Science This Week | India to launch its first private rocket, world population to hit 8 billion and more

Find the latest news and updates from the world of science.

The world of science has been busy this week with numerous findings and discoveries. From pieces of the Challenger shuttle being found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to the discovery of the oldest sentence in the earliest alphabetical system known to man carved on an ancient ivory comb, here are the latest updates.

India’s first privately-made rocket is all set to launch on November 15 from ISRO’s launchpad in Sriharikota. Named Vikram-S, the rocket was developed by a Hyderabad-based space startup called Skyroot Aerospace. The maiden mission named ‘Prarambh’ will be carrying three customer payloads.

Astronomers have discovered high energy neutrinos that emanate from a well-studied galaxy approximately 47 million light-years away. The sub-atomic particles are hard to detect due to their inert nature. However, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory situated 1.5-2.5 kilometres below the surface at the South Pole has detected 80 neutrinos from the direction of the galaxy.

Large pieces of the Challenger Space Shuttle were recently found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean by divers making a TV documentary. It is one of the biggest pieces found in decades since the shuttle was destroyed seconds after liftoff, killing seven people, including a schoolteacher. 

The world population will hit 8 billion in November, according to the United Nations, a doubling of the population in just 48 years. Scientists believe that with the combined threat of climate change and population growth, the world will face multitudinous problems related to public health. Infectious diseases, extreme heat, food and water scarcity and poor air quality will contribute to adverse effects on the health of the human population.

Groundwater extraction in India saw an 18-year decline, according to an assessment by the Central Ground Water Board. The total annual groundwater recharge for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic metres (bcm) and annual groundwater extraction for the entire country is 239.16 bcm, according to the report.

A new study has shown that residues of incinerated particles of tobacco on clothes could elevate biomarkers linked with inflammation and skin disease. According to the scientists, the harm done to the skin might lead to health problems in the future, though none of the subjects of the study developed a skin disease.