Author Archives: Arun Kumar N

About Arun Kumar N

Arun has been associated with India International Times since 2018 and he has been a key reporter in covering science and space related stories. He can be reached at arunKnn@indiainternationaltimes.com.

With Khanduri on its side, Congress eyes more LS seats in Uttarakhand

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Lok Sabha elections remained entirely aloof from state elections in Uttarakhand since its formation in 2000 and going by the past trends, the hilly state has seen major ups and downs for the ruling party, with anti-incumbency playing a vital role each time.

Uttarakhand will go for poll on April 11 in its five Lok Sabha constituencies — Haridwar, Tehri Garhwal, Almora, Pauri Garhwal and Nainital. As BJP has already announced its candidates, three of them sitting MPs, Congress list is likely to field a Khanduri this time — Manish Khanduri, son of former CM and Pauri Garhwal MP BC Khanduri. With Khanduri on its side, Congress is geared up to possibly wrest more seats this time as anti-incumbency is likely to dominate this time.

Unlike the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when BJP swept all the 5 seats with a comfortable vote share of 55.93 per cent, the Congress ended up with a vote share of 34.40 per cent, with no seat in its kitty. Though BSP registered 5 per cent vote share, failed to emerge as a powerful third force to reckon with. The notable defections of senior Congress leaders like Vijay Bahuguna, Harak Singh Rawat and Satpal Maharaj to join BJP against Harish Rawat before the polls was one major factor cited for Congress’s defeat.

Going by the state assembly poll in 2017 where BJP won 57 out of 70 seats, the decline in its vote share is evident from 55.93 per cent to 46.5 per cent, while the Congress vote share hardly changed from 34.40 in 2014 Lok Sabha elections to 33.5 per cent. More than BSP, indpendents played the spoil-sport though the final outcome did not shake BJP that has swept the poll outcome.

Now BJP is confident to win all five seats in Uttarakhand, hoping to repeat the 2017 voting pattern, but Congress has clearly emerged stronger than before attracting younger faces to its ranks with Manish Khanduri on its side now. The state that longed for Khanduri in 2012 elections may see his son as a new ray of hope to overcome chronic problems of unemployment in the state.

Moreover, the political situation has shifted dramatically from 2017. The impact of demonetisation is seen by youth as a major factor that had eroded more jobs in the state. The draconian GST has scared many small businesses beyonnd comprehension, while Rafale deal misgivings refuse to die despite BJP’s denial.

One surprising outcome of Lok Sabha elections in Uttarakhand may not be a pro-Congress vote per se but a decisive anti-BJP vote that may not get split as the ruling party may wish. If Congress can maneuvour to concentrate on consolidating its traditional vote bank at 33 per cent vote share and then target the 17 per cent of the swing vote in the state, it can easily win four seats in Uttarakhand.

On its part, the BJP is embroiled in ill-consequences that any ruling party faces. Many strong candidates who had worked on their constituencies in the hope of getting a party ticket may now shift loyalties sooner than expected. With two veteran leaders — BC Khanduri and Bhagat Singh Koshyari — not contesting, BJP’s sittings MPs Ajay Tamta, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are on defensive in the poll battle this time.

Once the Congress list of candidates in Uttarakhand is out, a clearer picture of real battle line will emerge in the state.

EC says no manifesto release with 48 hours left for voting

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Unlike in the past, the Election Commission has clearly set an outer time limit for the release of manifesto by the political parties in Lok Sabha and other elections. The poll panel said the decision was taken after receiving feedback from all political parties.

Included as para 4 under Part-VIII [Guidelines on Election ManifestosJ in the Model Code of Conduct, the rule reads as under:

4. Prohibitory period of Release of Manifesto during elections(s)

i. In case of single phase election, manifesto shall not be released during the prohibitory period, as prescribed under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
ii. In case of multi-phase elections, manifesto shall not be released during the prohibitory periods, as prescribed under Section L26 of rhe Representation of the People Act, 1951, ofall the phases ofthose elections.

This provision will be applicable and implemented as a part of the Model Code of Conduct for all future elections.

To see full Guidelines click here:

Uttarakhand wakes up from inertia, Khanduri’s son joins Congress

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Uttarakhand has just five Lok Sabha seats which no national party could count on and the hills remained mute spectators to decades of negligence.

Ever since it was formed into a full State, Uttarakhand in 2000, the state often referred as the Devabhumi (Land of the Gods) due to a large number of Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres such as Haridwar, Rishikesh and Badrinath.

As per the 2011 Census, Uttarakhand has a population of 10 million people. More than one lakh people from the state work in military or para-military forces, as everytime there is a massacre on armed forces, several families in the state end up mourning the attack as is seen in the latest Pulwama one.

Fromer chief minister of the state twice, Major General BC Khanduri (Retd) raised the concern as chairman of the Parliamentary Defence Committee last year highlighting the fact that 68 percent of the arms and ammunition given to Army is of vintage in nature. Instead of acting on it, the BJP has sacked him as head of the panel just six months to go for the tenure of the House to end, sending the signal of shooting the messenger come what may.

At the turn of the elections now, BJP has seen the repercussions of its own deeds in a state where it was able to sweep the 2014 general elections and 2017 Assembly elections. Khanduri’s son Manish Khanduri has decided to take the plunge into politics and contest the elections from Pauri Garhwal that was vacated by his father owing to his old age. He could have chosen BJP but stayed away from the party, indicating the local distrust of the ruling party.

Media reports said Manish Khanduri will be contesting against National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s son Shaurya Doval, who has announced his desire to enter the political arena a year ago and has been campaigning in the Pauri Garhwal region.

Though BJP has been trying to brush aside Khanduri Junior’s entry into the Congress fold, the clean image of senior Khanduri has remained the BJP’s key strength in the state thay may be lost forever but not for Congress which has emerged as the custodian of some highly educated and clean politicians in its fold, with Khanduri on its side now.

