Today's Headlines

Today's Headlines - 23 April 2023

PSLV write poems in orbit

GS Paper - 2 (Space Technology)

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on 22 April 2023 successfully placed two Singapore satellites into their intended orbits. The satellites are part of the order secured by NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO. The PSLV in its 57th mission has once again demonstrated its high reliability and its suitability for commercial missions of such class.

What was PSLV’s most recent mission?

  1. The rocket launched on 22 April 2023 carried TeLEOS-2 as primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite.
  2. TeLEOS-2 will “be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore”, Lumelite-4 “aims to augment Singapore’s e-navigation maritime safety and benefit the global shipping community”.
  3. POEM-2, meanwhile, will “be utilised as an orbital platform to carry out scientific experiments through non-separating payloads.
  4. The payloads belong to ISRO/Department of SpaceBellatrixDhruva Space, and Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

What is POEM?

  1. As part of PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM)PS4, instead of being discarded, is now utilised as a “stabilised platform” to perform experiments.
  2. POEM has a dedicated Navigation Guidance and Control (NGC) system for attitude stabilisation, which stands for controlling the orientation of any aerospace vehicle within permitted limits.
  3. The NGC acts as the platform’s brain to stabilise it with specified accuracy. It derives its power from solar panels mounted around the PS4 tank, and a Li-Ion battery.
  4. Last year, when the PS4 orbited the earth as a stabilised platform for the first time, ISRO chairman Somnath had said the PS4 would “write some poems in orbit”.

 

Internet for the next generation

GS Paper - 3 (ITC)

It is known as the decentralised web, and it caters to the next generation of the Internetleveraging blockchain technology to create a more open and transparent web. And it’s called Web3Web3 is built on top of existing Internet infrastructure and not in competition with previous versions of the web platform.

What is Web3?

  1. It allows for the creation and exchange of digital assetsdecentralised applications (dApps), and smart contracts in the blockchain system.
  2. Blockchain is a decentralised digital technology that is designed to securely store data in a way where hacking and compromising is not easy like on current mediums and variants of the Internet.
  3. It is best known for its use in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, where it is used to store and transfer digital currencies in a secure and transparent way.

What are the key features of Web3?

  1. One of the key features of Web3 is that it provides users with greater control over their data and digital assets. Instead of relying on centralised intermediaries, it offers options and mediums for an individual to have more privacy and, more importantly, security of the content and transactions.
  2. Web3 allows for peer-to-peer transactions and interactions, which means that users are in control of their data and can choose whom they share it with.
  3. This also means that Web3 is more secure, as there is no single point of failure that can be exploited by hackers.
  4. Another key feature of Web3 is the ability to create and use decentralised applications (dApps) and smart contracts.
  5. These dApps can be used for a variety of purposes, such as social mediafinancegaming, and more.

How is Web3 different from Web2?

  1. Web2, also known as the centralised web, is the current version of the Internet. It is characterised by the dominance of large, centralised platforms such as GoogleFacebook, and Amazon. Among the main differences between Web2 and Web3 are:
  2. Centralisation vs. Decentralisation: Web2 is centralised, meaning that data is stored on centralised servers owned and controlled by large corporations.
  3. Intermediaries vs peer-to-peer: Web2 relies heavily on intermediaries such as bankssocial media platforms, and online marketplaces to facilitate transactions and interactions.
  4. Data ownership and control: In Web2, large corporations like Facebook and Google have significant control over user data and can monetise it in ways that users may not be comfortable with.


Genome sequencing and Genome India Project

GS Paper -3 (Technology)

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) recently said that the exercise to sequence 10,000 Indian human genomes and create a database under the Centre-backed Genome India Project is about two-thirds complete. About 7,000 Indian genomes have already been sequenced of which, 3,000 are available for public access by researchers. 

More about the news:

It would enable researchers anywhere in the world to learn about genetic variants unique to the Indian population. Countries including the United Kingdom, China, and the United States have launched similar programmes to sequence at least 1, 00,000 of their population’s genomes. 

Genome sequencing:

  • The human genome is the entire set of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) residing in the nucleus of every cell of each human body.
  • It carries the complete genetic information responsible for the development and functioning of the organism.
  • While the sequence or order of base pairs is identical in all humans, compared to that of a mouse or another species, there are differences in the genome of every human being that makes them unique.
  • The process of deciphering the order of base pairs, to decode the genetic fingerprint of a human is called genome sequencing.

Human Genome Project:

  • In 1990, a group of scientists began to work on determining the whole sequence of the human genome under the Human Genome Project.
  • The first results of the complete human genome sequence were given in 2003, some percentage of repetitive parts were yet to be sequenced.
  • The Human Genome Project released the latest version of the complete human genome in 2023, with a 0.3% error margin.
  • Approaches to genome sequencing:
  • It includes whole genome sequencing or next generation sequencing.
  • The process of whole-genome sequencing, made possible by the Human Genome Project, now facilitates the reading of a person’s individual genome to identify differences from the average human genome.
  • These differences or mutations can tell us about each human’s susceptibility or future vulnerability to a disease, their reaction or sensitivity to a particular stimulus, and so on.

