SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DRDO develops India’s first indigenous unmanned tank
Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed India’s first unmanned remotely operated tank, which has three variants – surveillance, mine detection and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats. It is called Muntra (Mission UNmanned TRAcked) and has been rolled out of the Chennai lab. The tanks will facilitate Indian Armed forces in conducting unmanned surveillance missions. Muntra-S is the country’s first tracked unmanned ground vehicle developed for unmanned surveillance missions while Muntra-M is for detecting mines and Muntra-N is for operation in areas where there is a nuclear radiation or bio weapon risk.
Scientists journey to the world’s hidden 8th continent
A group of scientists set sail in a new expedition aimed at unlocking the secrets of the lost continent ‘Zealandia’. The lost continent, which is mostly submerged, is said to have sunk after breaking away from Australia 60-85 million years ago. In a paper published in the Geological Society of America’s journal GSA Today in February 2016, scietists argued that the Earth has a hidden eighth continent, which should be reflected on the maps. The researchers said that the submerged continent met all the criteria applied to Earth’s other continents including elevation above the surrounding area, distinctive geology, a well-defined area and a crust much thicker than that found on the ocean floor.
Iran successfully launches rocket designed to carry satellites
Iran successfully launched its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket called ‘Simorgh’ into space. The launch took place at the Imam Khomeini National Space Station in Semnan, some 220 kilometers (138 miles) east of Tehran. The development marks a significant step forward for the Islamic Republic’s young space program. It also raises alarm among the nation’s adversaries who fear that the same technology could be used to produce long-range missiles. the U.S. State Department has termed the launch as “provocative”. The rocket is capable of carrying a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds).
In a first in USA, scientists edit DNA of human embryos
A group of scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University edited the DNA of viable human embryos efficiently and apparently with few mistakes. However, the experiment was just an exercise in science and the embryos were not allowed to develop for mor than a few days and were never intended to be implanted into a womb.
Researchers generate human antibodies in the lab
A team of scientists developed a method to rapidly produce specific human antibodies in the laboratory. The revolutionary technique could speed the production of antibodies to treat a wide range of diseases and facilitate the development of new vacancies. Antibodies are produced by the body’s B cells to fight off infections by bacteria, viruses, and other invasive pathogens. When an individual B cell recognizes a specific pathogen-derived “antigen” molecule, it can proliferate and develop into plasma cells that secrete large amounts of antibody capable of binding to the antigen and fending off the infection.
US Navy tests world’s first drone-killing laser weapon
The U.S. Navy recently tested the world’s first-ever active laser weapons system, which is now deployed and ready for war. The system has special materials that release photons and at the speed of light, it silently hits an object, burning it to a temperature of thousands of degrees. Each strike travels 50,000 times the speed of an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In the test, the system was able to destroy a drone in flight and moving targets in the Persian Gulf. With its addition, USS Ponce becomes the first ship in the world to be deployed with such an advanced weapons system.
Scientists discover galaxy 1000 times brighter than Milky Way
A group of researchers discovered a very distant galaxy, which is about a thousand times brighter than the Milky Way. As per the researchers, it is the brightest of the submillimetre galaxies, a class of ultraluminous infrared galaxies. To measure this galaxy, the researchers used the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garfia, La Palma) in Spain.
Indian scientists discover ‘Saraswati’, a supercluster of galaxies
Indian scientists have discovered Saraswati, a large supercluster of galaxies located in the direction of the constellation Pisces, and at a distance of 4,000 million (400 crore) light years away from Earth. A team of astronomers from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, and members of two other Indian universities, have discovered this supercluster of galaxies. Supercluster is a chain of galaxies and galaxy clusters, bound by gravity, often stretching to several hundred times the size of clusters of galaxies, consisting of tens of thousands of galaxies. This newly-discovered Saraswati supercluster, extends over a scale of 600 million light years and may contain the mass equivalent of over 20 million billion suns.
Pakistan successfully test fires ‘Nasr’, a short-range ballistic missile
Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Nasr’. NASR is a high-precision weapons system with the ability for quick deployment and a range of 70 kilometers, or 43.5 miles. Pakistan Army has conducted a series of training launches and tests during the current week for validation of new technical parameters of ‘NASR’ with an enhanced range of 60-70 kilometers and flight maneuverability.
India Successfully Test-Fires Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) added another feather to its cap by successfully test-firing the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) from ITR Chandipur, off the Odisha Coast. The technologies and subsystems incorporated in the missile met all the mission requirements. All the radars, Electro Optical Systems, Telemetry Systems and other stations have tracked the Missile and monitored all the Parameters. The missile has a strike range of 25 km to 30 km. Designed to be a quick reaction missile, it involves an all- weather weapon system capable of tracking and firing. The missile was test-fired from a truck-mounted canister launcher from launch complex-3 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha.
Read more: Current Affairs July 2017 Study Material | FreeJobAlert.com http://currentaffairs.freejobalert.com/july-2017-current-affairs-study-material/22892/#ixzz5Tstp3OXp
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