Science Horizon

Volume 4 Issue 10 October, 2019

President, Odisha Bigyan Academy Editorial Board Prof. Pramod Chandra Mishra Prof. Niranjan Barik

Editor Prof. Ramesh Chandra Parida Er. Mayadhar Swain Dr. Choudhury Satyabrata Nanda Managing Editor Dr. Rajballav Mohanty Er. Bhagat Charan Mohanty Secretary, Odisha Bigyan Academy Dr. Nilambar Biswal

CONTENTS Subject Author Page 1. Editorial : Science and Ethics Er. Mayadhar Swain 2 2. Evolutionary Links between Chimpanzee and Man Prof. Ramesh Chandra Parida 4 Himansu Sekhar Fatesingh 3. India Must Recover Metals from Scraps and other Prof. Dr. P.K. Jena 8 Metallic Wastes for Sustainable Development 4. Design of a Solar Panel Dr. Sadasiva Biswal 11 5. How Much We Know About Cereals Dr. Raj Ballav Mohanty 12 Dr. Taranisen Panda 6. Cyber Security Navya Nanda 14 7. Biofortification to Combat Hidden Hunger Ms. Tapaswini Prusty 17 Dr. Chitrotpala Devadarshini 8. The Eminent Physicist Sisir Kumar Mitra Sri Binod Chandra Jena 19 9. Terror of ‘Chamki’ Fever in Bihar Dr. Sailendra Narayan Swain 23 10. Urban Mining Prof. Gopendra Kishore Roy 25 11. Lactobacillus Delbrueckii Subsp. Bulgaricus- Meena Kumar. P 29 A National Microbe of India 12. Kidney: The Cleaning Crew-4 Prof. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty 31 (Nutrition and Precaution) 13. Raman Spectroscopy to Detect Dr. Dwijesh Kumar Panda 35 Cancer Cells from Blood 14. Hidden Woman of Mathematics Er. Mayadhar Swain 37 15. Quiz: Human Body (Blood) Dr. Sachidananda Satapathy 45 16. Recent News on Science & Technology 46 The Cover Page depicts : Human Evolution Cover Design : Kalakar Sahoo OCTOBER, 2019 EDITORIAL SCIENCE AND ETHICS

In the first week of September this year, theory deals with evaluation of human a 74 year old woman in Guntur city Andhra behaviour. Today, the meaning of ‘ethics’ is Pradesh gave birth to twins through in vitro more or less equivalent to that of ‘morals’, fertilisation (IVF) method. The couple, though which comes from the Latin word ‘mos, moris’ married for more than 50 years were issueless and also means custom or behaviour. and consulted a clinic. Although at this age the Our ancestors have inserted ethics into success rate is 10 to 20 percent and there are religion so that people can practice it. Anything some risks also, the couple agreed and finally in the religion was being accepted without any it was a success. Technically it is being termed question. Hence religion and ethics were two as an achievement and scientific breakthrough sides of the same coin. But after the and a record was set. development of modern science, it clashed However, gynaecologists and IVF experts with ethics and religion. It so happened that criticized it citing the health risks of the some scientists were punished for blasphemy. woman and the future of new born babies. For In Europe, Church was supreme power in this, as some gynaecologists say, the woman medieval period. It was the custodian of had to be given excess hormones which might religion, ethics and society. Earlier, people increase the risk of breast and uterine cancer. believed that Earth is the centre of Universe But the major criticism comes from ethics and Sun and planets revolve around this. This point of view. Doctors as well as social view is also written in the Bible. So anybody scientists oppose to have babies at this old opposing this view was considered as enemy age. In fact, India’s average life expectancy is of the society by the Church and he was put 70 years, then who will take care of the babies? under trial. In 1600, Giordano Bruno was On the other hand, the old couple were longing burnt to death, because he believed in free for a child and when they got a chance, they thinking in philosophy and science. Galileo went for it. Then who is to be blamed? There was put under arrest till his death by the is no law regarding the age limit of a woman Church for supporting heliocentric theory. Even for adopting IVF method. Some people say fearing the Church the discoverer of this that it is the doctor’s morality and judgement theory, Copernicus agreed to publish his book to deny this. Ethically this is not correct. containing this theory at the last stage of his What is ethics? It comes from the Greek life, though he had discovered it about 30 word ‘ethos’, meaning custom or behaviour. years earlier. The concept of ethics was originally proposed There are many instances of such by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Ethics collision between science and ethics. For

2 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 example, consider the case of family planning. even create a giant. Here, ethics has an Population increase has many effects such as important role to play. The Chinese researcher lack of resources, employment etc. But some He Jiankui announced that world’s first gene- people consider it as against religion and ethics edited baby had been born in October, 2018. In and do not accept. Earlier, the priests also this method, twin girls had been born. objected to dissection of dead bodies for So if we analyse, there is always conflict purpose of medical education. between science and ethics. When new Another example is cloning. When Ian scientific discoveries are put out, people are Wilmut in 1996 cloned the sheep Dolley, not prepared to accept it instantly, particularly scientists started doing research on cloning of if the traditional customs or behaviours are human which was opposed by many people. challenged by it. Even people did not accept Another example is debate on embryonic stem IVF initially and it has now become a boon to cells. Knowledge concerning human stem cells the infertile couple. can be used to devise new therapies which may Ethics is very much subjective. One thing benefit millions of patients, particularly for may be ethically correct to someone and it the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and may not be accepted by other on ethical ground. diabetes. However, some people argue whether We can consider development of nuclear it is ethical to destroy human embryos to gain weapons. Although it is well known for its knowledge for curing some diseases. So the disastrous effect, scientists are still eagerly argument against the use of embryonic cells working on it. During World War II, the nuclear essentially deal with respect for human life scientists (many of them were Nobel and for human dignity. Laureates) worked together for making nuclear Genetically Modified (GM) plants have bomb. Eminent scientist Einstein wrote a letter also stirred a growing public controversy. to President of the USA for it. The scientists Though GM crops is one of the solutions to were called patriots. Hence, some pople level feed the ever growing population of the world, the scientists making the nuclear weapon as many people raise questions on their ethical unethical persons, where as they are respected implications. and honoured by the government and people as Now science has succeeded to edit the patriots. genomes of the baby. Tweaking genes to In conclusion, it can be told that ethics prevent child dying early from a genetic of a scientific work is to be left to the scientist, disorder would be acceptable to most people. but scientists should be concerned about the But how far should we go in this editing? use of scientific knowledge and they should Scientists are claiming that by editing genes, address the ensuing ethical questions. one can get a child as strong as Hanuman or as n intelligent as Ganesh. A mad scientist may Er. Mayadhar Swain Editor

Science Horizon 3 OCTOBER, 2019 EVOLUTIONARY LINKS BETWEEN CHIMPANZEE AND MAN 1Prof. Ramesh Chandara Parida 2Himansu Sekhar Fatesingh

From their decades-long extensive Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis). studies, the paleoanthropologists have come In the year 1974 several pieces of bone to the conclusion that nearly 6 to 7 million fossils were discovered by a team of years ago evolutionary changes began to split paleoanthropologists led by Donald Johanson the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) lineage of the Cleveland Museum of National History leading to a succession of a number of species, in Ohio, near the village Hadar in the Awash which gradually acquired traits like bipedal Valley of the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia. Those walking, flatter face and increased brain size. belonged to the parts of vertebrae , pelvis, Then our species, the Homo sapiens, appeared ribs, jaws etc, which when put together about 3,00,000 years from now, in Africa. represented 40% of the skeleton of a Hominin Serious efforts are still going on to dig out species, now known as Australopithecus more and more fossils to gather new knowledge afarensis that lived 3.2 million years ago. about those successive species. Out of those, Commonly called as Lucy it was probably 1.1 the Australopithecus species that evolved in meter tall, weighing 29 kg. With its small Eastern Africa about 4 million years ago and brain and little hand and neck it looked eventually faced extinction after 2 million years, somewhat like a chimpanzee. are believed to have played a very significant The creature had pelvis and leg bones part in the human evolution as the genus Homo completely identical to those of modern (to which humans belong) derived from them humans and therefore, was probably the first sometimes between 2 to 3 million years ago. In Humini that could stand upright and walk erect. addition, they were the first Hominids to possess The length ratio of its arm to thigh was more certain genes known as the duplicated SRGAP than the modern humans and less than the 2 , which increased the length and ability of chimpanzees, suggesting that either the arms neurons, thereby increasing the size of the of A. afarensis were beginning to shorten or brain. One of the Australopithecus species the legs were beginning to lengthen or both evolved into the genus Homo in Africa about 2 occurring simultaneously. Apparently, it had million years ago (e.g. Homo habillis)and the similar ribcage found in today’s non-human eventually to modern humans(Homo sapiens). great apes like chimpanzees, which allowed Here are some accounts of the discoveries of room for a large stomach and longer intestine some such important fossilized pre-historic needed to digest voluminous plant matter. Like species, which can be considered as the links many other non-human apes its digestive between chimpanzee and man. process used 60 % of the blood against only

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10% for brain functions. Besides, it had flat was made, by chance, by a college student feet and more spatulate canines than other Yohannes Haile – Salassie near the Awash apes. river in Ethiopia. Commonly known as Ardi, it was the fossilized skeletal remains of the species Ardipithecus ramidus, thought to be an early human- like female anthropoid that lived 4.4 million years ago. Soon an international team of anthropologists laid by U .C . Barkeley and Tim D . White and biologist Owen Lovejoy took over the task. They could collect 125 different pieces of fossilized bones. The reconstruction of the creature from those suggested it to be an early Huminid specimen with most of the skull, teeth, pelvis and feet more complete than A.aferensis.

Lucy The age of the fossil was determined by Marice Taiet and James Aronson of the Case Western Reserve University by using the potassium- argon radio metre dating method in 1974. Then it was continued by Derek York at the University of Toronto in 1990, followed by Robert C. Walter in 1992 at the Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins, both of whom used the more precise argon- argon technology. All these results indicated that the age of the fossil might be between 3.22 and 3.18 million years. Perhaps Lucy Ardi died at an age of 12 years after falling from a tree. A number of papers were published in October, 1, 2009 issue of the journal Science Ardi ( Ardipithecus ramidus) detailing many aspects of A.ramidus and its Twenty years after the discovery of environment. Those suggested that it inhabited Lucy’s fossil, in 1994, a similar breakthrough

Science Horizon 5 OCTOBER, 2019 in a forest type of environment, on the ground MRD (Australopithecus anamensis) and was the root of the family tree of the The initial indications about the species humanity. Visualised as having 50 kg body was obtained in 1980s, when a fossilised weight and 1.2 metre height the creature had forehead and then in 1992, such teeth and jaws big toes and thumbs in order to climb trees were found in different parts of Ethiopia. more easily, which are not the characteristic However, a clean picture about it emerged on of a biped. However, the shape and size of its February 10, 2016. On that day, a herder named legs, feet, pelvis and hands suggest that it Ali Bereino came across fragments of bone might have been capable of walking upright on fossils in a place about 550 km north- east of the ground too. Therefore, the scientists Addis Ababa. Soon he was joined by a team of thought that it might be doing the both, but anthropologists laid by Yohannes Haile – moving faster around the trees. Unlike Selassies. From the bones they dug out (about chimpanzee its feet contained a unique small 160 pieces), an almost complete skull of the bone inside the tendons, keeping the big toes creature could be reconstructed. The age of stronger, which might have helped it to walk the fossil was determined from the decay of bi-pedally, but less efficiently. Some of Ardi’s radio actives potassium – 40 present in the teeth were connected to jaw bone suggesting minerals, which appeared to be around 3.8 that its main diet might have been consisting million years old. of fruits and nuts. It had a relatively smaller head and brain cavity.

