New Delhi: At the Our Ocean Conference in Palau, the US officially announced to join the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of more than 90 countries, encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect and conserve at least 30 per cent of the planet -- land and sea -- by 2030, commonly referred to as "30x30."Scientists have issued repeated warnings that nature is in a state of crisis, threatened by habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and climate change.The ongoing and rapid loss of natural areas across the world poses a grave threat to the health and security of all living things. However, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that conserving at least 30 per cent of the global land and ocean can not only help curb biodiversity loss and prevent extinctions but also store carbon, help prevent future pandemics, and bolster economic growth.The announcement from US Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina was made on Thursday that the US will join the HAC. The US is considered a "megadiverse" country with the second largest territorial waters and the fourth largest landmass in the world.The Biden administration has already pledged to conserve 30 per cent of the US land and sea; it is now pushing for the goal to be adopted at the global scale.The announcement follows the Biden administration's launch this week of a $1 billion program, called the America the Beautiful Challenge, to advance its national 30x30 goal.The US is considered a "megadiverse" country, one of 17 globally that harbor a large number of species, especially large numbers of endemic species. The global 30x30 goal has been endorsed by the G7 and is currently a centerpiece of a UN Convention on Biological Diversity agreement under consideration, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is considered to be as important to the fate of the planet as the Paris climate agreement.The HAC is made up of a diversity of members, including nations from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America.To note, 30x30 is proposed as a global target, as countries will have different opportunities for biodiversity conservation depending on the particular circumstances in their national territory.It is appropriate that it be a sovereign decision made in conjunction with the best science and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.Brian O'Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature, told IANS in a statement: "By joining the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, the United States is demonstrating global leadership for nature protection."We know that many of the species that we treasure in America, including birds, whales and caribou migrate from other countries. Intact forests in the Amazon and Congo basins are essential in mitigating climate change globally."It's imperative that the world works together to address the crisis facing nature. We are grateful for the international nature conservation leadership that the Biden administration has announced today and hope that other countries will join in to support the essential global target to protect and conserve at least 30 per cent of the world's lands and oceans by 2030." —IANS

 At the Our Ocean Conference in Palau, the US officially announced to join the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of more than 90 countries, encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect and conserve at least 30 per cent of the planet -- land and sea -- by 2030, commonly referred to as "30x30."

US Joins 90-Odd Nation Coalition To Protect 30% Earth

Beijing: Three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship have completed their six-month space station mission and returned to Earth safely on Saturday.Shenzhou-13's return capsule, carrying astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 9:56 a.m. (Beijing Time), Xinhua news agency reported.The mission marks that China has completed the verification of key technologies of its space station, and also sets a record for Chinese astronauts' duration in orbit, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).The Shenzhou-13 manned mission was a complete success, the CMSA announced.The return capsule separated from the spaceship's orbiting capsule at 9:06 a.m. under the command of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. The braking engine of the return capsule was ignited at 9:30 a.m., followed by the separation of the return capsule from the propelling capsule.After the return capsule landed successfully, the ground search team arrived at the landing site. The medical personnel confirmed that the astronauts were in good health, after the hatch of the return capsule was opened.The Shenzhou-13 spaceship was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on October 16, 2021, and later docked with the space station core module Tianhe.After the docking, the three astronauts entered the core module and began their six-month stay in space.During the mission, the crew performed extravehicular activities (EVAs) twice. They conducted a number of scientific and technological experiments, including manual remote operation and module transfer supported by the robotic arm.They verified crucial technologies for the construction and operation of the space station to support long-term stays by astronauts, the recycling and life-support system, supply of space materials, extravehicular activities and operations, and in-orbit maintenance.The crew members also delivered two live classes from the space station and conducted a series of activities including science popularisation, the report said. —IANS

Three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship have completed their six-month space station mission and returned to Earth safely on Saturday.

3 Chinese Astronauts Return To Earth After 6-Month In Space Station

Agra: Nature lovers and green activists on Friday raised an alarm over grave consequences of global warming and climate change at the Earth Day celebrations in the Taj city.At a function held at the Paliwal Park, organised by Eco Club of Agra, politicians joined environmentalists to warn of serious consequences of untamed profit-motivated industrialisation and haphazard urbanisation which were responsible for the deteriorating quality of life and threats to health.Club president Pradip said: "Agra which should have been a model of planned urban growth and cleaner environment is struggling to contain the rising levels of air and water pollution, despite hundreds of crores spent in past three decades to make the city safe for heritage monuments."Environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya said: "Agra's life line Yamuna was diseased and almost dead. The sky is filled with desert sand and silt from the dry river, compounded further by emissions from rising number of vehicles."Earth day was celebrated by several voluntary organisations and students groups across the city to raise awareness about the grim challenges and threats to Earth and its environment.Members of the River Connect Campaign debated how they could restore balance among nature's five chief components (panch-tatva). Deepak Rajpoot said time had come to reduce wants, recycle products and discourage the western "use and throw culture." Pandit Jugal Kishor said water had to be saved through judicious use. Chaturbhuj Tiwari stressed on water-harvesting which should now be made compulsory in all urban areas. Rahul Raj said "municipalities were encouraging concretisation of pavements and wide use of interlocking cement tiles which prevented seepage and percolation of rain water."Eco Club members demanded political parties to specifically commit themselves to measures that would restore a happy balance with nature and prevent further degradation of environment. School children took out a rally holding posters with catchy slogans.Sri Nathji Nishulk Jal Sewa, voluntary group run by Bankey Lal Maheshwari, which runs a network of water huts in the city, asked people to conserve the fast depleting water resource. "Each drop needed to be saved for posterity," Maheshwari said.Local Environmentalists have expressed deep concern at the increasing number of vehicles in the urban limits adding to the overall pollution load. The suspended particulate matter (SPM) level continues to be much higher than the permissible limit of 100 micrograms per cubic metre. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide levels were also rising according to data released by the state pollution control board for the Taj Trapezium zone.The depleting green cover around Agra continues to pose a serious threat to the health of the Taj Mahal as does the polluted Yamuna river. "Despite world-wide alarm and concern by international agencies, nothing concrete has been done to insulate the world heritage monument, the 17th century monument of love, from dust and smog," Sonal Mittal Singh of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society said. —IANS

 Nature lovers and green activists on Friday raised an alarm over grave consequences of global warming and climate change at the Earth Day celebrations in the Taj city.  At a function held at the Paliwal Park, organised by Eco Club of Agra, politicians joined environmentalists to warn of serious consequences of untamed profit-motivated industrialisation and haphazard urbanisation which were responsible for the deteriorating quality of life and threats to health.

