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificial light interference.
• International Dark Sky Association, a U.S.-based non-profit, designates places as
International Dark Sky Places, parks, sanctuaries and reserves, depending on
criteria they meet.
• Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), high-altitude station of Indian
Institute of Astrophysics, is also located atop Mt. Saraswati in Nilamkhul
Plain in the Hanle Valley.
• Other Prominent telescopes at IAO: Himalayan Chandra Telescope, High
Energy Gamma Ray telescope (HAGAR), Major Atmospheric Cherenkov
Experiment Telescope (MACE) etc.
Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Black Hole:
1. It is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out.
2. Super-massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called
Sagittarius A.
3. The Sun is big enough star to make a black hole.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Q. Consider the following statements regarding the LIGO India Project:
1. The LIGO-India observatory will be built in the Hingoli District of Maharashtra.
2. It is an international collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory and three lead
institutions in the LIGO-India consortium: Institute of Plasma Research,
Gandhinagar; IUCAA, Pune; and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology,
Indore.
3. This increases the chance of observation of measurement of how fast the
universe is expanding.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Q. Consider the following statements regarding SpaceTech Innovation Network
(SpIN):
1. SpIN is India’s first dedicated platform for innovation, curation, and venture
development for the space entrepreneurial ecosystem.
2. Selected start-ups and innovators will be able to access both Social Alpha’s
and ISRO’s infrastructure and resources.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both
d) None
Q. With reference to SPADEX, consider the following statements;
1. It is an experiment by ISRO to monitor and destroy space debris.
2. It can increase the longevity of a mission and provide a futuristic option to
combine missions/experiments.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both
d) None
Q. Consider the following statements with reference to Gaganyaan Mission:
1. Under this mission astronauts will be sent to the geostationary orbit.
2. Vyom Mitra humanoid robot will be used for test flights of the mission.
Select the incorrect answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q. Consider the following statements with reference to IN-SPACe:
1. Responsible to promote, enable authorize and supervise various space
activities of the Governmental Entities only.
2. It is a single-window, independent, nodal agency which functions under
supervision agency in Department of Space (DOS).
3. Headquarters (IN-SPACe) in Ahmedabad.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Q. ‘Project NETRA’ sometimes seen in the news, is related to:
(a) To track illegal wild trafficking
(b) Space debris
(c) Monitoring Infrastructure projects
(d) To lower carbon emissions
 Thank You
Best Wishes for your
Exam
By: Siddharth Sir