2 April 2016: Researchers have discovered a tadpole that eats sand, lives in darkness till the time it turns into a young frog. The tadpoles (Micrixalus herrei) were discovered from the sand beds of a forested stream in southern Western Ghats. The discovery has been made by scientists from the University of Delhi, the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Gettysburg College, California. The tadpole belongs to the Indian Dancing Frog family, Micrixalidae. They are called 'Dancing Frogs' because of their nature of waving their legs signalling territorial and sexual display. The Micrixalidae tadpoles hang onto the rocks underwater with support of their mouths. The tadpolese have ribs and whitish globular sacs that store calcium carbonate, known as 'lime sacs'. This discovery builds the knowledge base for further comparative analyses and conservation of Micrixalus, an ancient and endemic lineage of Indian frogs.The research with photos has been published in the journal PLOS One. Link: http://journals.plos.org
3 April 2016: Wildlife authorities are likely to alter Kishanganga Wildlife Sanctuary project in Gurez valley in the high Himalayas, in northern Kashmir. to pave way for army’s imminent takeover of Tragal meadow in the same area for use as an artillery firing range, a move that has drawn criticism from various quarters. For its rich variety of flora and fauna, Tragbal is one of the areas cleared by the government of India for inclusion in wildlife protected zones. Also, the state wildlife department has completed the groundwork for the sanctuary project. The state government’s proposal to hand over Tragbal meadows to the army for setting up an artillery firing range here has drawn opposition from many quarters. The survey report along with the proposal was submitted to the higher officials in the wildlife department in 2104-15, according to the officials. The valley is home to animals like Snow Leopard, Hangul, Musk Deer, Barking Deer, Black Bear, Markhor, Ibex, and Marmot etc. Link: http://www.moef.nic.in
4 April 2016: A team led by University of Washington researchers has taken a second turn at sequencing the Western Lowland Gorilla genome, putting together puzzle pieces that didn’t match up earlier. The results are likely to bring about revisions in the evolutionary tale of the Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and where it fits in the primate family tree that includes humans. Western Lowland Gorillas live in West Africa, with the largest concentration in Congo. The first version of the Western Lowland Gorilla’ genome was published four years ago and has served as a useful tool for comparative analysis. But the final genome consisted of 400,000 fragments of DNA, and some of the genetic information was lost in the process of sequencing. The effort turned up thousands of coding and regulatory elements that had been missed earlier. The variations also suggest that 50,000 years ago, the species went through a population bottleneck. The study is published in the journal Science. Link: http://science.sciencemag.org
5 April 2016: 'An encyclopedia of Srinivasa Ramanujan and his mathematics' is being launched by Springer. The Ramanujan Encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference book that will contain information on all the mathematical contributions of Ramanujan and their impact on scientific fields, as well as on important aspects Ramanujan’s life including the individuals who have played significant roles in his life and with regard to his work. The themes that the encyclopedia will include are: (1) Ramanujan’s life (2) persons closely connected with Ramanujan’s life or mathematics (3) Ramanujan’s notebooks and work in India (4) Ramanujan’s letters to Hardy (5) Ramanujan in England (6) Ramanujan’s published papers (7) Ramanujan’s lost notebook (8) Ramanujan’s work and its influence (9) Books/expositions on Ramanujan’s life and work (10) Ramanujan in the media (11) honouring and preserving Ramanujan’s legacy (12) modern research and (13) Ramanujan’s health. Link: http://www.springer.com
6 April 2016: A team of quantum physicists has discovered a mysterious new state of matter in a two-dimensional material. Scientists are calling the state 'Quantum Spin Liquid'. Though the novel state was predicted 40 years ago, only now, the researchers could present a direct evidence. Quantum Spin Liquid is characterized by the breaking apart of electrons. The electron fragments are called Majorana fermions. While observing particle behavior inside a graphene-like 2D material, scientists at the University of Cambridge recorded the signatures of these fractional particles. What they saw matched the predictions of theoretical models for a quantum spin liquid. The mysterious state explains anomalies inside magnetic materials. Electrons in magnetic materials each behave like miniature bar magnets. As a material is cooled, the electrons each line up in accordance with magnetic north, all pointing the same direction. The discovery is published in the journal Nature Materials. Link: http://www.nature.com
7 April 2016: World's first white tiger sanctuary is going to be set up in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, on 10th April 2016. The 25-hectare sanctuary at Mukundpur, 20km from Rewa, is currently home to only one white tiger, Vindhya. There are two others in an adjoining zoo. Locals in Rewa consider the white tiger, the colour of whose coat is the result of a genetic aberration, a part of the city's legacy. The first White Tiger was spotted by the king then there, Martand Singh in 1951. The royal family reportedly inbred to create a White Tiger progeny. But it disappeared from Rewa in 1976. Wildlife experts, though, have been critical of White Tiger breeding, and believe it's a waste of money since it has no conservation value. Though the colour of the tiger's coat is admired by many, its survival value is actually compromised. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums is strictly against breeding practices of White Tigers as it will endanger their survival value and camouflaging ability. Link: http://whitetigersafari.mp-online.in