On Earth Day, Nature Lovers Warn Of Grave Consequences Of Climate Change

 Nature lovers and green activists on Friday raised an alarm over grave consequences of global warming and climate change at the Earth Day celebrations in the Taj city.

At a function held at the Paliwal Park, organised by Eco Club of Agra, politicians joined environmentalists to warn of serious consequences of untamed profit-motivated industrialisation and haphazard urbanisation which were responsible for the deteriorating quality of life and threats to health.




New Delhi: After spending about 17 days in space, American private space habitat company Axiom Space's first-ever private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) safely returned to Earth on Monday.The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module at 9:10 p.m. EDT, and had a splashdown off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 1:06 p.m. EDT on Monday."Splashdown! The #Ax1 astronauts have made a safe return to Earth in @SpaceX Dragon after completing the first all-private crew mission to the @Space_Station and paving a path for a future of innovation in low Earth orbit," Axiom Space wrote in a tweet.Ax-1 mission, which was initially planned for 10 days, was scheduled to arrive on Earth on April 20, but predicted bad weather in the splashdown zone pushed things back. And these poor conditions persisted, causing additional delays.At the conclusion of their mission, Ax-1 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Pilot Larry Connor, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy completed 17 days in space, NASA said.SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, the Ax-1 spacecraft, returns to Earth with more than 200 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and hardware."Thanks once again for all the support through this amazing adventure that we've had," Lopez-Alegria shared on Twitter after undocking from the ISS."Even longer and more exciting than we thought. We really appreciate your professionalism, and with that we'll sign off," he added.The four-person, multinational Ax-1 crew conducted work for more than 25 research projects.The astronauts also assisted in delivering Axiom-sponsored research and manufacturing investigations on self-assembling technology for future space habitats, devices to purify air on space stations, and more.The Ax-1 crew is the first all-private crew to travel to the ISS. Ax-1 is the first of several proposed Axiom missions to the ISS and an important step toward Axiom Station, the world's first private space station in low-Earth orbit, which can serve as a global academic and commercial hub.Elon Musk's space venture SpaceX has been contracted to fly three more Axiom astronaut missions to the ISS over the next two years.&nbsp;—IANS

After spending about 17 days in space, American private space habitat company Axiom Space's first-ever private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) safely returned to Earth on Monday.

First Private Space Mission Astronauts Return To Earth

Bonn (Germany): Human activities are degrading and damaging land in an unsustainable manner, according to a new UN report.Up to 40% of the earth's land area has already been degraded, mainly due to modern agriculture, and if this continues, the report predicts further degradation of an area roughly the size of South America by 2050.The second edition of the 'Global Land Outlook' (GLO) from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which comes ahead of the UNCCD's COP15 in Africa, sheds light on the way land resources - soil, water and biodiversity - are currently mismanaged and misused and how it threatens the health and continued survival of many species on Earth, including our own.The report, however, says that there is the hope of containing climate change and species loss if the lands are restored and protected. Land degradation, it says directly affects half of humanity and threatens roughly half of global GDP (USD44 trillion). The report highlights nations' current pledge to restore 1 billion degraded hectares by 2030 requires USD 1.6 trillion this decade - a fraction of the annual $700 billion in fossil fuel and agricultural subsidies.The GLO 2 report has been in the making for five years with 21 partner organizations, and with over 1,000 references.It offers an overview of unprecedented breadth and projects the planetary consequences of three scenarios through 2050: business as usual, restoration of 50 million square km of land, and restoration measures augmented by the conservation of natural areas important for specific ecosystem functions.It also assessed the potential contributions of land restoration investments to climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, human health and other key sustainable development goals."At no other point in modern history has humanity faced such an array of familiar and unfamiliar risks and hazards, interacting in a hyper-connected and rapidly changing world. We cannot afford to underestimate the scale and impact of these existential threats. Conserving, restoring, and using our land resources sustainably is a global imperative, one that requires action on a crisis footing...Business as usual is not a viable pathway for our continued survival and prosperity," the report warned.GLO2 also mentioned hundreds of examples from around the world that demonstrate the potential of land restoration. The report comes ahead of the UNCCD's 15th session of the Conference of Parties to be held in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (COP15, 9-20 May)."Modern agriculture has altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity. We need to urgently rethink our global food systems, which are responsible for 80 per cent of deforestation, 70 per cent of freshwater use, and the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss," Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, said."Investing in large-scale land restoration is a powerful, cost-effective tool to combat desertification, soil erosion, and loss of agricultural production. As a finite resource and our most valuable natural asset, we cannot afford to continue taking land for granted," Ibrahim added.&nbsp;—ANI

 Human activities are degrading and damaging land in an unsustainable manner, according to a new UN report. Up to 40% of the earth's land area has already been degraded, mainly due to modern agriculture, and if this continues, the report predicts further degradation of an area roughly the size of South America by 2050.

Human Activities Causing Continuous Land Degradation Around The World: UN report

 Human activities are degrading and damaging land in an unsustainable manner, according to a new UN report. Up to 40% of the earth's land area has already been degraded, mainly due to modern agriculture, and if this continues, the report predicts further degradation of an area roughly the size of South America by 2050.



