Concepts in Science Technology YouTube Lecture Handouts Part 1
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20 Key GS Concepts In Science & Technology: Most Important “in News” Topic!
Science and Technology Key Concepts
Einstein Chwolson Ring
- Gravity bends space
- Light will follow curvature of space (similar to lens bending the light)
AMOLED Display
- Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode
- Used in mobile devices and televisions
- OLED - thin-film-display technology - organic compounds
- Low-power, low-cost and large-size applications
- Generate light (luminescence) upon electrical activation that have been deposited or integrated onto a thin-film-transistor (TFT) array - series of switches to control the current flowing to each individual pixel
Light – Fidelity (LI-Fi)
- Uses light waves rather RF to carry data
- LED bulb functions as a router & is connected to the Internet
- Unlicensed and free to use
- High data speed due to low interference
- Double benefit of access to light & internet
- Doesn՚t interfere with electronic circuitry
- Works under water
- Data density 1000 times of Wi-Fi
- Internet data flows in via device into bulb & is carried by light waves
- Light waves falls on dongle connected to the computer
Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD)
- When there is difference in temperature at different sea levels
- If pressure is less, water evaporates at less than its normal temperature
- Surface temperature of sea water is warmer than deep sea water
- Surface water is collected & vacuum is created over it to evaporate
- When evaporated vapor passes over cold water it gets condensed & water is distilled
- Less ecological and environmental cost
Crystallography
- Find arrangement of atoms in the crystalline solids
- 2012: UN recognized importance of science of crystallography
- 2014: International Year of Crystallography
- X-ray crystallography used to determine structure of large biomolecules such as proteins
- Uses X-ray, neutron, and electron diffraction techniques to identify and characterize solid materials
Spintronics
- Spin transport electronics or spin electronics or Flextronics
- Emerging technology uses intrinsic electron spin and associated magnetic moment along with fundamental electronic charge
- Spins are manipulated by magnetic & electrical fields
HEVC
- High Efficiency Video Coding
- Video compression standard
- Successor to H. 264/MPEG-4 AVC (Advanced Video Coding)
- First version completed and published in early 2013
- Second version completed and published in 2014
- 2nd version - supporting enhanced video formats, scalable coding extensions, and multi-view extensions
Micro Plastics
- Small plastic particles in the environment
- Smaller than 1 mm or 5 mm
- Common use of 333 μm mesh neuston nets for field sampling (sample water volume) .
- However, scientifically, their integral impact on wildlife and human health is not well established.
Doppler Radar
- In News: 6th Doppler radar on East Coast
- Other locations on East Coast: Chennai, Kolkata, Machilipatanam, Visakhapatnam and Paradip
- Eastern coast prone to cyclones & will boost weather forecasting system
- Built by ISRO and BHEL
- Doppler Principle: When source for signals and observer are in relative motion - change in frequency (wavelength) is observed by observer
- When source and observer move closer, frequency increases
Bio-Batteries
- Eco-friendly batteries
- Generate electricity by renewable source like Sugar, glucose etc.
- Final products are not a waste
- Non-flammable and non-toxic
- Ability to instant recharge and long backup
NPL Syncs Leap Second with Indian Time
- National Physical Laboratory added leap second
- To compensate slowdown of earth՚s rotation
- Every day 2000th of second is less
- Every 500 days, 1 second is added to international atomic time
- If clocks not updated it can led to failure of military systems, aircraft collision and error in financial markets
Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Device (FLCD)
- New generation display device like LCD
- Has Ferro dielectric liquid crystal – with electricity gets magnetized
- Fast switching time
- Low dot pitch which results in a high resolution
- Greater viewing angle
- Better picture and thinner interface
- Cheaper to run on electricity
Nanodots
- Uses properties of quantum dots to localize magnetic or electrical fields at very small scales
- Used in high-density in formation storage, energy storage & LED
- Magnetic nan odots for future information storage
- Store over 100 times more data than today՚s hard drives
- Tiny magnets which can switch polarity to represent a binary digit
Double Fertilization
- In flowering plants (angiosperms)
- Female gametophyte (mega gametophyte or embryo sac) joins with two male gametes (sperm)
Genome Sequencing
- Laboratory process that determines complete DNA sequence of an organism՚s genome at a single time
- Sequence organism՚s chromosomal DNA & DNA in mitochondria
Noise Net
- Controlled air around aircraft is filled with acoustic noise
- Makes area near aircraft much riskier for birds
- Reduce number of birds near aircrafts by 80%
- Saves birds from collision
CRISPR-Cas9
- Genome editing tool
- Faster, cheaper and more accurate
- Simplest, versatile & most precise
- 2 molecules that change into DNA
- Enzyme Cas9 - pair of ‘molecular scissors’ - cut 2 strands of DNA at a specific location
- guide RNA (gRNA) : RNA sequence within longer RNA scaffold. Scaffold binds and ‘guides’ Cas9 to the right part of the genome
HVDC
- High-voltage direct current (HVDC)
- Electric power transmission system
- Power super highway & electrical super highway
- Uses direct current (DC)
- Less expensive & lower electrical losses
✍ Mayank