(MRD)

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As per the reports published in the journal the diminished in new species of Homins. Besides, Nature (August 28, 2019) the new specimen certain features of its face, such as structure is the oldest skull ever found of an of cheek bones, to some extent resembled the Australopithecine, a pivotal of early human later species. It is apparent from the age of ancestor that lived 1.5 to 4 million years ago MRD fossils that the species co-existed with and to be the first of the Australopithecus Lucy’s species approximately for 1,00,000 anamensis, one of the earliest members of years. Since they are closely related, there is that genus. According to the lead author a possibility that they might be competing for Yohannes Haile – Selassies of the Cleveland resources like food and space. Museum of Natural History, it is “once - in - Earlier, only the jaw fragments and teeth a - life time discovery” and of a “ most complete of the Australopithecus anamensis cranial cranium of an early human ancestor ever found remains were isolated. Now with the discovery in the fossil records older than 3 million of a complete skull it has become possible to years.” learn more precisely about the diet, brain size The Australopithecus anamensis species and facial appearance of the species. or MRD was bipadel and smaller than the Knowledge about its anatomical features can modern humans, with height nearly 5 ft, which be helpful to characterise the species and to could move around the trees. It had a robustly enrich our knowledge regarding the built long face with protrusive jaws and a well evolutionary relationships among a number of developed ridge of bone atop the head, species, which can provide insight into a pivotal indicating strong jaw muscles. Scientists put period for evolutionary lineage that eventually MRD’s species in the group consisting of led from chimpanzee to modern human. modern humans, extinct human species and However, many scientists are of the his immediate ancestors including opinion that to confirm such an evolutionary Australopithecus species. scenario, it is necessary to go for more The study of the discovered fossilised extensive studies of many more of such skull shows a combination of primitive traits fossils. as well as characteristics resembling those in n later Hominis. The primitive features of the 1Retired Professor, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, MRD are similar to those in an earlier group Usha Nivas, 124/2445, Khandagiri Vihar, Bhubaneswar called Sahelanthropus, whose brain- case as Pin-751030, [email protected] well as the location on the back of the skull, 2Free lance writer, Adani DAV Public School, where neck muscles attach, are long and narrow. At- Kuamara, Po- Naikanidihi, Dist- Bhadrak (Odisha) E-mail: [email protected] It also shows reduction in canine size as compared to the older species but larger than Lucy’s species indicating that those gradually

Science Horizon 7 OCTOBER, 2019 INDIA MUST RECOVER METALS FROM SCRAPS AND OTHER METALLIC WASTES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Prof. Dr. P.K. Jena India has modest reserves of iron ore, separate and recover the principal metal as bauxite and coal, but very little deposits of well as the alloying metals. other non-ferrous metals. Considering the Some of the advantages in processing increasing need in the country for iron, scraps and rejects and bringing back to the aluminium and other metals it is apprehended main stream are summarized below:- that, the mineral resources of the country may 1. By utilizing the scraps and rejected be exhausted soon. In view of this, it is essential metallic materials, it is possible to to conserve these as much as possible and conserve their respective mineral supplement the requirements of various metals resources in the mines for meeting our and alloys by recovering the metal values future demands. from secondary sources. 2. Instead of reprocessing, if the metal The metal scraps are of two types, the scraps and rejects are dumped in the new and the old. The discarded metals in earth crust, particularly the electronic different forms generated within an industrial and nuclear wastes, a lot of environmental setting either in production stage or fabrication problems arise. stage, are called new scraps. The metal scraps obtained after use in different sectors of human 3. Processing the metallic wastes to activities and rejected in the form of discarded produce reusable metals and alloys, infrastructures, automobiles, industrial involves least expenditure compared to equipment, consumer goods etc., are called extracting the metals from the minerals old scraps. The new scraps which are produced through mining the minerals, in the industries, are generally least beneficiating the low grade ones, contaminated with other elements and can be extracting the metals and finally easily purified and reused. On the other hand, producing the required alloys. the old scraps are heterogeneous in nature and 4. It is also attractive to extract the metals contain a large amount of different types of from scraps from energy point of view. alloying elements, plastics, glass, wood etc. For example, the steel produced from Therefore, these old scraps have to be iron ore consumes nearly 3.5 times more processed first by different physic- chemical energy than steel from the scrap; routes to remove the unwanted non metallic similarly, producing copper from its ore materials and then by chemical processes to require 5 to 7 times more energy than

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that of recovering the metal from its electronic rejects etc., are being generated, scrap and aluminium obtained from and these metal values should be recovered bauxite requires nearly 20 times more and reused in an environment friendly manner. energy than that from recycling the old Similarly, in industries, large amounts scrap. of secondary metal scraps, dross and dusts are 5. In addition to these, elaborate generated and these should be recovered. Some infrastructural facilities, extra water, of the important ones are nickel, chromium, energy and space etc. required for cobalt, copper, vanadium, molybdenum, copper extracting the metal from the mineral, and many other metals from flue dust, filter are much more compared to producing cakes, mill scales, grindings, nickel cadmium it from the metallic wastes. In view of batteries and used catalysts. For example, ash these, all over the world, efforts are from coal combustion contains considerable being made to recover the metal values amounts of the oxides of silicon, iron, from scraps and rejects generated in aluminium as well as other metallic oxides. different sectors of human activities The iron oxides can be separated magnetically, particularly the municipal solid waste the ash can also be melted to produce ferro stream and industrial wastes. silicon and the aluminium rich slag. The The major sources of old scraps and secondary source containing metals also wastes are municipal solid wastes. Rejected include the slag, dross and flue dust. For steel from old buildings, bridges, railroads, example, the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) dust steel containers, packaging materials, rejected contains considerable amounts of metal oxides aluminium structures, cans, old automobiles, like zinc, lead and cadmium, the copper lead acid batteries, old electrical and electronic converter slag contains appreciate amounts of equipment etc., are some of the important nickel and cobalt along with copper, the tin ones. It is reported that, during 1995, in United extraction slag contains large amounts of States of America, about 31% of durable steel refractory metals like niobium, tantalum, goods of 2.4 million metric ton (MMT), 54% zirconium, titanium etc., along with some tin. of steel containers and packaging materials The largest single source of scrap metals (1.4 MMT) were recovered. Similarly, 0.9 come from discarded automobiles. These MMT of aluminium cans, 0.825 MMT led scraps contain a lot of iron and steel as well as acid batteries, 6.6 MMT of discarded some non-ferrous metals mainly aluminium. In containers and 2.2 MMT of packaging 1993, iron and steel comprised 90% of the materials were also recovered. At present with weight of the old scrap recycled in U.S.A. while further increase in industrialisation, in U.S.A. it represented only 42% of the metal value. In and also in other parts of the world huge value terms, aluminium follows with 26%, quantities of old scraps, electrical and copper at 15%, and gold with 10% of old scrap value. Science Horizon 9 OCTOBER, 2019

Like stainless steel, the non-ferrous scraps and other metal containing wastes from metals and alloys are also used considerably in the industrial sector as well as from municipal various sectors. For example, about 55% each wastes for recovery of all the metal values. As of magnesium and zinc are used to produce the deposits of the minerals particularly of aluminium alloys for various purposes, similarly, non-ferrous metals, are very scanty in our 13% of the total tin is used as a coating material country, it would be highly essential for our for corrosion resistance, and along with copper, sustainable development to recover the non- 20% of zinc and 10% of tin are also used for ferrous metals both from domestic as well as producing brass and bronze alloys respectively. imported scraps and metallic wastes, by using As a result, in due course such non-ferrous best available technology. metals and alloys are generated as scraps. n Therefore, from these scraps, it is essential to Former-Director General, CSIR, Chairman, IATES and President, recover the metals for reusing. Natural Resource Development Foundation & In India, with growing demand for various Human Resource Development Foundation, Plot No.-80A-81A, Lewis Road, types of metals and alloys, sincere efforts Bhubaneswar-751002, should be made to systematically collect the Phone- 0091-674-2436956/ 2430243 E-mail: [email protected] ODISHA BIGYAN ACADEMY ADVERTISEMENT Nominations in the prescribed proforma are invited by the Odisha Bigyan Academy, Science & Technology Department, Government of Odisha, Bhubaneswar for the following Awards and Honours for the Award Year 2019 based on scientific contributions upto 31st December, 2018. 1. Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence. (Minimum age limit of scientists should be 60 years by 31st December, 2018) 2. Samanta Chandra Sekhar Award. (Upper age limit of scientists should not exceed 60 years as on 31st December, 2018) 3. Odisha Young Scientists Award. (Upper age limit of Young Scientists should not exceed 35 years as on 31st December, 2018) 4. Pranakrushna Parija Popular Science Book Award. (For Authors of popular science books in Odia) 5. Felicitation of Senior Scientists of Odisha. For detail guidelines and nomination proforma, please log on to Odisha Bigyan Academy website: www.odishabigyanacademy.nic.in. The nomination proforma can be downloaded from the above website and required copies duly filled-in as per guideline along with other particulars stated therein, are to be sent to the Secretary, Odisha Bigyan Academy in the following address. The last date for receipt of nominations is 04.12.2019 (upto 5.00 pm). Nominations received after due date shall not be taken into consideration. Secretary, Odisha Bigyan Academy, B/2, Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751 007, Odisha (INDIA)

10 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 DESIGN OF running the appliances points for running the A SOLAR PANEL appliances at home and elsewhere. This is important because the electricity generated from the solar panel is DC and it needs to be Dr. Sadasiva Biswal converted into AC. Secondly, a solar panel Energy sourced from the sun to produces low voltage, which generates less generate electricity is called solar energy. power. Hence, for increasing the voltage to This is done with the help of solar panels, each 220-440 volts, we would need an inverter. of which is lined up with either 60 or 72 In case, the energy produced by the photovoltaic (FV) cells that convert sunlight solar panel exceeds usage, this surplus energy into electrical energy. flows into the main power grid and can be The process by which this takes place, drawn later from the grid itself. called the photoelectric effect (discovered by However, we can also store this energy Einstein), was discovered by Edmund Bequerel, by installing a battery, thereby ensuring a ready a French physicist, in 1839. He found that source of electricity whenever it is needed. certain materials would produce small In future, we will depend upon amounts of electric current when exposed to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, light. tidal etc. to solve our energy crisis. India is The silicon wafer is made up of up going towards such energy sources like other several individual cells, which can be seen the countries of the world. form of little squares. These when exposed to Further reading: sunlight, displace loose electrons from the 1. Gobar times, A Down to Earth atom, generating a flow of electricity. A single Supplement, June 1-15, 2019. PV cell is capable of generating 4-4.5 watts of power, while an entire module can produce 2. Biswal, S., Sidelights on Physics and upto 320 watts of power, as of 2018. Environment, Bhadraprakashani, Bhubaneswar, 2014, P-18. Tempered glass is placed on top of the cells since a transparent layer helps trap more 3. State of India’s Environment, 2017, A light. Down to Earth Annual, PP.172-175. At the rear end, there lies a back sheet n 506, G.A. Colony, Bharatpur, that is usually coated in white so there is no Bhubaneswar-751003 loss of energy through heat radiation. The electricity generated from the solar panel is made to pass through an inverter first, and then distributed to different points for