 

Washington: Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari was among the four astronauts aboard a Space X spacecraft which on Friday safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida, US after spending nearly six months at the International Space Station.Chari along with Kayla Barron, Tom Marshburn -all of NASA and European Space Agency's (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown into the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, US at 12:43 a.m. EDT completing the agency's third long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station.The landing signalled the end of the Crew-3 mission of the astronauts who had spent 177 days in orbit on the SpaceX Dragon Endurance craft to the ISS.NASA's partnership with SpaceX has again empowered us to deliver a crew safely to the space station and back, enabling groundbreaking science that will help our astronauts travel farther out into the cosmos than ever before, a statement from NASA read.This mission is just one more example that we are truly in the golden era of commercial spaceflight," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "Raja, Kayla, Tom, and Matthias, thank you for your service and welcome home!" the statement read.According to the report, the Crew-3 mission launched on November 10 on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Nearly 24-hours after liftoff on November 11, Endurance docked to the Harmony module's forward space station port.&nbsp;The astronauts undocked from the same port at 1:05 a.m. on May 5, to begin the trip home.Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer travelled 75,060,792 miles during their mission, spent 175 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,832 orbits around Earth. Marshburn has logged 339 days in space over his three flights. The Crew-3 mission was the first spaceflight for Barron, Chari, and Marshburn.Throughout their mission, the Crew-3 astronauts contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations stated the press release.In addition, they conducted three spacewalks to perform station maintenance and upgrades outside the space station. This brought the total number of spacewalks for Marshburn to five, while Chari and Barron have each completed two, and Maurer one.Crew-3 built on previous work investigating how fibres grow in microgravity, used hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth material, and captured images of their retinas as part of an investigation that could detect eye changes of astronauts in space automatically in the future, and performed a demonstration of technology that provides measurements of biological indicators related to disease and infection, among many other scientific investigations.The astronauts took hundreds of photos of Earth as part of the Crew Earth Observation investigation, one of the longest-running investigations aboard the space station, which helps track natural disasters and changes to our home planet.The Crew-3 flight is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 launch, which docked at the station on April 27, beginning another science expedition.The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station.This already has provided additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's microgravity testbed for exploration, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. —ANI

Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari was among the four astronauts aboard a Space X spacecraft which on Friday safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida, US after spending nearly six months at the International Space Station.

Space-X Spacecraft With Indian-Origin Astronaut Aboard Makes Safe Return To Earth

Manila: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted Batangas province on the main Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. The institute said the quake, which occurred at 5:50 am, hit at a depth of 132 km, about 21-km northwest of Calatagan town. The tremor was also felt in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro, Xinhua news agency reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The institute added that the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks and can cause damage. The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire".—IANS

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted Batangas province on the main Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolts Philippines

Islamabad:&nbsp;Earthquake tremors were felt in Islamabad, parts of Balochistan and other areas of Pakistan on Tuesday. According to the US Geological Survey, an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude jolted Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, which had a depth of 10 km, reports Dawn news.However, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the epicentre of the quake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region and its depth was 85 km. So far, no casualties have been reported.Earlier this month, 80 houses collapsed when a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Aurnaji area in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, rendering over 200 families homeless, Dawn reported.The quake also damaged Nali, Zamri, Barang and Nachkan Sonaro Lathi villages in Wadh tehsil. On January 14, an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale had jolted Islamabad and northern areas of the country.—IANS

Earthquake tremors were felt in Islamabad, parts of Balochistan and other areas of Pakistan on Tuesday. According to the US Geological Survey, an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude jolted Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, which had a depth of 10 km, reports Dawn news.

Earthquake Tremors Felt In Islamabad, Parts Of Balochistan

Jakarta: A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s eastern province of Maluku on Friday, but there was no initial report of damage or casualties, disaster officials said. The country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency did not issue a warning for a tsunami as the jolts did not potentially trigger giant waves, Xinhua news reported. The quake struck at 9.36 a.m., with the epicentre at 85 km southwest of Maluku Barat Daya district with a depth of 104 km, the agency said.The tremors were also felt in the nearby province of East Nusa Tenggara and the neighbouring country of Timor Leste. Senior officials in the quake-hit areas said the tremors triggered panic among residents and were strongly felt in some areas, but there were no initial reports of damages or casualties. However, they said the risk assessment for the quake impacts was underway. “So far, there were no houses or buildings destroyed or those wounded. But the personnel of local disaster agency keep conducting assessment of the impact,” one of the officials told Xinhua.—IANS

A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s eastern province of Maluku on Friday, but there was no initial report of damage or casualties, disaster officials said.

Strong 6.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia

New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &amp; Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today inaugurated recently completed upgraded Boys High School building having smart class facility with digitilised system at Ompora Badgam.The 10- room double story school building for smart class rooms also comprises of facilities including library and common hall. During interaction with staff and students, the Minister assured that the school building shall be highly equipped with latest facilities including smart classrooms and solar facility on priority. During his visit to Budgam district the Minister also interacted with covid affected children at Conference Hall Budgam. Commemorating 8 years of the Modi Govt, he distributed cheques of Rs. 10 k, school bags, Ayushman Bharat (Golden cards), scholarships under Saksham scheme among the beneficiaries who have been adversely hit during the pandemic.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that on the completion of 8 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, the Centre has launched PM Care for children, an initiative to reach out to children.He said that the aim of the initiative is to send a message across the country that the affected children who have lost their parents should not feel orphans. “They are our own children, and we as a society have collective responsibility to take care of them,” Minister said.He further said that the Union government is committed to good governance, and assured all possible support to these children and all other destitute through various schemes and initiatives launched by the central government.The Minister also witnessed under- 19 inter- Zonal district level finals of different sports events at Sports Stadium Budgam, where he also distributed sports kits and trophies among the participants.&nbsp;<img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image002XXME.jpg">&nbsp;After declaring the games open, the Minister called for proper identification of talent of sports loving youth and their proper training for their better performance in the field.He urged youth to take part in sports which is now recognized as one of the career options as well.Later, the Minister inspected various stalls set up by different departments and distributed skill upliftment certificates among deserving beneficiaries. He distributed authority letters and farming equipment among various farmers on the occasion.&nbsp;<img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image00306B6.jpg">&nbsp;During his tour, the Minister also distributed scooties , prosthetic aid to the needy and marriage assistance certificates with Rs 50,000 cheque each to daughters living Below Poverty Line. He said that the Modi government, on completion of eight years of its service to the nation, is reaching out to the people with the spirit of "Seva" that has been the hallmark of PM Modi's regime.Later, various delegations including DDC and BDC members, Councillors, PRIs, civil society members, traders, youth delegations , political workers and others different delegations called upon the minister at Conference Hall Budgam.They raised their issues and demands with the minister for prompt redressal.The minister gave patient hearing to the delegations and assured that all their genuine demands shall be looked into on priority.&nbsp;<img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image004XNKH.jpg">&nbsp;Among others, Chairman DDC Budgam, Nazir Ahmad Khan, DC Budgam, Shahbaz Ahmed Mirza, SSP Budgam, Tahir Saleem, DDC and BDC Members, President Municipal Council Budgam, District and district officers were present on the occasion.