Some of the local concerns need more focus. The state is still agrarian and depends heavily on tourism as any other hill state. The plans for ropeways to connect summer hill stations, which had been planned when BC Khanduri was chief minister, failed to take off despite BJP’s return to power at the Centre five years ago. In the last two years since forming the state government saw only one ropeway from Doon to Mussorie out of blueprint.

Uttarakhand growth was visibly evident when BC Khanduri was its chief minister twice between 2007 and 2012. Its gross state domestic product (GSDP) more than doubled from Rs.24,786 crore in FY2005 to Rs.60,898 crore by FY2012. The contribution from the service sector being just over 50% during FY 2012, the state could have focused on employment generation ever since but foreign investments to the state remained lukewarm though the state stood on a high ground in education.

Essentially, the state is moving out of inertia and looking for more jobs and foreign investments into manufacturing sector. As home to massive forests at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Uttarakhand has every reason to attract foreign investors but the state leadership failed to live up to the occasion or competition from more developed states elsewhere. It required a man with vision for the state’s future and not one who could thwart political opponents.

Manish Khanduri’s entry into politics and the party behind him, the Congress, may now work in unison to make the state home to many future investments in business and infrastructure projects.

Warming Antarctic: Penguins, starfish, whales: Who’ll win or lose survival race?

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Marine Antarctic animals such as the humpback whale and emperor penguin, are most at risk from the predicted effects of climate change, finds a new study. In fact, seafloor predators and open-water feeding animals like starfish and jellyfish will benefit from the opening up of new habitat, it said.

Using risk assessments like those used for setting occupational safety limits in the workplace, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey determined the winners and losers of Antarctic climate-change impacts, which includes temperature rise, sea-ice reduction and changes in food availability.

“One of the strongest signals of climate change in the Western Antarctic is the loss of sea ice, receding glaciers and the break-up of ice shelves,” says Dr Simon Morley, lead author, based at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), UK. “Climate change will affect shallow water first, challenging the animals who live in this habitat in the very near future. While we show that many Antarctic marine species will benefit from the opening up of new areas of sea floor as habitat, those associated with sea ice are very much at risk.”

A growing body of research on how climate change will impact Antarctic marine animals prompted the researchers to review this information in a way that revealed which species were most at risk.

“We took a similar approach to risk assessments used in the workplace, but rather than using occupational safety limits, we used information on the expected impacts of climate change on each animal,” explains seabird ecologist Mike Dunn, co-author of this study, which forms part of a special article collection on aquatic habitat ecology and conservation. “We assessed many different animal types to give an objective view of how biodiversity might fare under unprecedented change.”

They found that krill — crustaceans whose young feed on the algae growing under sea ice — were scored as vulnerable, in turn impacting the animals that feed on them, such as the Adèlie and chinstrap penguins and the humpback whale. The emperor penguin scored as high risk because sea ice and ice shelves are its breeding habitat.

Dunn adds, “The southern right whale feeds on a different plankton group, the copepods, which are associated with open water, so is likely to benefit. Salps and jellyfish, which are other open-water feeding animals are likely to benefit too.”

The risk assessment also revealed that bottom-feeders, scavengers and predators, such as starfish, sea urchins and worms, may gain from the effects of climate change.

“Many of these species are the more robust pioneers that have returned to the shallows after the end of the last glacial maximum, 20,000 years ago, when the ice-covered shelf started to melt and retreat,” explains Dr David Barnes, co-author of this research. “These pioneer species are likely to benefit from the opening of new habitats through loss of sea ice and the food this will provide.”

He continues, “Even if, as predicted for the next century, conditions in these shallow-water habitats change beyond the limits of these species, they can retreat to deeper water as they did during the last glacial maxima. However, these shallow-water communities will be altered dramatically – temperature-sensitive animals with calcium shells were scored as the most at risk if this happens.”

The findings have been published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

Pair of skeletons found recently are from same early hominin species, say scientists

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Separate skeletons suggested to be from different early hominin species are, in fact, from the same species, a team of anthropologists has concluded in a comprehensive analysis of remains first discovered a decade ago.

The research appears in a special issue of the journal PaleoAnthropology and is part of a series of articles that offers the most comprehensive accounting to date of Australopithecus sediba (A. sediba), a hominin species discovered in South Africa in 2008.

The fossil site of Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa yielded two partial skeletons: a juvenile male individual–Malapa Hominin 1 (MH1)–and an adult female (MH2); each is more complete than the famous “Lucy” specimen from Ethiopia. The discovery of Malapa was made by Lee Berger, a professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, who, with colleagues, dated the site to just under two million years old. They named a new hominin species, Australopithecus sediba, based on MH1 and MH2.

A life reconstruction of Au. sediba, commissioned by the University of Michigan’s Museum of Natural History. CREDIT:
© Sculpture Elisabeth Daynes /Photo S. Entressangle

Over the past decade, researchers have been piecing together these skeletons; the culmination of their work appears in PaleoAnthropology, co-edited by New York University anthropologist Scott Williams and Dartmouth College anthropologist Jeremy DeSilva. The issue’s nine papers, which analyze 135 fossils, outline A. sediba‘s skull, vertebral column, thorax, pelvis, upper limb, hand, and lower limb as well as its body proportions and walking mechanics.

The papers’ consensus is that A. sediba is a unique species distinct from both A. africanus, with which it shares a close geographic proximity, and from early members of the genus Homo (e.g., H. habilis) in both East and South Africa, but that it shares features with both groups, suggesting a close evolutionary relationship.

“Our interpretations in the papers suggest that A. sediba was adapted to terrestrial bipedalism, but also spent significant time climbing in trees, perhaps for foraging and protection from predators,” says Williams, whose research in the issue centered on the axial skeleton (vertebrae, ribs, and sternum). “This larger picture sheds light on the lifeways of A. sediba and also on a major transition in hominin evolution, that of the largely ape-like species included broadly in the genus Australopithecus to the earliest members of our own genus, Homo.”

