As per recent study, scientists are looking for a new model to explain Hubble tension which is not explained by Λ (Lambda) cold dark matter or lambda CDM model.

• Lambda CDM explains various features of the universe, including radiation leftover from the Big Bang, etc.

About Hubble Tension

• Refers to the discrepancy that two equally valid methods to measure “how fast the universe is expanding” have yielded different estimates.
  • Expansion of Universe is measured by Hubble Constant. 
• The two methods are:
  • Cosmic Microwave Background based on a sea of photons left after Big Bang theory.
  • Cosmic Distance Ladder uses techniques to measure distance to objects that are close, further away, and very far away from the earth.

ISRO celebrated Satellite Technology Day (STD) commemorating the 50th year of the Aryabhata Launch in 1975. 

About Aryabhata

• It was India’s first satellite, named after the famous Indian astronomer in the 5th century. 
• It was built by the ISRO and launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar (Russia).
• It aimed to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics.

NASA has announced that Dragonfly mission to Saturn's massive moon Titan will be launched in 2028. 

• It is fourth mission of NASA’s New Frontiers Program. The other three are NewHorizons, Juno, and OSIRIS-Rex (also OSIRIS-APEX). 

About Dragonfly Mission

• Goal: To explore the chemistry and habitability of multiple surface sites covering a large area. It will help in investigating Titan’s habitability.
• It will reach Titan in 2034. 
• Titan is the only satellite in our solar system known to be blanketed by a dense atmosphere and host liquid seas on its surface.

Chinese scientists have developed world’s first satellite series (Tiantong-1) capable of enabling smartphone calls without the need for ground-based infrastructure such as Base Transceiver Station (BTSs) or cellular towers.

About Chinese Satellite Communication Technology (SCT)

• Tiantong-1 series of satellites consist of three satellites placed in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of ~36000 km, covering entire Asia-Pacific region from Middle East to the Pacific Ocean.
  • Geosynchronous orbit is a low inclination orbit having a period of 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds. It is a special position high above the Earth that allows an object to keep pace with the rotation our planet.
• In Sep 2023, Huawei Technologies released the world’s first smartphone that supported satellite calls, by directly connecting to the Tiantong satellites.

Significance of SCT

• Accessibility: Seamless and ubiquitous access to communication services in remote, rural, and hard-to-reach areas.
• Contingency planning: SCT can be crucial during natural disasters or other emergencies when terrestrial networks may be damaged or disrupted.
• Military and Defense applications: Can enable secure and reliable communication, navigation, surveillance, and intelligence gathering.

Concerns associated with SCT: Space debris and orbital congestion, regulatory and governance challenges due to issues of international coordination and liability, cyber threats such as jamming, spoofing, etc.

Tata Advanced Systems Ltd and Satellogic announced successful deployment of TSAT-1A into space.

About TSAT (Tata Satellite) -1A

• It is India’s first indigenously developed and built satellite capable of sub-meter resolution optical imaging.
• It is equipped with both multispectral and hyperspectral imaging capabilities. 
• This technology allows TSAT-1A to collect data across wide range of wavelengths within electromagnetic spectrum, providing deeper understanding of land, water, and various natural resources.
• Data collected by satellite has potential to drive progress in crucial sectors like Agriculture, Disaster Management, Urban Planning and Environmental Monitoring.

Skyroot Aerospace has successfully test-fired Stage-2 of Vikram-1 space launch vehicle, called Kalam-250.

• Stage-2 is significant because it propels satellites from dense atmosphere of Earth to deep vacuum of outer space.
• Vikram-1 is three-stage, solid-fuel based rocket.

About Kalam-250 

• It is a high-strength carbon composite rocket motor, which uses solid fuel and high-performance Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymers (EPDM) Thermal Protection System.
• Solid propellant in Kalam-250 was processed by Solar Industries at Nagpur facility.
• Earlier, Skyroot had tested Kalam-100, third stage of Vikram-1, which was test-fired successfully in 2021.

The market for NaaS in India is expected to expand from $1.18 billion in 2024 to $7.32 billion by 2029.  

About NaasS

• It is a cloud service model in which customers rent networking services from cloud providers.
  • It provides the flexibility to pay for services based on usage and to scale as business needs change.
  • It allows customers to operate the networks without maintaining their own networking infrastructure.
    • The traditional network model requires capital expenses (CapEx) for physical networks with switches, routers, and licensing.

A shallowfake video of the US Vice President has gone viral.

Shallowfake refers to altered media (pictures, videos and voice clips, etc) created with conventional and affordable technologies without the help of AI technology. 

• Contrary to this, Deepfakes are synthesized images, videos, and other media created by the Artificial Intelligence (AI). 
• Shallowfake is also called as cheapfake. 