 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today inaugurated recently completed upgraded Boys High School building having smart class facility with digitilised system at Ompora Badgam.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh visits Budgam

New Delhi (The Hawk): Scientists have used Machine learning to develop a design map of alloys at the nanoscale which can help predict the match of pairs of metals that can form bimetallic nanoalloys.These nano alloys, also called core-shell nanocluster alloys, in which one metal forms the core and another stays on the surface as a shell, are a new frontier in the quest of scientists for new materials and have applications in biomedicine and other areas.It is important to know under what conditions core-shell structures are formed in the nanocluster alloys and which metal forms the core, and which stays on the surface as a shell. A number of factors like cohesive energy difference, atomic radius difference, surface energy difference and electronegativity of the two atoms may play a part in the core and shell preference of the atoms.The periodic table has 95 metals of different categories ranging from alkalis to alkaline earth, which can potentially form 4465 pairs. It is experimentally impossible to determine how they behave in forming nanocluster alloys. But computers can be programmed to predict the behaviour of these pairs and more through ‘machine learning’. The machine is taught to recognise patterns by feeding in a number of patterns with well-defined attributes. The more the data fed into the computer, the more accurate will be the recognition of an unknown data by the computer.However, scientists faced a stumbling block here because of the limited number of experimentally synthesised binary nanoclusters with clear identification of the chemical ordering of constituents, and few core−shell combinations studied theoretically. Machine Learning could not be applied with confidence on small data set of sizes less than or around 100.Researchers at the S N Bose Centre for Basic Sciences, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, circumvented this problem by calculating the Surface-to-core relative energy on a variety of possible binary combinations of alkali metals, alkaline earth, basic metals, transition metals and p-block metals to create a large data-set of 903 binary combinations.In their paper published in the&nbsp;Journal of Physical Chemistry,&nbsp;they investigated the&nbsp;key attributes driving the core−shell morphology using the statistical tool of machine learning applied on this large data set. Core-shell structures with lighter metals having lower atomic numbers in the core were classified as Type 1, and those having the heavier metals in the core were classified as Type 2. A number of attributes were built to characterise each data point in the set. The performance of the ML model was tallied with existing experimental data, and the ML model was proved to be reliable.Having thus established confidence in the ML model, the dominant attributes driving the core-shell pattern were now analysed. It was found that the relative importance of the key factors depends on the subset combinations like alkali metal- alkaline earth, transition metal–transition metal etc. It was also found that if the difference in the cohesive energies between the two types of atoms is very small, the nanoclusters constitute a random mix of both the metals, and if the difference in the cohesive energies is very large, the atoms get segregated into a structure having two faces with one face of A atoms and another face of B atoms called the Janus structure named after two-faced Greek God.Thus the attempt to connect ML with nanoscience was successful in tracing the mixing patterns of metal atoms in nanoclusters and formed a basis for the design map, which can help select the pairs of metals for nanocluster alloys. This design map developed by the scientists will be tested out in the nano laboratories at the Moscow State University and also at the S.N Bose Centre.Another domain of study for the S.N Bose team has been the heterogeneous structure formed at the junction of two dissimilar semiconductors. They have established that using machine learning, hetero-structure types used in hetero-junctions of two semiconductors which are at the heart of devices like LEDs, solar cells and photovoltaic devices, can be predicted fairly accurately.The ML model designed by the S.N Bose team predicted 872 unknown semiconductor hetero-structures of type 2 where the electrons and holes align themselves in A semiconductor and B semiconductor, respectively, giving rise to a desirable hetero-structure for semiconductor gadgets.S.N Bose Centre has used machine learning to search for cheaper substitutes of naturally occurring rare earth material. Rare earth compounds with permanent magnetic properties are used in loudspeakers and computer hard drives.&nbsp;Of these,&nbsp;17 elements of the periodic table like Neodymium, Lanthanum and so on are found sparsely on the earth’s crust, and their supply is monopolised by the countries where their mines happen to be located. By painstakingly creating a database of rare earth compounds and their attributes and then constructing a machine-learning model, they have predicted a list of potential candidates for permanent magnets whose cost will be less than $100 per Kg.This work carried out through the ‘National Supercomputing Mission’ has added a whole new drive to humankind’s quest for new material.&nbsp;<img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image002R39A.jpg">&nbsp;

Scientists have used Machine learning to develop a design map of alloys at the nanoscale which can help predict the match of pairs of metals that can form bimetallic nanoalloys.

