Page 2 - Science & Technology

History in making: SpaceX mission crew complete first commercial spacewalk

The crew of four on board SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission soared to a record 1,400 km above Earth - the farthest humans have travelled since the Apollo programme over 50 years ago

Voyaging into eternity: Nasa switches thrusters of probe 24 billion km away

After travelling over 47 years in space, Nasa's Voyager 1 spacecraft thrusters have reportedly been clogged with silicon dioxide impairing its communication with earth

Biochemist Govindarajan Padmanabhan to be awarded 1st Vigyan Ratna award

Celebrated biochemist Govindarajan Padmanabhan has been selected for first Vigyan Ratna Puraskar, the top most science award instituted by the government this year. The government on Wednesday announced 33 Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskars, which include 18 Vigyan Yuva Puraskars for young scientists and 13 Vigyan Shri Puraskars and a Vigyan Team award that went to Team Chandrayaan-3. Earlier this year, the government had instituted the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar recognizing outstanding and inspiring scientific, technological and innovation contributions of researchers, technologists and innovators in the field of science, technology and innovation. The Vigyan Shri awardees are astrophysicist Annapurini Subramanian, agriculture scientist Anandharamakrishnan C, Avesh Kumar Tyagi (Atomic Energy), Prof. Umesh Varshney and Prof. Jayant Bhalchandra Udgaonkar (both in the field of Biological Sciences), Prof. Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi (Earth Sciences), Prof. Bhim Singh (Engineering Sciences), Prof. ..

China's secretive spaceplane likely testing 'dual use' technology: Experts

The U.S. first launched its uncrewed Boeing X-37B spaceplane in 2010, while Russia has recently launched several satellites that U.S. officials suspect may be weapons, a charge Russia has denied

Vaishnaw takes charge of IT ministry, to focus on tech, manufacturing

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said the government will push ahead with its tech-driven agenda of cementing India's global lead in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing and as a technology and digital hub. Taking charge of Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), he said the Modi government's Digital India initiatives have empowered the common man, bringing transformative changes through Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and other enabling programmes over the last 10 years. Vaishnaw retained his electronics and IT portfolio in Modi 3.0 government. He took charge as the minister of electronics and IT on Tuesday morning, after assuming charge of the railways as well information and broadcasting ministries. The minister said his efforts will be to ensure that technology continues to bring positive changes in lives of people in the country, and empowers youth with a promise of a future driven by new-age tech.

CUET UG 2024 exams: 79.5% attendance recorded on 2nd day, higher than first

The CUET UG 2024 attendance was higher than what NTA had recorded on the first day (75%), held on May 15, 2024. The first day was held for Biology, Chemistry, English and General Tests

National Pi Day 2024: Everything you need to know about the special day

Pi Day 2024 is celebrated every year on 14 March. This day is dedicated to the mathematical constant pi (3.14), and it is a time to celebrate the excellence of maths and its applications

National Science Day 2024: All you need to know about Raman Effect

National Science Day 2024 is celebrated on February 28 to honour Dr. CV Raman for his discovery of the Raman Effect. National Science Day is a great day for all researchers and science lovers

Tech cos using content without consent: IPA prez Pansa on AI material

The International Publishers' Association (IPA) president Karine Pansa accused big technology companies of using copyrighted content "without permission" for AI-generated materials and urged publishers to raise their concerns. Pansa, who recently visited India for the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair, said the IPA is holding discussions with its member countries, including India, on how to deal with the big tech companies for infringing publishers' copyrights by "reproducing their materials without permission" for AI training. "The big tech companies are using the content available on the internet to regenerate the new content without consent, and part of this content is books, the content of which belongs to the publishers. It is being used without their permission, consent, licensed payment, and remuneration. "So it is an important part of the IPA's job to discuss how each country is going to deal with this new technology and this new copyright infringement," Pansa told PTI, addi

DST mulls over positioning India as global S&T leader for Viksit Bharat

Secretary DST suggested organising brainstorming sessions to further dwell on such plans and prepare a work programme on some key areas, the statement added

AI-powered deepfakes rise in 2023; concerns of its impact on privacy

From politics to films and even war, the year 2023 has demonstrated that not everything one sees or hears on the internet may be real. With the ever-evolving Artificial Intelligence technology rapidly becoming a part of people's lives, a sharp rise in deepfakes has raised concerns in the country about its potential to influence electoral politics, especially during the Lok Sabha polls slated to be held next year. Deepfakes are manipulated videos or other digital representations that use artificial intelligence to create cogent videos or audio of individuals they never did or said, posing a risk of spreading misinformation and damaging their reputation. According to the '2023 State of Deepfakes Report' by 'Home Security Heroes' -- a US-based web security services company -- deepfake videos saw a five-times increase since 2019. In 2023, India witnessed scores of troubling instances related to deepfake videos, like the one involving actor Rashmika Mandanna, whose face was superimposed

Chandrayaan-3 to brain decoder, top 10 scientific achievements of 2023

Year ender 2023: Here, we look at some of these achievements, which serve as beacons of inspiration, symbolising the determination of the human spirit in the face of unprecedented challenges

Oxyzen Express raises $3 million to invest in next-gen logistics tech

The company operates within the highly competitive express logistics industry which boasts a total addressable market opportunity in excess of Rs 1.5 trillion

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju launches maiden Indian Winter Arctic Expedition

Speaking on the occasion, Rijiju said that it will be interesting to see how the first batch of four researchers will function there in winter

Fakes that are deep trouble: The fightback against misinformation menace

Powered by artificial intelligence, deepfake videos, images and audio are being used to harass and create mischief

IIT-Mandi finds cost-effective alternative to metal 3D printing tech

Researchers from IIT-Mandi have found that the extrusion-based metal additive manufacturing process stands out as the most superior and cost-effective method in comparison to other approaches in metal 3D printing. According to officials, metal additive manufacturing (metal AM) utilises fine metal powders to construct robust, intricate components through computer-aided design (CAD) programmes or 3D scanning. "This layer-by-layer manufacturing process offers flexibility in designing complex structures, finding applications in diverse industries such as aerospace, automotive, spare parts, heat sinks, biomedical devices, and construction materials," said Naveen Kumar Bankapalli, Research Scholar, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi. "This analysis empowers individuals, industries, or researchers to independently develop and implement this technology, facilitating cost-effective mass production of metal parts," he said. Particularly noteworthy for aerospace applications due

Tech tango: Slow robot deployment, not accidents, worries Indian industry

Robotics experts insist accidents such as these are usually a result of human error. Working with robots, they say, demands strict adherence to safety protocols

Rolls-Royce successfully powers up UltraFan technology demonstrator

The initial stage of the test was conducted using 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel

World Science Day For Peace and Development 2023: All details inside

The World Science Day For Peace and Development aims to raise awareness about the ill impacts of scientific developments and the role of science in sustainable development

IIT Guwahati discovers modified graphene oxide's potential in medicine

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed cost-effective experiments for modifying graphene oxide that can be used by other academic institutions to train personnel needed for cutting-edge projects in semiconductors, nanoelectronics, healthcare and quantum technologies. A team led by Rajiv K Kar, assistant professor, at the Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Sciences and Technology in IIT-Guwahati, have made these important discoveries regarding the use of modified graphene oxide for biomedical applications, a release said on Tuesday. Graphene is an exceptionally strong material and possesses outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity. Its oxidised form, called Graphene Oxide (GO), offers a large surface area and low cytotoxicity, making it suitable for medical applications. GO can be further engineered through defects, doping and functional modifications, which enhance its optical and electrical properties for improved biomedical ...