Nobel Prize in Physics 2024

Context:

• John J. Hopfield, Geoffrey E. Hinton awarded for work on machine learning with artificial neural network
• The Nobel Prizes for 2024 in Physics has been awarded to duo for their inventions that helped in machine learning

News:

• The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks,” The Royal Swedish Academy of Science announced.

More info:

• This year’s two Nobel Laureates in Physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning.
• John J. Hopfield invented a network that uses a method for saving and recreating patterns.
• The Hopfield network utilises physics that describes a material’s characteristics due to its atomic spin – a property that makes each atom a tiny magnet.
• When the Hopfield network is fed a distorted or incomplete image, it methodically works through the nodes and updates their values so the network’s energy falls.
• The network thus works stepwise to find the saved image that is most like the imperfect one it was fed with.
• Geoffrey Hinton used the Hopfield network as the foundation for a new network that uses a different method: the Boltzmann machine.
• This can learn to recognise characteristic elements in a given type of data.
• Professor Hinton used tools from statistical physics, the science of systems built from many similar components.
• The Boltzmann machine can be used to classify images or create new examples of the type of pattern on which it was trained.
• Hinton has built upon this work, helping initiate the current explosive development of machine learning.
• The laureates’ work has already been of the greatest benefit.
• In physics we use artificial neural networks in a vast range of areas, such as developing new materials with specific properties.
• Last year, The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electro dynamics in matter.

Upper stage of PSLV-37 mission re-enters Earth’s atmosphere

Context:

• Upper stage of historic PSLV-37 mission re-enters Earth’s atmosphere eight years after launch: ISRO

News:

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) informed that the upper stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-37 (PSLV C-37 mission) re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on October 6.

About PSLV-C37 mission:

• The PSLV-C37 mission was launched in 2017 with Cartosat-2D as the main payload along with another 103 satellites as co-passengers, namely INS-1A, INS- 1B, Al-Farabi 1, BGUSAT, DIDO-2, Nayif 1, PEASS, 88 Flock-3p satellites, and 8 Lemur-2 satellites.
• The space agency created history as it was the first mission to launch 104 satellites with a single vehicle.

More info on the upper stage re-entry:

• After injecting the satellites and passivation, the upper stage (PS4) was left at an orbit of approximately 470×494 km.
• It was regularly tracked by US Space Command (USSPACECOM) as an object with NORAD id 42052.
• Its orbital altitude slowly decayed, primarily due to atmospheric drag effects.
• Since September 2024, ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management (IS4OM) regularly monitored the orbital decay as part of its regular activities and predicted re-entry into the atmosphere in the first week of October 2024.
• The orbit had decayed to a size of 134×148 km, as of October 6, 2024 12:45 UTC.
• As per USSPACECOM prediction published in Space Track, the re-entry took place on October 6 at 15:49 UTC (+/-1 minute of uncertainty) while IS4OM prediction also showed that re-entry would occur on October 6 at 15:48:25 UTC.
• The corresponding impact point is in the North Atlantic Ocean, ISRO informed.
• The atmospheric re-entry of the rocket body within eight years of its launch is fully compliant with the international debris mitigation guidelines, in particular, the guideline of Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) that recommends limiting the post-mission orbital life of a defunct object in Low-Earth orbit (LEO) to 25 years.
• According to ISRO, this requirement was met by properly designing a passivation sequence, which lowered the orbit of PS4 after injection of the payloads.
• At present, special initiatives are undertaken to ensure that the residual orbital lifetime of the PSLV upper stages is reduced to 5 years, or even less, by actively de-orbiting them to lower altitude orbits through engine re-starts, as in PSLV-C38, PSLV-40, PSLV-C43, PSLV-C56, and PSLV-C58 missions.
• Controlled re-entry of the upper stage is also envisaged for the disposal of the upper stage in future PSLV missions.
• As part of its longstanding commitment to preserve long term sustainability of outer space activities, ISRO will continue to implement proactive measures to meet the objectives of Debris Free Space Mission (DFSM) by the year 2030, the ISRO stated.

India’s energy demand to triple by 2050

• With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 7% and power demand rising by over 8% this year, India is now the third-largest power market globally, and its energy demand is set to triple by 2050, making it a critical investment destination.
• India’s role in the global energy transition is becoming increasingly prominent as its economy has overtaken the UK, surpassed France, and is on track to overtake major markets like Germany and Japan within the next five to ten years.
• Stating that renewables are expanding rapidly, with over 200 GW of solar and wind capacity expected by 2030, India’s emergence as the second-largest solar module manufacturer, exporting to key global markets, highlights its potential.
• However, 70% of India’s power still comes from coal, with 50 GW of coal and 10 GW of nuclear expected by 2030.
• In a net-zero scenario, electrification would need to exceed 50%, a crucial focus for India as it balances its development of fossil fuel and electric economies in parallel to meet its growing energy demands.
• Country must address challenges in energy storage, grid infrastructure, and renewable deployment, while leveraging its domestic market and global partnerships to drive a low-carbon future.
• The year 2023 marked an unprecedented climate milestone, for the first time, global surface temperatures exceeded 2°C above pre-industrial levels for several days.
• What’s more concerning is that greenhouse gas emissions have not yet peaked, indicating that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades.
• In response to these challenges, there is a growing global focus on energy transition.
• India is at the forefront of this transition, with estimates from Bloomberg India suggesting that by 2030, the country will have more solar and wind projects than coal power plants.
• Emphasising that intermittency of renewable energy presents a significant challenge, making battery energy storage systems (BESS) essential for ensuring grid stability and enhancing renewable integration.
• Global energy demand is projected to triple, increasing from 1.8 terawatt hours to over 5 terawatt hours by 2050, primarily due to advancements in storage technology.
• Batteries play a crucial role not only in the power sector but also in transportation.
• India’s electric mobility sector is growing rapidly, with major automakers establishing battery assembly plants and leveraging the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to create 50 gigawatt hours of battery manufacturing capacity.
• Demand for lithium-ion batteries is anticipated to rise from 10 gigawatt hours today to 200 gigawatt hours by 2035, fueled by the electric vehicle market and grid-scale storage needs.
• India’s strides in domestic lithium-ion battery production were particularly noteworthy, with production capacity expected to reach 150 gigawatt hours by 2030, covering 13% of total cell demand.

