UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

The Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope, or KM3NeT, is a European research infrastructure located at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. It hosts the next-generation neutrino telescope with water Cherenkov detectors. When completed, KM3NeT will have a total instrumented volume of several cubic kilometres distributed over three locations in the Mediterranean: KM3NeT-Fr (offshore Toulon, France), KM3NeT-It (offshore Portopalo di Capo Passero, Sicily, Italy) and KM3NeT-Gr (offshore Pylos, Peloponnese, Greece). The KM3NeT project continues the work done for the neutrino telescope ANTARES operated offshore the coast of France between 2008 and 2022. Using KM3NeT, scientists search for neutrinos from distant astrophysical sources like supernova remnants, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae or colliding stars. The telescope is a powerful tool in the search for dark matter in the universe. Arrays of thousands of optical sensor modules detect the faint Cherenkov light in the deep sea from charged parti...

Taking note of the outcomes of the second High-level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, held in Dushanbe from 6 to 9 June 2022, which support the initiative of Tajikistan on declaring an international year of glaciers’ preservation in 2025, and noting with appreciation the intention to strengthen an international mechanism to facilitate access to accurate and timely information on the cryosphere, UN Decides to declare 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and to proclaim 21 March of each year the World Day for Glaciers, to be observed starting in 2025; Profile of Glaciers: A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where: mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing point ...

Relevance:  Frito-Lay today issued a recall of a limited number of 13 oz. bags of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips that may contain undeclared milk, after being alerted through a consumer contact. Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the recalled product. The product included in this recall was distributed to certain retail stores and e-commerce distributors in Oregon and Washington. Consumers would have been able to purchase these chips as early as November 3, 2024. Reason for Recall: Presence of Potential or Undeclared Allergen namely Milk Unreported Allergens: The consumption of meat and poultry products containing ingredients of public health concern, such as Undeclared Allergens, may result in adverse health outcomes for certain individuals. The most common undeclared allergens -- wheat, shellfish, eggs, fish, peanuts, milk, tree nuts, and soybeans -- account for 90 percent of all food all...

  After five years of relentless effort, the northern giant hornet ( Vespa mandarinia ) has been eradicated from Washington State and the United States. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced this landmark achievement today. The announcement marked a significant victory in the ongoing fight against invasive species.  The northern giant hornet first captured national attention in late 2019 when it was detected near Blaine, Washington. Known for its ability to decimate a honey bee colony within hours, the hornet posed a serious threat to pollinators and all the life they support. However, this invasive predator is no longer a threat thanks to the collaborative efforts of APHIS, WSDA, researchers, and the public.  The northern giant hornet was first detected in North America in British Columbia, Canada in August 2019 and confirmed in Washington state in December 2019.  The Asian giant...

It is a new  compact generative AI supercomputer launched by NVIDIA. It ws available to purchase at very low prise of  $249  (around Rs 21,147). It offers generative AI capabilities and performance to develop their own AI tools. Indian Express , NVIDIA

  Following a signing ceremony Monday in Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, NASA congratulates Thailand as the 51st nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity. “Thailand’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “By signing the accords, Thailand builds upon an important foundation and shows great leadership for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space.” Pakorn Apaphant, the executive director of Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of Thailand. Thailand’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Supamas Isarabhakdi and U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert Godec also participated in the ceremony. Nelson contributed the final remarks in a pre-recorded video message. “Thailand will enter the golden ag...

As climate change triggers more frequent and longer-lasting droughts, water scarcity concerns are escalating. Only about 3% of the world's water is freshwater, and much of that is frozen in ice or otherwise unavailable for use. Agriculture is the biggest freshwater consumer worldwide, which emphasizes the need for hardier plants that can withstand drier conditions. Desert plants use a form of photosynthesis known as crassulacean acid metabolism, or CAM, to hold carbon dioxide in their cells overnight to be turned into sugars in the daylight hours. To survive extreme desert temperatures, CAM plants open their stomata, or leaf pores, to capture carbon dioxide only during the night and keep them closed during the heat of day to avoid water loss. National Science Foundation, USA

IRIS² at a glance The  IRIS² Satellite Constellation  is the European Union’s third flagship, addressing   long-term challenges of EU’s security, safety and resilience by offering enhanced connectivity services to  governmental users. The new multi-orbital constellation of 290 satellites will combine the benefits offered by Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth (LEO) satellites. It is set to provide secure connectivity services to the EU and its Member States as well as broadband connectivity for governmental authorities, private companies and European citizens, while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones . The system will support a large variety of governmental applications, mainly in the domains of surveillance (e.g. border and maritime surveillance), crisis management (e.g. humanitarian aid), connection and protection of key infrastructures (e.g. secure communications for EU embassies) as well as security and d...

