GRAPHENE
- It is an allotrope of Carbon
- It is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice.
- It was discovered in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this in 2010
- Graphene possesses some extraordinary electrical and electronic properties
- Recently, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (IGEIC) to create a hub of excellence in Graphene technology commercialization in India.
CHANDRAYAN 4
- It is a lunar sample-return mission of ISRO
- Recently, the Union Cabinet approved Chandrayaan-4 Mission, a successor to Chandrayaan-3
- aims to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, collect lunar rock samples, and return them to Earth.
- Chandrayaan-4 will utilize two different rockets namely Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LMV-3) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
- It is expected to be completed within 36 months
100 YEARS OF DISCOVERY OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
- It has been 100 years since John Marshall, then director general of the Archaeological Society of India, announced the discovery of “Harappa civilization” on September 20, 1924
- The Harappan civilization was discovered first at Harappa in the Punjab province of Pakistan in 1921 by Daya Ram Sahni
- The Harappan civilization also known as Indus Valley Civilisation due to the presence of the Indus River.
- It is identified as a Bronze-age civilization because many objects have been found that are made up of copper-based alloys
- It flourished from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE
- It spans across 2,000 sites in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan