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February, 2017

Science International Forum (SIF) Kuwait declared Sastra Prathibhas 2016- 2017

Science International Forum (SIF) Kuwait announced the results of its 3rd edition of Sastra Prathibha Contest.

Top scoring 21 students were declared ‘Sastra Prathibha’ from the students who appeared the exam in two

categories. The competition was conducted for the students from Indian schools in Kuwait where a massive

participation was seen making it the biggest of its kind in Kuwait. The winners of Sastra Prathibha title are

Sahaya Noel (DPS), Caleb

Kurian George (ICSK

Juniors), Gokul Sreenivasan

(ICSK-Juniors), Joshua

Shajan (ICSK-Juniors), Arjun

Plamparampil Sujith (ICSK-

Juniors), Elma Rose Saji

(India International School),

Siyan Biju Thomas (DPS),

Sarang T Sudhir (ICSK-

Amman), Milan Abraham

Mathew (ICSK- Khaitan),

Clarin Menezes (ICS),

Jeremias Lino Ferrao

(Donbosco), Karthik Sudheer

(Bhavans), Malavika Krishna

(Bhavans), Siddarth Sunil

(ICSK-Amman), Srilakshmi Prathapan (UIS), Ishita Nitin Aglave (IPS), Nikita Rajesh (ILOA), Timothy

Thomas George (ICSK-Amman), Saurav Prakeerth (DPS), Sudarshan Sundarrajan (Bhavans), K.S.Abhinaya

(Bhavans).

91 students from various schools were declared outstanding performers securing the grade A+. The prestigious

‘Acharya J.C.Bose Sastra Puraskar’ for the best school is secured by Indian Educational School, (Bhavans).

Sastra Prathibha Contest is organized by SIF- Kuwait joining hands with National Science Movement, India

and Kuwait National Exchange. The awards for the winners and outstanding performers will be distributed at

the grand honoring function, which is scheduled to be held on 31st March, 2017 at American International

School, Hawally.

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ISRO creates history, launches 104 satellites in one go

India scripted a new chapter in the history of space exploration on Wednesday with the successful

launch of a record 104 satellites+ by ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in a single mission.

PSLV-C37 carrying the 104 satellites lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in

Sriharikota. It was PSLV's 39th flight. Seventeen minutes later, the rocket started placing the satellites into

orbit, one by one with a time-frame of about 11 minutes.

Out of the total 104 satellites placed in orbit, 101 satellites belonged to six foreign countries. They included

96 from the US and one each from Israel, the UAE, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Kazakhstan.

PSLV first injected its main payload Cartosat- 2 series, India's indigenously built earth observation

satellite. It was followed by two other nanosatellites of ISRO - INS-1A and INS-1B. It then took less than

10 minutes for the rocket to spew out 101 passengers, which are all foreign nanosatellites, as it travelled up

in altitude reaching the polar sun synchronous orbit. Russian Space Agency held a record of launching 37

satellites in one go during its mission in June 2014. India previously launched 23 satellites in a single

mission in June 2015. ISRO chairman A. S. Kiran Kumar congratulated his team for the successful launch

of 104 satellites.

Mission director B. Jayakumar said the launch involved complex issues in management and

maneuvering, "A great moment for each and every one of us. We have so far launched 226 satellites

including 179 foreign satellites," he said.

Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre K Sivan said it was the toughest mission they had

handled. "We had to ensure they don't collide," he said.

"Last year we saw nine successful launches. This year began with a remarkable event.

Congratulations to customers on placing confidence on ISRO's PSLV," said director of Satish Dhawan

Space Centre P Kunhikrishnan.

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Mt. Everest to be re-measured by Survey of India

The Survey of India would soon “re-measure” the height of Mount Everest to verify doubts ex-

pressed over it in some sections of the scientific community following the major earthquake in Nepal two

years ago and to help scientific studies, Surveyor General of India Swarna Subba Rao has said.