Science Horizon 11 OCTOBER, 2019 HOW MUCH WE KNOW ABOUT CEREALS Dr. Raj Ballav Mohanty1 Dr. Taranisen Panda2* 1. What is cereal? 5. Which are pseudo-cereals and why? A cereal is an edible component of the In certain crops, pseudo-grains are grain i.e. a type of fruit called caryopsis of produced which are often called grains but are cultivated grass, composed of endosperm, not cereals. Pseudo-cereals are not members germ and bran. Cereal grains are grown and of grass family. These include Buck wheat produced in greater quantities providing more (Fagopyrum esculentum, Polygonaceae), food energy worldwide than any other Quinoa type of crop. Hence, these are called (Chenopodium staple crops. quinoa, 2. What is the meaning of the word Chenopodiaceae) cereal? and Amarnath (Amaranthus The word cereal is derived from retroflexus, ‘Ceres’, the Roman goddess of harvest Amaranthaceae). and agriculture. It is equivalent to goddess Lakshmi of Indian mythology and 6. When were the cereals domesticated? Hindu belief. Of course, all such food crops were evolved since long past and had survived in 3. What is grain? wild condition. The utility of these plants was A grain is a small, hard, dry seed, with or known to the pre-historic people who were without an attached hull or fruit layer, harvested primitive hunters and gatherers. These were for consumption as food. Grains and cereals domesticated around 8000 to 10000 years are synonymous with caryopsis, the fruits of ago by ancient farming communities in the the grass family Poaceae. Simply a grain is Fertile Crescent region which is now in single fruit or seed of a plant. modern Iraq. In fact, they were the Neolithic 4. Which are the true cereals and their founder crops in the development of types? agriculture. All the cereals come under grass family 7. What is millet? possessing caryopsis type of fruit. There are Often we use the words cereals and only six types of main cereals i.e. rice, wheat, millets while speaking or describing the crop maize, barley, oats and rye of which the first plants. Millets are small seeded grasses, which three are most important in terms of their grow in dry zones but not in water logged requirement, production and utility. 12 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 soils. It is the ancient crop, originally cultivated rainfall and humidity to grow and produce well. in dry climate of Africa and northern China For instance, barley and rye are grown well in the since Neolithic age. Principal millets are Pearl northern region, wheat in temperate climate millet (Pannisetum typhoideum), Proso millet while maize and rice in tropical regions of earth. (P. miliaceum), Foxtail millet (Setaria 11. Which cereal is largely produced in italica), Jowar (Sorghum vulgare) and Ragi which country? or finger millet (Eleusine coracana). Rice- China, India, Indonesia, 8. What is the difference between cereals Bangladesh, Vietnam and millets? Wheat- Russia, USA, France, Canada, Actually millet is a type of cereal. The Germany term is loosely applied to several species of cereals which produce small grains compared Maize- USA, China, Brazil, India, to maize. Being characterized by short Argentina maturation period and drought resistance, Barley- Russia, Germany, France, millets are used as food in form of flour or Ukraine, Australia cakes. In fact, there are less than two dozen Oat- Canada, Brazil, Finland, Russia, UK types of basic food grains including cereals and millets which are the main source of Rye- Germany, Poland, Russia, Belarus, energy, responsible for the survival of human China. race on the earth. 12. What is the present production of food 9. Between cereal and millets which one is grains in the world and India? better in terms of food value? As per 2017-18 worldwide FAO Although both the groups of food grains estimation, the production of corn, rice, wheat, provide energy, carbohydrates, fibers, minerals, barley and oat are 1033.74, 488.6, 757.92, proteins and vitamins etc. essential for the 144.26 and 23.51 million metric tons survival of organisms, millets are preferred respectively. Also in the crop year 2015-16 staple food in dry regions of Africa and South more than 252 million metric tons of cereals are East Asia for the better survival and productivity produced in India. in less fertile, semi-arid tropical regions having short growing season under waterless high 13. Which cereal crop is produced temperature conditions. predominantly in which part of India? Rice is predominantly grown in states 10. Which cereal is grown in which region like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra of earth? Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Different cereal crops depend on specific Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam and Karnataka. geo-climatic conditions including temperature, Similarly, major wheat growing states are Uttar

Science Horizon 13 OCTOBER, 2019 Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, CYBER Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat. Maize is SECURITY cultivated in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Major Navya Nanda barley producing States in India are Rajasthan, Definition Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Cyber Security is defined as “the state Punjab, Jammu-Kashmir while oat producing of being protected against the criminal or states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and in unauthorized use of electronic data, or the limited areas in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and measures taken to achieve this.” In layman’s West Bengal. terms, it’s a method that has come with the new 14. How many people depend on this cereal age of technology in order for people to and survive in our planet? protect their assets, information, and their Rice is staple food for more than half of identity. Though it may be defined using very the world’s population including 640 million straightforward words, it’s a very complex undernourished people living in Asiatic topic that has many aspects to be covered. countries. In fact, more than 3.5 billion people Importance depend on rice and more than 20% of their In a world in which two thirds of the daily calories. Rice, wheat and maize are the population have access to information world’s three leading food crops and together technology, it is very important that people they provide more than 42% of all calories protect their personal devices from being consumed by the entire human population. hacked, or in other words, that people are Cyber 15. Why do doctors normally advise Safe. Many people don’t understand the diabetic persons to avoid consuming rice? importance of protecting one’s devices and Some medical researches found that, as information, and they may suffer serious rice is rich in carbohydrate and can have a high consequences. Since everyone’s information Glycemic Index (GI) score, the people who and valuables can now be stored digitally, it is consume high levels of white rice, may have easier for a hacker to steal large sums of an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. money and data. Many people carelessly leave So, one diabetic person, as per health experts out important information for the world to see. advice, should avoid consuming rice in large They put out their bank information and their quantities or too frequently. social security information. Stephen Kelly, a n principal security consultant, says “Once you 1Ex-Reader in Botany, Plot No. 1311/7628, Satya Bihar, send a message, a photo, a video, etc. you lose Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751010 2*Department of Botany, Chandbali College, Chandbali, control of it. People need to be very aware of Bhadrak- 756133, Odisha, India this.” Much like people wouldn’t leave a house Email: [email protected] 14 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 key or a gold chain outside for someone to use a knife or a gun, steal food or money, it all steal, they shouldn’t put their personal depends on the crime. The same goes for cyber information online. crimes. An Example How to be Cyber Safe There is a man named Mr. Mukesh. He There are many things that someone is going about his normal day when he receives must do to stay Cyber Safe and not become a a call from an unknown number. Uncertain of victim of a Cyber Attack. A smart technology what to do, he decides to ignore the call. Later user will: in the day, he receives a call from the same n Keep accounts and passwords safe by number. He ponders for a moment and then not giving out account information and comes to the conclusion that if they called password details. again, they surely must have something They won’t download files or open links important to say. He picks up the phone and n from questionable sources. This the caller says, “Mr. Mukesh, you have just won includes a WhatsApp message from a the lottery for 5 lakhs. Please give us your bank friend that has an unknown link. account information so that we can directly transfer the money to your account.” Mr. n Won’t answer calls or texts from Mukesh wondered when he had entered into a unknown numbers even if the caller lottery contest, but he assumed that his wife states that they are calling on behalf of must have done it. Excited, he quickly told the the bank or the government. caller all his account information and went n Use strong and unique passwords for about his day. At night, during dinner, he asked every website that requires a log-in. his wife when she had entered into the lottery. Only connect to Wi-fi networks that Surprised she answered, “I never entered any n they know and trust. lottery.” Mr. Mukesh realized that something had to be wrong. He called the bank and asked n Keep their antivirus software up-to- them if any recent transactions had happened date. with his account. “Yes”, the accountant said. These are a few things denizens can do “All of your money was withdrawn.” This story to stay Cyber Safe. is a very realistic example of what happens to Attack Artifacts many people around the globe. Mr. Mukesh There are many agents that can be used should not have answered the phone call in the in a Cyber Attack. A Cyber Attack is an attack first place. Hopefully, he has learned his lesson. launched from one or more computers against Besides this example, just like physical crimes, another computer, multiple computers, or there are many ways someone malicious can networks. They can be broken down into two go about doing it. A thief can be a boy or girl,

Science Horizon 15 OCTOBER, 2019 broad types of attacks: attacks where the goal information safe, use protected networks and is to disable the target safe websites, and to computer or knock it use helpful antivirus offline, or attacks where the programs because goal is to get access to the without doing these target computer’s data. Here things they can have are a few examples of attack their information artifacts. stolen and can face

n A virus attaches dangerous itself to a program consequences. There and copies to other are many aspects to programs. Cyber Security, one being End-User n A worm makes Education, which is copies of itself Jeh Johnson imperative because it through a network of is the idea that computers. people should be educated on the subject. n A trojan horse performs unwanted or Like a normal flu virus, these malicious harmful functions by helping other programs can be contagious as well. Jeh attack artifacts by giving them access Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland to unauthorized information. Security once said “Cyber Security is a shared n A rootkit is a program used to hide the responsibility, and it boils down to this: in cyber presence of other unwanted programs. security, the more systems we secure, the more

n A botnet is a network of computers secure we all are.” One click can change the infected with malware that are used to course of a future, be it good or bad. spread the malware using spam emails Reference/Works Cited: or by using other means. (1) Collier, Peter, and Allan Friedman. Cyber n A time bomb is a program that is put security and Cyber war What Everyone into action at a programmed time. Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, n A logic bomb is a program that is put 2014. into action when its programmed (2) “Cyber security | Definition of Cyber criteria is met. security in English by Oxford Conclusion Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | In this day and age, it is extremely English, Oxford Dictionaries, important for technology users to keep their en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ cybersecurity.

16 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 (3) “Facts Statistics: Identity Theft and BIOFORTIFICATION TO Cybercrime.” III, www.iii.org/fact- COMBAT HIDDEN statistic/facts-statistics-identity-theft- HUNGER and-cybercrime. 1Ms.Tapaswini Prusty (4) “Jeh Charles Johnson, Secretary of 2Dr. Chitrotpala Devadarshini Homeland Security 2013 - 2017.” Introduction Department of Homeland Security, 31 Biofortification is the development of nutrient- Oct. 2017, www.dhs.gov/jeh-johnson. dense staple crops using the best conventional (5) Kelly, Stephen, Personal Interview, 11 breeding May 2019. practices and modern (6) Usa.kaspersky.com, usa.kaspersky.com/ biotechnology, resource-center/definitions/what-is- without cyber-security. sacrificing (7) “What Is A Computer Virus?” What Is A agronomic performance. Biofortiûed staple Computer Virus?, us.norton.com/ crops, when consumed regularly, will generate internetsecurity-malware-what-is-a- measureable improvements in human health computer-virus.html. and nutrition. Bio fortification differs from nutrient fortification because it focuses (8) What Is a Threat Artifact?, on making plant foods more nutritious as the support.symantec.com/en_US/ plants are growing, rather than having nutrients article.TECH228126.html. added to the foods when they are being (9) “Why Is Cyber Security Important in processed. Biofortified crops offer a rural- 2018?” SecurityFirstCorp.com, 13 July based intervention that initially reaches in 2018, securityfirstcorp.com/why-is- more remote populations, which comprise a cyber-security-important/. majority of the undernourished in many countries, and then penetrates to urban n Navya Nanda populations as production surpluses are Grade 9 marketed. The micro nutrients currently being Lowery Freshman Center C/o. Dr. Saileswar Nanda targeted by the biofortification are iron, zinc Lord Gunjan palace and pro vitamin-A. Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar Why biofortification? The main objectives of biofortification are:

♦ It focuses on staple foods that is what poor households grow and eat.

Science Horizon 17 OCTOBER, 2019

♦ It is one time investment to develop Biofortified crops in India seeds that fortify themselves, keep Biofortified Pearl Millet recurrent cost low and the germplasm Under the bio fortification program, the (the living tissue from which plants can International Crops Research Institute for the be grown), which can be shared globally, Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Mahatma making it highly cost-effective. Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth jointly developed a ♦ It reaches the country’s most vulnerable high-iron variety of pearl millet, people, living in remote rural areas with called Dhanashakti, which was released in no access or money for commercially 2012 in Maharashtra and later in 2013 across marketed fortified foods. India, making it the first mineral bio fortified ♦ It produces higher yields in an product of any crop released in India. environment-friendly way. Dhanashakti has 71 mg/kg iron and 40 mg/kg

♦ Finally, it combats micronutrient zinc. malnutrition and fights against hidden Biofortified Sorghum hunger. ICRISAT-bred biofortified sorghum line Biofortification in alleviating Micronutrient ICSR 14001 with 50% higher iron and zinc Malnutrition than base level outyielded all other entries in Despite serious efforts, eradication of the state multilocation trials in Maharashtra. micro nutrient malnutrition has remained a Conclusion widespread and persistent global health Biofortification provides a feasible problem in developing countries, where it means of reaching malnourished populations continues to exact an enormous toll on in relatively remote rural areas, delivering individuals, populations, and society.The naturally fortified foods to people with limited biofortification strategy is a feasible means access to commercially marketed fortified of reaching rural families that only have limited foods, which are more readily available in access to markets and healthcare urban areas. Biofortification offers a long- facilities.Once implemented, bio fortification term, sustainable, food-based solution for a will lower the number of micronutrient- world population that will reach nine billion deficient people requiring interventions in coming years. dependent on supplementation and fortification programs.Thus, biofortification Thus biofortification strategy seeks to complements other interventions and is a take advantage of the consistent daily means to provide micronutrients to the most consumption of large amounts of food staples vulnerable people in a comparatively by all family members, including women and inexpensive and cost-effective way, using an children, who are most at risk for agricultural intervention that is sustainable. micronutrient malnutrition.