A few years ago, a separate research group posited that the hominin fossils at Malapa belonged to two different species–in part due to differences in their lumbar vertebrae. However, an analysis by Williams and his colleagues, including two Ph.D. candidates in anthropology at NYU, Jennifer Eyre and Thomas Prang, indicates that both are from A. sedibaand that distinctions are due to age.

“The differences in these vertebrae can simply be attributed to their developmental age differences: the juvenile individual’s vertebrae have not yet completed growth, whereas the adult’s vertebra growth is complete,” he explains. “As it happens, the two Homo erectus skeletons we have are juveniles, so MH1 looks more similar to them because it too is a juvenile.”

Mahesh Babu films rule the TRP Stats in Hindi heartland

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Superstar Mahesh Babu is one of the most followed South Indian Superstars with a combined following of over 14 million leaving behind biggies like Allu Arjun or Rana Daggubati.
His next film  Maharshi is touted to be one of his biggest projects, which will also be dubbed in Hindi.
Mahesh Babu will be seen in much leaner and stronger look in Maharshi which will hit the screens in April 2019.

Superstar Mahesh Babu enjoys an immense fan following not only in the South Indian film industry but is also a household name nationwide. Another testimony of the same is how all Mahesh Babu films ruled the TRP stats on television through the year.

Mahesh’s films not only enjoy a phenomenal run in the theatres, but the Hindi dubbed version of his films garner extremely high TRPs for the channels they are played on as well.
Right from Businessman, The Real Tiger to Takkari Donga and Nijam, all have had a great run on Hindi GEC’s garnering highest TRP’s.
Considering the unfathomable fanbase of Mahesh Babu the Hindi dubbed version of his films does extremely well on Hindi channels. In fact, they have the maximum number of reruns, especially during long weekend holidays when channels are looking at airing biggest of films.
Mahesh Babu’s last outing Bharat Ane Nenu, not only garnered immense appreciation from critics and audience but also broke major records at the box office and also sold for a whopping Rs.22 crore in its satellite rights.
This kind of an amount for a Telugu film is rarely heard of. The actor has been influential through his movie choices. He was also recently featured in Top 10 most Handsome man in the world list giving a tough competition to all the actors in B-Town.

Sonchiriya shot in MP valleys with over 400 people replicating life of dacoits

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The makers of Sonchiriya, bracing hardships to make the film more authentic befitting the 1970’s era, have made it with more than 400 people taking part in the shooting in remote valleys in Madhya Pradesh.
Sonchiriya is shot in the remote areas and villages where there were no basic facilities, so the cast and crew of 400 people became a gigantic task for the makers, who are keen to perfect the film with authenticity as it was required to get the raw and rustic vibes.
Since the story is set in the Chambal district, the characters learrned the Bundelkhand dialect and to prep and get the fluency, the cast was insisted to converse in that language on set, even during the breaks.
The story of Sonchiriya is set in the 1970s showcasing a small town ruled and dominated by dacoits. Multiple gangs fight over the struggle to attain power. The cast dons fierce avatars in sync with the theme of the film.
Starring Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Manoj Bajpayee, Ranvir Shorey, and Ashutosh Rana in lead roles, Sonchiriya presents tale set in the era of dacoits.
Sonchiriya promises to be a power packed action film giving a glimpse of the glorious years if dacoits in central India.  Shot in the valleys of Madhya Pradesh, Sonchiriya presents an ensemble cast with an intriguing storyline.
Directed by Abhishek Chaubey who has earlier presented ‘Udta Punjab’ and ‘Ishiqiya’, ‘Sonchiriya’ presents a rooted tale set in Chambal. Producer Ronnie Screwvala who has not only presented blockbusters but also award-winning films is all set to present ‘Sonchiriya’.
The movie is slated to release on 8th February 2019.

Flowers origin traced to 174 million years, 50 Mln years earlier than previously thought

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Analysis of fossil specimens of a flower called Nanjinganthus from the Early Jurassic (more than 174 million years ago) suggests that flowers originated 50 million years earlier than previously thought, a study published in eLife reports.

Before now, angiosperms (flowering plants) were thought to have a history of no more than 130 million years – despite molecular clocks indicating they must have appeared earlier – since no convincing fossil-based evidence existed.

The discovery of Nanjinganthus dendrostyla, however, offers fossil evidence that extends the evolutionary timeline and, due to the flower’s unexpected characteristics, throws widely accepted theories of plant evolution into question.

“Researchers were not certain where and how flowers came into existence because it seems that many flowers just popped up in the Cretaceous from nowhere,” said FU Qiang, a researcher from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS). “Studying fossil flowers, especially those from earlier geologic periods, is the only reliable way to get an answer to these questions.”

The team studied 264 specimens of 198 individual flowers preserved on 34 rock slabs from the South Xiangshan Formation – an outcrop of rocks in the Nanjing region of China renowned for its fossils from the Early Jurassic epoch.

Due to the abundance of fossil samples used, the researchers could dissect some and then study them with sophisticated microscopy. The high-resolution pictures of the flowers – from different angles and with different magnifications – allowed the team to envision the features of Nanjinganthus dendrostyla.

Siltstone slabs bearing Nanjinganthus. CREDIT
NIGPAS

The key feature of angiosperms is the presence of fully enclosed ovules, which are precursors of seeds before pollination. In the current study, the reconstructed flower was found to have a cup-form receptacle and ovarian roof that together enclose the ovules/seeds. This discovery was crucial, since these features can confirm the flower as of an angiosperm.

Although there have been reports of angiosperms from the Middle-Late Jurassic epochs in northeastern China, the morphological features of Nanjinganthus distinguish it from other specimens and suggest that it is a new angiosperm genus.

