My Science School

Destiny Lights is a kind of social network in which users can explore ideas and exchange messages. Express your thoughts, ideas and anything you want to vent in the form of 'lanterns'. You can also anonymously post lanterns. These lanterns fly around the world, and fellow users can catch them and read your message. You can read other lanterns and like, save or leave a comment on them. The author will be able to receive and reply to comments on his/her lantern. The more likes it gets, the faster your lantern flies around and reaches different locations. If a lantern reaches 370 cities, it is included in the Top 50 lanterns in the app. If lantern in a foreign language, it has a built-in translator, too. The app also lets you find a you see how many people have read your update across the world. Free for Android.

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The Foot Mouse by Califor Design is designed for people who are unable to use their hands due to disability or a neurological condition. Winner of the Red Dot Design Concept Award 2022, the Foot Mouse transfers control to the feet, allowing the user to navigate and click by resting a foot on it. The left and right keys are designed to be operated with the toes. The scrolling function is activated when the left and right buttons are simultaneously pressed, and deactivated when one of the left or right keys is released. "The concave design of the mouse's top surface is combined with human-machine engineering principles to ergonomically fit the complex curvature under the foot, ensuring a stable and comfortable user experience," says Califor Design. "Foot Mouse is designed to fit feet of any width and size and to provide anti-fatigue support for extended periods of use."

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The lightning rod was invented by America's founding father Benjamin Franklin.

It protects buildings from lightning. It was invented by American scientist Benjamin Franklin who first proved that lightning and electricity were related, by conducting his fabled kite and key experiment.

The lightning rod is a pointed metal rod mounted on the roof of a building. It is electrically connected to the ground through a thick wire. When lightning strikes the building, the rod attracts the electric current and conducts it harmlessly to the ground through the wire. Thus, the lightning charge does not pass through the building where it could potentially start a fire or cause electrocution.

THE KITE EXPERIMENT

In the mid-18th Century, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a storm to see if a key attached to the string would draw an electrical charge. It did and this led to his invention of the lightning rod which protects tall buildings from lightning strikes.

DID YOU KNOW?

Some monuments in the ancient Sri Lankan capital of Anuradhapura bear some of the earliest examples of metal lightning conductors.

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The latest buzzword in internet circles is 'Metaverse'! It is making headlines, especially with Facebook even rebranding itself as Meta! It is expected to create a major impact in the digital world.

What is Metaverse?

Put simply, the metaverse is a 3D (three-dimensional) version of the internet. It can be considered a place parallel to the physical world, where you spend your digital life. In the metaverse, you and others in it will have an avatar. You will interact with each other through avatars. It is a shared virtual space, which is interactive and has an immersive experience.

Let's look at some examples. You may have used the metaverse in some form or the other while playing video games. A basic form of the metaverse has been adopted in the online shooter game Fortnite, where gamers have their own personal avatars to engage with the avatars of other players.

In the stimulation video game Second Life, users experience virtual reality in which their avatars can do everything they can in real life, including eating, sleeping, shopping, etc.

The term 'metaverse’, first cropped up in the science fiction novel "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson in 1992. In the book, the author referred to the metaverse as an all-encompassing digital world that exists parallel to the real world.

Tools needed

You will need a VR (Virtual Reality) headset, a controller and a powerful laptop to enter the metaverse. You will also need digital currency to live in the metaverse.

Future impact

The metaverse will make gaming more realistic and increase the user's immersive experience. Travelling around the world without leaving your room will become possible. Healthcare and education are expected to gain the most from the metaverse. The metaverse has the potential to radically transform the digital and global economy.

Currently, there is no single metaverse but there are many. All of them are, however, still under development.

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You might have heard about cryptocurrency? But do you know what it is, how it works or how it is mined? Read on to find out...

You are all familiar with currency in the form of notes and coins that are physical, meaning you can touch and feel them. There is, however, a kind of currency that you cannot see, touch or feel. It is called cryptocurrency.

What is Cryptocurrency?