18 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 References: THE EMINENT n Bouis H.E, Saltzman.A. 2017 “Improving PHYSICIST SISIR nutrition through biofortiûcation: A KUMAR MITRA review of evidence from Harvest Plus, Sri Binod Chandra Jena 2003 through 2016” Global Food Security:110(12):49-58 Many Indian scientists established themselves in the field of science. One of Bouis H.E, Hotz.C, Clafferty.B.M, n them was a jewel of Indian physics. His name Meenakshi.J.V, Pfeiffer.W.H 2011 is Sisir Kumar Mitra. “Biofortification: A new tool to reduce micronutrient malnutrition” Food and Sisir Kumar Mitra was born in Kolkata Nutrition Bulletin :135 (32):33-40 on October 24, 1890. His parental home was at Konnagar in Hoogly district. His father n http://www.icrisat.org/biofortification- icrisat/ Joykrishna Mitra was a school teacher. At the time of Sisir Kumar’s birth his mother Sarat n Kumari was a student in the Campbell Medical 12nd Year MSc. Foods and Nutrition 2Asst. Professor, Dept. of Foods and Nutrition School. After passing the final examination in College of Community Science, OUAT, Bhubaneswar 1892, Sarat kumari got an appointment in Lady Dufferin Medical Hospital in Bhagalpur in Bihar and the whole family moved there. WORLD FOOD DAY Jyakrishna also managed to get an appointment as clerk in the local municipal office. World Food Day is celebrated every year across the world on 16th October. It’s an annual celebration in the honor of the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization launched by the United Nations in the year 1945. The principal reason behind launching and celebrating world food day is to secure and advance the food security across the world, particularly in days of the crisis. It also helps in increasing awareness of the crucial need for effective agriculture and food policies to be implemented by governments across the world to ensure there is sufficient food available for everyone worldwide. Sisir Kumar Mitra

Science Horizon 19 OCTOBER, 2019

Mitra started his school education in the who were invited by Mukherjee to join the Bhagalpur Zilla school. After passing the newly created department of physics. This entrance examination from the Zilla school, marked the beginningof Mitra’s outstanding Mitra joined the TNJ college, Bhagalpur for scientific career. CV Raman joined the FA programme. After passing his FA department as Palit Professor . Mitra started Examination in 1908, he was admitted as a working under Raman on interference and student in Presidency College of the diffraction of light. He worked in the University of Calcutta. In 1912 he passed out laboratory of CV Raman in the Indian taking his MSc degee in physics and topping Association for Cultivation of Science. It the list of successful candidates. took him three years to complete his doctorate thesis which enabled him to get The environment of the Presidency D.Sc. from Calcutta University in 1919. College had a strong influence on Mitra. He had made up his mind to dedicate himself to In 1920 Mitra went to the University of scientific research. He also got an opportunity Sorbonne in Paris where he joined the research to work under J.C Bose in the Presidency group of Charles Fabry (1867-1945). There College. In those days it was not easy to get he got his second doctorate in 1923 for his a research fellowship. His widowed mother’s work on the determination of wavelenghth income was not sufficient. Mitra got an standards in the 2000-2300 A region of appointment as lecturer in TNJ college at copper. From Sorbonne, he went to work Bhagalpur. Following a brief period there, he under Marie Curie at the Institute of Radium. shifted to Bankura Christian College in West However, he did not stay there long. He went Bengal. There was no adequate facilities for to work with Prof. Gutton, who was working research in these two institutes and Mitra had on radio valve circuits in the Institute of to develop some innovative experiments to Physics of the University of Nancy, Paris. demonstrate to students. He also started Though he spent only a few months at Gutton’s writing popular science articles in Bengali. laboratory, it was here that he finally made up his mind to make his career in radio research. Mitra finally got an opportunity to realize his dream of carrying out research. Mitra returned from France at the end While he was teaching in college, Asutosh of 1923 and was appointed Khaira Professor Mukherjee, the then vice chancellor of the of Physics. He became a part of the team Calcutta University was trying to initiate consisting of C.V Raman, D.M Bose and postgraduate teaching and research in others who organized the post graduate science. With the untiring efforts of Sir teaching in physics in the Calcutta University. Asutosh, the University College of Science Mitra’s task was to establish the wireless was established. Mitra was one among those section for teaching and carrying out research

20 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 in the new subject. With the active support of Mitra and his associates group detected Asutosh Mukherjee, Mitra was able to start reflections from as low as 20 km. Mitra for the first time postgraduate teaching and proposed that such low level reflection were research on wireless in India. The region coming from a hitherto unsuspected layer. which extends from 60 km to several thousand Mitra called this layer C layer. At the kilometers above the earth is called beginning, the discovery was received wth ionosphere. The existence of an ionized layer certain amount of skepticism by the western in the atmosphere or the ionosphere was first scientists, but later it was corroborated by suspected in 1882 by the Scottish physicist many observers in England and America. The Balfour Stewart. He proposed the existence echoes originating from such a low layer may of a layer of air capable of conducting be due to reflection from the temperature electricity in the upper atmosphere, and whose discontinuities and from moisture layer in the presence, Stewart thought, was the reason for low atmosphere. the continuous minor variation in earth’s magnetic field. However, Stewart’s prediction Mitra established a field station for remained mostly unnoticed till 1901 when ionospheric work at Haringhata, a village about G. Marconi succeeded transmitting wireless 5 km form Kolkatta having a suitable capital signals across the Atlantic Ocean a distance and recurring grant sanctioned by the Council of about 2800 kilometer. For physicists, this of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1949. was an unexpected achievement. Because like An ionosounde (a special radar) donated by light, radio waves also travel in straight lines the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial and so their detection on the earth’s surface Research organization of Australia was should not be possible beyond the line of installed in the station. This was the first sight. To explain the propagation of radio ionosphere field station of its kind in India. waves, the existence of an electrically In 1955 the station started round the clock conducting air layer as proposed by Stewart observation of the ionosphere. was again invoked. This was in 1902. And this time, it was proposed independently by Olive In the later 30s, Mitra felt the necessity Heaviside and Arthur Kennel. They proposed of having an independent postgraduate that such a layer situating about at a height of department of electronics and radiophysis. In 80 km in the atmosphere would act as a 1945 , he submitted a proposal to the Calcutta repeater station by reflecting radio wave at a University for creating such a department. considerable distance beyond the horizon. Though the university accepted the proposal, The proposed layer came to be known as it could not be implemented due to financial Kennel-Heaviside layer, the existence of constraints. The Department came into being which was experimentally proved in 1924 by in 1947 with the availability of funds from the Edward V Appleton and MAF Barnett. Ministry of Education Government of India.

Science Horizon 21 OCTOBER, 2019

The Department was transformed into the 1938 under the presidentship of Sir James Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, Jeans was to a large extent due to the hard which was later selected by the University work and organizational ability of Mitra . Grants Commission as one of the first five He served as General Secretary of the ISCA centers of advanced study under a scheme from 1939 to 1944. He was elected sectional sponsored jointly with UNESCO. president in 1934 when Physics and Mathematics was combined into one section. Mitra’s concern for industrial In 1955, he became the General President. development in the country is well known. Mitra was closely connected with Indian He initiated two industrial schemes in his Association for the Cultivation of Science laboratory. First was the production of since the early twenties when he worked microphone and loudspeakers, which under CV Raman. He served the Assocaition resulted in the development of a carbon in several capacities, as its secretary, as a microphone and loudspeaker with raw member of the council, as vice president materials available indigenously. The second and as one of its trustees. He played an scheme was on the production of electron important role alongwith M.N. Saha in the tubes, which led to the fabrication of radio expansion of the activities of the valves for the first time in India. The association. He was a founder member of technical knowlede involved were developed Indian National Science Academy and in his laboratory. became its president in 1956. He served president of Asiatic society of Bengal during Mitra retired from the Calcutta 1951-52. University in 1955. He was appointed as emeritus Professor by the university. Mitra Mitra was the recipient of many awards was persuaded by the then chief minister of including King Geoge V silver jublee medal in West Bengal to head over West Bengal Board 1935, Joy Kissan Mukherjee gold medal of of Secondary Education. At the time, Mitra the Indian Association of the Cultivation of took over its administration, the Board was Science in 1943. In 1958 he was elected in a very bad shape. Within a short period of Fellow of the Royal Society, London for his time Mitra made the board an efficient contribution to the study of upper atmospheric organization. phenomena. He received the Padmabhusan Award of the Government of india in 1962. Mitra was intimately associated with Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) since 1935 when he became the local Continued in page-25 secretary. The success of the silver jublee session of the congress held at Calcutta in

22 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 TERROR OF then 20,000 children have died in India due to ‘CHAMKI’ FEVER AES. Muzaffarpur which falls in humid IN BIHAR subtropical climate and where pre-monsoon months of April and May is hottest having maximum temperature of more than 40°C, Dr. Sailendra Narayan Swain satisfies above condition so that maximum numbers of children died there due to AES. Bihar is one of the eastern states of According to National Family Health Survey India. It is the 13th largest state of India and 3rd (NFHS) and other surveys about 48% children largest populous state of India. Bihar shares under the age of 5 years are stunted and its border with Nepal in north, Jharkhand in 17.5% are too thin, 42 % are underweight. south, Uttarpradesh in west and West Bengal Maternal health indicators are also very poor. in east. Starting from 1st June 2019, more than One third women in the age group of 15 to 49 160 children have died in Sri Krishna Medical years are malnourished and their body mass College and Hospital (139) and Kejriwal indices are also not good in Muzaffarpur. Hospital (21) of Muzaffarpur district in Chamki fever which is also known as Acute north Bihar due to ‘Chamki’ fever (AES). Encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a brain fever. Not only this district but also other districts Since convulsion or ‘Chamki’ is one of the like Samastipur, Motihari, Patna, Betiha, symptom, AES is locally known as Chamki Bhagalpur and Gopalganj have shown this AES fever in Bihar. It is caused due to mosquito type of symptoms and few children died (Culextritaeniorhynchus) borne flavivirus like there. At least 22 people died while 59 positive herpex simplex virus, entero virus, japani virus, cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) have been nipah virus, eastearn equine virus, jika virus also detected in Assam recently. In 2016 due and tick borne virus. Bacteria and parasites to AES epidemic 116 children lost their life also can cause AES. Severe form of in Malkanagiri district of our Odisha. This leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis causes AES. AES disease is an endemic disease. This Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease caused by happens in high temperature, high humidity, genus leptospira and T. gondii is the parasite high malnutrition, poor hygiene and lack of that causes toxoplasmosis.The encephalitis awareness prevalent in rural and semi urban may be primary and secondary. The primary areas. In south east Asia, AES is mainly Encephalitis is caused due to virus, fungus or caused due to Japanese Encephalitis virus. In bacterium which affects directly to the brain 1871, Japanese Encephalitis first appeared in of patient. The secondary Encephalitis first Japan. JE virus first appeared in India in Madras attacks other parts of body and then it affects in 1955. In 1973 more than 700 cases the brain. According to World Health appeared and 300 died due to this in Burdwan Organisation (WHO -2008), a case of AES is and Bankura districts of West Bengal. Since