Machine learning helps predict new materials for nano alloys, semiconductors & rare earths

New Delhi: Seeking to further increase private participation, the government will soon unveil a new space policy that could see the rise of India's own "SpaceX-like ventures", Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood has said. In an interview to news agency PTI, the government's top science adviser said consultations have taken place and the final version of the space policy would soon be referred to the Empowered Technology Group for further examination. "Space policy is in the works. We have not been using it much, but the new technology of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites... that is a low cost game." "There are a huge number of satellites in LEO. That will change the space sector," said Mr Sood, who assumed office on April 25.He said the government will encourage manufacturing of satellites in the private sector for a range of applications from health care, agriculture to urban development and property tax estimation."We have not tapped the full potential of this sector. In 2022, the space sector is witnessing what the information technology sector experienced in the 1990s. We will have our own SpaceX in the next two years," Mr Sood said. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, is a private space transportation company that designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.He said there were immense opportunities for use of space technology for the benefit of humankind but there were limitations on what Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could do."New launch vehicles are being developed, new fuels for spacecraft are being developed. This will connect the unconnected. That is the theme – connect the unconnected – that will happen when we open up the space sector," Mr Sood said. With the opening up of the space sector, there could be dedicated satellites for various sectors such as agriculture, education, disaster management, e-commerce applications, he said. "Edusat was launched in 2004. The second version has not been launched yet. So, why not let the private sector come into the business? That will happen. For the agriculture sector, we can have satellites that can give information about climate, soil conditions. It can be called. E-Krishi, The thought process is already on. What is lacking are the satellites," Mr Sood said.According to industry estimates, the global space economy is pegged at 423 billion dollars with India constituting two to three per cent. Morgan Stanley estimates that the global space industry will expand up to one trillion dollars by 2040.—PTI

Seeking to further increase private participation, the government will soon unveil a new space policy that could see the rise of India's own "SpaceX-like ventures", Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood has said.

New space policy soon; India can have its own 'SpaceX-like ventures'

New Delhi (The Hawk): The Ministry of Earth Sciences has signed an agreement with M/s ABS Marine Services Pvt Ltd, Chennai for running, manning, maintenance (including maintenance and operation of scientific equipment), catering, and housekeeping of all the six research ships on the 31st of May 2022.The contract was signed in the presence of Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences and other senior officials from the Ministry and ABS Marine Services Pvt Ltd. The contract includes the maintenance of six&nbsp;research ships viz. Sagar Nidhi, Sagar Manjusha, Sagar Anveshika, and Sagar Tara are managed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai; Sagar Kanya which is managed by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa and Sagar Sampada managed by the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi. These research ships are the backbone for technology demonstration and oceanic research and observations in the country and have contributed significantly in enhancing the knowledge about our oceans and ocean-based resources.The Ministry of Earth Sciences is extending research ships as a national facility to other research institutes and organizations like ISRO, PRL, NGRI, Anna University, etc.The company would be the single point of contact for all ship-related modalities, unlike the present agreements which MoES has with multiple agencies. This is in line with the Government’s ease of doing business initiatives and involvement of the private sector in Government contracts. The contract was signed for an amount of approximately Rupees 142 crores over a 03-year period. One significant feature of this contract is the substantial year-wise saving achieved by the Ministry in the operation and maintenance charges of the Ministry of Earth Sciences research ships and the hi-tech scientific equipment/laboratories on board. It has close coordination with similar service providers and shipping agents around the world which makes it highly impactful in the area ofship utilization and efficient operations.With the help of the new ship management services, the Ministry aims to save costs while also enhancing the value of the marine fleet through innovative, reliable &amp; cost-effective methods.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has signed an agreement with M/s ABS Marine Services Pvt Ltd, Chennai for running, manning, maintenance (including maintenance and operation of scientific equipment), catering, and housekeeping of all the six research ships on the 31st of May 2022.

M/o Earth Sciences signs agreement with ABS Marine Services Pvt Ltd, Chennai for running all six research ships

New Delhi (The Hawk):&nbsp;&nbsp;Researchers have traced the great Assam Earthquake to complex tectonics of the North Eastern fringe of the Indian Plate in the Eastern Himalaya and the Indo-Burma Ranges (IBR) and the interactions between the two, which can produce deeper earthquakes in IBR and crustal ones in the Eastern Himalaya.The north-eastern fringe of the Indian Plate in the Eastern Himalaya has been found to be seismically active up to about 40 km depth, while the seismicity in the Indo-Burma Ranges (IBR) is observed up to a depth of around 200 km.They have suggested that this seismic structure forms a complex tectonics which produced the great Assam earthquake of 1950 (M 8.6) and maybe building up stress for a future earthquake.&nbsp;–The Great Assam Earthquake is the largest intra-continental earthquake ever recorded, which was located at the India-China border near the Mishmi Hills of Arunachal Himalaya.The Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) in Arunachal Pradesh and bordering regions of Assam is acknowledged as one of the most seismically active regions in the world. The northeast corner of the Indian Plate in the EHS belongs to the seismic zone V of the national zoning map of India and does have a potential to trigger major earthquakes in the future.In contrast to several studies carried out in the EHS and adjoining SE Tibetan plateau, extremely less studies have been done in the north-eastern fringe of the Indian Plate in the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (Tidding-Tuting Suture, TTSZ) for understanding seismogenesis and its tectonic linkage. After the 1950 great Assam earthquake, the region between the upper Assam and the Mishmi Block is not producing any large earthquakes and is considered as a seismic gap region. A previous study has suggested a locked zone in the Mishmi Thrust (MT) zone, which may suggest building up of stress for a future earthquake.Moderate magnitude earthquakes in the region are rarely reported by global seismological networks. To obtain information of moderate and microearthquakes, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, established 11 broadband seismological stations in the Lohit Valley and 8 stations in the Siang Window of Arunachal Himalaya.A study conducted by a team led by Dr. Devajit Hazarika from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology with the help of Micro and moderate magnitude earthquakes in the region, recorded at the local seismological stations emphasized the overall seismicity pattern in the EHS and adjoined Indo-Burma Ranges (IBR) with special emphasis on the seismotectonic of the Lohit Valley region.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The study published in Tectonophysics Journal reveals that the TTSZ is seismically active up to around 40 km depth. In contrast, the seismicity in the Indo-Burma Ranges (IBR) is observed up to a depth of around 200 km suggesting the active subduction process of the Indian plate beneath the IBR. It suggests that the IBR is more susceptible to deeper earthquakes, while crustal-scale earthquakes are more likely to occur in the TTSZ.This research suggests that the subduction process terminates north of around 270 N Latitude and the indentation process of the rigid Indian plate into south-east Asia predominantly controls the seismicity north of the IBR.The results reveal that the closely spaced Mishmi, Tidding, and Lohit faults along the Lohit and Dibang River Valleys of eastern Arunachal Pradesh are steeply dipping thrust sheets that accommodate the large crustal shortening owing to the indentation process and clockwise rotation tectonics. The Walong fault, in the upper part of the Lohit River Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, is characterized by strike-slip motion with a thrust component that facilitates the clock-wise rotation of crustal material around the syntaxis. Significant strain partitioning is anticipated from the variation of pressure (P) axes orientations indicating the effect of complex syntaxial tectonics.