“We are sending an expedition to Mount Everest. Everest height was declared, if I remember

correctly, in 1855,” said Mr. Rao on the sidelines of a meeting of Geospatial World Forum in Hyderabad.

“Many others also measured it. But the height given by the Survey of India, even today, is taken as

the correct height. It is 29,028 feet. We are remeasuring it. Two years have passed since the major Nepal

earthquake. After that, there is a doubt in the scientific community that it is shrinking. That is one of the

reasons. Second reason is, it helps in scientific studies, plate movements etc,” he said.

All the necessary approvals were obtained for the expedition and the effort should begin in a month,

he said. “I have got all the approvals. The MEA [Ministry of External Affairs] also done. If the Surveyor

General of Nepal has come for the conference in Hyderabad, I will have a meeting with him. As I see it, we

plan to send the expedition team in two months,” he said.

The endeavor would take about a month for observation and 15 more days for computation and

declaration of data, Mr. Rao said.

courtesy: www.thehindu.com

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8 Awesome ISRO Women Scientists…

India is proud of ISRO. The people who contributed to all of ISRO’s projects are a true inspiration to the

world. There is a great fact about ISRO which made the world envy it even more. The women scientists of

the third most powerful space agency in the world. Take any project from the Mars mission to the launch of

104 satellites. The contribution of women scientists was always at a high level. None can question the

power of women when it comes to ISRO. So, here are 8 of the best female ISRO scientists who will make

you even more proud of our country.

Minal Sampath: She played a major role in the Mars mission of India.

For two years, she worked in a windowless room for 18 hours straight as

a systems engineer. The efforts surely reflected in the outcome of the

mission.

Anuradha TK.: She got her inspiration to be a space scientist after

seeing Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. She is now the senior

most female officer in ISRO. This is a sheer example of never letting go

of your passion and achieving them at any cost.

Ritu Karidhal: Ritu is the perfect example of keeping balance between

personal life and professional life. She is a mother of two children.

During her childhood, she spent most of her time on the terrace usually

studying about stars and outer space. And finally her dream came true

when she became the Deputy Operations Director of the Mars orbiter

mission.

Moumita Datta

Moumita also got her inspiration from the ISRO’s mission of

Chandrayaan-1. Now she is one of the top scientists of ISRO. She is

also leading a team to make indigenous progress in optical sciences as

a part of Make In India initiative.

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Nandini Harinath:

She is a fan of the Star Trekk series.

Well who isn’t, right? But, she is one of

those people who did what they were a

fan of. The Mars orbiter mission was

her first project in ISRO on which she

worked hard for 20 years.

Kriti Faujdar: Kriti does not look much like a science

geek, but she is more than she looks. She loves working

at ISRO and finds it as one of the safest places for wom-

en to work. She is a part of the team which monitors

satellites and space missions continuously.

N Valarmathi: This lady is one of the most respected women in our

country. She is the first person to be awarded with Abdul Kalam Award

for her work as project director of RISAT-1. She is the second woman to

head a prestigious project after Anuradha TK.

Dr. Tessy Thomas: Even though she does not

work for the ISRO, it is of great deed to talk about

her too. She led the project of Agni-1V as project

director and became the first woman to lead a

project at DRDO.

courtesy: www.ultimateindian.in

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Ancient ‘lost continent’ found lurking under the Island of Mauritius

Scientists have confirmed the existence of a “lost continent” under the Indian Ocean island of

Mauritius that was left-over by the break-up of the supercontinent, Gondwana, which started about 200 million

years ago. The piece of crust, which was subsequently covered by young lava during volcanic eruptions on the

island, seems to be a tiny piece of ancient continent, which broke off from the island of Madagascar, when

Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica split up and formed the Indian Ocean.