A cryptocurrency is a type of digital money, the electronic form of real-world money. It has no form and exists only in the digital world. Digital payments like Google Pay, Internet banking, debit cards, etc. are necessarily linked to a bank account. In the case of cryptocurrencies, you do not need a bank- account. Digital currency allows people to send and receive payments anywhere directly to one another using an online system, without needing a bank or any centralised authority.

As a result, some countries don't allow cryptocurrency payments, while others ban cryptocurrency exchanges or control those who provide this service.

Types of cryptocurrencies

Just like the world has many different currencies such as the Euro, the US dollar and the Japanese yen there are different types of cryptocurrencies.

The most well-known cryptocurrency is Bitcoin, which has been around since 2009 and is the world's largest cryptocurrency. It is followed by Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano and Litecoin.

Who invented Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is considered the world's first cryptocurrency. However, there is a lot of mystery surrounding its origin.

In October 2008, a person or a group of persons using the name ‘Satoshi Nakamoto' released a paper describing a new form of electronic cash called bitcoin, The paper was released through a mailing list using cryptography, which is a method of checking and securing data using extremely difficult mathematical codes.

The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains a mystery. It is unknown whether it is one person or a group of people. It is popularly believed that the name is an acronym for some of the leading technology companies: Samsung, Toshiba, Nakamichi and Motorola (Sa-Toshi-Naka-Moto).

Blockchains

When a person transfers cryptocurrency funds, this transaction is recorded in a public ledger, called the blockchain.

A blockchain is a record of all transactions carried out by cryptocurrency holders. This blockchain technology joins groups of transactions (blocks) together over time (in a chain). Each time a transaction is made, it forms part of a new block that is added to the chain. So, the blockchain provides a record of every transaction. The blockchain system is very difficult to hack.

How does a cryptocurrency work?

The cryptocurrency payments system exists only as digital entries in an online database, which describes each specific transaction. A cryptocurrency wallet is needed to store cryptocurrencies. These wallets can be software that is a cloud-based service or is stored on a computer or mobile device. It is through these wallets that a person can store encryption keys that confirm his or her identity and link to his/her cryptocurrency. This is the only tangible proof of ownership of cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency users can buy cryptocurrencies from brokers, then store and spend them using cryptographic wallets.

Cryptocurrency mining

The units of cryptocurrency are created through a process called 'mining'. This involves using computer power to solve complicated mathematical problems that generate coins.

Cryptocurrency mining is very hard, costly and not always rewarding.

Did you know?

• The first bitcoin transaction was for buying a pizza. A man in Florida, USA. paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas on 22 May 2020, making it the first commercial bitcoin transaction.
• There are over 9,500 cryptocurrencies in existence as of March, 2022.
• The total amount of bitcoins available is limited to 21 million. So, at some point, no more bitcoins can be mined.

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Get to know about wind trees and how they help harness energy.

French innovator Jérôme Michaud-Larivière designed the Wind Tree as a sustainable energy-harnessing device that would also enhance urban landscapes. A wind tree is a tree-shaped structure that harnesses wind energy using small trembling wind turbines called 'aeroleaves’ that look exactly like leaves on a tree.  The micro-turbines work well even when there is little wind. Just a gentle breeze as light as 7 kmph is sufficient. This is something a conventional windmill cannot do.

French innovator Jérôme Michaud-Larivière designed the Wind Tree as an elegant, sustainable energy-harnessing device that would enhance urban landscapes. The first Wind Tree was a 3-m-tall structure with 72 aeroleaves. It produced 3.1kW of power. ‘Wind Bush’ is a combination of aeroleaves and photovoltaic petals that harnesses both wind and solar energy.

 For the Indian market, Larivière has created ‘Lotus’, an affordable wind tree minus the solar petals.

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The largest solar tree in the world has been installed at the CSIR-CMERI Centre of Excellence for Farm Machinery in Ludhiana, Punjab.

A solar power tree is a device that is shaped like a tree with its steel branches holding the solar photovoltaic panels.

Just like a natural tree, the steel branches of the solar tree are arranged in such a fashion that every solar panel is properly exposed to the Sun. Moreover, the panels can be mechanically tilted east or west to derive maximum benefit of the Sun's position. The height of the tree is about 9-10 metres. One tree can produce about 5kW of power.