 Researchers have traced the great Assam Earthquake to complex tectonics of the North Eastern fringe of the Indian Plate in the Eastern Himalaya and the Indo-Burma Ranges (IBR) and the interactions between the two, which can produce deeper earthquakes in IBR and crustal ones in the Eastern Himalaya.

Study Attributes Tectonic Linkage In The NE Edge Of The Indian Plate To Great Assam Earthquake

New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &amp; Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today released a book and its e-Version on 8 Years of Administrative and Pension reforms (2014-2022).Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said, eight years of administrative and pension reforms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi are aimed at social transformation.Delivering the inaugural address at a webinar on Administrative Reforms and Pension Reforms (2014-2022) in New Delhi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, large scale use of technology and integration approach are the twin pillars of both the revolutionary Governance and Pension Reforms carried out in the last eight years.Dwelling on Pension Reforms, Dr Jitendra Singh said, ever since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, the Department of Pension &amp; Pensioners’ Welfare had introduced a number of revolutionary reforms including relaxation in the provision of Family Pension for divorced daughters and Divyangs, introduction of Face Recognition Technology through mobile app for ease in submitting Life Certificate by elderly pensioners, Electronic Pension Pay Order, assistance from Postal Department to facilitate pension process etc. He said, moreover steps like extension of Family Pension to differently abled child of a deceased Government employee/Pensioner or giving a major hike in the Family Pension emoluments for Divyang children of a deceased government servant/pensioner are not only pension reforms but these are social reforms having wide implications.Referring to the last month’s decision for relaxation of family pension rules for missing central government employees, Dr Jitendra Singh said the move will instil confidence among the employees working in extremist-infested and violence-prone areas. He said, the new rule has done away with seven-year mandatory wait and, in all cases, where a government servant covered by NPS goes missing during service, the benefits of family pension will be immediately paid to the family of the missing Government servant and in case he reappears and resumes service, the amount paid as family pension during the intervening time of his missing period can be accordingly deducted from his salary.Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that at the behest of the Prime Minister, the Department also started a portal entitled “Anubhav” to show-case the experiences in Government of retiring officials which has now become a huge resource base for us. The Department not only introduced the concept of Pension Adalats but has leveraged technology to hold digital Adalats through video-conferencing. He informed that since 2017, some 22,494 pensioners’ grievances have been taken up and 16,061 matters resolved on the spot in Pension Adalats. The Minister said, the Department of Pension &amp; Pensioners’ Welfare has ensured end-to-end digitization of the Pension payment process by making BHAVISHYA software mandatory for all the Ministries to process their pension cases. He stated that this software has laid out dead-lines for every stakeholder to complete the Pension processing so that pension is started on time.On Administrative Reforms, Dr Jitendra Singh listed out several out of box ideas like abolishing the century old colonial practice of attestation of documents by a gazetted officer and replacing it by self-attestation, doing away with interview for Group-B (Non- Gazetted) and Group - C posts in the Central Government since 2016, three month Central stint for fresh IAS officers as Assistant Secretary, change in the nature of PM Excellence Award and abolition of around 1450 rules, which have become obsolete.Dr Jitendra Singh said, after 2014, the process and selection of PM’s Excellence Award have been institutionalised and now this is based on the performance of the district, rather than that of the District Collector or individual civil servant. He said, another improvisation brought is to assess the scale and rating of the implementation of Flagship Schemes in the district.Referring to Mission Karmayogi’s main mantra of moving from “Rule to Role”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Civil Servants must train themselves for a new and challenging assignment as most of the flagship schemes of the Government are now hugely Science and Technology based.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today released a book and its e-Version on 8 Years of Administrative and Pension reforms (2014-2022).

Dr Jitendra Releases Book On 8 Years Of Administrative And Pension Reforms

Sichuan: About 14,427 people were affected after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted the city of Ya'an in Sichuan, South Western China, reported local media citing preliminary statistics. Four people were confirmed dead and 41 others injured due to the earthquake that jolted the city on Wednesday afternoon, according to the city's earthquake relief headquarters on Thursday. Earlier, the city's earthquake relief headquarters said that a total of 13,081 people in Ya'an were affected by the earthquake however as per the new statistics the number has increased significantly, reported Xinhua. The 6.1-magnitude earthquake rattled Lushan County of Ya'an in Sichuan, at 5 p.m. Wednesday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).The epicentre, with a depth of 17 km, was monitored at 30.4 degrees north latitude and 102.9 degrees east longitude, the CENC said.Earlier, a level-III national emergency response was activated after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management. A work team was dispatched to guide and assist the local emergency rescue efforts, the ministry said. Local firefighters reached the epicenter, while quake rescue teams of Sichuan and other neighboring regions were on standby for relief operations, the ministry had added. On April 15, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter Scale hit the city of Delingha in northwest China's Qinghai Province, according to CENC. The epicenter was monitored at 38.52 degrees north latitude and 97.33 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 km, as per Xinhua. No casualties were reported in that earthquake.Two days before, on April 13, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake had jolted Xingwen county of Yibin city, in China's Sichuan Province. Earlier on March 26, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake jolted China's Qinghai province. The quake had struck the city of Delingha in the province at 12.21 am. The epicenter was monitored at 38.50 degrees north latitude and 97.33 degrees east longitude, 126 km away from the city proper, with a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was located in an unpopulated area at an altitude of 4,410 meters, Xinhua News Agency had reported. There were no villages within 20 km of the epicenter, according to the emergency management bureau of Delingha. Tremors were felt by residents in Delingha and the cities of Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, and Zhangye, the bureau said.—ANI

About 14,427 people were affected after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted the city of Ya'an in Sichuan, South Western China, reported local media citing preliminary statistics.

