Page 500 - Environment
Scientists find new way to turn sunlight into fuel
While solar power is an efficient alternative to all the non-renewable resources, Scientists have been working hard to discover new and more effective processes of extracting it.The quest to find new ways to harness solar power has taken a step forward after researchers successfully split water into hydrogen and oxygen by altering the photosynthetic machinery in plants.Photosynthesis is the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy. Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis when the water absorbed by plants is 'split'. It is one of the most important reactions on the planet because it is the source of nearly all of the world's oxygen. Hydrogen which is produced when the water is split could potentially be a green and unlimited source of renewable energy.A new study used semi-artificial photosynthesis to explore new ways to produce and store solar energy. They used natural sunlight to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen using a mixture of biological components ...
Going up! Japan to test mini 'space elevator'
A Japanese team working to develop a "space elevator" will conduct a first trial this month, blasting off a miniature version on satellites to test the technology. The test equipment, produced by researchers at Shizuoka University, will hitch a ride on an H-2B rocket being launched by Japan's space agency from southern island of Tanegashima next week. The test involves a miniature elevator stand-in -- a box just six centimetres (2.4 inches) long, three centimetres wide, and three centimetres high. If all goes well, it will provide proof of concept by moving along a 10-metre cable suspended in space between two mini satellites that will keep it taut. The mini-elevator will travel along the cable from a container in one of the satellites. "It's going to be the world's first experiment to test elevator movement in space," a university spokesman told AFP on Tuesday. The movement of the motorised "elevator" box will be monitored with cameras in the satellites. It is still a far cry from ...
Microsoft 'AI for Earth' programme selects 7 grantees from India
Microsoft on Tuesday announced it has selected seven Indian grantees for its $50 million "AI for Earth" programme aimed at empowering people and organisations to solve environmental challenges through the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
CRPF jawans light up over 50 households in Jharkhand villages
Jawans of the CRPF have lit up over 50 households in two villages of Jharkhand's Latehar district with LED bulbs, as part of community policing efforts, an official said. The two villages -- Karamdih and Khamikhas -- is situated on the foothills of Maoist-hit Burapahar area bordering Chhattisgarh, CRPF Second-in-Commandant Ravi Ranjan said on Monday. As there is no electricity in the villages, the jawans installed the LED lights in 53 households with the help of a generator, he said. The 112 Battalion of the CRPF worked continuously for 48 hours from August 17 to light up the houses, where about 100 children are now able to study in the evenings, Ranjan said. A medical camp was set up in the area, where around 250 people underwent checkups, he said, adding, school essentials were also distributed among students, as part of the community policing drive.
Rains wash away Himachal highway four-laning
Three years of efforts of four-laning in the first phase of the national highway in Himachal Pradesh between Parwanoo to Solan towns have again virtually been washed away this monsoon -- with less than 10 per cent of the 39-km long, newly-laid road motorable in one stretch.
Asia to see 78% spike in meat eating by 2050: Report
Population growth and rising incomes across Asia will drive a 78 per cent increase in meat and seafood consumption by 2050, a new report released on Tuesday said.
China state oil firms clash over ownership rights - Global Times
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Workers with two state-owned Chinese oil developers fought with sticks, shovels and Molotov cocktails in a dispute over prospecting rights in the northwest province of Shaanxi, the state-run tabloid Global Times reported late on Monday.
Unique process to revolutionize solar power usage discovered
With researchers successfully splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen by altering the photosynthesis machinery in plants, the quest of harnessing solar power in different ways has got a renewed hope.The latest study by academics of University of Cambridge led by St John 's College put semi-artificial photosynthesis to use to formulate a new strategy of producing and storing solar energy. The academics used a blend of modern technologies and biological components to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen from natural sunlight. The methodology also resulted in more absorption of sunlight in comparison to the natural process of photosynthesis.This unique platform to achieve unassisted solar-driven water-splitting is developed at the Reisner Laboratory in Cambridge and it is expected that the key findings of this research may now revolutionise the systems used for renewable energy.The issue of scaling process of renewable energy creation through artificial photosynthesis for ...