One of the main hurdles in installing solar power plants is the lack of availability of large spaces. Often, farmers are reluctant to sacrifice their cultivable land for solar power production. But a solar tree with its vertically arranged branches, occupies only four sqft of area, leaving almost the entire land free for cultivation. The energy generated can be used to run pumps, e-tractors and tillers as a green alternative to diesel.

India's first solar power tree was produced by Central Mechanical Engineering and Research Institute (CMERI), at Durgapur. The largest solar tree in the world has been installed at the CSIR-CMERI Centre of Excellence for Farm Machinery in Ludhiana. Its total solar PV panel surface area is 309.83 m2. CMERI hopes to install many such solar trees along highways and farmlands.

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Ulta Chaata, a concave structure, collects rainwater in the monsoon and converts it into potable water. Find out how it's done.

Ulta Chaata, as the name suggests, resembles an inverted umbrella. It is a large concave structure that collects rainwater in the monsoon and converts it into potable water, while the solar panels fitted alongside the canopy, produce energy in the dry season.

The rainwater collected in the bowl of the Chaata, trickles down the stalk to reach a filtering unit of activated carbon where it is cleared of impurities. A duster of ten or more Ulta Chaatas is connected to a common device where the water undergoes further filtration to remove microorganisms, making it fit for drinking. A single unit can harvest as much as 100,000 litres of water every year.

The solar energy harnessed in the dry season is stored in the battery and is used not just to light up the Chaata, but also the premises. Unlike a typical rainwater harvesting unit, Ulta Chaata's attractive design lends itself well to the aesthetics of the surroundings, especially when lit up.

The device takes up to one sq. ft of area. Ulta Chaatas can be installed as sustainable workstations in open spaces. They can provide a green roof for reception areas, cafeterias, gazebos, car parks, bus stops and even railway stations.

Besides a number of corporates, Guntakal railway station in Andhra  Pradesh has installed six such structures on its premises.

Ulta Chaata is the brainchild of a Mumbai-based environmentally conscious couple Priya Vakil and Samit Choksy whose start-up ThinkPhi designs sustainable products.

Ulta Chaatas can be installed as sustainable workstations in open spaces. They can provide a green roof for reception areas, cafeterias, car parks, bus stops and even railway stations.

QUICK FACTS

• A single unit of Ulta Chaata can harvest as much as 100,000. litres of water every year.
•  Ulta Chaata's attractive design lends itself to the aesthetics of the surroundings.
• The solar panels fitted alongside the canopy produce energy in the dry season.

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While many facets of life already have a smart counterpart, colour-changing fibres could be a gamechanger in the wearables market.

We live in a world of smart devices. It wasn't always the case though. There's been an eruption of sorts in the last couple of decades as there is an attempt to make every conceivable device now into a smart gadget.

It all started with the proliferation of smartphones. With each of us holding onto one of these almost all the time, it was a matter of time before the manufacturers wanted to put more smart gadgets in our control.

It was in such a climate that household appliances such as televisions, refrigerators, and even washing machines started becoming smarter. With smart bulbs, speakers, and devices to control the entire ecosystem, many facets of life now have a smart counterpart.

Colour-changing fibres

 If you had ever wondered what could be next in the smart ecosystem, you might be surprised to know the answer. Researchers from the University of Luxembourg have come up with colour-changing fibres that could well pave the way for... you guessed it, smart clothes! Their results were published in Nature Materials in September 2022.

Up until now, clothing has mainly been about covering our body, protecting it from the environment, and maybe even flaunting our style. The future, however, could see clothing become part of the wearable technology bandwagon.

Remains mechanoresponsive

The researchers used Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Elastomer (CLCE), a structurally coloured polymer system that is capable of changing its colour by mechanical deformation. They then developed a simple, scalable method of creating colour-changing CLCE fibres that can be sewn into the fabric easily. The colour of fibres spanned the entire visible colour spectrum and showed excellent mechanochromic response- changing colour continuously and reversibly upon stretching or other mechanical movements.

