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| Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/logo.shtml |
1 January 2011: Scientists say they've compiled the most comprehensive list of land plant species ever published. The list was drawn up by researchers at Kew Gardens in London and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Kew's final list carries more than 1 million scientific names, of which 300,000 are accepted names for plant species.Another 480,000 are additional names, or synonyms, for those species.Another 480,000 are additional names for those species. Link: http://www.theplantlist.org/
2 January 2011: India's second oldest nuclear research reactor CIRUS supplied by Canada in 1954 was shut down permanently at midnight tonight in line with its commitment made under its civil nuclear deal with the US. CIRUS (Canada India Reactor Utility Services), refurbished in 2003, has been shut down permanently by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre as per commitment under Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement. Link: http://www.barc.ernet.in/
3 January 2011: National Institute of Virology has confirmed
4 January 2011: To enhance self reliance in warship production capabilities, the foundation stone of the National Institute for Research and Development in Defence Shipbuilding (NIRDESH) will be laid today in Calicut, Kerala. The Government of Kerala has agreed to provide more than 40 acres of land for this institute. NIRDESH will be an autonomous body under the Department of Defence Production and registered under the Registration of Societies Act 1860. Link: http://mod.nic.in/aboutus/welcome.html
5 January 2011: A promising anti-cancer drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is likely to be commercially launched soon. The drug, 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG) had been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India. The technology has already been transferred to a Hyderabad-based laboratory. The drug acts by altering the glucose mechanism of the body and denying sustenance to cancer cells that feed on glucose. Link: http://www.drdo.gov.in/
6 January 2011: The Mankombu Rice Research Station (RRS) which functions under the aegis of the Kerala Agricultural University, has developed a new rice variety Prathyasha-a short-duration variety that can be harvested after 100-105 days. It is the 21st variety developed by RRS. Pratyasha promises better taste than Jyothi and Uma varieties and has higher content of Iron and Zinc. The yield, however is slightly less, offering five to 5.5 tonnes a hectare. Link: http://www.kau.edu/rrsmoncompu.htm
7 January 2011: The Bombay Stock Exchange has introduced index-based circuit breaker system for the March quarter, whereby among others, trading in Sensex scrips would be halted if the 30-share benchmark gains 4,100 points in a single day. The circuit breaker brings about a coordinated trading halt in all equity and equity derivative markets nationwide. The system is applicable at three stages of the index movement either way at 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 20 per cent. Link: http://www.bseindia.com/8 January 2011: Scientists at the University of Guelph have developed genetically modified pigs that could be among the first to be approved for human consumption.The project approved by Canadian government is called Enviropig. The pigs created contain genes from mice and E.coli bacteria and are can digest phosphates which means the pigs are cheaper to feed and less polluting. Supporters claim the animal could help in the battle to feed the ever-growing human population. Link: http://www.uoguelph.ca/enviropig/
9 January 2011: A group of 54 engineering students from the SRM University, Chennai has designed a 10-kg nano satellite to monitor Greenhouse Gases that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch in April. The students have been working on the project 'SRMSAT' since 2008. A grating spectrometer is employed for monitoring earth-based sources and sinks of anthropogenic and natural sources of GHG. Link: http://www.srmuniv.ac.in/
10 January 2011: A joint team of Indian and Australian scientists is studying molecular changes in Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, a species commonly found along the entire Antarctic coast, triggered by global warming. The experts are also looking at the larger issue of whether climate change drives evolution. Australian team is collaborating with Siva Swaminathan, who leads the Indian side, under the aegis of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund. Link: https://grants.innovation.gov.au/AISRF/Pages/Home.aspx
11 January 2011: The Colombo zoo in Sri Lanka is gifting five of its Green Anacondas to the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysore. None of the zoological parks in India has this snake species which is among the deadliest and longest snakes in the world, stretching to an average of more than 5 metres or 17 feet and weighing about 100 kg. The Anacondas that Mysore zoo will get are young ones, two males and three females, measuring five to seven feet. Link: http://www.cza.nic.in/
12 January 2011: Google in partnership with the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN), the LEGO Group, National Geographic and Scientific American launched its first ever Global Science Fair for young people. Finalists win a 25,000 scholarship, and the winner gets a 50,000 dollar scholarship plus a 10-day trip to the