We are studying the break-up process of the continents, in order to understand the geological history of

the planet,” said Professor Lewis Ashwal from University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. By studying

the mineral, zircon, found in rocks spewed up by lava during volcanic eruptions, Ashwal and his colleagues

have found that remnants of this mineral were far too old to belong on the island of Mauritius. “Earth is made

up of two parts – continents, which are old, and oceans, which are “young”. On the continents you find rocks

that are over four billion years old, but you find nothing like that in the oceans, as this is where new rocks are

formed,” said Ashwal.

“Mauritius is an island, and there is no rock older than nine million years old on the island. However,

by studying the rocks on the island, we have found zircons that are as old as three billion years,” he said.

Zircons are minerals that occur mainly in granites from the continents. They contain trace amounts of uranium,

thorium and lead, and due to the fact that they survive geological process very well, they contain a rich record

of geological processes and can be dated extremely accurately. “The fact that we have found zircons of this

age proves that there are much older crustal materials under Mauritius that could only have originated from a

cont’d…

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cont’d…

continent,” said Ashwal. This is not

the first time that zircons that are

billions of years old have been found

on the island. A study done in 2013

has found traces of the mineral in

beach sand. However, this study

received some criticism, including

that the mineral could have been

either blown in by the wind, or carried

in on vehicle tyres or scientists’ shoes.

“The fact that we found the

ancient zircons in rock (six-million-

year-old trachyte), corroborates the

previous study and refutes any

suggestion of wind-blown, wave-

transported or pumice-rafted zircons

for explaining the earlier results,” said

Ashwal. Ashwal suggests that there

are many pieces of various sizes of

“undiscovered continent”, collectively

called “Mauritia”, spread over the

Indian Ocean, left over by the breakup

of Gondwanaland.

“According to the new results, this

break-up did not involve a simple

splitting of the ancient super-continent

of Gondwana, but rather, a complex

splintering took place with fragments

of continental crust of variable sizes

left adrift within the evolving

Indian Ocean basin,” Ashwal

added. The study was published in

the journal Nature Communications.

courtesy: www.indianexpress.com

Qumran Cave 12: New Dead Sea Scrolls Cave Discovered

The surprising discovery was made by an international team of

archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel

and Liberty University in Virginia, the United States. “This exciting

excavation is the closest we’ve come to discovering new Dead Sea

scrolls in 60 years,” said Hebrew University archaeologist Oren

Gutfeld, director of the excavation. “Until now, it was accepted that

Dead Sea scrolls were found only in 11 caves at Qumran, but now

there is no doubt that this is the 12th cave.”

“Finding this additional scroll cave means we can no longer

be certain that the original locations (Caves 1 through 11) attributed

to the Dead Sea scrolls that reached the market via the Bedouins are

accurate.” Numerous storage jars and lids from the Second Temple

period were

found hidden in

niches along the

walls of Cave

12 and deep

inside a long

tunnel at its

rear. The jars

were all broken

and empty and

the discovery

towards the end of the excavation of a pair of iron pickaxe heads

from the 1950s (stored within the tunnel for later use) proves the

cave was looted.

The finds from Cave 12 include not only the storage jars,

which held the scrolls, but also fragments of scroll wrappings, a

string that tied the scrolls, and a piece of worked leather that was a

part of a scroll. The finding of pottery and of numerous flint blades,

arrowheads, and a decorated stamp seal made of carnelian, a

semi-precious stone, also revealed that the cave was used in the

Chalcolithic and the Neolithic periods.

“The important discovery of another scroll cave attests to the

fact that a lot of work remains to be done in the Judean Desert and

finds of huge importance are still waiting to be discovered,” said

Israel Hasson, Director-General of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

courtesy: www.sci-news.com

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India was not isolated before colliding with Eurasian plate claim scientists

Throwing fresh light on how India gradually drifted away from Africa and Madagascar and collided

with the Eurasian plate, scientists now report India was by no means as isolated as we thought during its

journey. It was common belief among researchers that before it collided with the Eurasian plate, India was

largely isolated for at least 30 million years during its migration. Using tiny midges encased in amber,

paleontologists from University of Bonn in Germany found that there must have been a connection between

the apparently cut off India and Europe and Asia around 54 million years ago that enabled the creatures to

move around.