Individuals of Nanjinganthus
CREDIT
NIGPAS

The team hopes to determine whether angiosperms are monophyletic – which would mean Nanjinganthus represents a stem group giving rise to all later species – or polyphyletic, meaning Nanjinganthus represents an evolutionary dead end and has little to do with many later species.

“The origin of angiosperms has long been an academic headache for many botanists,” said WANG Xin of NIGPAS. “Our discovery has moved the botany field forward and will allow a better understanding of angiosperms.”

A Russian shelter dog becomes first beneficiary of innovative leg implant

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Veterinarians from Novosibirsk have conducted Russia’s first osseointegrable prosthetics of the hind leg in a dog.

Shans the dog lost his leg due to an accident. Especially for him, doctors made an individual prosthesis with a biocoating so it would take root better. Currently, the biocoating developed by Tomsk Polytechnic University scientists is under patent pending.

Veterinarian Sergei Gorshkov tells:

‘An implant was tailor-made for the dog based on a patented prosthetic technology (SerGoFIX by S. Gorshkov, BEST clinic, Novosibirsk, Russia). The technique implies a tailor-made prosthesis with the biocoating which is implanted into the bone and fuses with the tissues ensuring reliable fixation without infection,’ says Sergei Gorshkov, a veterinarian from the BEST pet clinic.

Initially, veterinarians conducted a computed tomography scan of the patient’s hind legs. Then they made a 3D model of the prosthesis and after adjusting and testing all parameters it was 3D printed using selective laser sintering. The main part of the prosthesis is made out of a titanium-nickel-vanadium alloy and, for example, guide systems for resection (removal – ed.) – out of a biocompatible photopolymer.

These are implants with an applied coating developed at Tomsk Polytechnic University.
CREDIT
Tomsk Polytechnic University

As.Prof. Sergey Tverdokhlebov from the TPU Veinberg Research Center says:

When we received the implant, our task was to apply a calcium phosphate coating on it. This is necessary to ensure the integration of the implant with the bone since this material seems to be deceiving the body and making it to perceive as its own. Due to this, the pet has complete freedom of motion after the surgery.

We had developed with our partners an advanced microarc oxidation facility to apply such coatings.

In this case the complexity was in selecting technological modes for the modification of porous 3D products.’

After the implantation, the veterinarians fixed the prosthesis with an external exprosthesis made out of polycaprolactone.

As Novosibirsk veterinarians point out, Shans the dog feels well and uses the prosthesis ‘100% of the time with full support’. Now it is under the patronage of the Varezhka charity fund and waits for a new owner.

NASA’s Aqua satellite catches Tropical Cyclone Gaja’s landfall

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Caught in the act of landfall, Tropical Cyclone Gaja was seen by NASA’s Aqua satellite as it passed overhead and collected temperature information.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Gaja on Nov. 15 at 3:29 p.m. EDT (2029 UTC) and analyzed the storm in infrared light. Infrared light provides temperature data and that’s important when trying to understand how strong storms can be. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger they are.

When Aqua passed over the Indian Ocean, Gaja’s center was making landfall along the coast of southeastern India. The AIRS instrument found coldest cloud top temperatures in thunderstorms around the center, where temperatures were as cold as minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). Storms with cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to produce heavy rainfall.

At 10 a.m. EST (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Cyclone Gaja was located near latitude 9.7 degrees north and longitude 75.9 degrees west. Gaja was moving toward west-southwest. Maximum sustained winds are near 46 mph (40 knots/74 kph) with higher gusts.

Gaja was exiting the southwestern coast of India on Nov. 16 at 7 a.m. EST (1200 UTC) and was moving into the Arabian Sea where it is expected to maintain strength and travel in a westerly direction over the next several days.

Artificial Moon to brighten China streets by 2020, three more by 2022

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Moon will see many artificial moons soon (Image courtesy: NASA)

China’s space program is no longer confined to sending satellites into space but is also reflecting the commercial viability of lighting the streets in the night using artificial moons up in the sky. In fact, Russia tried its hands at the project during the mid-1990s.

Making street lights redundant, China might save $170 million, if the pilot project succeeds in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. Once successful, it will give way to three more such moons to be launched in 2022, said Wu Chunfeng, head of Tian Fu New Area Science Society in Chengdu, reports China Daily. 

The artificial moon will be coated with a reflective shield that can deflect sunlight back to Earth, illuminating the target city complementing the moon at night but eight time brighter, requiring no street lights and vehicle lights in the night.

To be placed at an orbit of about 500 kilometers above Earth compared to the moon which is 380,000-km distance to the Earth, the man-made moon will have a coverage accuracy of a few dozen metres, said Wu.

“But this is not enough to light up the entire night sky,” he quickly added. “Its expected brightness, in the eyes of humans, is around one-fifth of normal streetlights.”

The artificial moon’s mirrors can be adjusted for luminosity, and can be switched off whenever not needed. The only exception is when the sky is overcast and too cloudy. “The first moon will be mostly experimental, but the three moons in 2022 will be the real deal with great civic and commercial potential,” Wu said.

The three new man-made moons can take turns and together they can illuminate an area of around 3,600 to 6,400 sq km on Earth for 24 hours, he explained.

The project undertaken by Tian Fu New Area Science Society has other notable institutes such as Harbin Institute of Technology and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, which are engaged in collaborative research.

However, Wu is apprehensive that it might disrupt the physiological status of people and animals, with no regular alternations between night and day that disrupts metabolic patterns, including sleep.

“We will only conduct our tests in an uninhabited desert,” he said.

Russian Mirror Satellite in 1990s

In the past, Russia tried sending a 25-meter diameter space mirror called Banner, but the space mirror misfired second time and the entire project was shelved due to funds crunch.

