Science & Technology - Samvada World

3Sep

By Shreyas GouthamNo Comments

Analysis, National, Science & Technology

Music: Panacea for Mental Health Issues

Music is one of the potent cures available to look for solutions to the mental health problems afflicting our population, especially the younger generation. Stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues are becoming dangerously common in India, specifically in the metros and large cities.Lack of awareness coupled with the general prejudices surrounding mental health problems are brushed under the carpet which later develops into an unmitigated disaster. Many scientific studies conducted all over the world including India show the positive effect of music on the mental health of humans. India has a rich collection of stories and music that have been passed down from one generation to another. These not only include the historical grand creations of epics like Ramayana a...

Understanding the Objectives of India’s Space Programs

1Sep

By Anhad JakhmolaNo Comments

Analysis, Asia, Featured, Science & Technology

Understanding the Objectives of India’s Space Programs

The main objective of India's space program is not techno-nationalism but to motivate and support its scientists as well as increase the curiosity for space exploration among the population. As Anand Mahindra put it, what Chandrayaan does for India is that it helps restore its pride & self-confidence. ISRO's successes create belief in progress through science and give Indians the aspiration to lift themselves out of poverty. Chandrayaan 3's launch had the world in awe as the ambitious Lunar Mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) made its soft landing as well as its first landing on the South Pole of the moon. India became the 4th nation to land on the moon and the first on the south side. There was no dearth of excitement amongst the scientists who observed th...

Improved, heavy rare earth-free, low-cost magnets for EV vehicles could reduce mobility costs

21Dec

By SamvadaWorld StaffNo Comments

Science & Technology

Improved, heavy rare earth-free, low-cost magnets for EV vehicles could reduce mobility costs

Scientists have fabricated improved low cost heavy rare earth-free high Nd-Fe-B magnets, which are in high demand for Electric Vehicles and can make them more affordable. More than 90% of EVs use brushless DC (BLDC) motors made up of rare earth Neodymium Iron Boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnets. Since its discovery by Sagawa in 1984, the Nd-Fe-B magnet has been one of the most sought-after permanent magnetic materials for many applications due to its exceptional combination of magnetic properties. Nd-Fe-B magnets used in EVs operate at high temperatures of 150 – 200oC and need to exhibit high resistance to demagnetization, a capability that pure Nd-Fe-B magnets do not have. Hence Dysprosium (Dy) metal is added as an alloy to improve the resistance to demagnetization. World ov...

What is ChatGPT which has taken the internet by storm? How does it work and how does it benefit?

9Dec

By SamvadaWorld StaffNo Comments

Science & Technology, World

What is ChatGPT which has taken the internet by storm? How does it work and how does it benefit?

OpenAI has released ChatGPT, a new dialogue language model (LM) based on the GPT-3.5 family series (trained on text and code) and similar to InstructGPT (aligned with reinforcement learning through human feedback). The company set up an online demo which has gone viral among users and reached its first 1 million user accounts in just 5 days! In comparison, it took Netflix 41 months, Facebook 10 months, and Instagram 2.5 months to reach 1 million user accounts. ChatGPT is a chatbot that can “answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.” ChatGPT is, by far, the best chatbot in the world. It can write essays and poetry. It can find great prompts for AI art models. It can roleplay. It can write code, find a bug, ...

11Oct

By Hanna SunnyNo Comments

Defence & Security, Science & Technology

Space Race – War Beyond The Karman Line

Imperialism and aggression in the 20th century culminated in victimizing the centrifugal retaliation which had gone beyond the Karman line.The space race today is not just between 2 countries but among several rapidly growing nations like China, India, Japan, France etc.The 20th-century world wars paved the way for outstanding innovations in space whereas the war in the 21st century is ending the space ties. Introduction Humanity was astounded by the first cell discoveries in 1665. When Robert Hook unveiled the enigma of life, it was the first time we learned that entity of this species is embedded in cells and the same was merely reflected in the discoveries and innovations about space. Since evolution halted in Homo Sapiens, time suited itself as history to observe the raging ...

