Science and Technology Quiz (5 Questions)

Viruses are biological entities that are considered as a bridge/connecting link between living and non-living things.

Viruses are non-living when they are outside the host cell. But inside the host cell, they act like living organisms.

VIRUS AS A NON-LIVING THING

☑️ It lacks cellular structure. Virus has no cytoplasm, mitochondria, nucleus, ribosomes etc.

☑️ Virus is inert outside host cell. It has no physiological and metabolic activity

☑️ Cannot not grow or reproduce on its own

☑️ Does not respire or produce energy

☑️ Does not excrete or create waste

VIRUS AS A LIVING THING

☑️ Occurs in different strains

☑️ Has its own genetic material. Composed of one type of nucleic acid, either RNA or DNA and protein coat (capsid)

☑️ The nucleic acid is the infective part and protein coat is the protective part

☑️ Undergoes mutation

VIRUS AS BRIDGE BETWEEN LIVING AND NON-LIVING

☑️ Unable to grow by binary fission but can multiply by replication using host ribosome

☑️ Not self motile, depends on vectors for transmission

☑️ It cannot penetrate host cells by itself, but can enter into host cells through wound or vectors

Hybridoma Technology is used for the commercial production of monoclonal antibodies.

What are Monoclonal Antibodies ?

Monoclonal antibodies are molecules engineered in the laboratory to serve as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance, or mimic the immune system’s attack on cells.

Israel’s Institute for Biological Research Institute (IIBRI) has identified monoclonal antibodies that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in vitro or outside of a living organism.

Scientists are of the opinion that these monoclonal antibodies will be the bridge toward longer immunity, which will be conferred by vaccines.

They are quicker to develop to target a disease than vaccines.

DNA Fingerprinting

Every person has two unique fingerprints - the pattern on the fingertips and the pattern of their DNA.

Fingerprints can be altered by surgery, but DNA fingerprint cannot be altered by any known treatment.

DNA fingerprint is the same in every cell of a person's body.

Applications of DNA Fingerprinting

1) Human relatedness, establishing paternity or maternity of a child.

2) Forensic investigation of crime scene for identifying suspects or victims.

3) Animal relatedness, identifying endangered species.

4) Studying disease causing organisms

One limitation is in cases involving identical twins. Identical twins present the same DNA fingerprints.

DNA Fingerprinting is not used for biometric identification.

Biometric data captures physical or behavioural characteristics. It includes facial/iris recognition, voice recording, fingerprints etc.

What is Additive Manufacturing?

>> The process of joining materials to make objects from three dimensional (3D) model data usually layer-by-layer

>> Commonly known as "3D printing"

>> manufacturing components with virtually no geometric limitations or tools

>> Additive manufacturing uses an additive process

>> Design for manufacturing to manufacturing for design

> Distinguished from traditional subtractive machining techniques

Additive vs. Subtractive Manufacturing

Subtractive manufacturing = start with a block of material >> remove parts of the block >> until you have the desired product

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) = start with nothing >> gradually add layer after layer >> until you have the desired product

Adult Stem cells are of two types:

1⃣ HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS (BLOOD STEM CELLS)

Hematopoietic stem cells are available from two major sources:

1) Bone marrow

2) Umbilical cord blood

These stem cells are useful in treating blood-borne disorders.

But harvesting stem cells from bone marrow is a highly invasive procedure.

2⃣ DENTAL STEM CELLS

Stem cells found in the tooth pulp are called dental stem cells.

The tooth pulp is a gold mine and an extremely good source for the mesenchymal stem cells.

The dental pulp stem cells are found within the child’s milk teeth and healthy adult teeth.

These cells have remarkable regenerative potential and can convert into different types of cells.

Tooth-derived stem cells can adapt and repair cells like muscles, neurons, joints and even a damaged heart.

Because of extreme ease in the collection in younger years of the age before calcification, and minimal to no morbidity, they constitute a major source for stem cell banking, research, and multiple other therapeutic applications.

The dental pulp/mesenchymal stem cells are capable of producing hepatocytes and beta cells, this may be a potential cure for liver cirrhosis and diabetes in the future.

Magneto-Telluric Survey

The National Capital Region of Delhi experienced 4 small earthquakes during April – August 2020. These earthquakes were followed by a dozen of micro-events (M<3.0) including, a few aftershocks.

To assess the potential seismic hazard, National Seismological Centre (NCS) is conducting Magneto-telluric (MT) survey over Delhi-NCR region.

MT survey uses natural time variation of the earth's magnetic and electric fields to understand the Earth's interior structure and geomorphic processes.

The survey is being conducted across three major seismic sources, namely Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault (MDF), Sohna Fault (SF) and Mathura Fault (MF).

It will ascertain the presence of fluids, which generally enhance the possibility of triggering earthquakes.

Benefits of the survey

Its findings will help different agencies for designing quake-resistant buildings, industrial units and structures such as hospitals and schools and take other preventive measures.

Hydroponics - the science of growing soil less plants

Hydroponics is a type of horticulture, which is a method of growing plants without soil, by using mineral nutrient solutions in an aqueous solvent.