Science Horizon 23 OCTOBER, 2019 characterised by rapid onset of high fever, children who stay near to orchards and headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, consume this fruit are victims. Butthis has seizures, spastic paralysis and ultimately death. found that some patients who never visited So the main symptoms of AES are high fever, that litchi orchard, are also suffering from headache, vomiting, confusion, delusion, AES. In 2017, a joint study conducted by hallucination and memory loss. In severe form Indian and American researchers and published this may cause seizures, paralysis and coma. in Lancent confirmed that hypoglycin-A and The incubation period which is the time methylene cyclopropyleneglycine (MCPG) between infection and illness is between 4 to toxins are found in raw litchi fruits.The 14 days. The pigs and wild birds act as reservoir malnourished children who skip dinner and and amplifying host. WHO recommends take these fruits in empty stomach at morning testing of JEV-specific IgM antibody in a are worst sufferers. Hypoglycin is not a cause sample of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) or using but a contributing factor. Above toxin an IgM-capture ELISA method. The decreases the blood sugar level in body. This transmission cycle between mosquito, pigs condition is known as Acute Hypoglycaemic and human being is known as Enzootic or Encephalopathy which is a special form of sylvatic cycle. This fever generally starts in AES. There is no cure to this disease, only it night and increases in morning. The fatality can be controlled. Patients are generally treated rate of this disease is 20-30% and those who with anti-inflammatory and antiviral drugs. survive, among them 30-50 % show Antibiotics do not work. So prevention is neurological problems in future. better than cure.Since children with low immune power are victims of AES, we should Some researchers say that Muzaffarpur focus more on healthy mother and children. which is filled with Litchi orchards and the

Sl. No. Year No. of Children No. of Children Cause of admitted died death 1 2010 3540 494 AES 2 2011 3492 579 AES 3 2012 3484 557 AES 4 2013 3096 609 AES 5 2014 3329 400 AES 6 2015 2894 479 AES 7 2016 3919 621 AES

History of Children death at various hospitals of Gorakhpur, Uttarpradesh due to AES

24 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 They must be vaccinated with MMR (Measles, URBAN Mumps and Rubella) and other vaccines as MINING prescribed by doctor at proper time. Let’s educate the people about dangers of AES Prof. Gopendra Kishore Roy and JE.We should improve our medical infrastructure. Children should be vaccinated Urban Mining is the European fancy name twice with Live attenuated JE vaccine of for the process of making money out of city strain SA-14-14-2, once between 9-12 months garbage using sophisticated machinery. and the other between 16-24 months. So we Technically speaking, urban mining is the can protect our children who are the future of process of recovering compounds and India. elements from urban waste and obsolete n materials, in this context, urban e-waste, which M.Sc,Ph.D-Chemistry, OES-II Govt. Women’s Jr. College,Sundargarh pin-770001 constitutes the prime fraction is of importance. M-9938783051 E-waste denotes waste electrical and electronic equipment whole or in part or rejects from their manufacturing or repair process, which are to be discarded. This mainly comprises of computer monitors, mother Continued from page-22 boards, mobile phone and charger, compact disc and head phones, Cathode Ray Tubes In April 1963, Mitra was appointed as (CRTs), Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), National Research Professor and he thought televisions etc. to utilize this opportunity for preparing a revised third edition of his book The Upper Due to rise in consumerism, Atmosphere. But this did not happen. This urbanization, economic growth and higher rate pioneer of radio research passed away on 13 of obsolescence, there has been an ever- August 1963. increasing demand for electrical and electronic gadgets. Table-1 gives the rate of n Victory Colony discard of a few commonly-used electrical Paralakhemundi, Gajapati, and electronic gadgets. E-mail - [email protected] E-waste: A health hazard

E-wastes contain harmful materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, antimony, arsenic, barium, brominated flame retardants and poly–chlorinated biphenyls. These

Science Horizon 25 OCTOBER, 2019

Table-1: Discard rate of a few electrical and electronic gadgets

Sl. No. Item Replace/discard rate, year 1 Personal computer every three year 2 Mobile phone 1-3 3 Television 10-15 4 Camera 3-5 5 Refrigerator 10-15 6 Washing machine 10-15 7 IT accessories quite fast

Table-2: Toxins of a few e-waste and affected body parts

Sl. No. Components Toxic compound/s Affected body part/s 1 PCBs lead, cadmium nervous system, kidney, liver 2 CRTs lead oxide, barium, heart, liver and and cadmium muscles 3 Mother board beryllium lungs, skin 4 Computer batteries cadmium kidney, liver 5 Switch and flat mercury brain, skin screen monitor 6 Plastic housing bromine endocrine 7 Cable insulation/ PVC immune system coating hazardous wastes affect human health and the human body parts affected thereof are adversely leading to diseases through presented in table-2. chemical exposure by inhalation of toxic Waste-to-wealth- urban mining fumes released as well as from accumulation of harmful chemicals in soil, water and food. Contrary to the above-mentioned health Some of the toxins released from e-waste problems, e-waste is an economical source

26 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 for the recovery of a few base (copper, zinc, n For some rare materials like Europium lead) and light metals (aluminium, magnesium, (a chemical element of atomic number - titanium) rare metals (tantalum, lithium) and 63, which is a good absorber of neutrons the precious ones ( gold, silver ). With world and can be used in nuclear reactors) and population growing exponentially, more and Terbium (a chemical element with more resources are required to meet the atomic number-65 used for solid state demand. Natural mineral resource reserves device manufacture), it is becoming the are limited and there is a trend towards only source. depletion. As a matter of fact, nearly half of world’s copper and other metal stocks have Quantum of e-waste and recovery of metals been mined. To slow the mining of earth’s Presently around 20-25 million ton of virgin materials, urban mining is a solution. In e-waste is generated per year in the world with addition, while normal mining of a few of the U.S.- the highest (3 million ton) and China, above-mentioned metals through conventional the next. India’s e-waste generation was 2 recovery processing of the ores is quite million ton in 2016-17 and is likely to reach expensive specifically for the rare and precious 5.2 million ton by 2020 as per estimate of metals, their recovery from e-waste is Associated Chambers of Commerce and economical. For example, while 5 gm of gold Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). A can be extracted from one ton of the ore representative contents of the e-waste is given leaving huge amount of waste for safe disposal, in ( table-3). one ton of mobile phone can yield 300 gm of gold and almost 100% of the gold used in the As sizeable amount of precious metals phones can be recovered. like gold and silver are used in electronic gadgets, their recovery from e-waste is Thus the advantages of urban mining are, essential. To quote an example, $21 billion (equal to the GDP of Zambia) worth of gold n Classic mining alone cannot meet the rising demand for metals in the electrical (320 ton) and silver (7500 ton) are used in and electronic appliances unless we electronic gadgets every year, while presently recover those from old gadgets. less than 15 % of it is recovered worldwide. Similarly, one million cell phones recycling n Avoids a substantial amount of harmful will yield 35000 lb of copper, 772 lb of silver, effects on human beings and the 75 lb of gold and 33 lb of palladium. environment. In many countries, specifically the n Recovery of materials can be done in a emerging ones, crude and informal recycling cost-effective manner. practices for e-waste are followed, which are quite harmful to workers and the environment.

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Table-3: Representative contents of e-waste Sl. Contents Percentage No. 1 Metals 60 2 PCBs 2 3 CRTs and LCD 12 Monitors h 4 Pollutants 3 5 Plastics 15 6 Metal-plastic 5 mixture 7 Cable 2 8 Others 1

The new e-waste (management) Rules, 2016 , metals because of their broad application, high which has come into effect from the 1st of price and low content in natural ores. Maximizing October,2016 is going to put an end to the the resource and economic value of the waste illegal and harmful practice and encourage streams generated in urban spaces, urban mining environment-friendly recovery processes. will be a significant concept in the planning and designing of ‘sustainable smart cities.’ Conclusion n Urban mining serves the dual purposes Retired Director and Professor, of environment protection and the promotion Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. of resource conservation through reuse, recycle and recovery of secondary resources from waste. This has specific relevance with respect to the recovery of rare and precious

28 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 LACTOBACILLUS DELBRUECKII SUBSP. BULGARICUS - A NATIONAL MICROBE OF INDIA

Meena Kumar. P Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. has complicated nutritional demands. Fig 1 is bulgaricus has been declared as the National the Freeze-fractured Transmission Electron Microbe for India by Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan, Micrograph (TEM) image of L. delbrueckii India’s former Minister of State for subsp. Bulgaricus. Environment and Forests on October 18, 2012, when the International Conference on “Biodiversity Conservation and Education for Sustainable Development - Learning to Conserve Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World” held at Hyderabad during CoP-11. This microbe was chosen by kids who had visited the Science Express Biodiversity Special, a train which has been touring various stations over the country. Fig.1: Source: Scimat/Science Source Scientific classification History Domain Bacteria Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Phylum Firmicutes bulgaricus (until 1984 known as Class Bacilli Lactobacillus bulgaricus) was first recognized Order Lactobacillales in 1905 by Stamen Grigorov, who named it Bacillus bulgaricus. Ilya Metchnikoff, a Family Lactobacillaceae professor at the Pasteur Institute in Paris Genus Lactobacillus (PPU), investigated the link between the Species delbrueckii longevity of Bulgarians and their consumption Characteristics of yogurt. He had the idea that aging is effected by proteolysis, by toxic substances (phenols, It is a Gram-positive rod that may look ammonia, indols) producing gut microbes (Ex. filamentous and long. It does not form spores. Clostridia) by digestion of proteins. According It is non-motile and is considered as to him, these toxic compounds are responsible acidophilic since it requires a low pH (around for intestinal auto-intoxication, which he 5.4–4.6) to grow efficiently. The bacterium thought as the cause of the physical changes

Science Horizon 29 OCTOBER, 2019 associated with old age. But this concept has strains of L.d. bulgaricus, such as no scientific basis. It was already understood L.bulgaricus GLB44, also generate at that time that fermentation with lactic acid bacteriocins, which have been revealed to bacteria hinders the decay of milk because of eliminate undesired bacteria in vitro. Some of its low pH. Metchnikoff’s study also remarked the largest importers of the bacterium are that country populations in Southeastern Japan, the United States, the European Union. Europe and the Russian steppes daily consume In some styles of beer, lactic acid bacteria can milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria and provide to the overall appearance, aroma, taste, live relatively longer than other populations. mouthfeel, and pleasing sourness. Based on these data Metchnikoff suggested Lactobacillus bulgaricus is a part in VSL#3 that intake of fermented milk seeds the (VSL#3 is a therapeutic food used as a intestine with harmless lactic acid bacteria probiotic). This proprietary, regulated, developing intestinal acidity and suppressing formulation of vital bacteria may be employed the growth of proteolytic bacteria. in combination with traditional therapies to treat ulcerative colitis and requires a Sources prescription.

L.d.bulgaricus and other probiotics are Health benefits present in both natural foods or in supplement form. L.d. bulgaricus can be found in a variety L.d. bulgaricus is a helpful bacteria found of fermented common foods, including: in the gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal bacteria are attributed to as gut flora or microbes. This n yogurt, certain cheese strain of bacteria is seen in foods or n fermented pickles-Kimchi, Sauekraut supplements. When it’s eaten, it’s referred to n beer as probiotics. The proper stability of gut flora helps to keep your intestinal walls strong and wine n bad bacteria at bay and can decrease the chance n miso, soy sauces of chronic disease.