Technology – An Emerging Axis of Geopolitics

29Sep

By Abhishek KumarNo Comments

Analysis, Featured, Science & Technology, World

Technology – An Emerging Axis of Geopolitics

The turn of the century in the late 1990s that paved the way for the “Information Age” leaves an indelible mark of change on the nature of geopolitics. This change is rapid and has lasting consequences. It can be observed that the fundamental axis on which geopolitics gradually shifted is the axis of technology. When noticed from a detached perspective, it can be observed that access to data and information facilitates shaping national narratives, building perceptions, and propagating values with the end goal of fulfilling the cardinal national objectives that enhance the state's international position. Therefore, controlling the flow of information in the form of data is crucial in shaping and understanding the emerging perspectives on Geopolitics. A state that gains expertise in...

The rise of Unicorns – Signs of economic recovery after COVID-19 pandemic?

18Feb

By SamvadaWorld StaffNo Comments

Science & Technology, World

The rise of Unicorns – Signs of economic recovery after COVID-19 pandemic?

https://youtu.be/TbJm_NVuRuM A unicorn is a privately held startup company with a current valuation of US$1 billion or more, across technology centers throughout the world. These unicorns are primarily located in consumer, technology, finance, hospitality, retail, and communications. Startups are taking advantage of the flood of new technology of the last decade to obtain Unicorn status. With the explosion of social media and access to millions to gain massive economies of scale, startups have the ability to expand their business faster than ever. Innovations in technology including smartphones, P2P platforms, and cloud computing with the combination of social media applications have aided in the growth of unicorns. Valuations for unicorns usually come from funding rounds of la...

ISRO to launch Geo-imaging satellite “EOS-03” later this year

29Jul

By SamvadaWorld StaffNo Comments

Science & Technology

ISRO to launch Geo-imaging satellite “EOS-03” later this year

Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh informed that Geo-imaging satellite “EOS-03”is scheduled for launch in third quarter of 2021. The EOS-03 would enable near-real time monitoring of natural disasters like floods & cyclones. The information was shared while replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. He said that ISRO realized EOS-03 is capable of imaging the whole country 4-5 times daily. In addition to natural disasters, EOS-03 would also enable monitoring of water bodies, crops, vegetation condition, forest cover changes etc. The press release from Department of Space informs that first developmental flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle or SSLV is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2021 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Srihariko...

Indian astronomers’ part of team spotting first short duration gamma-ray burst from a stellar collapse

27Jul

By SamvadaWorld StaffNo Comments

Science & Technology

Indian astronomers’ part of team spotting first short duration gamma-ray burst from a stellar collapse

An artist’s impression of a gamma-ray burst in the early universe A group of astronomers have detected a very short, powerful burst of high-energy radiation that lasted for about a second and had been racing toward Earth for nearly half the present age of the universe. The burst detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on August 26, 2020, turned out to be one for the record books – the shortest gamma-ray burst (GRB) caused by the death of a massive star. GRBs are the most powerful events in the universe, detectable across billions of light-years. Astronomers classify them as long or short based on whether the event lasts for more or less than two seconds. They observe long bursts in association with the demise of massive stars, while short bursts have been linked to a diff...

2Jul

By Karthik HGNo Comments

Science & Technology

Understanding Cryptocurrencies

Unlike paper currencies, cryptocurrencies are decentralized i.e there is no central authority that issues, controls or overlooks them.“Block chain” is the underlying technology and the security of cryptocurrencies are backed by computer encryption algorithms like hashing and cryptography giving them the adjective “crypto”-currency.Start-ups are keen on utilizing this as an investing tool which will provide them independence over Venture Capitals with the usual method of investments.Due to the anonymity of the transacting parties, it exposes many loopholes to players for criminal activities like illegal weapon and drug dealing, terrorist activities, tax evasions etc. Cryptocurrency, in particular Bitcoin is one among the buzzwords that is going around in India and internationally to...