The team were able to demonstrate the robustness of the CLCE fibres in garments by subjecting it to repeated stretching, machine washing, and abrasion. In addition to its ability to survive long-term use, the fact that it can be woven or sewn into elastic garments, and that it might not impair user comfort, implies that these can be used as smart textiles.

Apart from numerous applications in wearable technology, innovative fashion, and artistic applications, the researchers believe that it might be particularly useful in sports clothing and wearable robotics. It might even come in handy in non-wearable contexts too, in terms of strain sensing (think ropes incorporated with these fibres) and deformation detection. Becoming mainstream might be some distance in the future, by which time "dressing smart might take a whole new meaning.

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Aquaponics enables the healthy growth of both fish and plants with the help of microbes in an integrated circuit. How? Let’s find out.

Farming of vegetables in nutrient-rich solution instead of soil is the basis of hydroponics, while farming of fish is called aquaculture. When the two fields merge, we have a new system called aquaponics, which draws on the benefits of both hydroponics and aquaculture.

Aquaponics enables the healthy growth of both fish and plants with the help of microbes in an integrated circuit. The water containing the excreta of the fish from the aquaculture section is channelled into the hydroponic system.

The fish waste is converted into compost naturally by nitrifying bacteria, thus enriching the water in which the hydroponic plants grow. The plants in turn extract the nutrients from the water and the filtered water is fed back into the fish tanks, completing the aquaponic cycle. Aquaponics eliminates the disadvantages of aquaculture and hydroponics. In aquaculture, fish waste accumulates in the tanks, polluting the water. In aquaponics, the waste is composted by natural means and used for the plants. In hydroponics, the nutrition is supplied by chemicals dissolved in a solution, which has to be constantly monitored. In aquaponics, the plants receive natural fertilizer. The process thus provides for an organic, chemical-free mode of growing plants.

This method has its roots in ancient China. It is suitable for growing green leafy vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, spinach, watercress and cabbage. Other vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli and eggplant can also be grown. Freshwater fish like tilapia are commonly used in this system as they can tolerate crowding and changing water conditions.

DID YOU KNOW?

Aquaponics has its roots in ancient China. It is suitable for growing green leafy vegetables and others such as tomato, cucumber, sweet potato, broccoli and eggplant.

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India has unveiled its first flex fuel hybrid sedan, kicking off the government's pilot project to push automakers towards adopting clean fuels. Flex fuel vehicles are already popular in the US, and several countries in Europe and other places.

What are flex fuels

The flex fuel vehicles can run on either 100% petrol or 100% bio-ethanol or a blend of both. While bio-ethanol contains less energy per litre in comparison to petrol, the calorific value, which is the energy contained in the fuel, of bio-ethanol will be at par with petrol with the use of advanced technology. These vehicles allow users to switch engine fuel from petrol to ethanol

 

How is ethanol produced?

Most of the ethanol is made by fermenting the sugar in the starches of grains such as com sorghum, and barley, and the sugar in sugarcane and sugar beets, In the US. maximum ethanol is produced from com kernel starch. Brazil, the world's second-largest consumer of fuel ethanol after the US..uses sugarcane to produce ethanol.

Pros

As ethanol is much cheaper than petrol in India, the fuel price will be lower.

 This technology also reduce India's dependency on the import of petrol. This is in line with the government's target for self-sufficiency in energy by 2047.

The most important benefit of using flex fuel vehicles is that the use of ethanol blending will sharply lower harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur, and carbon and nitrogen oxides.

Cons

With the higher of ethanol, the manufacturing costs will increase and that in turn will hike up the cost of vehicles.

Besides, the auto parts that come in contact with higher ethanol content will need to be replaced with a compatible product to avoid corrosion.

Another major problem with the higher use of ethanol is the spike in the prices of sugarcane. As India will be using sugarcane molasses to produce ethanol, the mass production of flex fuel may lead to an increase in the prices of the crops.

Also, a big-scale cultivation of sugarcane will be requiring a huge amount of land that can otherwise be used for different purposes.

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