China: 14,427 affected after 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Sichuan

Srinagar:&nbsp;A light intensity earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale jolted Kashmir on Saturday, although there were no reports of any casualty or damage to property. Officials of the disaster management authority said the temblor struck at 12.37 a.m. “The latitude was 33.48 degrees north and longitude 75.59 degrees east.The epicentre was 5 km inside the earth in Pahalgam region.” Seismologically, Kashmir is located in an earthquake prone region and temoblors have wreaked havoc here in the past. On October 8, 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale killed over 80,000 people on the two sides of the Line of Control.—IANS

A light intensity earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale jolted Kashmir on Saturday, although there were no reports of any casualty or damage to property. Officials of the disaster management authority said the temblor struck at 12.37 a.m.

Light Intensity Earthquake Jolts Kashmir

London: According to a recent imperial study, though climate-friendly, biogas and biomethane leak twice more than the methane gas as per the previous estimation of the International Energy Agency.The findings of this study were published in One Earth journal.Although biogas and biomethane remain climate-friendlier than non-renewable alternatives, the researchers call for better monitoring and fixing of leaks to ensure biogas and biomethane continue to live up to their green credentials.Biomethane and biogas are produced from the breakdown of organic matter including food, animal waste, energy crops, grass, or sewage sludge, making them renewable alternatives to natural gas, coal and oil. However, researchers at Imperial College London have identified potential pitfalls in energy supply chains for these climate-friendlier gases, concluding that more efforts should be made to reduce methane leakage.Methane traps around 27 times the amount of heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) and is responsible for at least a quarter of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's AR6 report[3]. The new Imperial study, published today in One Earth journal, found that supply chains for biomethane and biogas release more than twice as much methane as the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s previous estimation. It also reveals that 62 per cent of these leaks were concentrated in a small number of facilities and pieces of equipment within the chain, which they call 'super-emitters', though methane was found to be released at every stage.The researchers say urgent attention is needed to fix the methane leaks, and knowing precisely where the majority of them are happening will help production plants to do so. Lead author of the study Dr Semra Bakkaloglu, of Imperial's Department of Chemical Engineering and Sustainable Gas Institute, said: "Biomethane and biogas are great candidates for renewable and clean energy sources, but they can also emit methane. For them to really help mitigate the warming effects of energy use, we must act urgently to reduce their emissions."We want to encourage the continued use of biogas and biomethane as a renewable resource by taking the necessary actions to tackle methane emissions."The researchers note that compared to the oil and gas industry, the biomethane industry suffers from poorly designed and managed production facilities as well as a lack of investment for modernisation, operation, and monitoring. Because oil and natural gas supply chains have been primarily operated by large companies with huge resources for decades, they have been able to invest more in leak detection and repair.What is biomethane and biogas?In response to the climate crisis, many countries are replacing heavily carbon-emitting sources of energy, like natural gas, coal and oil, with biomethane and biogas. Although they are made from a mixture of CO2 and methane, biomethane and biogas release less of both gases, making them greener energy alternatives.However, these replacement fuels still release methane along their supply chains, such as at processing facilities and from long pipelines. This new analysis gives us a more thorough understanding of where, when, and how much methane is released from biomethane and biogas supply.Analysing emissionsThe researchers analysed 51 previously published studies on mobile methane measurements and site data taken from emission sources along the biomethane and biogas supply chain. They analysed the data and calculated the total methane emissions using a statistical model called Monte Carlo. This allowed them to consider all measurements of total supply chain emissions at each stage of the chain, which they then compared with the off-site emissions reported from whole-site measurements in previously published studies.They found that the supply chains release up to 343 g of CO2-equivalent methane per megajoule higher heating value, which may account for 18.5 megatonnes of methane per year. IEA estimates[4] had reported emissions as just 9.1 megatonnes in 2021.While overall methane emissions from biogas and biomethane are lower than those from oil and natural gas, the amount of methane released from their supply chains relative to total gas production is much higher than for oil and gas.The data is reported in 'CO2 equivalents' - a unit of measurement used to compare emissions across the oil and natural gas supply chain without interfering with downstream operations. This unit also allows us to compare the global-warming potential of various greenhouse gas emissions from different studies.The researchers identified the reasons behind the leakiness of supply chains as intermittent emissions patterns, which make them harder to track; insufficient usage of process equipment; and inadequate operations and maintenance strategies. Since super-emitters are unlikely to remain constant over time, the researchers say that continual monitoring is required to detect intermittent emission patterns or unpredictable leaks from supply chains.Dr Bakkaloglu said: "To prevent biogas methane emissions negating the overall benefits of biogas use, urgent attention is needed including continuous monitoring of biogas supply chains. We believe that with the proper detection, measurement, and repair techniques, all emissions can be avoided. We need better regulations, continuous emission measurements, and close collaboration with biogas plant operators in order to address methane emissions and meet Paris Agreement targets.""Given the growth in biomethane due to national decarbonisation strategies, urgent efforts are needed for the biomethane supply chain to address not only methane emissions but also the sustainability of biomethane."Co-author Dr Jasmin Cooper, also of the Department of Chemical Engineering, said: "Addressing the fundamental design issues and investment problems within the biofuel and methane industry would be a good starting point for stopping these leaks and preventing more from arising."The researchers are now focusing on the super-emitters within supply chains to better understand how to reduce them using the best available technologies.&nbsp;—ANI

 According to a recent imperial study, though climate-friendly, biogas and biomethane leak twice more than the methane gas as per the previous estimation of the International Energy Agency.