“Certain midges that occurred in India at this time display great similarity to examples of a similar age

from Europe and Asia,” said lead author Frauke Stebner from the Steinmann Institute at University of Bonn.

The findings are a strong indicator that an exchange did occur between the supposedly isolated India, Europe

and Asia, added the team which involved scientists from the University of Gdansk (Poland) and Lucknow.

India harbours many unique species of flora and fauna that only occur in this form on the subcontinent.

The scientist mined for amber in seams of coal near Surat. Small midges, among other things, were encased in

tree resin 54 million years ago and preserved as fossils. The tiny insects, which are often not even a millimeter

large, are “biting midges”.

Their descendants can still be found today in Germany in meadows and forests – where the little beasts

attack you in swarms and suck your blood. The paleontologist investigated a total of 38 biting midges encased

in amber and compared them with examples of a similar age from Europe and China. “There was significant

conformity with biting midges in amber from the Baltic and Fushun in north-east China,” Stebner added.

How the insects were able to spread between drifting India and Eurasia has not yet been clarified fully.

“Nevertheless, it also seems to have been possible for birds and various groups of mammals to cross the ocean

between Europe and India at the time,” noted the paleontologist, referring to studies by other scientists.

However, it has now been possible for the first time, with the aid of biting midge fossils, to also

demonstrate an exchange between India and Asia in this period. As if from stepping stone to stepping stone,

the insects could have gradually

moved forward along the islands.

“Some of the biting midges

found in Indian amber were

presumably not especially good

long-distance flyers,” chuckled

Stebner in a paper presented in the

journal PLOS ONE. It was,

therefore, probably not so easy to

reach the subcontinent or move

from there during the migration of

India.

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courtesy: www.indianexpress.com

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Indian teen discovers cheap way to make saltwater drinkable

An Indian-American student has found a cheaper and easier method to turn salt water into drinkable

fresh water and his research has caught the attention of major technology firms and universities. Chaitanya

Karamchedu from Portland, Oregon, is turning heads across the country all because of a science experiment

that began in his high school classroom. The Jesuit High School Senior told that he has big plans of changing

the world.

"1 in 8 people do not have access to clean water, it’s a crying issue that needs to be addressed," said

Karamchedu. He made up his mind to address the matter

himself. "The best access for water is the sea, so 70 per cent

of the planet is covered in water and almost all of that is the

ocean, but the problem is that's salt water," said Karamchedu.

Isolating drinkable water from the ocean in a cost

effective way is a problem that has stumped scientists for

years. "Scientists looked at desalination, but it's all still

inaccessible to places and it would cost too much to imple-

ment on a large scale," Karamchedu said.

Karamchedu figured it out, on his own, in a high school lab. "The real genesis of the idea was realizing that

sea water is not fully saturated with salt," he was quoted as saying. By experimenting with a highly absorbent

polymer, the teen discovered a cost effective way to remove salt from ocean water and turn it into fresh water.

"It’s not bonding with water molecules, its bonding to the salt," said Karamchedu.

"People have been looking at the problem from one view point, how do we break those bonds between

salt and the water? Chai came in and thought about it from a completely different angle," said Jesuit High

School Biology Teacher Dr. Lara Shamieh.

"People were concentrated on that 10 per cent of water that is bonded to the salt in the sea and no one

looked at the 90 per cent that was free. Chai just looked at it and said if 10 per cent is bonded and 90 per cent

is free, then why we are so focused on this 10 per cent, let’s ignore it and focus on the 90," Shamieh said.

It is a breakthrough that is estimated to impact millions of lives if ever implemented on a mass scale.

"What this is compared to current techniques, is that it’s cheap and accessible to everyone, everyone can use

it," said Shamieh.