Benefits of Hydroponics

•No soil
• Faster growth
• Higher yields
• Water saving
• Less diseases
• Less pesticide use

RFID in FASTags

From January 1, 2021 all lanes of National Highways will accept only electronic payments through FASTag.

FASTags are stickers that are affixed to the windscreen of vehicles.

Fastags work on a unique technology called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) for payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it.

As a car crosses a toll plaza, the amount is automatically deducted, and a notification is sent to the registered mobile phone number.

Trojan Asteroids

Trojan asteroids constantly lead or follow the companion planets in the same orbit, without colliding with it.

Mars, Earth, Venus, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus are the planets which have Trojan asteroids.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s mission is to search for elusive Trojan asteroids of our planet Earth.

H5N8 Strain of Bird Flu

Virus are divided into subtypes on the basis of two proteins on the surface of the virus.

☑️ Hemagglutinin (HA)
☑️ Neuraminidase (NA)

Different combinations of HA and NA are possible.

The H5N8 virus designates an influenza virus subtype that has HA5 protein and NA8 protein.

Similarly, H5N1 means the virus strain has HA5 protein and NA1 protein.

There are 18 known HA subtypes and 11 known NA subtypes.

The recent Bird Flu Outbreak in several states of India has been traced to the H5N8 subtype of the Influenza A virus.

While it can prove lethal for birds, the H5N8 strain of avian influenza has a lower likelihood of spreading to humans compared to H5N1.

While the source of infection is yet to be pinpointed, the role of migratory birds in passing on the virus is suspected.

SAGITTARIUS A*

Supermassive black holes are found at the centre of most galaxies.

Sagittarius A* is a supermassive black hole that lies at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Why in News?

It is 26,000 light years away from the Earth.

Since the discovery of Sagittarius A* 24 years ago, it has been fairly calm.

In 2020, however, it has shown unusual activity, and the area around it has been much brighter than usual.

According to researchers, it may be that the Sagittarius A* has been feeding on nearby matter at a markedly faster rate.

Other possibilities of the heightened activity could be growing faster than usual in size.

FIRST EVER SPACE HURRICANE DETECTED OVER NORTH POLE

For the first time, scientists have detected a powerful, 1000 Km space hurricane in Earth's upper atmosphere.

This space hurricane raged for nearly 8 hours on Aug 20, 2014, as a swirling mass of plasma above Earth's North Pole, according to a study published Feb 22, 2021 in the journal Nature Communications.

The Space hurricane was invisible to the naked eye — however, four weather satellites that passed over the North Pole detected its formation.

It was shaped like a funnel with a quiet "eye" at the center, surrounded by several counterclockwise-spinning spiral arms of plasma (ionized gas found all over the solar system, including in Earth's atmosphere).

Instead of raining water, the space hurricane rained electrons directly into Earth's upper atmosphere.

These space hurricanes might be created by unusually large and rapid transfer of solar wind energy and charged particles into the Earth's ionosphere.

GRAVITATIONAL LENSING

Although astronomers cannot see the invisible dark matter in the universe, they can detect its presence and influence.

Gravity of the dark matter making up the massive galaxy clusters, acts as a lens bending and distorting the light of more-distant galaxies located behind the cluster.

This phenomenon is called gravitational lensing, which provides evidence for the existence of dark matter.

JEZERO CRATER : WET AND DRY AND WET AGAIN

A crater called ‘Jezero’ was selected as the landing site of Perseverance.

Jezero was once a lake in the northern hemisphere of Mars.

Scientists believe Jezero is a promising location where vital signs of ancient Martian life could be preserved if life ever existed on Mars.

Jezero Crater tells a story of the on-and-off nature of the wet past of Mars. Water filled and drained away from Jezero crater on at least two occasions.

More than 3.5 billion years ago, river channels spilled over the crater wall and created a lake.

Conceivably, microbial life could have lived in Jezero during one or more of these wet times. If so, signs of their remains might be found in lakebed sediments.

ALL ABOUT PERSEVERANCE ROVER

Perseverance rover is a part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

It is a six-wheeled, car-sized robot that weighs 1,040 kg.

Perseverance is the largest, heaviest and the most sophisticated vehicle NASA has ever sent to Mars.

Main Objective: to search for signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for a possible return to Earth.

Perseverance is the first planned step to bring back rock samples from Mars for analysis in sophisticated laboratories on Earth.

Components of Perseverance Rover:

● Perseverance is carrying several high lens cameras, which will capture several views and two microphones, to record sounds on Mars.

● Perseverance carries a unique instrument, MOXIE or Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment: which for the first time will manufacture molecular oxygen on Mars using carbon dioxide from the carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere.

● ISRU means In Situ Resource Utilization: or the use of local resources to meet human needs or requirements of the spacecraft.

● Perseverance carries Ingenuity, the first ever helicopter to fly on Mars. It is the first time NASA will fly a helicopter on another planet or satellite. It will be the first powered flight on another planet.

Footnotes

Previous Mars mission by NASA:

1️⃣ Mars Pathinder Mission with Sojourner rover in1997
2️⃣ Twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity in 2003
3️⃣ Curiosity Rover in 2012

Perseverance Rover was so named to honour the perseverance of healthcare workers around the world fighting the covid-19 pandemic.