Current Affairs - Technology

Researchers at IIT Guwahati have successfully developed an eco-friendly composite material by utilising ‘Bambusa tulda’, a fast-growing bamboo species native to Northeast India. This innovative material has been created by combining bamboo with biodegradable polymers, resulting in a sustainable alternative suitable for use in automobile applications. The development aligns with global efforts to reduce plastic usage and promote green technologies in manufacturing. By leveraging the natural strength and renewability of bamboo, the project not only addresses environmental concerns but also showcases the potential of indigenous resources in driving technological innovation in India.

Astronomers have, for the first time, observed the birth of a new solar system and the early stages of rocky planet formation around a star named HOPS-315. This significant discovery was made using advanced instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA. They detected crucial elements like silicon monoxide gas and silicate minerals in the disk surrounding the star, indicating early planetary formation. HOPS-315 is of particular interest because it resembles our Sun and provides insights into how Earth-like planets might commonly form across the universe.

The GSLV-F16 rocket, developed by ISRO, is set to launch the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite on July 30, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This mission is a significant collaboration between ISRO and NASA, representing over a decade of joint development. NISAR will be the world’s first satellite to use dual-frequency SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology for civilian Earth observation. The GSLV-F16 will place the 2392 kg satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit, allowing it to provide all-weather, day-and-night coverage of the Earth’s surface every 12 days, with applications in climate science, disaster management, and agriculture.

Scientists from China have made a significant scientific breakthrough by developing an innovative method to produce white sugar (sucrose) without relying on traditional agricultural sources like sugarcane or sugar beets. This process uses an in vitro biotransformation (ivBT) system, which is a lab-based enzymatic technique. Importantly, the methanol used in this method can be synthesised from industrial waste or directly from carbon dioxide (CO₂), making the process not only efficient but also environmentally sustainable. This development represents a step forward in carbon utilisation and sustainable food production technologies.

IISc Bangalore partnered with Raman Research Institute (RRI) and IISER Kolkata in a groundbreaking study that challenges long-held assumptions about quantum noise. Traditionally considered detrimental, quantum noise was found to sometimes enhance, revive, or even create entanglement—particularly in intraparticle systems. The research highlighted that amplitude damping noise could have constructive effects on entanglement, unlike phase damping or depolarising noise, which generally degrade it. The team also introduced a Global Noise Model and developed analytical tools to predict entanglement behaviour in noisy environments, marking a significant advancement in designing practical and robust quantum technologies.