8 April 2016: Planet X, a suspected ninth planet in our solar system, may have caused periodic mass extinctions on Earth, according to a new study. According to a particular group of astronomers, as Planet X orbits the Sun, its tilted orbit slowly rotates and the planet passes through the Kuiper belt of comets every 27 million years, knocking comets into the inner solar system. The dislodged comets not only smash into the Earth, they also disintegrate in the inner solar system as they get nearer to the Sun, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching Earth. In 1985, a look at the paleontological record supported the idea of regular comet showers dating back 250 million years. Newer research shows evidence of such events dating as far back as 500 million years. The researchers believe that Planet X would be between 1and 5 times the mass of Earth, and about 100 times more distant from the Sun. The study is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Link: http://mnrasl.oxfordjournals.org
9 April 2016: Almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites, including the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu, are threatened by industrial activities such as mining, oil exploration and illegal logging, WWF has warned. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) lists 197 'Natural' and 32 'Mixed' Heritage Sites in 96 countries around the world, alongside 802 cultural sites. The 229 natural and mixed sites, nominated by governments of the countries in which they are found, include national parks and nature reserves, forests, coral reefs, islands and coastal areas. Among the 114 sites highlighted by the WWF, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the world's biggest coral reef ecosystem, is threatened by both mining and shipping. The Grand Canyon Natural Park in US, is threatened by dams or unsustainable water use. And the 15th-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru, named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, is threatened by logging. Link: https://www.worldwildlife.org
10 April 2016: Conservationists in Cambodia have declared the endangered Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)species 'functionally extinct', confirming that a massive conservation effort to reintroduce breeding populations is currently under way. The magnificent Indochinese tiger that once prospered in the pristine forest habitats of Thailand, Cambodia, China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Vietnam is now believed to have been hunted to extinction. In addition to the Indochinese species, the South China Tiger, Sumatran Tiger, Amur Tiger, Bengal Tiger and Malayan Tiger species are among the more endangered species with the first two recognized as critically endangered. A few years ago, leading countries home to tiger populations, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam, had in concert with one another, initiated a drive to double tiger numbers by 2022. Link: http://www.worldwildlife.org
11 April 2016: A recent survey by the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, had recorded the presence of as many as 10 invasive species in the intertidal habitats of Kerala coast. They include one seaweed, one species of bryozoan, one species of mollusc and seven species of ascidian. According to a paper presented by R. Ravinesh and A. Biju Kumar of the department at an international conference on aquatic exotics, the distribution of invasive species reported from the Kerala coast is likely to have been assisted by shipping. The colossal loads of ballast water carried by ships could transport fish, viruses, bacteria, algae, zooplankton and benthonic invertebrates. The survey also recorded a sea slug called Winged Thecacera (Thecacera Pennigera) in the southwest coast of India. Originally reported from the Atlantic coast of Europe, the sea slug is currently reported from South Africa, West Africa, Pakistan, Japan, Brazil, eastern Australia and New Zealand.Link: https://scholar.google.co.in
12 April 2016: The United Nations today observed the International Day of Human Space Flight to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the first human space flight, which ushered in the beginning of the space era for mankind. On 12 April, 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen, became the first human to enter outer space. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. To pay tribute to the extraordinary journey of the men and women who have flown into space, and capture their unique perspectives and experiences in a distinctive collection, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is inviting past and present space explorers to sign an autograph sheet and provide a message that might inspire future generations. The 2016 edition of this autograph album contains a copy of the signed sheets received from 68 participating space explorers from 20 nations as well as their messages in the United Nations official languages. It also contains a copy of the autographs of Yuri Gagarin and Edward H. White on their visit to United Nations. The Assembly expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.