13 January 2011: NASA's Kepler telescope has found the smallest planet outside our solar system. One side of the planet is about 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. The planet is called Kepler 10-b after the telescope that found it. NASA scientist Natalie Batalha said the planet is about 1.4 times the size of Earth and has a mass about 4.5 times our planet's. Astronomers have found other planets outside our solar system that are closer in mass to Earth, but none this small in width. Link: http://kepler.nasa.gov/
14 January 2011: India’s third permanent station in Antarctica, Bharati, would be up and running next year Bharati will have an accompanying earth station to receive satellite images and transmitting them back to India in real time. It is coming up at the Larsemann Hills on the eastern coast of
15 January 2011: Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia is celebrating its tenth birthday this week. The site was founded on Jan. 15, 2001 by Jimmy Wales, after he failed at launching a traditional online encyclopedia called Newpedia. The popular reference site is available in more than 250 languages and features around 26 million entries. Now Wikipedia is opening an office in India , which will be the site's first branch outside of the U.S. China
16 January 2011: Scientists from cambridge University and Edinburgh University have developed the first genetically modified "Super Chicken" resistant to bird flu. The genetically modified chickens possess an extra RNA gene that does not allow the flu virus to replicate in the chickens' systems. The RNA gene does not protect the "super" chickens from getting avian flu but it does stop the disease from spreading if the chicken dies. Link: http://www.ed.ac.uk/home
17 January 2011: Akira Iritani, a professor at Kyoto University, has claimed that the Woolly Mammoth, extinct for 5,000 years, could be reborn with the help of cloning technology.The nuclei can be inserted into the egg cells of an African elephant, which will act as the surrogate mother for the Mammoth. Iritani said he estimates that another two years will be needed before the elephant can be impregnated, followed by the approximately 600-day gestation period. Link: http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en
18 January 2011: With the proposed commissioning of a 50-Mw tidal power project off the coast of Gujarat in 2013, India is ready to place it which will be first of its kind in Asia as well. The project is undertaken by London-based marine energy developer Atlantis Resources Corporation, along with Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd. Late last year, Atlantis became the turbine supplier to the largest planned marine power project in the world, MeyGen, in Scotland. Link: http://www.atlantisresourcescorporation.com/
19 January 2011: India experienced its hottest year on record in 2010, the Indian Meteorological Department said ,blaming the rise in temperatures on global warming. India's mean annual temperature during 2010 was 0.93 degrees Celsius higher than the long term (1961-1990) average, according to the Annual Climate Summary of India during 2010. The study also said that that the 2001-2010 decade was the warmest since the records started. Link: http://www.imd.gov.in/
20 January 2011: The year 2010 ranked as the warmest year on record, together with 2005 and 1998, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Data received by the WMO show no statistically significant difference between global temperatures in 2010, 2005 and 1998. In 2010, global average temperature was 0.53°C (0.95°F) above the 1961-90 mean. This value is 0.01°C (0.02°F) above the nominal temperature in 2005, and 0.02°C (0.05°F) above 1998. Link: http://www.wmo.int
21 January 2011: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has released the largest digital color image of the sky ever made, and its free to all. The image has been put together over the last decade from millions of 2.8-megapixel images, thus creating a color image of more than a trillion pixels. This enormous image has formed the basis for new surveys of the Universe using the SDSS telescope. The project by the telescope started taking data in 2009 and will continue until 2014. Link: http://www.sdss3.org/
29 January 2011: Mangrol, a small fishing town situated along Gujarat coast, now has Whale Shark as its mascot. The announcement was made during the Whale Shark Day celebrations, marking the culmination of six years of successful Save the Whale Shark campaign. The whale shark, Rhincodon typus is the largest fish on earth, growing to over 12 metres or 40 feet in length. This solitary, slow-swimming, gentle giant, classified as a vulnerable species, but is no killer. Link: http://gujenvfor.gswan.gov.in/
30 January 2011: The new photo recognition software for Android mobiles, Goggles, can help solve the Sudoku puzzle. Just hold the numerical puzzle up to the camera on your mobile. Goggles will then recognize the numbers already in the puzzle and calculate the missing values. Goggles, now in version 1.3, is also capable of giving assitance other number games. Recognition of bar codes has also gotten better, reported Google in its blog. Link: http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles/
