1) Anaemia: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) initiates steps to provide easy to use non-invasive testing to tackle anaemia in India
- It is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the Hemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal.
- Hemoglobin is a protein found in red cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all other organs.
- It mainly affects women and children.
- As per the India’s National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-21), 59.1% of adolescent girls and 57% of women (15-49 years) are suffering from it.
- Key Initiatives: Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB), 2018
2) Electronic Soil (e-Soil): Researchers develop ‘electronic soil’, a low-power bioelectronic growth substrate, tailored for hydroponic cultivation.
- e-Soil can electrically stimulate the root system and growth environment of plants.
- Hydroponics is soil-free plant cultivation, utilising water, nutrients, and a substrate for root attachment.
- This method offers numerous benefits.
- Precise nutrient control ensures faster growth, higher yields, and superior quality produce.
- Enables vertical cultivation in large towers to maximise space efficiency.
- Uses dramatically less water compared with conventionally grown plants.
- Such plants have significantly fewer pests
3) Formaldehyde (CH2O): Researchers developed a new non-invasive sensor that can detect formalin adulteration in fishes. Formalin is a solution of 37% formaldehyde.
- It is a colorless, strong-smelling, and flammable chemical.
- Usage: Manufacture of resin, production of plastic, cosmetics industry, household products, disinfectants, preservatives, etc.
- World Health Organisation has classified it as carcinogenic to humans.
- A carcinogen is a substance, organism, or agent capable of causing cancer.
4) OSIRIS-APEX: OSIRIS REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Regolith Explorer) is embarking on a new mission as OSIRIS-APEX (Apophis Explorer)
- Recently, OSIRIS REx delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu.
- OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis when it will be closest to Planet Earth i.e. 20000 miles.
- Apophis is an S-type asteroid made of silicate materials and nickel-iron.
- The mission aims to observe the physical changes in asteroid Apophis induced by Earth’s gravitational pull.
- Space Agency: NASA