Uses in Industry Probiotics are “healthy” bacteria that may play an essential role in supporting your health Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. when consumed. The National Institute of bulgaricus is generally used adjacent with Health did note some possible health benefits Streptococcus thermophilus as a starter for of L. d. bulgaricus . Early-stage investigation producing yogurt. While fermenting milk, suggests that they may perform a function in L.d. bulgaricus generates acetaldehyde, one managing the following health conditions: of the main yogurt aroma ingredients. Some

30 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 n hepatic disease KIDNEY: THE n common cold CLEANING CREW-4 (NUTRITION AND diarrhea caused by antibiotics n PRECAUTION) n IBD- inflammatory bowel disease Prof. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty n eczema Conditions related to kidney failure: n hay fever It is an established fact that our kidneys are n tooth decay the sweepers or cleaners of our body. These organs do much more than remove wastes and n periodontal disease and other oral health extra fluid. They also make hormones and problems balance chemicals of the body. When kidneys n preventing necrotizing enterocolitis stop functioning, problems may arise with anaemia and conditions that affect our bones, L.d. bulgaricus or any other probiotics nerves and skin. The following are the are not approved by Food and Drug conditions related to kidney failure (Fig.1). Administration (FDA) to treat disease. The National Institutes of HealthTrusted Source (NIH) warns that investigation behind probiotics is unsettled. L. delbrueckii is Renal considered reliable, but should be avoided Anaemia Osteodystrophy in immunocompromised individuals, people with organ failure, dysfunctional gut barrier, 1 2 where probiotics may direct to infection. 5 3 4 Itching More study is needed to confirm the Amyloidosis (Pruritis) advantages of L.d. bulgaricus and probiotics. It’s important to remain careful about claims Sleep disorder about probiotics. It’s essential to talk to (Insomnia) your doctor prior to taking probiotic supplements. n Fig 1 : Different conditions related to kidney failure. Research Scholar, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, (1) Anaemia: Mysuru-570020, Karnataka Mob.8608958347 E-mail: [email protected] Anaemia (anemia) is a condition in which the volume of red blood cells (RBCs) is low. Red blood cells carry oxygen to cells throughout the body. Without oxygen, cells

Science Horizon 31 OCTOBER, 2019 cannot use the energy from food. So, someone Kidneys manufacture a hormone called with anemia may tire easily and look pale. “erythropoietin”, after referred to as EPO, Anemia can also contribute to heart problems. that aids in the production of RBCs. When Principally, signs and symptoms caused due kidneys fail to function normally, patient to anemia are (i) extreme fatigue, (ii) becomes anaemic. EPO is available weakness, (iii) shortness of breath, (iv) commercially and is commonly given to confusion or loss of concentration, (v) patients on dialysis. It is usually administered dizziness or fainting, (vi) pale skin, including or injected under the skin 2 to 3 times a week. decreased pinkness of the lips, guns, lining of Erythropoietin needs adequate body iron the eyelids, nail beds and palms, (vii) rapid stores to work since iron is essential for the heart beat, (viii) feeling cold, and (ix) sadness production of RBCs. It aids in normal immune or depression (Fig.2). function and can help ward off infection.

Shortness of breath Confusion

Weakness Loss of concentration 3 4 2 Fatigue 5 1 SYMPTOMS 6 Dizziness 10 Sadness or 7 Depression 9 8

Pale skin

Feeling Rapid heart cold beat

Fig 2 : Signs and symptoms caused due to anaemia.

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Without adequate iron intake, chronic kidney (5) Anyloidosis disease patients are likely to become anaemic. Dialysis- related anyloidosis (DRA) is Many people with kidney disease need both common in people who have been on dialysis EPO and iron supplements. If level of iron is for more than 5 years. DRA develops when low, EPO will not help and the victim will proteins in the blood deposit in joints and experience the effect of anaemia. Iron is tendons, causing pain, stiffness, and fluid in available commercially in many forms such as the joints, as is the case with arthritis. oral and parenteral. Iron administered through parenteral route is a normal routine for dialysis Fluid management in dialysis patients and is available in various forms like (i) iron dextran, (ii) sodium ferric gluconate Fluid is anything that is liquid in room complex, and (iii) iron sucrose. temperature. It includes water, tea, coffee, sherbet, milk, soda, ice, soup, ice-cream, and (2) Renal osteodystrophy juice. Too much fluid in our body can mean End stage renal disease (ESRD) causes trouble and result in shortness of breath, strain an increased breakdown of bone and abnormal on the heart, uncomfortable swelling in the metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin hands, legs and abdomen. To prevent these D, and parathyroid hormone (PTH), often complications from happening, it is essential leading to a bone disease called renal to follow the fluid allowance as advised by the osteodystrophy. Renal osteodystrophy or bone physician. Following steps are to be followed disease of kidney failure affects 90 percent of to control the fluid. dialysis patients. It causes thinning of bones (i) Entire fluid intake is to be calculated and malforms bones affecting both children even those sips taken with medications. and adults. (ii) All the fluid should be measured which (3) Itching (Pruritis) is taken in diet. Many people treated with haemodialysis complain of itchy skin, which is often worse (iii) Salt intake needs to be reduced to during or just after treatment. Phosphate decrease thirst. binders seem to help some people; others find (iv) Instead of few large drinks, the fluid relief after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. needs to be divided with more frequency. Still others improve with EPO shots. (v) When mouth feels dried, rinse with water (4) Sleep disorder (Insomnia) and gargle if necessary without Patients treated with dialysis often swallowing. Alternatively, patient can experience sleeplessness (insomnia) and some suck a slice of fresh lemon as this helps people have a specific problem called the to stimulate salivation. sleep apnea syndrome. Science Horizon 33 OCTOBER, 2019

(vi) Fluid allowance should be saved while Conclusion going out. Disease in general and treatments in (vii) During drinking, a straw may be used or particular generates a turbulence in the mind drinking should be undertaken through of patients as well as close relations. But, in sip. dialysis, the treatment itself is painless. Control (viii) Patient needs to make himself or herself with precautions enables the patients to have busy to forget about drinking. normal lives. During the problems of kidney (ix) Daily weight needs to be taken. During failure, doctor is our indispensable partner haemodialysis, one should not put on and we have to discuss our problems on more than 1.5 to 2.0 kg between dialysis. concerns freely and frankly with him for a better survival and a better life. Starting and sticking with exercise So, in difficulty, distress or diseased People on dialysis if exercise more, feel state, we all should think of “PAIN” which is better and have a greater sense of control over an acronym for “POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN their lives. There are also other benefits of NEGATIVE SITUATION”. this which are as follows. With the technological invention, a) It increases strength, endurance and recently “Bionic Kidney” is expected to solve flexibility. the problem in a better way. This is “Artificial b) It keeps the heart healthy. Kidney Technology” which has been developed c) It improves the sense of well-being. by the scientists of University of California, d) It lifts your mood and helps fight San Francisco. Some important components depression. of this technology are (i) silicon filter, (ii) life cells, and (iii) microchips. Hope, this e) It helps in controlling blood pressure. technology and introduction of this equipment f) It lowers blood sugar if diabetic. would enhance our survival period. The unique g) It reduces the risk of having an heart aspect of this is that its size is exactly like that attack. of a cup. Therefore, according to Steve Jobs- h) It helps in better sleeping. “Innovation distinguishes between a i) It keeps the bones healthy. leader and a follower”. In summary, it may be suggested to n undertake regular light exercise like brisk Formerly Professor, Head and Dean Faculty of Science walking, light gardening, golf, bowling, light Postgraduate Department of Zoology, housework, and some other daily activities Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar-751004, Odisha you enjoy. Mob. 9238571378

34 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY TO DETECT CANCER CELLS FROM BLOOD

Dr. Dwijesh Kumar Panda Isolation and detection of circulating Raman, who observed the effect in organic cancer cells (CCCs) from human blood plays liquids in 1928 and won the Nobel Prize in an important role. It is a physics in 1930 for this noninvasive screening test in discovery. Raman spectroscopy predictive therapeutic treatment. is commonly used in chemistry Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to provide a structural fingerprint are living cancer cells separated by which molecules can be from the primary tumor, which identified. It relies upon inelastic are responsible for the scattering of photons, known as development and expansion of Raman scattering. A source of the metastasis. Since, the tissue monochromatic light, usually biopsies are invasive and from a laser in the visible, near expensive, the characterization C.V Raman infrared, or near ultraviolet range of tumor based on CTCs analysis in a is used. The laser light interacts with molecular peripheral blood act as ‘liquidbiopsy’ which vibrations. It results in the energy of the laser has recently attracted special attention. Due photons being up or down. The shift in energy to the low number of circulating cancer cells gives information about the vibration which ranges between 1–100 cancer cells per producing a strong infrared (IR) absorption ml of blood, their isolation and detection is band. Raman Spectroscopy is being further still the challenging task and requires the developed so it could be used in the clinical ultrasensitive methods. The efficient cell setting. Raman4 Clinic is a European isolation is an essential step in many medical organization that is working on incorporating studies and analytical tests. The application of Raman Spectroscopy techniques in the medical microfluidic-based systems for cells field. They are currently working on different separation offer numerous advantages projects, one of them being monitoring cancer increasing the potential for point-of care using bodily fluids such as urine and blood. diagnosis. These samples are easily accessible. Raman spectroscopy; named after Indian This technique would be less stressful physicist Sir C. V. Raman is a spectroscopic on the patients than constantly having to take technique typically used to determine biopsies which are not always risk free. A vibrational modes of molecules. The Raman Raman microscope begins with a standard effect was named after its discoverer, Sir C. V. optical microscope, attached with an

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the successes of the aforementioned researches is a likely option. As cancerous lesions form in almost every organ of the body, use of in vivo Raman systems is the need of the society. Furthermore, the ability to determine the differences between lesions that will progress, lesions that will become malignant, lesions that will become metastatic, and lesions that will spontaneously regress Scattered Cancer cells in the blood will have great clinical value. A Raman system, (Courtesy- Google Image) able to detect the biochemical characteristic excitation infrared laser. Ultraviolet changes associated with progression risk is a microscopes and UV enhanced optics may be much needed tool. Similarly, a system that is used when a UV laser source is used for capable of providing accurate and reliable Raman microspectroscopy. Raman staging information in real time would reduce microscopy of biological and medical the need for countless biopsies, multiple specimens is often performed using red to surgeries, and appointments per patient. near-infrared excitation (e.g., 785 nm, or 1064 Acknowledgement: The author acknowledges nm wavelength). Biological samples of low help from Padmabhusan (Professor) Trilochan absorbance in this spectral range do not damage Pradhan in writing this article. the specimen, and high penetration depths into References tissues can be achieved. Optical tweezers Raman spectroscopy (OTRS) is used to study 1. Nafie LA. Infrared and Raman vibrational individual particles, and even biochemical optical activity: theoretical and processes in single cells trapped by optical experimental aspects. Annu Rev Phys tweezers. Chem. 1997; 48(1):357–386. The earlier a cancer is detected, the 2. Cheng JX, Xie XS. Coherent anti-stokes better the prognosis and a more favorable the Raman scattering microscopy: outcome for the patient. Catching the lesion instrumentation, theory, and applications. in a dysplastic or noninvasive state will yield J Phys Chem B. 2004; 108(3):827–840. the best outcome for the patient. The high n chemical specificity of Raman system (RS) M.D.Ph.D (Medicine) Senior Scientist & Kalinga Samman makes it an ideal tool to detect biochemical Awardee changes in tissue before the macroscopic M5/12, Acharya Vihar, Bhubaneswar, 751013 changes become evident. In future, Raman Contact: (0674)2543122 technology could expand in multiple directions. However, in the immediate future, building on

36 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 HIDDEN WOMAN Of course, a series of text books were OF written to help young women understand the MATHEMATICS latest developments in mathematics and science. Francesco Algarotti was the author of Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophy Explain’d for Er Mayadhar Swain the Use of Ladies. Because Algarotti believed Mathematics was a male domain until that women were only interested in romance, the end of the nineteenth century. Even women he attempted to explain Newton’s discoveries were banned for entry into universities in through the flirtatious dialogue between a Europe. Still very few women mathematicians Marquise and her interlocutor. The interlocutor had excelled during that period and some of outlines the inverse square law of gravitational them had left their imprint in the history of attraction, whereupon the Marquise gives her mathematics. One of them own interpretation on was Sophie Germain. this fundamental law Life of Sophie Germain of physics. “I cannot Sophie Germain was help thinking ... that born on April 1, 1776. Her this proportion in the father was Ambroise-Francois squares of the Germain, a prosperous distances of places ... merchant. At that time life is observed even in was dominated by the turmoil love. Thus after eight of the French Revolution. days absence, love Although her father was becomes 64 times financially successful, less than it was the Sophie’s family members first day.” were not of the aristocracy. Hence, there was One day Germain was browsing in her difficulty in her studies, particularly father’s library and chanced upon Jean-Étienne mathematics in which she was more interested. Montucla’s book History of Mathematics. The Had she been born into high society, her study chapter that caught her imagination was of mathematics might have been more Montucla’s essay on the life of Archimedes. acceptable. Although aristocratic women were His account of Archimedes’ discoveries was not actively encouraged to study mathematics, undoubtedly interesting, but what particularly they were expected to have sufficient kindled her fascination was the story knowledge of the subject in order to be able to surrounding his death. Archimedes had spent discuss the topic should it arise during public his life at Syracuse studying mathematics in conversation. relative tranquillity, but when he was in his late