31 January 2011: Researchers have discovered that contrary to popular belief half of the ice flows in the Karakoram range of the mountains are actually growing rather than shrinking. It further challenges claims made in a 2007 report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the glaciers would be gone by 2035. The new study report is published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Link: http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1068.html
17 January 2011: Akira Iritani, a professor at Kyoto University, has claimed that the Woolly Mammoth, extinct for 5,000 years, could be reborn with the help of cloning technology.The nuclei can be inserted into the egg cells of an African elephant, which will act as the surrogate mother for the Mammoth. Iritani said he estimates that another two years will be needed before the elephant can be impregnated, followed by the approximately 600-day gestation period. Link: http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en
18 January 2011: With the proposed commissioning of a 50-Mw tidal power project off the coast of Gujarat in 2013, India is ready to place it which will be first of its kind in Asia as well. The project is undertaken by London-based marine energy developer Atlantis Resources Corporation, along with Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd. Late last year, Atlantis became the turbine supplier to the largest planned marine power project in the world, MeyGen, in Scotland. Link: http://www.atlantisresourcescorporation.com/
19 January 2011: India experienced its hottest year on record in 2010, the Indian Meteorological Department said ,blaming the rise in temperatures on global warming. India's mean annual temperature during 2010 was 0.93 degrees Celsius higher than the long term (1961-1990) average, according to the Annual Climate Summary of India during 2010. The study also said that that the 2001-2010 decade was the warmest since the records started. Link: http://www.imd.gov.in/
20 January 2011: The year 2010 ranked as the warmest year on record, together with 2005 and 1998, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Data received by the WMO show no statistically significant difference between global temperatures in 2010, 2005 and 1998. In 2010, global average temperature was 0.53°C (0.95°F) above the 1961-90 mean. This value is 0.01°C (0.02°F) above the nominal temperature in 2005, and 0.02°C (0.05°F) above 1998. Link: http://www.wmo.int
21 January 2011: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has released the largest digital color image of the sky ever made, and its free to all. The image has been put together over the last decade from millions of 2.8-megapixel images, thus creating a color image of more than a trillion pixels. This enormous image has formed the basis for new surveys of the Universe using the SDSS telescope. The project by the telescope started taking data in 2009 and will continue until 2014. Link: http://www.sdss3.org/
22 January 2011: NASA's newest Earth-observing research mission is nearing launch. The Glory mission will improve our understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. Glory also will extend a legacy of long-term solar measurements needed to address the current climate change. Glory is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
22 January 2011: Scientists at Galapagos National Park Ecuador
23 January 2011: Israel
24 January 2011: The World Organisation for Animal Health declared 2011 as World Veterinary Year. The official opening ceremony of the year was held today in France. It is in recognition of the 250th anniversary of veterinary education marked by the foundation of the world’s first veterinary school in Lyon, France, in 1761, shortly followed by the Alfort veterinary school, near Paris, in 1764, both of them at the initiative of French veterinarian Claude Bourgelat. Link: http://www.vet2011.org/
25 January 2011: Today, scientists will meet at the Royal Society in London to define Kilogram in terms of the fundamental constants of nature, rather than a physical object. The kilogram is still defined as the mass of a cylinder of platinum-iridium stored at the Imternational Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, as the International Prototype. Measurements over the past century have shown that the international prototype has lost around 50 micrograms. Link: http://www.bipm.org/en/home/
26 January 2011: Scientists have released a draft sequence of the Orangutan genome, revealing intriguing clues to the evolution of great apes and humans.The sequenced genome is that of a female Sumatran Orangutan named Susie. Of the great apes, the Orangutan is the most genetically distant from humans. Details of the research are outlined in the journal Nature. Link: http://www.hgsc.bcm.tmc.edu/project-species-p-Orangutan.hgsc?pageLocation=Orangutan
27 January 2011: Railways has inaugurated India's first green station at Manwal on the Jammu-Udhampur rail route. With the tiny station facing frequent power cuts, it has been a provided a supply of solar power. Link:http://www.nr.railnet.gov.in/
The state electric supply is a standby source, which can be used in case of any failure of solar system. Additional Solar panels for increasing backup for power supply and complete platform lighting are planned to be provided for further improvement in the system.