13 April 2016: The US research agency DARPA as part of its awkwardly monikered Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program, has developed a new warship by name Sea-Hunter which doesn’t even require a remote operator or control panel. The ship uses advanced radars and automated systems that enable it to navigate the high seas completely on its own, using the international ship-tracking Automatic Identification System (AIS) that it uses to weave into shipping lanes while smartly avoiding other maritime traffic. Even though it is christened with the mighty sounding Sea Hunter, the ship is not weaponized. The ship was originally conceptualized as a submarine hunter, but this has changed. The autonomous ship is slated to be in testing for another two years, after which it may be absorbed into the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet in Japan for trials. Even though such vessels may some day carry armament, the decision to use lethal force has always been left with humans. Link: http://www.darpa.mil
14 April 2016: NASA is all set to install the first human-rated expandable structure that may help inform the design of deep space habitats to the International Space Station (ISS) during April 16, 2016. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will be attached to the station’s Tranquility module over a period of about four hours. The BEAM will be removed from the un-pressurised tank of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft by the controllers in mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.To remove and move the BEAM into position next to Tranquility’s aft assembly port, controllers will use the robotic Canadarm2. The BEAM will be secured by using common berthing mechanism controls by NASA astronauts aboard the station. BEAM was launched aboard Dragon on April 8, 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. BEAM is an example of NASA’s increased commitment to partnering with space-industry enabling the commercial utilization and exploitation of deep space habitats in future. Link: http://bigelowaerospace.com
15 April 2016: A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 knocked over houses in southern Japan today evening. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the 9:26 pm quake, and no risk of a tsunami. Mashiki is east of Kumamoto city, about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southwest of Tokyo. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that damage was being assessed, but there were no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicenter was 120 kilometers (74 mile) northeast of the Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country. Kasumi Nakamura, an official in the village of Nishihara near the epicenter, said that the rattling started modestly and grew violent, lasting about 30 seconds. One aftershock measuring 5.7 struck about 40 minutes later, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. The US Geological Survey put the quake's preliminary magnitude at 6.2 and said it was 23 kilometers deep. It said there's a low likelihood of casualties but some damage is possible. Link: http://earthquake.usgs.gov
16 April 2016: UNESCO has approved Russia-submitted resolution on preservation and restoration of Palmyra and other cultural facilities in Syria. Palmyra, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, was recaptured by the Syrian Armed Forces March 27. The city had been controlled by militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group since May 2015. For less than a year of their Palmyra control, IS vandals destroyed the famous Arch of Triumph with the colonnade and other ancient monuments. Besides, Russian special operations forces were involved in the effort to recapture the ancient city. The ceasefire regime took effect in Syria on February 27. Shortly before, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution supporting a cessation of hostilities. The document drafted by Russia and the United States was backed by all 15 Security Council member states. The ceasefire regime does not cover the terrorist out-fits like Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra.The first group of International Anti-mine Center specialists have arrived in Syria on March 31. Link: http://whc.unesco.org
17 April 2016: Last month (March 2016) was the hottest month since record keeping began, the eleventh such consecutive record, according to reports released this week. Average global temperatures last month were 1.07 °C (1.9°F) above the average in March since 1891, according to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Separate data released by NASA shows that March was 1.65°C (3.0°F) warmer than the average between 1951 and 1980. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the primary keeper of such data in the U.S., will release its numbers next week. Last month may have also been the most above-average temperature month of all time, but preliminary agency data is inconsistent on that record. February of this year broke that record by a dramatic margin. The temperature record was likely driven by the ongoing, but now fading, El Niño climate phenomenon that raises global temperatures. Recent temperature spikes underscore how difficult meeting the target of Paris Climate Change Agreement reached last year. Link: http://www.noaa.gov