The project to build Znamya or “Banner” was as old as the late 1980s taken up by Russian engineer, Vladimir Syromyatnikov, known for his brilliant engineering in space technology, including the Vostok, that had put Yuri Gagarin into orbit in 1961.

Syromyatnikov wanted solar sails to redirect sunlight back towards the Earth, and in 1993 he got his chance to put Znamya to the test. Measuring 65-foot-wide, the sheet of mylar was unfurled on the night of February 4, 1993, it directed a beam of light about two or three times as bright as the moon and two-and-a-half miles wide down to Earth’s night sky, passing across the Atlantic ocean, over Europe, and into Russia, reports said.

However, a follow-up satellite got caught on one of Mir’s antennae, which ripped the delicate sail and the mission was scrapped. Syromyatnikov died in 2006.

EC issues guidelines on media coverage of state polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Telangana

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The schedule for holding general election to the Legislative Assemblies of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram & Telangana, 2018 has been announced on Oct. 6, 2018 with poll schedule out already.

Poll is scheduled to be held in multiple phases on 12.11.2018 & 20.11.2018 in Chhattisgarh, on 28.11.2018 in Madhya Pradesh & Mizoram and on 07.11.2018 in Rajasthan & Telangana. Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, during the period of 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a constituency.

The relevant portions of the said Section 126 are:

(126. Prohibition of public meeting during period of forty-eight hours ending with hour fixed for conclusion of poll-

(1) No person shall display to the public any election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus;

In any polling area during the period of forty-eight hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in the polling area.

(2)  Any person who contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

(3)  In this Section, the expression “election matter” means any matter intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election.)

2.       During elections, there are sometimes allegations of violation of the provisions of the above Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by TV channels in the telecast of their panel discussions/debates and other news and current affairs programmes. As mentioned above the said Section 126 prohibits displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a constituency. “Election matter” has been defined in that Section as any matter intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election. Violation of the aforesaid provisions of Section 126 is punishable with imprisonment up to a period of two years, or with fine or both.

3.       The Commission once again reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programme telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period of 48 hours referred to in Section 126 do not contain any material, including views/appeals by panelists/participants that may be construed as promoting/prejudicing the prospect of any particular party or candidate(s) or influencing/affecting the result of the election. This shall, among other things include display of result of any opinion poll and of standard debates, analysis, visuals and sound-bytes.

4.       In this connection, attention is also invited to Section 126A of the R.P. Act 1951, which prohibits conduct of Exit poll and dissemination of their results during the period reckoned from the commencement of polls in first Phase and half an hour after the close of poll in last phase in all the State, in respect of current round of elections.

5.       During the period not covered by Section 126 or Section 126A, concerned TV/Radio/Cable/FM channels are free to approach the state/district/local authorities for necessary permission for conducting any broadcast related events which must also conform to the provisions of the model code of conduct and the programme code laid down by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Cable Network (Regulation) Act with regard to decency, maintenance of communal harmony, etc. Concerned Chief Electoral Officer/District Election Officer will take into account all relevant aspects including the law and order situation while extending such permission. As regards political advertisements, the same needs pre-telecast/broadcast certification by the Committees set up at the State/District level as per the Commission’s order No. 509/75/2004/JS-I dt 15.04.2004.

6.       Attention of all print media is also drawn to the following guidelines issued by Press Council of India on 30.07.2010 to be followed for observance during the election:

(i)      It will be the duty of the Press to give objective reports about elections and the candidates. The newspapers are not expected to indulge in unhealthy election campaigns, exaggerated reports about any candidate/party or incident during the elections. In practice, two or three closely contesting candidates attract all the media attention. While reporting on the actual campaign, a newspaper may not leave out any important point raised by a candidate and make an attack on his or her opponent.

(ii)     Election campaign along communal or caste lines is banned under the election rules. Hence, the Press should eschew reports, which tend to promote feelings of enmity or hatred between people on the ground of religion, race, caste, community or language.

(iii)    The Press should refrain from publishing false or critical statements in regard to the personal character and conduct of any candidate or in relation to the candidature or withdrawal of any candidate or his candidature, to prejudice the prospects of that candidate in the elections. The Press shall not publish unverified allegations against any candidate/party.

(iv)     The Press shall not accept any kind of inducement, financial or otherwise, to project a candidate/party. It shall not accept hospitality or other facilities offered to them by or on behalf of any candidate/party.

(v)      The Press is not expected to indulge in canvassing of a particular candidate/party. If it does, it shall allow the right of reply to the other candidate/party.

(vi)     The Press shall not accept/publish any advertisement at the cost of public exchequer regarding achievements of a party/government in power.

(vii)    The Press shall observe all the directions/orders/instructions of the Election Commission/Returning Officers or Chief Electoral Officer issued from time to time.

7.       Attention of the electronic media is invited to the “Guidelines for Election Broadcasts” issued by NBSA dt 03.03.2014.

  1. News broadcasters should endeavour to inform the public in an objective manner, about relevant electoral matters, political parties, candidates, campaign issues and voting processes as per rules and regulations laid down under The Representation of the People Act 1951 and by the Election Commission of India.
  2. News channel shall disclose any political affiliations, either towards a party or candidate. News broadcasters have a duty to be balanced and impartial, especially in their election reporting.
  1.  News broadcasters must endeavour to avoid all forms of rumor, baseless speculation and disinformation, particularly when these concern specific political parties or candidates. Any candidate/political party, which has been defamed or is a victim of misrepresentation, misinformation or other similar injury by broadcast of information should be afforded prompt correction, and where appropriate granted an opportunity of reply.

(iv)     News broadcasters must resist all political and financial pressures which may affect coverage of elections and election related matters.

(v)      News broadcasters should maintain a clear distinction between editorial and expert opinion carried on their news channels.

(vi)     News broadcasters that use video feed from political parties should disclose it and appropriately tag it.