The most studied planetary system, aside from our own solar system, lies about 40 light-years away. We've looked at the seven rocky exoplanets orbiting the TRAPPIST-1 star with ground and space telescopes like Spitzer, Kepler, Hubble, and, now, the James Webb Space Telescope. In March 2023, the first science from the Webb telescope was released. An analysis of TRAPPIST-1b, the innermost planet, revealed its dayside temperature and found little evidence of an atmosphere. In a press release on February 22, 2017, NASA announced the discovery of the most Earth-sized planets found in the habitable zone of a single star, called TRAPPIST-1. This system of seven rocky worlds–all of them with the potential for water on their surface – is an exciting discovery in the search for life on other worlds. There is the possibility that future study of this unique planetary system could reveal conditions suitable for life. In February 2018, closer study of the seven planets suggested that some could...

  A new radar satellite supported by the UK was launched into space from French Guiana at 9:20pm GMT on Thursday 5 December. The Sentinel-1C satellite launched on a VEGA-C rocket and will orbit 700km above the Earth’s surface. Part of Europe’s Copernicus programme, it will use advanced radar technology to provide continuous imaging over land and sea, day and night, and even through cloud cover.  The UK’s Earth Observation industry is integral to the Sentinel 1 satellites, with the support of the UK Space Agency.  Airbus Defence and Space (Portsmouth) developed the electronics subsystem of the key Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument aboard the satellite. Honeywell UK was responsible for the receiver of the Automated Identification System (AIS) payload, which will be key for maritime surveillance capabilities. Additionally, the battery for Sentinel-1C was supplied by Enersys ABSL (Abingdon).  Once it reaches its intended orbit, Sentinel-1C will synchronise with S...

 Mirror life (also called mirror-image life) is a hypothetical form of life with mirror-reflected molecular building blocks. The possibility of mirror life was first discussed by Louis Pasteur. Although this alternative life form has not been discovered in nature, efforts to build a mirror-image version of biology's molecular machinery are already underway. Some scientists have proposed banning the creation of mirror life, including mirror bacteria, due to its potential to escape immune defenses and invade natural ecosystems. Homochirality Many of the essential molecules for life on Earth can exist in two mirror-image forms, referred to as "left-handed" and "right-handed" where handed refers to direction in which polarized light skews when beamed through a pure solution of the molecule, but living organisms do not use both. Proteins are exclusively composed of left-handed amino acids; RNA and DNA contain only right-handed sugars. This phenomenon is known as homo...

It can complete tasks in 5 minutes which would  take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years to complete using classincal computers..... The Guardian Google

Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE) is an imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescope (IACT) located near Hanle, Ladakh, India. It is the highest (in altitude) and second largest Cerenkov telescope in the world. It was built by Electronics Corporation of India, Hyderabad, for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and was assembled at the campus of Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle. It was originally scheduled to become operational by 2016, but plans were pushed back to begin operations in 2020. It will be remotely operated and will run on solar power. The telescope is the second-largest gamma ray telescope in the world and will help the scientific community enhance its understanding in the fields of astrophysics, fundamental physics, and particle acceleration mechanisms. The largest telescope of the same class is the 28-metre-diameter High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) telescope being operated in Namibia. Wikipedia , PIB

Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling has been shortlisted as one of the top three finalists by World Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the 2024 WAZA Conservation & Environmental Sustainability Awards. Winner will be announced at 79 th  WAZA Annual Conference at Tarongo Zoo, Sydney, Australia on 7 th  Nov 2024. Between 2022 and 2024, nine captive-bred red pandas (seven females and two males) were released into Singalila National Park (SNP) in West Bengal. Of the seven released females, three gave birth to five cubs in wild. PNHZP, in collaboration with the Wildlife Wing of the Government of West Bengal, has undertaken several habitat restoration initiatives in Singalila National Park and Darjeeling division. PNHZP is taking several in-house and collaborative research works related to Red Panda with institutions like CCMB, IISER and WII. PNHZP’s conservation efforts are further strengthened by i...

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. These forces and systems include a wide set of forces and systems that shape daily life such as economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems. CDC has adopted this definition from the World Health Organization. Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Examples of SDOH include: Safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods Racism, discrimination, and violence Education, job opportunities, and income Access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities Polluted air and water Language and literacy skills SDOH also contribute to wide health disparities and inequities. For example, people who don't have access to grocery stores with healthy foods are less likely to have good nutr...

Polaris Dawn  was a  private crewed spaceflight  operated by  SpaceX  on behalf of  Shift4  CEO  Jared Isaacman , the first of three planned missions in the  Polaris program . Launched 10 September 2024 as the 14th crewed orbital flight of a  Crew Dragon  spacecraft, Isaacman and his crew of three —  Scott Poteet ,  Sarah Gillis  and  Anna Menon  — flew in an  elliptic orbit  that took them 1,400 kilometers (870 mi) away from Earth, the farthest anyone has been since NASA's  Apollo program . They passed through parts of the  Van Allen radiation belt  to study the  health effects of space radiation  and spaceflight on the human body. Later in the mission, the crew performed the first commercial  spacewalk . Outer Space Treaty: The  Outer Space Treaty , formally the  Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Oute...