8000 kg of shark fins seized from Mumbai, Gujarat
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has neutralized a smuggling network in Gujarat and Mumbai and seized around 8000 kg of shark fins meant for illicit export. Four persons, including the mastermind, have also been arrested.Acting on an information, the DRI on September 1, seized 3000 kg of shark fins from a godown at Sewri, Mumbai and 5000 kg from a godown in Veraval, Gujarat.The shark fins were intended to be illegally exported to China and Hong Kong on the pretext of exports of dried ray skins, dried marine products, fish maw to evade detection.The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce has prohibited the export of shark fins of all species through a notification issued in February 2015.Shark fins are used for preparing a delicacy called the 'Shark fin soup' which is a traditional soup or stewed dish found in Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine. It is commonly served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets and is ...
Here's how water world could support life
Water world could be habitable, according to a new paper from the University of Chicago and Pennsylvania State University.The scientific community has largely assumed that planets covered in a deep ocean would not support the cycling of minerals and gases that keep the climate stable on Earth, and thus wouldn't be friendly to life.The study found that ocean planets could stay in the "sweet spot" for habitability much longer than previously assumed. The authors based their findings on more than a thousand simulations.Lead author of the study Edwin Kite, said, "This really pushes back against the idea you need an Earth clone--that is, a planet with some land and a shallow ocean."As telescopes get better, scientists are finding more and more planets orbiting stars in other solar systems. Such discoveries are resulting in new research into how life could potentially survive on other planets, some of which are very different from Earth--some may be covered entirely in water hundreds of ...
J'Khand CM in China, pitches for cooperative society in agriculture
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, who is on a five-day visit to China, has said that farmers in the state also can benefit through cooperative society in agriculture.After visiting a farmers' cooperative society in China's Shunyi, the Chief Minister said that such societies would provide them with the opportunity to use modern agricultural technology and their profit from agriculture production would increase."The cooperatives of farmers in the field of agriculture in China have made significant contributions to the economy. In Jharkhand as well, this kind of cooperative society can be formed, who will not only be involved in the process of producing or sowing the crops but also participate in the market system independently and can give maximum benefit to the farmers," Das said.The Chief Minister also interacted with the farmers in Shunyi for detailed information about the production of the crops and techniques used for it. Shunyi is famous for China's important Green Food ...
China's super hybrid rice output sets new world record
Super hybrid rice output in test fields in China's southwestern Yunnan Province has set a new world record by reaching an average yield of 1,152.3 kg per mu (about 0.07 hectare), local authorities said Monday. A group of experts from agricultural and scientific universities and research institutions randomly selected three plots on the rice fields and supervised the harvest. Proper annual precipitation and flat terrain also contribute to the harvest of hybrid rice, Xie Hua'an, leader of the research team said. The latest output of three plots at a super hybrid rice demonstration base located in Datun Township in the city of Gejiu reached an average yield of 1,152.3 kg per mu (about 0.07 hectares). The demonstration base started to plant hybrid rice in 2009, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. With an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, the base lies at an altitude of more than 1,200 metres above sea level. Hybrid rice, also known as super rice in China, is produced by ...
Boiler of steam winder breaks down in underground colliery
The boiler of the steam winder of an underground colliery of the Eastern Coalfields Limited in Bankola area broke down Monday evening, a senior ECL official said. There was no accident, it was just a breakdown of the boiler of the steam winder. There were some 35 workers who had to spend a few hours more inside the mine due to the breakdown, the official said. "Around 4 pm the breakdown of the boiler of the steam winder caused delay of about three-four hours for 35 miners coming out of the mine. All the employees were brought to pit bottom in fresh air and supply of food and water was arranged," the official told PTI. The boiler was fired around 6.00 pm and after built up of steam all employees came up by 8.45 pm, he said.