Experts are expecting that Bitcoin halving event will occur soon. 

About Bitcoin Halving

• Refers to the 50% reduction in the reward paid to Bitcoin miners.
  • Bitcoin miners successfully process other people’s cryptocurrency transactions so that they can be added to the public digital ledger known as the blockchain.
• Takes place every four years.
• The halving policy was written into Bitcoin’s mining algorithm to counteract inflation by maintaining scarcity.
  • In theory, the reduction in the pace of Bitcoin issuance means that the price will increase if demand remains the same.

Recently, the first international workshop on ‘Emerging Technologies and Challenges for Exoskeleton’ was held by DRDO.

About Exoskeleton

• It is a mobile machine consisting primarily of an outer framework ( akin to an insect’s exoskeleton) worn by a person.
• It is powered by a system of motors, hydraulics, or pneumatics that delivers energy for limb movement.
• Applications: Aid for people with disabilities, helps soldiers to carry heavy loads, Factories and assembly lines, etc.

India's first homegrown gene therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) for cancer launched by the President

• It is developed through collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Tata Memorial Hospital, and ImmunoACT..

About Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy

• It modifies immune cells, specifically T-cells, by turning them into potent cancer fighters known as CAR-T cells
  • T-cells are special cells (types of white blood cells) whose primary function is cytotoxic, meaning killing other cells.
• T cells are taken from patient blood and are changed in lab by adding a gene for a man-made receptor (called CAR).
  • CARs are proteins that assist the T-cells to recognise and attach to a specific protein present on cancer cells.
• CAR-T cells are then given back to the patient.

Benefits of the CAR T Cell therapy

• Can treat cancer for an extended period.
• It has the potential to cure specific cancers completely. 
• Short treatment time is needed and more rapid recovery.

Challenges: CAR T cell therapy for one cancer won't work for another type of cancer, can have negative effects on the nervous system, risk of infection, etc.

‘Iseult’ the World's most powerful MRI scans the first images of the human brain. 

Iseult’ can help refine our understanding of anatomy of brain.

• It could also shed light on diseases like Alzheimer's or psychological conditions like depression or schizophrenia.

About Iseut 

• Iseut has power of 11.7 teslas which enables it to scan images with 10 times more precision than commonly used MRIs. 
  • Tesla is a measure of strength of magnetic field that surrounds a patient when they're in MRI machine.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Technology 

• MRI is non-invasive medical imaging test that produces detailed images of almost every internal structure in human body. 
• They use large magnet and radio waves. No ionizing radiation is produced during an MRI exam, unlike X-rays. 
• Magnetic field inside works with radio waves and hydrogen atoms in body to create cross-sectional images.

Applications

• Images produced by an MRI scan can show organs, bones, muscles and blood vessels.
• MRI is widely used in medical diagnosis and treatment planning for brain disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc.
• Functional MRI (fMRI), a special type of MRI produces images of blood flow to certain areas of brain which help in brain surgery.

World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new CoViNet.

About CoViNet

• It is a network of global laboratories with expertise in human, animal and environmental coronavirus surveillance.
• It currently includes 36 laboratories from 21 countries (3 in India) in all 6 WHO regions.
• It aims to facilitate and coordinate global expertise for early and accurate detection, monitoring and assessment of SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and novel coronaviruses of public health importance.

World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the Euvichol-S vaccine for Cholera.

• It’s a simplified formulation of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) Euvichol-Plus.
• Uses fewer ingredients, is cheaper, and can be made more quickly than old version.

About Cholera:

• It’s an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.
• It’s transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food or water. 
• Highest numbers of cases are reported in the Middle East and Africa

Research reveals that medications designed to combat obesity can also be beneficial in treating a variety of other diseases.

How Weight loss drugs work?

• Weight loss drugs mimic the action of a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
• Glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) is secreted from three major tissues in humans’ i.e.  enteroendocrine L-cells in the distal intestine, α cells in the pancreas, and the central nervous system.
  • GLP-1 increases the production of insulin (a hormone that lowers blood-sugar levels) and reduces the production of glucagon (which increases blood-sugar levels).
  • They suppress appetite and slow digestion, making people feel full faster and longer, which reduces food intake.
  • GLP-1 is broken down by enzymes in the body very quickly, so it sticks around for only a few minutes.

Other Benefits of Fat loosing drugs: control type 2 diabetes, reducing heart issues like heart attacks, etc.

Snail Mucin has caught the attention of both beauty enthusiasts and experts alike.

About Snail Mucin:

• It is a gooey secretion that snails produce when they crawl.
• It protects snails from cuts and wounds. 
• It can be used in the form of serum, moisturizers, and wound healer.