28 January 2011: The NASA remembered the deadly explosion of the space shuttle Challenger 25 years ago today. The shuttle broke up just after launch on January 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. The day is also used to honour three astronauts killed in a fire aboard Apollo I on January 27, 1967 and the seven crew members killed when the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003. Link: http://history.nasa.gov/sts51l.html
25 January 2011: Today, scientists will meet at the Royal Society in London to define Kilogram in terms of the fundamental constants of nature, rather than a physical object. The kilogram is still defined as the mass of a cylinder of platinum-iridium stored at the Imternational Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, as the International Prototype. Measurements over the past century have shown that the international prototype has lost around 50 micrograms. Link: http://www.bipm.org/en/home/
26 January 2011: Scientists have released a draft sequence of the Orangutan genome, revealing intriguing clues to the evolution of great apes and humans.The sequenced genome is that of a female Sumatran Orangutan named Susie. Of the great apes, the Orangutan is the most genetically distant from humans. Details of the research are outlined in the journal Nature. Link: http://www.hgsc.bcm.tmc.edu/project-species-p-Orangutan.hgsc?pageLocation=Orangutan
27 January 2011: Railways has inaugurated India's first green station at Manwal on the Jammu-Udhampur rail route. With the tiny station facing frequent power cuts, it has been a provided a supply of solar power. Link:http://www.nr.railnet.gov.in/
The state electric supply is a standby source, which can be used in case of any failure of solar system. Additional Solar panels for increasing backup for power supply and complete platform lighting are planned to be provided for further improvement in the system.
28 January 2011: The NASA remembered the deadly explosion of the space shuttle Challenger 25 years ago today. The shuttle broke up just after launch on January 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. The day is also used to honour three astronauts killed in a fire aboard Apollo I on January 27, 1967 and the seven crew members killed when the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003. Link: http://history.nasa.gov/sts51l.html
29 January 2011: Mangrol, a small fishing town situated along Gujarat coast, now has Whale Shark as its mascot. The announcement was made during the Whale Shark Day celebrations, marking the culmination of six years of successful Save the Whale Shark campaign. The whale shark, Rhincodon typus is the largest fish on earth, growing to over 12 metres or 40 feet in length. This solitary, slow-swimming, gentle giant, classified as a vulnerable species, but is no killer. Link: http://gujenvfor.gswan.gov.in/
30 January 2011: The new photo recognition software for Android mobiles, Goggles, can help solve the Sudoku puzzle. Just hold the numerical puzzle up to the camera on your mobile. Goggles will then recognize the numbers already in the puzzle and calculate the missing values. Goggles, now in version 1.3, is also capable of giving assitance other number games. Recognition of bar codes has also gotten better, reported Google in its blog. Link: http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles/
31 January 2011: Researchers have discovered that contrary to popular belief half of the ice flows in the Karakoram range of the mountains are actually growing rather than shrinking. It further challenges claims made in a 2007 report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the glaciers would be gone by 2035. The new study report is published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Link: http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1068.html
