SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

          With the new Russian space agency chief announcing to pull out of the International Space Station (ISS) project by 2024 on the ground of the Western sanctions against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, this has come as a disappointment for the scientific communities of the world as the space station is a platform for furthering the scientific pursuits of humanity, and not an arena for politicizing an event. Russia’s space agency already ran into controversy when it recently show-cased images of its cosmonauts onboard the ISS celebrating Moscow’s capture of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk.           Since the end of the Cold War, the ISS has been a major avenue of cooperation between the West and Russia.  The ISS was an international collaborative effort of 5 countries of the world namely USA (NASA), Russia ( Roscosmos ), Europe (European Space Agency), Japan (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Ca...

  With the release of the first images of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on 12th July by NASA, we are now moving closer to our understanding of how our universe formed and took shape. The stunning images will take us back in time to several billion years and show the most distant galaxies which were formed at the early stage of the universe just after the Big Bang and try to answer some of the fundamental questions that have baffled mankind like who we are and how we got there!       It is believed that our universe formed from the explosion of a hot super dense body that existed as a ‘singularity’ some 13.8 billion years ago. Then space and time had no meaning then.  After its initial expansion, the universe cooled sufficiently to allow the formation of subatomic particles, and later atoms. Giant clouds of these primordial elements, mostly hydrogen, later coalesced due to gravity, forming early stars and galaxies, the descendants of which are visible...

      ଗତ 8 ତାରିଖ ଦିନ ଜାମୁ-କାଶ୍ମୀରର ପବିତ୍ର ଅମରନାଥ ଗୁମ୍ଫା ରାସ୍ତାର ପହଲଗାମ ନିକଟରେ ବାଦଲ ଫାଟିବା କାରଣରୁ  ଅଚାନକ ବନ୍ୟା ଅସି 15 ଜଣ ଲୋକଙ୍କ ମୄତ୍ୟୁ ଘଟିବା ସାଙ୍ଗକୁ ବହୁ ଲୋକ ଆହତ ହୋଇଛନ୍ତି ଏବଂ ଅନେକ ଅସ୍ଥାୟୀ ଶିବିର, ଭୋଜନାଳୟ ଓ ଲାଙ୍ଗରର ତମ୍ବୁ ପାଣିରେ ଭାସି ଯାଇଛି I ଫଳରେ ଅମରନାଥ ଯାତ୍ରାକୁ ଅସ୍ଥାୟୀ ରୂପେ ସ୍ଥଗିତ କରିବାକୁ ପଡି ଥିଲା I     ବାଦଲ ଫାଟିବା କ'ଣ?   ଅତି ସୀମିତ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ସ୍ୱଳ୍ପ ସମୟ ମଧ୍ୟରେ ଅତ୍ୟଧିକ ବର୍ଷା ହୋଇଗଲେ ଏହାକୁ 'ବାଦଲ ଫାଟିବା' ଘଟଣା କୁହାଯାଏ I କୌଣସି  20 ରୁ 30 ବର୍ଗ କି.ମି. ପରିମିତ ଅଞ୍ଚଳ ମଧ୍ୟରେ   ଘଣ୍ଟାଏ କିମ୍ବା ତା'ଠାରୁ କମ୍ ସମୟ ମଧ୍ୟରେ  100 ମି.ମି. ରୁ ଅଧିକ ବୄଷ୍ଟିପାତ ହେଲେ ଏହାକୁ 'ବାଦଲ ଫାଟିବା' ଘଟଣା କୁହାଯାଏ I ପୂର୍ବେ ବିଶ୍ୱାସ କରାଯାଉଥିଲା ଯେ , ବାଦଲ ଏକ ଜଳ ଭର୍ତ୍ତି ବେଲୁନ୍ ସଦୄଶ ଏବଂ ଏହା ଫାଟିଗଲେ ଏଥିରେ ଥିବା ସମସ୍ତ ଜଳ ବର୍ଷା ଆକରରେ ଅଚାନକ ତଳକୁ ଖସି ପଡେ I ସେଥିପାଇଁ ଏହାକୁ ପୂର୍ବେ ବାଦଲ ଫାଟିବା (Cloud Bursting)  ବୋଲି  କୁହାଯାଉଥିଲା I ବାଦଲ ଫାଟିବାର ପ୍ରକୄତ କାରଣ ଅଲଗା ହୋଇଥିଲେ ସୁଦ୍ଧା ପୂର୍ବର ଏହି ନାମକରଣ ଏବେ ମଧ୍ୟ ପ୍ରଚଳିତ ହେଉଛି I    ଯେତେବେଳେ ଜଳୀୟବାଷ୍ପ ଭରା ମୌସୁମୀ ବାୟୁ  କୌଣସି ...

  Introduction :      The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed primarily to conduct infrared astronomy . As the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, its greatly improved infrared resolution and sensitivity will allow it to view objects too old, distant , or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope . This is expected to enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology , such as observations of the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies , and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets . JWST was launched in December 2021 on a European Space Agency (ESA) Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou , French Guiana , and entered orbit in January 2022; as of July 2022, it is undergoing instrument modes check-out. Once operational, expected about the beginning of July 2022, JWST is intended to succeed the Hubble as NASA's flagship mission in astrophysics . NASA has...

      A devastating  6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the southeast province of  Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on the night of 21st June 2022 that left more than 1000 people dead and 1500 injured with 10,000 homes shattered. The earthquake struck about 44 km from the city of Khost and tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and India under its impact. The quake was very destructive relative to its magnitude, due to its shallow hypocentre underneath a densely populated area prone to landslides, in which low-quality buildings made of wood and mud are not earthquake resistant. Seismic events of this kind can cause enormous devastation in a country like Afghanistan ravaged by poverty and sanctions where infrastructure is weak and people live in remote mountainous villages that are difficult for emergency rescuers to reach. The country has been an active  geological region since time. More than 7,000 people in Afghanistan have been killed by earth...