Advantages of genome sequencing:

  • Genome sequencing has been used to evaluate rare disorders, preconditions for disorders, even cancer from the viewpoint of genetics, rather than as diseases of certain organs.
  • Nearly 10,000 diseases, including cystic fibrosis and thalassemia, are known to be the result of a single gene malfunctioning.
  • It has also been used as a tool for prenatal screening, to investigate whether the foetus has genetic disorders or anomalies.
  • The Nobel Prize-winning technology Crispr, which relies on sequencing, may potentially allow scientists to repair disease-causing mutations in human genomes.
  • In public health, sequencing has been used to read the codes of viruses—one of its first practical usages was in 2014, when a group of scientists from M.I.T and Harvard sequenced samples of Ebola from infected African patients.
  • At the population level as well, advanced analytics and AI could be applied to essential datasets created by collecting genomic profiles across the population, allowing developing greater understanding of causative factors and potential treatments of diseases.

Its usage during the COVID:

  • In January 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Chinese scientist Yong-Zhen Zhang sequenced the genome of a novel pathogen causing infections in the city of Wuhan.
  • After that virologist, epidemiologists, and pharmaceutical firms began evaluating the sequence to try and understand how to combat the virus, track the mutating variants and their intensity and spread, and to come up with a vaccine. This information was also used to create diagnostic PCR machines.
  • India also put in place a sequencing framework, and the Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia (INSACOG), a consortium of labs across the country, was tasked with scanning coronavirus samples from patients and flagging the presence of variants known to have spiked transmission internationally.

What is the significance of the Genome India project?

  • Creating a database of Indian genomes allows researchers to learn about genetic variants unique to India’s population groups and use that to customise drugs and therapies.
  • About 20 institutions across India are involved in the project, with analysis and coordination done by the Centre for Brain Research at IISc, Bangalore.
  • The Centre’s Department of Biotechnology notes that the project will help “unravel the genetic underpinnings of chronic diseases currently on the rise in India, (for) example, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer”.

 

Provisions around the world to regulate AI

GS Paper -3 (Technology)

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT are complicating governments’ efforts to agree on laws governing the use of the technology.

More about the news:

The latest steps national and international governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools:

AUSTRALIA:

Seeking input on regulations:

The government requested advice on how to respond to AI from Australia’s main science advisory body and is considering next steps.

BRITAIN:

Planning regulations:

It planned to split responsibility for governing AI between its regulators for human rights, health and safety, and competition, rather than creating a new body.

CHINA:

Planning regulations:

  • China’s cyberspace regulator unveiled draft measures to manage generative AI services, saying it wanted firms to submit security assessments to authorities before they launch offerings to the public.
  • Beijing will support leading enterprises in building AI models that can challenge ChatGPT, its economy and information technology.

EUROPEAN UNION

Planning regulations:

  • Twelve EU lawmakers urged world leaders to hold a summit to find ways to control the development of advanced AI systems, saying they were developing faster than expected.
  • The European Data Protection Board, which unites Europe’s national privacy watchdogs, said it had set up a task force on ChatGPT, a potentially important first step towards a common policy on setting privacy rules on AI.
  • EU lawmakers are also discussing the introduction of the European Union AI Act that will govern anyone who provides a product or a service that uses AI.
  • Lawmakers have proposed classifying different AI tools according to their perceived level of risk, from low to unacceptable.

FRANCE

Investigating possible breaches:

  • France’s privacy watchdog CNIL said; it was investigating several complaints about ChatGPT after the chatbox was temporarily banned in Italy over a suspected breach of privacy rules.
  • France’s National Assembly approved the use of AI video surveillance during the 2024 Paris Olympics, overlooking warnings from civil rights groups that the technology posed a threat to civil liberties.

ITALY

Planning to lift the ban:

  • Italy’s data protection watchdog is ready to reactivate ChatGPT, if OpenAI takes “useful steps” to address the agency’s concerns.
  • It had set an end-April deadline for OpenAI to meet its demands on data protection and privacy.
  • Italy imposed a temporary ban on ChatGPT on March 31 after the authority raised concerns over possible privacy violations and for failing to verify that users were aged 13 or above.

JAPAN

Seeking input on regulations: 

Digital transformation minister said; he wanted the upcoming G7 digital ministers’ meeting, set for April 29-30, to discuss AI technologies including ChatGPT and issue a unified G7 message.

SPAIN

Investigating possible breaches:

Spain’s data protection agency was launching a preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by ChatGPT. It has also asked the EU’s privacy watchdog to evaluate privacy concerns surrounding ChatGPT.

US

Seeking input on regulations:

The Biden administration said; it was seeking public comments on potential accountability measures for AI systems. President Biden had earlier told science and technology advisers that AI could help address disease and climate change, but it was also important to address potential risks to society, national security and the economy.