North East Rising

Great news for India amidst the pandemic!

New Delhi, August 15: The vaccines are at different stages of development and testing. The government has planned to ensure that when the vaccine gets approved, it reaches every Indian.

He also mentions that every citizen would be given a health ID under a National Digital Health Mission.

Prime Minister said “Three vaccines are in different stages of testing. When scientists give the go-ahead, we are ready with a production plan. How the vaccine will reach every Indian in the least amount of time- we have a roadmap ready for that“.

Regarding the National Digital Health Mission, PM said: “Every Indian will get a Health ID card. Every time you visit a doctor or a pharmacy, everything will be logged in this health card in your profile on a national scale. From the doctor’s appointment to the medication advised, everything will be available in your health profile“.

India is racing in the attempts to produce vaccines since there is this huge surge of positive cases across the country. Bharat Biotech International received approval to do human clinical trials for their vaccines from the Indian Council of Medical Research. Zydus Cadila and Serum Institute of India are also testing vaccines.

The Prime Minister began his speech with a tribute to the corona warriors, the healthcare workers, doctors and nurses.

He talked about how with the resolve of 130 crore Indians, we will successfully defeat the crisis.

The celebration was held under a number of restrictions. PM Modi delivered his speech from the Red Fort, where every invitee wore a mask. School children were not invited and very few were invited. Distancing was given special attention to and every guest sat at least six feet apart from each other.

August 15, 2020: Indian scientists develop a sustainable process of making brick-like structures on the moon. A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has developed a sustainable process of making brick-like structures on the moon, according to IISc.

This exploits lunar soil and uses bacteria and guar beans to consolidate the soil into possible load-bearing structures. Bengaluru-based IISc said in a statement, “these space bricks could eventually be used to assemble structures for habitation on the surface of the moon, the researchers suggest,”

Space exploitation has grown exponentially in the last century. This also brings two different fields i.e. biology and mechanical engineering together. With Earth’s resources increasing rapidly, scientists have only intensified their efforts to inhibit the moon and possibly other planets.

The cost of sending one pound of material to outer space is about $10,000. The process developed by IISc and ISRO team uses urea which can be sourced from human urine and lunar soil as raw materials for the construction on the moon’s surface. This decreases the overall expenditure considerably. The process also includes lower carbon footprints as it uses guar gum instead of cement for support. This could also be used to make sustainable bricks on Earth.

Some micro-organisms can produce minerals through metabolic pathways. One such bacterium, called Sporosarcina pasteurii, produces calcium carbonate crystals through a metabolic pathway called ureolytic cycle. It uses urea and calcium to form these crystals as byproducts od the pathway.

The IISc and ISRO would also like to further enhance the strength of these bricks and test them under varied loading conditions like impacts and possibly moonquakes.