New Study Reveals Biogas And Biomethane Leak Twice More Than Methane

New York: Dinosaurs became adapted to the cold weather in polar regions before a mass extinction event paved the way for their reign at the end of the Triassic, according to a study of ancient mass extinction.The conventional theory of how the dinosaurs died 66 million years ago: in Earth's fiery collision with a meteorite, and a following global winter as dust and debris choked the atmosphere is well-known.But there was a previous extinction, far more mysterious and less discussed: the one 202 million years ago, which killed off the big reptiles who up until then ruled the planet, and apparently cleared the way for dinosaurs to take over.The period, known as Triassic, was generally hot and steamy. But cold weather was already set at the poles spread to lower latitudes, killing off the coldblooded reptiles. But, dinosaurs that had already adapted, survived the evolutionary bottleneck and spread out, according to the findings published in the journal Science Advances. "Dinosaurs were there during the Triassic under the radar all the time," said lead author Paul Olsen, a geologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory."The key to their eventual dominance was very simple. They were fundamentally cold-adapted animals. When it got cold everywhere, they were ready, and other animals weren't," he added.The study is based on recent excavations in the remote desert of northwest China's Junggar Basin, which found dinosaur footprints along with odd rock fragments that only could have been deposited by ice. The team found that the winters might have lasted a decade or more; even the tropics may have seen sustained freezing conditions.The dinosaurs survived the freezing conditions due to primitive feathers which helped them in insulation. And unlike the cold-blooded reptiles, many dinosaurs also possessed warm-blooded, high-metabolism systems. Both qualities would have helped dinosaurs in chilly conditions."Severe wintery episodes during volcanic eruptions may have brought freezing temperatures to the tropics, which is where many of the extinctions of big, naked, unfeathered vertebrates seem to have occurred," said co-author Dennis Kent, a geologist at Lamont-Doherty."Whereas our fine feathered friends acclimated to colder temperatures in higher latitudes did OK," she added.The findings defy the conventional imagery of dinosaurs, but some prominent specialists say they are convinced."There is a stereotype that dinosaurs always lived in lush tropical jungles, but this new research shows that the higher latitudes would have been freezing and even covered in ice during parts of the year," said Stephen Brusatte, Professor of palaeontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh."Dinosaurs living at high latitudes just so happened to already have winter coats (while) many of their Triassic competitors died out." —IANS

Dinosaurs became adapted to the cold weather in polar regions before a mass extinction event paved the way for their reign at the end of the Triassic, according to a study of ancient mass extinction.

Dinosaurs Thrived Amid Ice, Not Warmth: Study

Washington: NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is the world's first full-scale planetary defence test against potential asteroid impacts on Earth. Researchers now show that instead of leaving behind a relatively small crater, the impact of the DART spacecraft on its target could leave the asteroid near unrecognizable.66 million years ago, a giant asteroid impact on the Earth likely caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Currently no known asteroid poses an immediate threat. But if one day a large asteroid were to be discovered on a collision course with Earth, it might have to be deflected from its trajectory to prevent catastrophic consequences.Last November, the DART space probe of the US space agency NASA was launched as a first full-scale experiment of such a manoeuvre: Its mission is to collide with an asteroid and to deflect it from its orbit, in order to provide valuable information for the development of such a planetary defense system.In a new study published in The Planetary Science Journal, researchers of the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS have simulated this impact with a new method. Their results indicate that it may deform its target far more severely than previously thought.Rubble instead of solid rock"Contrary to what one might imagine when picturing an asteroid, direct evidence from space missions like the Japanese space agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa2 probe demonstrate that asteroid can have a very loose internal structure -- similar to a pile of rubble -- that is held together by gravitational interactions and small cohesive forces," says study lead-author Sabina Raducan from the Institute of Physics and the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS at the University of Bern.Yet, previous simulations of the DART mission impact mostly assumed a much more solid interior of its asteroid target Dimorphos. "This could drastically change the outcome the collision of DART and Dimorphos, which is scheduled to take place in the coming September," Raducan points out. Instead of leaving a relatively small crater on the 160 meter wide asteroid, DART's impact at a speed of around 24'000 km/h could completely deform Dimorphos. The asteroid could also be deflected much more strongly and larger amounts of material could be ejected from the impact than the previous estimates predicted.A prize winning new approach"One of the reasons that this scenario of a loose internal structure has so far not been thoroughly studied is that the necessary methods were not available," study lead-author Sabina Raducan says."Such impact conditions cannot be recreated in laboratory experiments and the relatively long and complex process of crater formation following such an impact -- a matter of hours in the case of DART -- made it impossible to realistically simulate these impact processes up to now," according to the researcher."With our novel modelling approach, which takes into account the propagation of the shock waves, the compaction and the subsequent flow of material, we were for the first time able to model the entire cratering process resulting from impacts on small, asteroids like Dimorphos," Raducan reports. For this achievement, she was awarded by ESA and by the mayor of Nice at a workshop on the DART follow-up mission HERA.Widen horizon of expectationsIn 2024, the European Space Agency ESA will send a space probe to Dimorphos as part of the space mission HERA. The aim is to visually investigate the aftermath of the DART probe impact. "To get the most out of the HERA mission, we need to have a good understanding of potential outcomes of the DART impact," says study co-author Martin Jutzi from the Institute of Physics and the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS. "Our work on the impact simulations adds an important potential scenario that requires us to widen our expectations in this regard. This is not only relevant in the context of planetary defense, but also adds an important piece to the puzzle of our understanding of asteroids in general," Jutzi concludes.&nbsp;—ANI

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is the world's first full-scale planetary defence test against potential asteroid impacts on Earth.

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