Hidden pandemic of AMR poses challenge for modern medicine

Context:

• A simmering silent pandemic of superbugs that is going on for decades, is causing more havoc than most people realise.

About AMR:

• Quarter of antibiotics consumed in the world are in India, and there are annually 300,000 direct deaths attributable to AMR, and superbugs are a factor in 10 lakh additional deaths each year.
• Even a single scar can get dangerous as it can develop into a deadly wound if the body does not respond to antibiotics.
• We haven’t had any innovative antibiotics developed since the last few decades and we are finding more and more patients with seemingly minor infections going for complicated treatments and surgery; even new born babies are facing infections at a very high rate for which there is no cure.
• How did we reach this situation? A lot of early antibiotics were easier to isolate from soil and they have already been found.
• Also largely, populations have become resistant to these antibiotics.
• Also, pharmaceutical companies are now investing more in research and development related to anti-cancer medication as compared to antibiotics.
• There are only 27 drug candidates in clinical development for priority bacteria across the world meant for tackling AMR.
• Most of these will fail along the way and not get approved in comparison to 1,600 in cancer treatment.
• Also there are only 3,000 active researchers who focus on AMR resistance worldwide while there are 46,000 dedicated to cancer research.
• There is a complete market distortion with how antibiotics are developed and how we value them.
• That’s why the pipeline is dry.
• The government can do more to provide incentives as there is going to be a public benefit to have more of these drugs.
• There is more focus on R&D for cancer drugs compared to antibiotics because as a society we put less value on antibiotics as drugs, even if they are expensive and save your life compared to cancer which might just likely extend your life by a few months.
• This is because, if a pharma company invests a lot of money in antibiotics – say, it takes 10 years to develop that antibiotic – they normally have a set amount of time before it falls off the patent cliff.
• Then generics are available as an alternative so they have to recoup R&D expenses within a decade.
• So, the problem is that you have to price it very high and it is available for limited people, and the economics of it does not make sense at all.
• Even when people suffer from a small sniffle, they prescribe antibiotics themselves, or have a neighbourhood doctor to write a prescription and there should be more stringent enforcement by the government to restrict this.
• During COVID for instance, seven out of 10 people were given Azithromycin without basis even when they did not have a bacterial co-infection.

Jal Jeevan Mission

Context:

• Tap water reaches 78.58% of rural households under JJM

Introduction:

• The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched on August 15, 2019, with the ambitious goal of providing tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.
• At the time of its inception, only 3.23 crore (17%) of rural households had tap water connections.
• The mission aims to bridge this gap by providing nearly 16 crore additional households with tap water by 2024, ensuring the functionality of existing water supply systems, and directly benefiting over 19 crore rural families.
• This initiative is intended to reduce the rural-urban divide and enhance public health.

Key Achievements:

• As of October 6, 2024, Jal Jeevan Mission has successfully provided tap water connections to 11.95 crore additional rural households, bringing the total coverage to more than 15.19 crore households, which accounts for 78.58% of all rural households in India.

Objectives:

• Providing Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household.
• Prioritizing FHTC provision in quality-affected areas, drought-prone regions, desert areas, and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages.
• Ensuring functional tap connections in schools, Anganwadi centers, gram panchayat buildings, health and wellness centers, and community buildings.
• Ensuring the sustainability of water supply systems, including water sources, infrastructure, and funding for regular operations and maintenance.
• Empowering and developing human resources in the water sector, covering construction, plumbing, electrical work, water quality management, water treatment, catchment protection, and more.
• Raising awareness about the significance of safe drinking water and involving stakeholders to make water everyone’s responsibility.

Impact of JJM:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that achieving JJM’s goals will save over 5.5 crore hours daily, primarily for women, otherwise spent collecting water.
• Nobel laureate Prof. Michael Kremer’s research suggests that safe water coverage could reduce mortality among children under five by nearly 30%, potentially saving 136,000 lives annually.

Quality Assurance and Monitoring:

• The mission incorporates advanced technologies such as sensor-based IoT solutions for water supply measurement, AADHAR linking for targeted delivery, and geo-tagging of assets. Transparency and effective monitoring are ensured through the online ‘JJM dashboard’ and mobile app, providing real-time progress updates.

Challenges:

• The mission faces several challenges, such as a lack of dependable water sources in certain areas, groundwater contamination, uneven geographical terrain, scattered rural habitations, and delays in obtaining statutory clearances etc.

Conclusion:

• Jal Jeevan Mission has made remarkable strides toward achieving its ambitious goal of providing every rural household in India with a functional tap water connection.
• With over 15.19 crore households, numerous schools, and Anganwadi centres now benefitting from reliable access to clean water, the mission is significantly improving the quality of life in rural areas.
• This initiative not only addresses water scarcity but also empowers communities, particularly women, by alleviating the burden of water collection and enhancing public health outcomes.
• The mission’s emphasis on community participation, sustainability, and technological innovation underscores its long-term vision.
• As the mission progresses, it continues to transform lives and foster a healthier, more equitable future for rural India.