(vii)    Special care must be taken to ensure that every element of a news/programmes dealing with elections and election related matters is accurate on all facts relating to events, dates, places and quotes. If by mistake or inadvertence any inaccurate information is broadcast, the broadcaster must correct it as soon as it comes to the broadcaster’s notice with the same prominence as was given to the original broadcast.

(viii)   News broadcasters, their journalists and officials must not accept any money, or gifts, or any favour that could influence or appear to influence, create a conflict of interest or damage the credibility of the broadcaster or their personnel.

(ix)     News broadcasters must not broadcast any form of  ‘hate speech’ or other obnoxious content that may lead to incitement of violence or promote public unrest or disorder as election campaigning based on communal or caste factors is prohibited under Election laws. News broadcasters should strictly avoid reports which tend to promote feelings of enmity or hatred among people, on the ground of religion, race, caste, community, region or language.

(x)      News broadcasters are required to scrupulously maintain a distinction between news and paid content. All paid content should be clearly marked as “Paid Advertisement” or “Paid Content” : and paid content must be carried in compliance with the  “Norms & Guidelines on Paid News” dated 24.11.2011.

(xi)     Special care must be taken to report opinion polls accurately and fairly, by disclosing to viewers as to who commissioned, conducted and paid for the conduct of the opinion polls and the broadcast. If a news broadcaster carries the results of an opinion poll or other election projection, it must also explain the context, and the scope and limits of such polls with their limitations. Broadcast of opinion polls should be accompanied by information to assist viewers to understand the poll’s significance, such as the methodology used, the sample size, the margin of error, the fieldwork dates, and data used. Broadcasters should also disclose how vote shares are converted to seat shares.

(xii)    The Election Commission of India (ECI) will monitor the broadcasts made by news broadcasters from the time elections are announced until the conclusion and announcement of election results. Any violation by member broadcasters reported to the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) by the Election Commission will be dealt with by the NBSA under its regulations.

(xiii)   Broadcasters should, to the extent possible, carry voter education programmes to effectively inform voters about the voting process, the importance of voting, including how, when and where to vote, to register to vote and the secrecy of the ballot.

(xiv)    News broadcasters must not air any final, formal and definite results until such results are formally announced by the Returning Officer, unless such results are carried with clear disclaimer that they are unofficial or incomplete or partial results or projections which should not be taken as final results.

The above guidelines should be duly observed for compliance by all the concerned media, said EC in a statement.

India moves blueprint for Vision of $5 Trillion Economy

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The Working Group tasked to develop a roadmap towards achieving a 5 trilliondollar economy by 2025 has prepared its report and it is being circulated to the stakeholders for further suggestions.

Constituted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with participation from government and industry, the Group held extensive and broad-based consultations with stakeholders to better understand the aspirations and the potential. The sectoral sub-groups were also formed to take the task forward.

India is one of the fastest growing major economies and is currently ranked as the world’s sixth largest economy. Projections of growth, over the medium term, remain encouraging and optimistic for India. The underlying strengths are indicative of the potential of India to achieve a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025.

The current structure of the economy and the emerging dynamics provide us grounds to target achieving 1 trillion dollars from agriculture and allied activities, 1 trillion from manufacturing and 3 trillion from services.

The Government has several ongoing initiatives across sectors focused on growth. In agriculture the Government is aiming to reorient policy focus from being production-centric to becoming income-centric. The emphasis on incomes provides a broader scope towards achieving the needed expansion of the sector. The proposed Industrial Policy 2018 provides an overarching, sector-agnostic agenda for the enterprises of the future and envisions creating a globally competitive Indian industry that is modern, sustainable and inclusive.

The Champion Services sector initiative is also under way to accelerate the expansion of select service sectors. The Working Group has accounted for these initiatives and encourages a fresh impetus to achieve the target of a five trillion economy.

Central University of Jammu signs MoU with ISRO

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an MoU with the Central University of Jammu (CUJ) in Jammu today for setting up of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science in the University with Union Minister of State for PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh and Secretary, Department of Space and ISRO Chairman, Dr. K. Sivan present on the occasion.

Another MoU was signed between CUJ and the Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIR-CSIO). To create awareness about space research and to motivate young minds to take up research related to space, astronomy, geology, atmospheric sciences and related fields, a two day workshop was also inaugurated at the CUJ campus.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh that the collaboration between ISRO and CUJ for establishing an ISRO Center at Jammu is a landmark achievement for the State. He urged the youth and the faculty of the Institute to develop scientific temper and generate interest in space research. He said that space technology has become an important part of our day-to-day lives from communication and weather forecasting to better rail-traffic management, better border surveillance and even searching for nearest toilets through mobile app etc.

While taking about the establishment of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science at Central University of Jammu, Dr. K Sivan said that the Center will help in tapping potential of Space Applications for the region of J&K in various fields like disaster management, health, education, communication, weather forecasting, land use planning, etc. He said that this would provide opportunity to the youth of the region to contribute to the field of space science as well as to the nation. He further said ISRO is dedicated to the mission of utilizing space sciences for the benefit of mankind as envisaged by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Prof Satish Dhawan, the founding fathers of ISRO.

The area of space applications is of particular interest to J&K and the larger Himalayan region as its economy and habitations are affected by vegetation cover, forest area, snow, landslides, avalanches, ground water, cloud cover, atmospheric conditions etc. which can be easily monitored from space through remote sensing. Considering the recurring natural calamities in the region, requirement of strengthening ground-based observational capabilities of this region for weather and atmospheric research is also of utmost important. The setting up of this Center will take care of the emerging Geospatial and Space Technology requirements for the development of the region.

The Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science at CUJ will have facilities for Geospatial Data analysis that will help in sustainable use of natural resources and planning land-use pattern. It will have ground-based observations for Atmospheric Studies, research lab for astrophysics, Atmospheric Sensing and Glacier studies Lab for better use of large quantity of water stored in the form of seasonal snow, ice and glaciers in the rivers of North India. Apart from this, Disaster Management Center will also be set up here that would be able to take up research in the area of different disasters like flood, Landslides, forest fires, drought and climate change.

The establishment of Materials Sciences Lab for space applications as a part of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science at CUJ will be another outstanding feature of the Center where special focus will be to synthesize and design new sensors and materials for space applications.

This is the first of its kind institute coming up in Jammu and Kashmir and the building is proposed in an area of about 1,150 sq. m.

As part of outreach, Research and Development, awareness creation, training and skill development, ISRO has also started many other activities like setting up of Regional Academic Centers (RAC), Space Technology Incubation Centers (S-TIC), setting up of ISRO Chairs and Space Technology Cells in various parts of the country.

Space Sciences is a multidisciplinary subject which involves basic sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, planetary science, mathematics, atmospheric sciences, geography, space engineering and even space law.

Industry-tailored Student Internship Program Launched

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NITI Aayog and IBM on Thursday (Oct 11) announced a first-of-its-kind internship program for students selected by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

The internship will see 38 students receive a two-week paid internship, and 14 teachers from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) across the length and breadth of the country including from states such as Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar and others, to come together and ideate, collaborate and innovate.

These students will be equipped with the skills for new collar careers in areas like artificial intelligence, Internet-of-Things, cybersecurity, cloud computing and blockchain. Apart from being trained in emerging technologies, students will also be coached in critical workplace skills.

As part of the program, select teachers from ATLs will also be trained by IBM volunteers and mentors to become innovation coaches. The two-week program is designed so students can experience the corporate environment and gain exposure to new technologies. To scale the programme, top-performing students are selected for industry exposure to strengthen their technical skills and prepare them for future jobs.

The Atal Innovation Mission conducted the Atal Tinkering Marathon in 2017 where Top 30 innovations across five focus areas – agritech, healthcare, smart mobility, clean energy, waste management, water management – were identified as the top innovations.

Students from the Top 30 teams have since been offered various opportunities like the Student Innovator Programme, the ATL Bootcamp with industry partners, opportunity to participate in global innovation contests like World Robot Olympiad (WRO), and an internship opportunity with IBM India at their Bengaluru campus.

The IBM internship program is focussed on enhancing the skills of the students via various innovative activities like design thinking approach, developing prototypes and solution for community issues and to solve them.

‘No’ to alcohol? More young people are choosing not to drink alcohol in UK

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Young people in England aren’t just drinking less alcohol but most of them are never taking up alcohol at all, and that the increase is widespread among them, said a new study published in BMC Public Health.

Researchers at University College of London analysed data from the annual Health Survey for England and found that the proportion of 16-24 year olds who don’t drink alcohol has increased from 18 per cent in 2005 to 29 per cent in 2015.

The authors found this trend to be largely due to an increasing number of people who had never been drinkers, from 9% in 2005 to 17% in 2015. There were also significant decreases in the number of young people who drank above recommended limits (from 43% to 28%) or who binge drank (27% to 18%). More young people were also engaging in weekly abstinence (from 35% to 50%).

Dr Linda Ng Fat, corresponding author of the study said: “Increases in non-drinking among young people were found across a broad range of groups, including those living in northern or southern regions of England, among the white population, those in full-time education, in employment and across all social classes and healthier groups.”

He has attributed it to the fact that non-drinking may be becoming more mainstream among young people which could be caused by cultural factors or peer pressure. However, the trend is not found among ethnic minorities, those with poor mental health and smokers suggesting that the risky behaviours of smoking and alcohol continue to cluster.

The researchers examined data on 9,699 people aged 16-24 years collected as part of the Health Survey for England 2005-2015 looking at changes in the health and lifestyles of people across England.

The authors analysed the proportion of non-drinkers among social demographic groups and health sub-groups, along with alcohol units consumed by those that did drink and measured their levels of binge drinking for the study.

 

More daytime sleepiness, more Alzheimer’s disease?

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Aging adults who report being very sleepy during the day were nearly three times more likely than those who didn’t to have brain deposits of beta amyloid, a protein that’s a hallmark for Alzheimer’s disease, years later.

The finding, published on Sept. 5 in the journal SLEEP, adds to a growing body of evidence that poor quality sleep could encourage this form of dementia to develop, suggesting that getting adequate nighttime sleep could be a way to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

“Factors like diet, exercise and cognitive activity have been widely recognized as important potential targets for Alzheimer’s disease prevention, but sleep hasn’t quite risen to that status–although that may well be changing,” says Adam Spira, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“If disturbed sleep contributes to Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “We may be able to treat patients with sleep issues to avoid these negative outcomes.”

The study used data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) that was started way back in  1958 to follow the health of thousands of volunteers as they age. Volunteers filled a questionnaire between 1991 and 2000 that asked a simple yes/no question: “Do you often become drowsy or fall asleep during the daytime when you wish to be awake?” They were also asked, “Do you nap?” with response options of “daily,” “1-2 times/week,” “3-5 times/week,” and “rarely or never.”

A subgroup of BLSA volunteers also began receiving neuroimaging assessments in 1994. Starting in 2005, some of these participants received positron emission tomography (PET) scans using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB), a radioactive compound that can help identify beta-amyloid plaques in neuronal tissue, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers identified 123 volunteers who both answered the earlier questions and had a PET scan with PiB an average of nearly 16 years later and then analyzed it to see if there was a correlation between participants who reported daytime sleepiness and whether they scored positive for beta-amyloid deposition in the brain.

The results showed that those who reported daytime sleepiness were about three times more likely to have beta-amyloid deposition than those who didn’t report daytime fatigue. After adjusting for other health factors, the risk was still 2.75 times higher among them.