18 April 2016: The Euro-Russian spacecraft ExoMars, launched towards the Red Planet last month, has sent home its first pictures from space. Launched on March 14 on a Russian Proton rocket, the probe's high-resolution camera was switched on for the first time on April 7, and took its first grainy, black and white snapshots of space. With its suite of high-tech instruments, the probe should arrive at the Red Planet on October 19 after a journey of 496 million kilometres. The spacecraft is also piggybacking a lander dubbed Schiaparelli, which it will release onto Mars for a few days in October. Schiaparelli will test heat shields and parachutes in preparation for a subsequent rover landing on Mars. ExoMars is a two-part collaboration between the ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agency. The probe will seek to analyse methane, a gas which on Earth is created in large part by living microbes, and traces of which were observed on previous Mars missions. The probe will do methane-analysis in more detail to try and determine its likely origin. Link: http://exploration.esa.int
19 April 2016: After deep sea trawlers, purse seine boat fishing and bull trawls, it is Light Emitting Diode (LED) light fishing that is threatening the fishing industry and marine ecology. It is estimated that about 20,000 fishermen families depend on small-scale fishing or traditional fishing in Uttara Kannada. Introduction of bull trawls two years ago in Uttara Kannada district by fishermen of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts led to violent clashes between the fishermen of the coastal districts. Under pressure from local fishermen, the UK district administration banned bull trawl fishing. The introduction of this LED light fishing technique has created an uproar among fishermen with many fearing that it could soon lead to a fish famine. In this method a small boat is mounted with 8 LED bulbs, each with 1000 mega hertz capacity. A generator with 20,000 mega hertz capacity which costs around Rs 3.5 lakh is used to illuminate these bulbs at night. The fish get attracted to the light and hover around the boat.Neighbouring Goa has banned such fishing on its territories. Though illegal in Uttara Kannada, at least 80 boats use the LED fishing technique. Link: http://www.academia.edu
20 April 2016: A 20 million years old tree fossil, which was lying neglected along the Chandigarh-Shimla highway at Raboon area in Solan district,was saved by a geologist in Shimla. During the widening of Parwanoo-Solan stretch for four laning, this fossil was about to be damaged by those working on the project but due to the intervention of the geologist, it was saved. Fossil trees have been found in different location in Kasauli and Barog but this is one of the finest preserved fossil tree found till date in the locality. The discovery could be associated with Paleoflooding event in the past related to global warming. The flooding uprooted the forests and the uprooted trees were carried along with channels and deposited along the river channels. They were instantly covered by the sand. Making it a perfect place for the preservation of this fossil tree, he added. Widening of the road from Timber trail to Solan had put one such fossil discovered by Ritesh Arya in danger and when he was passing through the road few days back, accidently he saw an earth moving machine about to destroy the fossil tree. Link: http://ritesharya.com
21 April 2016: The re-entry capsule of China's first retrievable microgravity satellite SJ-10 returned safely to Earth today, marking a huge step forward in the Commmunist giant's space science research. The recoverable capsule of the research probe, launched on April 6, touched down at around 4:30 pm (local time) at the planned landing area in Siziwang Banner in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, retrievers said. The capsule was transferred to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), which will hand over the equipment to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) for further analysis and assessment. The re-entry capsule separated from the orbital module of the probe about 15 minutes before its landing. The latter will remain in orbit before burning away. It is the 24th retrievable satellite China has successfully recovered. The landing also marked the first time such a satellite was recovered in Siziwang Banner. During its 12-day journey, 19 experiments were carried. The experiments included reproduction in space, and radiation's effect on the genetic stability. Link: http://www.china.org.cn
21 April 2016: NIT Sikkim's got the fastest supercomputer among all the 31 NITs (National Institute of Technology) in India. Titled 'Param Kanchenjunga', the supercomputer has been developed by teams from NIT Sikkim and CDAC (Center for Development of Advance Computing) at Pune - known for developing India's first ever supercomputer (PARAM8000) and the PARAM supercomputer series. The word 'Param' which means 'Supreme' comes from Sanskrit language and Kanchenjunga, is the third highest mountain in the world. The Param Kanchenjunga will operate at 15 Teraflops and is estimated to cost about Rs. 3 crore. NIT Sikkim plans to deploy the machine mainly for aid in research and academics. The NIT officials expect that the supercomputer will contribute to research areas like climate modeling. It's interesting to note that the title of the world's fastest supercomputer has been held for over six consecutive years by China's Tianhe-2. The machine, developed by China's National University of Defense Technology operates at peak performance of 33.86 petaflop/s. Link: http://www.nitsikkim.ac.in