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70s, the peace was shattered by the invading only encouragement she received. There were Roman army. Legend had it that, during the no mathematician in the family who could invasion, Archimedes was so engrossed in the introduce her to the latest ideas and her tutors study of a geometric figure in the sand that he refused to take her seriously. failed to respond to the questioning of a Roman In 1794, the Ecole Polytechnic opened soldier. As a result, he was speared to death. in Paris. It was founded as an academy of Germain concluded that if somebody excellence to train mathematicians and could be so consumed by a geometric problem scientists for the nation. This would have been that it could lead to their death, then an ideal place for Germain to develop her mathematics must be the most captivating mathematical skills, but it was an institution subject in the world. She immediately set reserved only for men. So she resorted to about teaching herself the basics of number covertly studying at the Ecole by assuming the theory and calculus, and soon she was working identity of a former student at the academy, late into the night studying the works of Euler Monsieur Antoine-August Le Blanc. and Newton. But this sudden interest in such The academy’s administration was an unfeminine subject worried her parents and unaware that the real Monsieur Le Blanc had they tried desperately to deter her. Even her left Paris, and continued to print lecture notes father confiscated her candles and clothes and and problems for him. Germain managed to removed any heating system in order to obtain what was intended for Le Blanc, and discourage her. each week she would submit answers to the Only a few years later in Britain the problems under her pseudonym. young mathematician Mary Somerville would Everything was going according to plan also have her candles confiscated by her father until the supervisor of the course, Joseph- who maintained that “we must put a stop to Louis Lagrange, could no longer ignore the this, or we shall have Mary in a straitjacket brilliance of Monsieur Le Blanc’s answer one of these days.” In Germain’s case, she sheets. Not only were Monsieur Le Blanc’s responded by maintaining a secret cache of solutions marvelously ingenious but they candles and wrapping herself in bed-clothes. showed a remarkable transformation in a The winter nights were so cold that the ink student who had previously been notorious for froze in the inkwell, but Sophie continued his abysmal mathematical skills. Lagrange, reading with determination. Eventually, her who was one of the finest mathematicians of parents relented and gave Sophie their blessing. the nineteenth century, requested a meeting Germain never married and throughout her with the reformed student and Germain was career her father funded her research and forced to reveal her true identity. Lagrange supported her efforts to become a good was astonished and pleased to meet the young mathematician. For many years, this was the woman, and became her mentor and friend. At

38 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 last Sophie Germain had a teacher who could Pierre de Fermat created the Last inspire her, and with whom she could be open Theorem while studying Arithmetica, an about her skills and ambitions. ancient Greek text written in about AD 250 by Diophantus of Alexandria. This was a manual Germain grew in confidence and she on number theory. The page of Arithmetica moved from solving problems in her course which inspired Fermat to create the Last work to study unexplored areas of mathematics. Theorem discussed various aspects of Most importantly, she became interested in Pythagoras’ Theorem, which states that: number theory and inevitably she came to hear of Fermat’s Last Theorem. “In a right-angled triangle the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares Fermat’s Last Theorem on the other two sides.” Pierre de Fermat is one of the top ten In other words (or rather symbols): greatest mathematicians in history. Alongside x2 + y2 = z2 Blaise Pascal, he established the foundations of probability theory, which is the mathematics where z is the length of the hypotenuse, the of gambling, risk and change. When Newton longest side, and x and y are the lengths of the was asked where he got the idea of calculus other two sides. from, he credited “Monsieur Fermat’s method of drawing tangents”. But Fermat’s greatest ideas are in the area of number theory, a subject which has virtually no practical applications. Number theory is the purest form of mathematics, concerned with the study of whole numbers, the relationships between them, and the In particular, Arithmetica asked its patterns they form. readers to find solutions to Pythagoras’ Fermat lived near Toulouse in southwest equation, such that x, y, and z could be any France and he was working as a judge. Judges whole number, except zero. For example,, 32 + were generally discouraged from socialising 42 = 52 or 52 + 122 = 132. Fermat must have within the community in order to avoid a been bored with such a tried and tested conflict of interests, so Fermat would spend equation, and as a result he considered a slightly his evenings hidden in his study, pursuing his mutated version of the equation: mathematical interests. He was a truly amateur x3 + y3 = z3 mathematician and mathematics historian E.T. The equation is now said to be to the Bell called him the Prince of Mathematics. power 3, rather than the power 2. Surprisingly,

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Fermat came to the conclusion that among the down the map. Mathematicians could not resist infinity of numbers there were none that fitted the lure of such an intellectual treasure and this new equation. Whereas Pythagoras’ competed to find it first. equation had many possible solutions, Fermat Fermat made his conjecture in 1630, but claimed that his equation was insoluble. it took more than 350 years for Fermat went even further, believing that mathematicians to finally come up with a if the power of the equation were increased proof of it. Andrew Wiles of Princeton further, then these equations would also have University cracked the problem in 1995. no solutions: Sophie Germain and Fermat’s Last x3 + y3 = z3, Theorem x4 + y4 = z4, The case n = 4 had been settled by x5 + y5 = z5, Fermat when he used his method of infinite x6 + y6 = z6, descent to prove that the area of a right triangle : with rational sides is never a perfect square, a : condition that is equivalent to the claim that 4 4 2 The mathematical short-hand for this there are no integer solutions to x + y = z , 4 4 4 family of insoluble equations is: and hence no solutions to x + y = z . xn + yn = zn In 1770, Euler published a proof of FLT for n = 3. Gauss also gave a proof for n = 3 that where n is any number greater than 2. was not published until after his death. The According to Fermat, none of these cases n = 3 and n = 4 were therefore all that equations could be solved and he noted this in was known at that time. Mathematicians soon the margin of his Arithmetica. To back up his realized that the problem was far harder than it theorem he had developed an argument or first appeared. Number theorists labored mathematical proof, and following the first endlessly to nibble off small parts of it, but in marginal note he scribbled the most tantalising the early 1800s, one mathematician finally comment in the history of mathematics: developed a bold strategy that had the potential “I have discovered a truly remarkable proof to solve the whole problem at once. But the which this margin is too small to contain,” entire approach was very nearly lost to history, Fermat believed he could prove his because until recently, all the notes and theorem, but he never wrote his proof to manuscripts were moldering unread in a French paper. After his death, mathematicians across library. Europe tried to rediscover the proof of what The mathematician who developed the became known as Fermat’s Last Theorem approach was Sophie Germain. She worked on (FLT). It was as though Fermat had buried an the problem for several years, eventually incredible treasure, but he had not written reaching the stage where she believed she had

40 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 made an important breakthrough. She needed xn + yn = zn whose impossibility in integers has to discuss her ideas with a fellow number still only been proved for n = 3 and n = 4; I theorist and decided that she would go straight think I have been able to prove it for n = p-1, to the top and consult the greatest number p being a prime number of the form 8k+7. I theorist in the world at that time, the German shall take the liberty of submitting this attempt mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. to your judgement, persuaded that you will not Gauss is widely acknowledged as being disdain to help with your advice an enthusiastic the most brilliant mathematician who has ever amateur in the science which you have lived. Germain had first encountered his work cultivated with such brilliant success.” through studying his masterpiece Although Gauss was not interested in Disquisitiones arithmeticae, the most FLT, when he received Germain’s letter, he important and wide-ranging treatise since was sufficiently impressed by her breakthrough Euclid’s Elements. Gauss’s work influenced that he temporarily forgot his ambivalence every area of mathematics, but strangely towards Fermat’s Last Theorem. enough he never published anything on Germain had adopted a new approach to Fermat’s Last Theorem. the problem which was far more general than In one letter he even displayed contempt previous strategies. Her immediate goal was for the problem. His friend, the German not to prove that one particular equation had astronomer Heinrich Olbers had written to no solutions, but to say something about Gauss encouraging him to compete for a prize several equations. In her letter to Gauss she which had been offered by the Paris Academy outlined a calculation which focused on those for a solution to FLT: “It seems to me, dear equations in which n is equal to a particular Gauss, that you should get busy about this.” type of prime number. Two weeks later Gauss replied, “I am very Prime numbers are those numbers which much obliged for your news concerning the have no divisors except 1 and itself. For Paris prize. But I confess that Fermat’s Last example, 11 is a prime number because 11 has Theorem as an isolated proposition has very no divisors, i.e. nothing will divide into 11 little interest for me, for I could easily lay without leaving a remainder (except for 11 and down a multitude of such propositions, which 1). On the other hand, 12 is not a prime one could neither prove nor disprove.” number because several numbers will divide Sophie Germain wrote her first letter to into 12, i.e., 2, 3, 4, and 6. Germain was Gauss on November 21, 1804, using the interested in those prime numbers p such that pseudonym Antoine Le Blanc. In her letter, 2p + 1 is also a prime number. Germain’s list she said, of primes includes 5, because 11 (2 x 5 + 1) “I add to this art some other considerations is also prime, but it does not include 13, which relate to the famous equation of Fermat because 27 (2 x 13 + 1) is not prime.

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Germain proved FLT for the cases where readers.” Gauss, unaware of his correspondent’s n and 2n+1 are both prime. A prime n for true identity, attempted to put Germain at ease which 2n+1 is also prime is now called a and replied: “I am delighted that arithmetic has Sophie Germain prime. Her proof actually found in you so able a friend.” showed more, however. The result now known Germain’s contribution would have been as Sophie Germain’s Theorem was presented forever wrongly attributed to the mysterious in 1823 by Legendre in a paper to the French Monsieur Le Blanc were it not for the Emperor Academy of Sciences and included in a Napoleon. In 1806, Napoleon was invading supplement to his second edition of The Prussia and the French army was storming Theory of Numbers. through one German city after another. For values of n equal to these Germain Germain feared that the fate that befell primes, she could show that there were no Archimedes might also take the life of her solutions to the equation: other great hero Gauss, so she sent a message xn + yn = zn to her friend, General Joseph-Marie Pernety, For each odd prime n < 100, Germain asking that he guarantee Gauss’s safety. The gave a prime p for which her theorem applies, general was not a scientist, but even he was thereby showing that ermat’s last theorem aware of the world’s greatest mathematician, holds for all prime exponents less than 100. and, as requested, he took special care of Gauss, explaining to him that he owed his life Germain’s work on Fermat’s Last Theorem to Mademoiselle Germain. Gauss was grateful was to be her greatest contribution to but surprised, for he had never heard of Sophie mathematics, but initially she was not credited Germain. for her breakthrough. When Germain wrote to Gauss she was still in her 20s, and, although In Germain’s next letter to Gauss she she had gained a reputation in Paris, she feared reluctantly revealed her true identity. Far from that the great man would not take her seriously being angry at the deception, Gauss wrote because of her gender. In order to protect back to her with delight: herself Germain resorted once again to her But how to describe to you my pseudonym, signing her letters as Monsieur admiration and astonishment at seeing my Le Blanc. esteemed correspondent Monsieur Le Blanc Her fear and respect for Gauss is shown metamorphose himself into this illustrious in one of her letters to him: “Unfortunately, personage who gives such a brilliant example the depth of my intellect does not equal the of what I would find it difficult to believe. A voracity of my appetite, and I feel a kind of taste for the abstract sciences in general temerity in troubling a man of genius when I and above all the mysteries of numbers is have no other claim to his attention than an excessively rare: one is not astonished at it: admiration necessarily shared by all his the enchanting charms of this sublime science