The unadjusted risk for amyloid-beta deposition was about twice as high in volunteers who reported napping, but this did not reach statistical significance.

It’s currently unclear why daytime sleepiness would be correlated with the deposition of beta-amyloid protein, Spira says. One possibility is that daytime sleepiness itself might somehow cause this protein to form in the brain.

Based on previous research, a more likely explanation is that disturbed sleep or insufficient sleep due to other factors, causes beta-amyloid plaques to form through a currently unknown mechanism, and that these sleep disturbances also cause excessive daytime sleepiness.

“However, we cannot rule out that amyloid plaques that were present at the time of sleep assessment caused the sleepiness,” he added.

This new study adds to growing evidence that poor sleep might actually contribute to Alzheimer’s disease development. Spira suggests that sleep quality could be a risk factor that’s modifiable by targeting disorders that affect sleep, such as obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia, as well as social- and individual-level factors, such as sleep loss due to work or binge-watching TV shows.

“There is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s disease, so we have to do our best to prevent it. Even if a cure is developed, prevention strategies should be emphasized,” Spira says.

Epileptic drugs linked to stroke in case of Alzheimer’s

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Antiepileptic drugs may increase the risk of stroke among persons with Alzheimer’s disease, said a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

The risk remains the same whether the drugs are old or new antiepileptic drugs, said the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The study, conducted at the University of Eastern Finland and funded by the Academy of Finland, was based on the nationwide register-based MEDALZ cohort that includes all community-dwelling persons with clinically verified diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in Finland during 2005–2011 (70,718 people).

Data on antiepileptic drug use was compiled from the Finnish Prescription Register to assess the risk of stroke associated with antiepileptic drug use, and each antiepileptic drug user was matched to a non-user.

It was found that the risk of stroke was more during the first three months of antiepileptic drug use, and remains elevated after taking into account several chronic disorders, socio-economic position and use of concomitant medications.

According to another study from the same research group, persons with Alzheimer’s disease use antiepileptic drugs more often than persons without Alzheimer’s disease. The difference, which cannot be explained by epilepsy, is evident in antiepileptic drug use around the time when Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed.

Up to 1% of population regularly requires chronic antiepileptic treatment to control epilepsy. Other indications for antiepileptic drug use include neuropathic pain and dementia-related behavioural symptoms in persons with Alzheimer’s disease.

The present findings show that persons with Alzheimer’s disease are particularly susceptible to adverse events, hence, the use of antiepileptic drugs for other indications than epilepsy should be carefully prescribed for this vulnerable population.

 

Japan, Germany join hands for Mars Moon Exploration (MMX)

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When it comes to expansion or exploration, Japan and Germany stand together as history has repeatedly shown us. Soon after launching a rover on asteroid Ryugu last month, Japan has announced its future vision to explore Mars moons in collaboration with the German space agency.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Germany’s Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and the German Aerospace Center DLR have agreed to conduct a joint study by a Rover onboard Martian Moon eXploration Mission (MMX).

Currently, the DLR-CNES asteroid lander MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) onboard Hayabusa 2 that landed on the surface of asteroid Ryugu on October 3, 2018, is conducting remote observation as well as surface composition analysis of the asteroid.

In the light of this success, JAXA, CNES, and DLR jointly declared their wish to cooperate on the MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission, which is led by JAXA to explore Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, aiming for observation, landing, and sample return.

JAXA, CNES, and DLR have agreed that the rover onboard MMX would be developed through French-German collaboration. The rover would be released to the surface of Martian Moon prior to the landing of its mother ship, MMX. The rover is to analyze the surface regolith and configuration in great details to optimize the MMX landing and sample return operation.

The entire process is expected not only to reduce the mission risk but also to achieve scientific result as the rover acquires surface data in advance of the physical sample return to the Earth, said JAXA in a statement.

While the MASCOT with primary batteries allows approximately 1-day of operation, the rover onboard MMX is to be powered by solar cell, which is to enable mobile surface observation that is expected to last for several months.

The scientific observation instrument to be onboard MMX will be determined to maximize the outcome of MMX mission. JAXA, CNES, and DLR are going to jointly conduct study activities for MMX and the rover with the aim for launch in 2024.

Goblin, the hidden Planet Nine, lurking in outskirts of our solar system?

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There is a growing evidence that our solar system has another Planet Nine or Planet X that is orbiting the Sun at a great distance.
Astronomer Scott S. Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington and his team explained the orbital details of the planet, which they have nicknamed Goblin, while officially it is designated in 2015 as TG387.
The team took three years to figure out the orbit of the Planet, which is interesting. Their findings have been published in the Astronomical Journal.
Distanced at about 7.4 billion miles from the sun, or about 2.5 times farther away than Pluto, the planet’s most distant end of its elliptical, 40,000-year orbit, is nearly 70 times farther from the sun than Pluto.
Howevver, TG387 remains far beyond the pull of the gravitation of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and astronomers have now discovered several bodies with such distant orbits.
In 2016, Michael Brown and Konstantin Batygin of the California Institute of Technology, originally predicted about an unseen planet, bigger than Earth yet smaller than Neptune. And it was named Planet Nine.
Ann-Marie Madigan, an astronomer at the University of Colorado, has suggested that gravity from a massive ring of small worlds early in the solar system’s history could explain the distant orbits. “This new object does look like it’s quite good for the Planet Nine theory,” Madigan said.
Dr. Brown, who is behind Pluto’s demotion as a dwarf planet, is currently leading the search for Planet Nine. “Mostly it’s just another piece that fits in the puzzle very nicely,” said Brown.
Unseen by any earth-based telescope, TG387 is extremely lucky to have been located. “We think there are thousands of these, and most of them are too distant to detect,” said Sheppard.
The discovery of the new planet may now trigger conspiracy theorists to claim that it could be the Nibiru, a rogue planet lurking outside our solar system to enter any time to cause destruction.