International Young Scientist Awards

India's iron ore production witnessed a 4% rise during the April-October period of FY24, reaching approximately 158 million tonnes compared to 152 million tonnes in the same period last year. This increase highlights the sector's steady recovery amidst fluctuating global demand and domestic industrial growth. Iron ore, a critical raw material for steelmaking, forms the backbone of India's industrial sectors, including construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure development. The production growth aligns with increased domestic demand, driven by government-led infrastructure projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and the push for urbanization. Additionally, private sector investments in steel production have amplified the demand for iron ore, contributing to the production boost. State-wise, Odisha, India’s largest iron ore-producing state, maintained its dominance, contributing nearly 50% of the total output. Other key states, including Chhattisgar...

Hydrogen is becoming an increasingly popular choice as we shift towards cleaner energy. It can be burned like traditional fuels, producing only water as a byproduct, and can generate electricity when used in fuel cells. However, as hydrogen production, use, and transportation increase, so do safety concerns. Hydrogen is highly flammable at concentrations as low as 4% and is odorless and colorless, making leaks challenging to detect. Hydrogen is becoming an increasingly popular choice as we shift towards cleaner energy. It can be burned like traditional fuels, producing only water as a byproduct, and can generate electricity when used in fuel cells. However, as hydrogen production, use, and transportation increase, so do safety concerns. Hydrogen is highly flammable at concentrations as low as 4% and is odorless and colorless, making leaks challenging to detect. To address these concerns, researchers led by Professor Yutaka Majima from Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) have dev...

In a discovery that blurs the line between biology and technology, scientists have found that heart-shaped clams use fiber optic–like structures to channel sunlight through their shells in much the same way that telecommunications company use fiber optics to deliver high-speed internet connectivity into homes. This innovation, a first known example of bundled fiber optics in a living creature, helps to explain how heart cockles (Corculum cardissa) — a marine bivalve found in shallow waters across the Indian and Pacific Oceans — harness sunlight to nourish symbiotic algae living within, while protecting them from harmful ultraviolet rays. In return, the algae provide the clams with sugars and other essential nutrients. The finding highlights an evolutionary adaptation that parallels human technological ingenuity, and offers potential insights for the development of bioinspired optical systems in the future, researchers report November 19 in Nature Communications. Heart cockles are sm...

Astounding simulation shows magnetic fields create fluffy, not flat, accretion disks around supermassive black holes, altering our understanding of black hole dynamics. A team of astrophysicists from Caltech has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by simulating the journey of primordial gas from the early universe to its incorporation into a disk of material feeding a supermassive black hole. This innovative simulation challenges theories about these disks that have persisted since the 1970s and opens new doors for understanding the growth and evolution of black holes and galaxies.                                    “Our new simulation marks the culmination of several years of work from two large collaborations started here at Caltech,” says Phil Hopkins , the Ira S. Bowen Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics. Bridging the Scale Gap in Cosmic Simulations The first project, called FIRE (Feedback...

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have uncovered evidence of a mysterious interstellar tunnel that appears to connect two galaxies. This finding, revealed through advanced X-ray observations, sheds new light on the complex structure of the hot gas surrounding our galaxy and potentially beyond. The discovery was made by a team of researchers using data from the eROSITA X-ray telescope, which has provided unprecedented insights into the diffuse X-ray background of our cosmic neighbourhood. This background radiation has long been known to originate from the Local Hot Bubble (LHB), a vast region of hot gas enveloping our solar system.   The researchers suggest that this Centaurus tunnel might be just one example of a broader network of hot interstellar medium sustained by stellar feedback across the galaxy. This concept, first proposed in the 1970s, has been challenging to prove until now. The team's work goes beyond just identifying the tunnel. They've created a comprehen...

The deepening connections between energy, trade, manufacturing and climate are the focus of this latest edition of Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP), the IEA’s flagship technology publication. Building on the comprehensive assessment of clean energy technology supply chains set out in ETP-2023, this year’s edition offers cutting-edge analysis based on rich and detailed new data, granular surveys of industry, and a bottom-up approach to fresh modelling. Its significance is amplified by what has been, until now, a dearth of information in this space, and it will provide policymakers with an in-depth, quantified basis to inform their deliberations for years to come. The new energy economy that is emerging presents major opportunities for countries looking to manufacture clean technologies , their components and related materials. But it also presents challenging decisions for governments, which face tensions and trade-offs based on the industrial and trade policies they opt to pursue...