22 April 2016: Four months after negotiating a global climate agreement in Paris, government officials are coming to New York today to sign the pact in a ceremony at the United Nations. It is the first agreement requiring all countries to join the fight against global warming. The objective of the agreement is to keep the global temperature rise 'well below' 2°C (3.6°F) compared with pre-industrial times. The agreement also includes an aspirational goal of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5°C (2.7°F). Temperatures have already risen by almost 1°C (1.8°F) since the industrial revolution. Countries are required to set national targets for reducing or reining in their greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement paves the way for emerging economies such as China to contribute, even though it doesn't require them to do so. The agreement will enter into force 30 days after 55 countries accounting for at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions have completed the ratification process. It's possible to withdraw from the climate-treaty, but not in the first three years after it had entered into force. Link: http://ec.europa.eu
he first group of International Anti-mine Center specialists arrived in Sy
23 April 2016: The Battle of San Carlos was a major battle between aircraft and ships that lasted from 21 to 25 May 1982 during the British landings on the shores of San Carlos Water (which became known as 'Bomb Alley' in the 1982 Falklands War. Low-flying land-based Argentine jet aircraft made repeated attacks on ships of the British Task Force. It was the first time in history that a modern surface fleet armed with surface-to-air missiles and with air cover backed up by STOVL carrier-based aircraft defended against full-scale air strikes. There are claims that the islands, which were invaded by Argentina 34 years ago to the day, have been left without adequate protection after it emerged there is currently no British frigate or destroyer on route to the islands, leaving them with only the small and lightly armed offshore patrol vessel HMS Clyde. The Navy does not permanently station a frigate or destroyer near the Falklands, but normally has one on its way to and from the islands as part of its five to six-month tour of the Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South) force. At the moment Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South) vessels are occupied with other duties. Link: http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil
24 April 2016: China will encourage ships flying its flag to take the Northwest Passage via the Arctic Ocean, a route opened up by global warming, to cut travel times between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. China is increasingly active in the polar region, becoming one of the biggest mining investors in Greenland and agreeing a free trade deal with Iceland. In 2013, the Arctic Council admitted emerging powers China and India as observers. Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save Chinese companies time and money. For example, the journey from Shanghai to Hamburg via the Arctic route is 2,800 nautical miles shorter than going by the Suez canal. China's Maritime Safety Administration in April released a 356-page guide in Chinese offering detailed route guidance from the northern coast of North America to the northern Pacific. Chinese ships, even merchant vessels, using the Northwest Passage could raise eyebrows in Washington. In September, five Chinese Navy ships sailed in international waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska, in an apparent first for China's military at a time when US President Barack Obama toured the US state. Link: http://link.springer.com
25 April 2016: Stephen Hawking wants India’s participation in a new space exploration initiative. The space exploration program, Breakthrough StarShot, announced on April 12, 2016, that has world famous cosmologist Stephen hawking, billionaire venture capitalist Yuri Milner and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg teaming up, has announced that that they are looking for India’s participation. As per Stephen Hawking, India is a leader in space exploration, especially with the recent Mars Orbiter Mission. He hopes to explore the possibility of working closely with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on our StarShot program. If successful, the project will see thousands of light-propelled vehicles called nanocraft, moving at 20 percent of the speed of light to Alpha Centauri (the closest star system from ours). To put things into perspective, an eight or nine-month voyage to Mars, will be covered in just 30 minutes by nanocraft. Moreover, the standard 10-year long Pluto journey will be cut to 72 hours. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also joined Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner in space exploration initiative. Link: http://breakthroughinitiatives.org