EU lifts restrictions on solar panels from China
The European Union will end its five-year-old restrictions on solar panel imports from China, officials said Monday, as Brussels and Beijing increase their own trade cooperation in the face of protectionist steps from the United States. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, suggested the decision would boost the bloc's renewable energy goals as it rejected an appeal from the European solar industry to reconsider the move. "The EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on solar panels from China will expire today at midnight (2200 GMT)," the commission said. The EU imposed the duties in 2013 after European panel manufacturers complained they were being forced out of business by underpriced Chinese imports. Other European companies which install solar panel systems claimed the duties harmed them by increasing their costs. Brussels said it was lifting the restrictions in the "best interests of the EU as a whole" after weighing the needs of producers against those of users and .
MLA blames leaders of all parties over Western Ghats
Congress MLA P T Thomas on Monday urged the party high command to take steps to protect the ecologically-sensitive Western Ghats like late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did to protect the iconic Silent Valley in Kerala. The MLA also accused his party leaders, the ruling CPI(M) in the state and BJP government at the Centre of opposing recommendations of the Madhav Gadgil Committee to protect the scenic hills from the destruction caused by the recent floods. He said over-exploitation of ecologically fragile Western Ghats had caused landslides in the hills that led to destruction of life and property during the floods. It is time for entire humanity to stand together and support the implementation of the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee to protect the Western Ghats, he said. "In the wake of the floods and the resultant widespread destruction, the leaders of the mainstream political parties, religious leaders and cultural icons should come together and start a ...
Global body to solve plant protection issues needed: ICAR
A wide range of wild species available in sugarcane needs to be used to manage major diseases affecting the crop as done for fungal diseases in wheat, a top official of the ICAR said here today. "Researchers should come up with effective quarantine methods to prevent entry of foreign pathogens across the border and forming a global consortium could address these plant protection issues," Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, said. Mohapatra, also the secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education, was speaking after inaugurating the 12th pathology workshop of the International Society of Sugarcane Technologists Association. The five-day workshop has been hosted jointly by the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute and Society for Sugarcane Research and Development here. Dr Mohapatra suggested GIS tagging of field gene banks and identifying traits in the germ plasm in order to utilise them in the breeding ...
World gathers to prepare Paris climate pact implementation
Against the backdrop of severe and record heatwaves, bushfires, droughts and floods across the world, governments are convening a supplementary six-day meeting here from Tuesday to prepare the implementation guidelines of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
2 boys drown in river in UP
Two boys drowned in Kuano river on Monday, while two others were rescued by locals, police said. The incident occurred in Khargupur police station area of Gonda district, Circle officer Sadar Brahma Singh said While Amit (17) and Mohit (13) drowned in the river, two other boys were rescued by locals, the official said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, police said.
IIT-Bombay study finds microplastic in table salt brands
A study by a two-member team of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay has found the presence of microplastic in several table salt brands in the country. Microplastics are small pieces of plastic usually measuring less than 5 millimetre in diameter formed by the product's gradual degradation in the environment, especially the sea. The team from IIT-B's Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering found 626 microplastic particles in the tested samples. The study stated that 63 per cent of the microplastic particles was in the form of fragments and 37 per cent were fibres. The study found that 63.76 micrograms (or 0.063 milligrams) of microplastic was found per kilogram of salt tested. It further revealed that Indians were consuming about 117 micrograms (0.117 milligrams) of microplastic annually if the average person has a daily salt intake of 5 grams. The study, titled "Contamination of Indian Sea Salts with Microplastics and a Potential Prevention Strategy was
TN govt's 'indifference' led to collapse of shutters of
The opposition DMK Monday blamed the Tamil Nadu government for the collapse of nine shutters of Mukkombu regulator dam across river Coleroon near here, saying it could have been averted had proper inspection been carried out. Talking to reporters after inspecting the dam, DMK President MK Stalin alleged that the government's indifference had led to the collapse of the shutters. Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on August 24 said repair work would be completed soon, but only 40 per cent of the work had been completed so far, he claimed. Nine of the 45 shutters of Mukkombu regulator dam collapsed on August 22 due to continuous heavy flow of water in the preceding days.