42 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 reveal only to those who have the courage to Then Germain embarked on an eventful go deeply into it. But when a person of the career as a physicist, a discipline in which she sex which, according to our customs and would again excel only to be confronted by prejudices, must encounter infinitely more the prejudices of the establishment. Her most difficulties than men to familiarize herself important contribution to the subject was with these thorny researches, succeeds theory of elasticity and the curvature of nevertheless in surmounting these obstacles surfaces. Her theory of elasticity was to lay and penetrating the most obscure parts of the foundations for the modern theory of them, then without doubt she must have the elasticity. noblest courage, quite extraordinary talents As a result of this research and her work and superior genius. on Fermat’s Last Theorem, she received a Sophie Germain’s correspondence with medal from the Institute de France and became Carl Gauss inspired much of her subsequent the first woman, who was not a wife of a work but, in 1808, the relationship ended member, to attend lectures at the Academy of abruptly. Gauss had been appointed Professor Sciences. Then, towards the end of her life, of Astronomy at the University of Göttingen, she reestablished her relationship with Carl his interest shifted from number theory to Gauss, who convinced the University of more applied mathematics, and he no longer Göttingen to award her an honorary degree. bothered to reply Germain’s letters. Without Tragically, before the university could bestow her mentor, her confidence began to wane and the honor upon her, Sophie Germain died of within a year she abandoned pure mathematics. breast cancer in 1831. She heard from him only once more, when his Sophie Germain Primes assistant wrote asking for her help in selecting A prime number n such that 2n+1 is also a clock as a gift from Gauss to his wife. prime is now called a Sophie Germain prime. Legendre had been thought to have been The first few Sophie Germain primes are (less a mentor for Germain. They both lived in Paris than 1000): 2, 3, 5, 11, 23, 29, 41, 53, 83, 89, and both worked on Fermat’s Last Theorem. 113, 131, 173, 179, 191, 233, 239, 251, 281, But her notes show that they independently 293, 359, 419, 431, 443, 491, 501, 593, 641, proved many of the same theorems and seemed 653, 659, 683, 719, 743, 761, 809, 911, 953. to know little of one another’s methods. Mathematicians are intrigued by finding large Although she made no further numbers, especially large prime numbers. The contributions to proving Fermat’s Last Theorem, record for the largest known Sophie Germain others were to build on her work. She had offered prime (as of March 2016) is 2618163402417x hope that those equations in which n equals a 21290000-1, a number with 388342 digits. Germain prime could be tackled, however the There actually are applications for Sophie remaining values of n remained intractable. Germain primes in number theory and even in

Science Horizon 43 OCTOBER, 2019 cryptology for digital signatures based on the Theorem. But this entire plan was nearly lost Diffie-Hellman key agreement algorithm, so to history, until David Pengelley of New finding large Sophie Germain primes is actually Mexico State University in Las Cruces and a worthwhile pursuit. Reinhard Laubenbacher of Virginia Tech in Here’s another record. The largest Blacksburg dug through her notes, long palindromic Sophie Germain prime is the archived in a French library. following 1047 digit number found by Harvey In Germain’s day, almost all Dubner: mathematicians working on the problem n = 10...05321812350...01 tackled only small bits of it at a time. But where each ... gap represents 516 additional Germain’s approach, had it been successful, 0’s. But there’s an aesthetic problem with this would have proven the entire conjecture at number that 2n+1 is prime, but is not a one go. Because her work was almost entirely palindrome! So here’s a final record, also unknown, mathematics ended up reproving found by Dubner: some of her results 80 years later. n = Before Pengelley and Laubenbacher’s 1919191918090908081808090908191919191 recent discoveries, mathematicians knew only of a small partial result of Germain’s in number theory. But in her manuscripts, they found a p = 2n+1 = simple, direct plan of attack on Fermat’s entire 3838383836181816163616181816383838383 theorem. She exploited techniques developed by Carl Friedrich Gauss and laid out her r = 2p+1 = method in a letter to him in 1819, looking for 7676767672363632327232363632767676767 feedback and, perhaps, collaboration. All three of these numbers are prime and References all three are palindromes! Both n and p are 1. Men of Mathematics, E.T. Bell, Simon therefore Sophie Germain primes. It is and Schuster (1937). impossible, however, to have a sequence n, p, 2. The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and r of three odd Sophie Germain primes that are Intersting Numbers, David Wells, all palindromes (of two digits or more) because Penguin (1997). 2r+1 would always end in 5 in such a sequence 3. Fermat’s Enigma: The Epic Quest to and thus would not be a prime. Solve the World’s Greatest Mathematical Conclusion Problem, Simon Singh, Walker and Nearly two centuries ago, Sophie Company (1998). Germain, the first woman known to have n discovered significant mathematical theorems, Plot No. 70, Laxmi Vihar Phase – 1 Bhubaneswar – 751018 developed a bold plan to prove Fermat’s Last Phone : 9438693724

44 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019 QUIZ : 7. What does WBC stand for? HUMAN BODY a) White Blood Corpuscles (BLOOD) b) White Blood Cells c) White Blood Capacity Dr. Sachidananda Satapathy d) Whole Blood Cells 1. Blood is the: 8. R.B.C. stands for: a) Liquid connective tissue of the body a) Random Blood Cells b) Substance which is formed after birth b) Renewable Blood Cells c) Tissue responsible for growth of c) Red Blood Corpuscles muscles and bones d) Regulated Blood Cells d) All of the above 9. The White Blood Corpuscles are 2. Blood is described as a specialised otherwise knows as: connective tissue in which there is: a) Erythrocytes b) Leucocytes a) Liquid intra cellular substance c) Platelets d) Arthrocytes b) Formed elements 10. Erythrocyte is the other name for the: c) Only water a) RBC b) WBC d) Only a and b c) CBC d) DBC 3. The liquid intra cellular substance of the 11. The other name of the platelet is: blood in knows as: a) Kytoeytes b) Thrombcytes a) Serum b) Plasma c) Benocytes d) Redocytes c) Cellone d) Sylla 12. The specific gravity of the whole blood 4. Which constitute the formed elements of varies from: blood? a) 1.055 to 1.060 a) Red blood cell b) 1.060 to 1.062 b) White blood cell c) 1.062 to 1.065 c) Platelets d) 1.065 to 1.070 d) All of the above 13. The freshly shed blood is: 5. The human blood is a highly complex a) Red b) Thick fluid, which is composed of: c) Opaque d) All of the above a) Two parts b) Three parts 14. The blood is: c) Four parts d) Six parts a) Slightly alkaline 6. The blood cells are called as: b) Slighly acidic a) Blood elements c) Neutral b) Blood corpuscles d) May be anything c) Blood components 15. The blood tastes: d) Blood servers a) Salty b) Sweet c) Sour d) Spicy

Science Horizon 45 OCTOBER, 2019 16. The origin of the blood is the: RECENT NEWS ON a) Earth surface b) Sea water SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY c) Earth minerals d) All of the above 17. Which of the following is the function Vikram Lander failed to soft land of the blood? on the Moon a) Transport of respiratory gases The Vikram lander is India’s first moon b) Transport of nutrition lander and was carrying the country’s first c) Regulation of body temperature lunar rover, called Pragyan. On September 6, d) All of the above it followed the planned descent trajectory from 18. Blood acts as a vehicle for hormones, its orbit of 35 km to just below 2 km above vitamins etc.: the surface. All the systems and sensors of the a) True Lander functioned excellently until this point b) False and proved many new technologies such as c) Partially true variable thrust propulsion technology used in d) Not exactly known the Lander. At this point, ISRO lost contact 19. Which of the following is not a function with Vikram. India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter of the blood? circling the moon has spotted the country’s a) Drainage of waste products lost Vikram lander on the lunar surface, but b) Maintenance of water balance there is still no signal from the lander. It is c) Supply of oxygen to the lungs assumed that it has crash landed on the surface d) Maintenance of acid-base equilibrium of Moon. But despite the lander’s failed moon 20. The water content of blood possesses the landing, the craft has already demonstrated quality of: key technologies for future missions. a) High specific heat b) High conductivity c) High latent heat of evaporation d) All of the above ANSWER 01. (a) 02. (d) 03. (b) 04. (d) 05. (a) 06. (b) 07. (a) 08. (c) 09. (b) 10. (a) 11. (b) 12. (a) 13. (d) 14. (a) 15. (a) 16. (b) 17. (d) 18. (a) 19. (c) 20. (d) n Retd. Joint Director of Health, Odisha Nimantran, 89, Shakhinagar, Vikram Lander Link Road, Cuttack-12

46 Science Horizon OCTOBER, 2019

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is equipped The Breakthrough Prize Foundation has with eight different science instruments to announced on 3rd September, 2019 the winners study the moon from above. Those instruments of the prize for 2020. It includes five prizes in include: a high resolution camera, a lunar life science and one each in mathematics and terrain mapping camera; a solar X-ray monitor; fundamental physics. The winners of prize for an imaging infrared spectrometer; a dual life sciences are Jeffrey M. Friedman, F. Ulrich frequency synthetic aperture radar for Harti, Arthur L. Horwich, David Julins and studying moon water ice and lunar mapping; a Virginia Man-Yee Lee. The winner of prize for sensor to study the moon’s thin exosphere; mathematics is Alex Eskin of University of and a dual frequency radio science experiment Chicago for his revolutionary discoveries in to study the moon’s ionosphere. Although the the dynamics and geometry of moduli spaces design life of the orbiter is one year, ISRO has of Abelian differentials. informed that it may work for seven years and The $ 3 million prize for fundamental hence most of the aims of the mission would physics will be shared equally with 347 be fulfilled. The Chandrayaan-2 mission is scientists co-authoring any of the six papers therefore considered more than 90% published by the Event Horizon Telescope successful. Collaboration on 10 April, 2019. Using eight Breakthrough Prize 2020 sensitive radio telescopes strategically The Breakthrough Prizes has been positioned around the world in Antarctica, founded in 2012 by the Russian industrialist Chile, Mexico, Hawaii, Arizona and Spain, a Yuri Milner and his wife Julia Milner. Other global collaboration of scientists at 60 sponsors of the prizes include 23 & Me institutions operating in 20 countries and cofounder Anne Wojcicki, Google cofounder regions captured an image of a blackhole for Sergey Brin, Facebook cofounder Mark the first time. The black hole is situated at the Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chain and centre of the Messier 87 galaxy whose mass is Tencent Chair Ma Huateng. It is a set of equivalent to mass of 6.5 billion suns. By international prize awarded in recognition of synchronising each telescope using a network scientific discoveries in life science, of atomic clocks, the team created a virtual mathematics and fundamental physics. Each telescope as large as the Earth. award comes with whopping $ 3 million cash The Breakthrough Prizes known as the prize. As far as monetary value is concerned, ‘Oscar of Science’ will be awarded in a this is the greatest prize. In addition to the magnificent ceremony to be held at NASA’s Breakthrough prizes six number of New Hanger One in Mountain View, California on Horizons prizes are awarded to young November 3. In addition to the Breakthrough scientists each year and each is $100,000 prizes, six New Horizons Prizes will be awarded prize. to 12 researchers to honour their early career achievements. Science Horizon 47 OCTOBER, 2019 New Light on Earth’s no role in Earth’s magnetism. But recent Magnetic Field research by an international team from Earth behaves like a giant magnet. Its Germany, France, Denmark and the USA has magnetic field protects it from energetic rays found that a form of iron oxide called haematite such as cosmic rays, charged particles and present in Earth’s mantle can retain its magnetic properties. Haematite is a strong magnetic other harmful radiations coming from space by defecting them away from the space. mineral at the temperature and pressure found in Earth’s mantle and so could therefore be a Earth’s inner core, which is about two- source of the overall magnetism of Earth. The thirds of the size of the Moon, is composed findings are published in Nature on 6 June, primarily of iron. Its temperature is 5700°C; but 2019. due to tremendous pressure it remains solid. Surrounding this is the outer core, a 2270 km thick layer of iron, nickel and small quantities of other metals. Here the pressure is lower than the inner core and so it is in fluid state, which circulates due to the Earth’s rotation. Till now, it was believed that Earth’s magnetic field arises from circulation of molten iron and nickel in its outer core. This flow of Earth Structure Dimension liquid iron generates Tess Discovers the Tiniest Planet Yet electric current, which in turn produces magnetic field. In the outermost crust of the NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Earth, rocks also produce magnetic field, but Satellite) unveiled the smallest planet ever their contribution to the overall magnetism of spotted till date which is between the size of Earth is negligible. Earth and Mars. It has been named L98-59b. It Earth’s mantle stretches from 5 km to 2900 is 10% smaller than the previous record of km from Earth’s surface and is mostly solid. It TESS. was believed to be non-magnetic and having Compiled by EDITOR 48 Science Horizon