26 April 2016: China wants to put astronauts on the moon by 2036, the latest goal in China’s ambitious lunar exploration programme. China in 2003 became the third country to put a man in space with its own rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States. It has touted its plans for moon exploration and in late 2013 completed the first lunar “soft landing” since 1976 with the Chang’e-3 craft and its Jade Rabbit rover. The country also plans to land the first probe ever on the dark side of the moon in 2018, another milestone. China must 'raise its abilities and use the next 15 to 20 years to realise manned lunar exploration goals, and take a firm step for the Chinese people in breaking ground in the utilization of space', Lieutenant General Zhang Yulin, deputy commander of the China Manned Space Program. Zhang made the comments in statement posted to the programme’s website. The official China Daily newspaper said the announcement marked “the country’s first confirmation of a manned lunar exploration programme”. The paper cited experts saying China needed first to develop a powerful enough rocket to lift a payload of at least 100 metric tonnes into low Earth orbit. It also needs more advanced technology, including new space suits, for a lunar mission. Advancing China’s space programme is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling itself a space power. Link: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn
27 April 2016: Astronomers have found a first-of-its-kind tailless comet whose composition may offer clues into long-standing questions about the solar system’s formation and evolution. The so-called Manx comet, named after a breed of cats without tails, was made of rocky materials that are normally found near Earth. Most comets are made of ice and other frozen compounds and were formed in solar system’s frigid far reaches. The new comet, known as C/2014 S3, was discovered in 2014 by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS. Typically comets coming in from the same region as the Manx grow bright tails as they approach the sun, the result of ice vaporizing off their bodies and gleaming in reflected sunlight. But C/2014 S3 was dark and virtually tailless when it was spotted about twice as far away from the sun as Earth. Later analysis showed that instead of ices typically found on comets, the Manx comet contained materials similar to the rocky asteroids located in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. The finding is published in the journal Science Advances. Link: http://www.icq.eps
28 April 2016: High-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has launched an open-source training "gym" for artificial-intelligence programmers. It's an interesting move for a man who in 2014 said artificial intelligence, or A.I., will pose a threat to the human race. Today, Musk is moving to help programmers use A.I. and machine learning to build smart robots and smart devices. The OpenAI Gym is meant as a tool for programmers to use to teach their intelligent systems better ways to learn and develop more complex reasoning. In short, it's meant to make smart systems smarter. Musk is a co-chair of OpenAI, a $1 billion organization that was unveiled last December as an effort focused on advancing artificial intelligence that will benefit humanity. The OpenAI Gym is made up of a suite of environments, including simulated robots and Atari games, as well as a site for reproducing results. Musk's group is hoping that the OpenAI Gym addresses both of those issues. Link: https://gym.openai.com
29 April 2016: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched and inserted into orbit its seventh and last Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) navigation satellite yesterday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh. The rocket was launched on schedule at 12:50 pm local time, with the satellite being inserted into its allocated geostationary orbit shortly after. The 1,400 kg satellite, dubbed IRNSS-1G, completes the nine-satellite constellation designed to bring independent satellite navigation to the Indian subcontinent. The first, IRNSS-1A, was launched on July 1, 2013. Currently, two backup satellites are stored on Earth, which will be launched in the event of failure of any of the seven active satellites in orbit. Once IRNSS-1G is fully operational by June 2016 as planned, India will join a growing list of nations who are vying for satellite navigation, free from the constraints of the aging, military-controlled American GPS system. In fact, although India had been planning its own home-grown satellite navigation system for some time now, denial of access to GPS technology by America during the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil War accelerated India’s need to have such a system. Link: http://www.isro.gov.in
30 April 2016: Indian-born NASA's commercial crew astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleagues have successfully tested a new generation of training simulators that will prepare them for launch, flight and returns aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. The CST-100 Starliner crew capsule is designed by Boeing in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace as their entry for NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) programme. Its primary mission is to transport crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and to private space stations such as the proposed Bigelow Aerospace Commercial Space Station. NASA selected four astronauts - Williams, Boe, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley - to train for test flights aboard the Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon to the ISS. The flight assignments have not been set so all four of the astronauts are rehearsing for the Starliner and Crew Dragon test flights to the space station. The trainers will be shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston this year so astronauts can use them daily to practice numerous situations from normal operations to unlikely emergencies. Link: https://www.nasa.gov