Scientists across the country are taking note. He won a USD 10,000 award from the US Agency for

International Global Development at Intels International Science

Fair and second place at MITs TechCon Conference where he won

more money to continue his research. "They were very

encouraging, they could see things into it that I couldn't, because

they've been working their whole lives on this," said Karamchedu.

Back in January, Karamchedu was also named one of 300

Regeneron Science Talent Search Semifinalists. The STS is thought

to be one of the most prestigious competitions in the country for

high school seniors. courtesy: www.indatoday.com

Hello Kiddies, Here is your Answers!!!

1. Italy

2. Russia

3. Srilanka

4. Turkey

5. Japan

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For the Love of Science...

18-year-old Tanmay Chopra who published his first book recently, tells us why it is so important to

respect science and, above all, Indian scientists.

I was 16 when I started writing my book Black Holes, Big Bang and A Load of Salt: Profiles of

Contemporary Indian Scientists. It took me around one and half years to finish the book. I spent a lot of time

getting in touch with the scientists and receiving their responses, as they have extremely busy schedules. And

to manage things with my regular academics, it took a bit longer. My interaction with these scientists, which

was mostly over the phone, was extremely humbling. These are big names in the world of science and they

are respected worldwide, but in spite of this, they were so encouraging and down-to-earth. All the scientists

were so humble. It was an incredible learning experience. I learnt the process of editing. I have been the editor

of my school magazine for a year, so I had a faint idea, but working on the book was different. With the

publishers, I learnt so much, and I now realize what it takes to work on a draft to make it in to a book. I have

always been extremely passionate about science. I diligently study Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with

Maths in Cathedral and John Connon School, where I’m finishing my Class XII. While studying these

subjects I realized that there was a huge gap in communication of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Math) with the public. In the West, there are several popular scientists and researchers who bring science

to the masses, engaging people who are interested in the world of STEM. In India we don’t have any such

platform, or idols to look up to due to lack of awareness. I sincerely

believe that STEM is a very good way in creating a large-term impact,

especially in a country like India where there is so much scope.

If I have to summarize what the book is all about, it would be

trying to explain the lives of scientists in India. This book is for anyone

who wants to learn about the science scenario in India. It’s explained in

an extremely lucid manner so a person of any age can pick the book and

read. The main goal of the book was to popularize Indian science and

specifically break the myth that Indian scientists are inferior. I

experienced this trend when I read about several scientists who have been

doing remarkable work, but people are not even aware of it. While Indian scientists might not have access to

the best resources as their Western counterparts, in no way are they inferior. Sanjeev Dhurandhar, who is part

of the Discovery of the Gravitational Waves, or P Balaram who left lucrative opportunities abroad and

decided to stay back and changed the scene of biology in our country and set the way for hundreds of biolo-

gists who follow his path, are some such examples.

I feel that India has not been able to create an environment where our scientists are respected and

looked up to. ISRO’s Mars Mission is a wonderful example of how good Indian scientists are. Our scientists

proved that we can do what the scientists across the world can do, and, in fact, do it for much cheaper. The

book also engages people in various subjects. I am hoping that by introducing these and other topics in my

book, a spark of interest among the young and old alike is created. Science, STEM and development is all

about collaboration and getting people involved. This is my aim and my book in a nutshell.

courtesy: www.dnaindia.com

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"There is no shortcuts in evolution."

Louis D. Brandeis

Discover

VOLUME 03

ISSUE 10 FEB, 2017

Compiled & Edited By

Prasanth Nair

Reshmy Krishnakumar

Science International Forum, Kuwait

facebook.com/sifkuwait

For subscription mail to

discoveremagazine@gmail.com

Do You Know!!!

1. What is the name of the element with chemical symbol ‘He’ ?

2. The fear of what animal is known as ‘arachnophobia’ ?

3. Pure water has a pH level of around ?

4. The molten rock that comes from a volcano after eruption is ?

5. Yogurt is produced by bacterial fermentation. True / False ?

You have time till next edition