8 health benefits of sesame seeds

In a massive move for the country’s growing climate woes, India is aiming to control weather phenomena like rainfall, lightning, and hail within five years. Dubbed "<keyword id="23131560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mission-Mausam" source="keywords">Mission Mausam</keyword>," this government-backed initiative includes the development of <keyword id="23148975" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mausam-GPT" source="keywords">Mausam GPT</keyword>, a weather AI model designed to enhance prediction accuracy and even manipulate the weather. This would make India one of the first countries to experiment with <keyword id="21369368" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="weather-modification" source="keywords">weather modification</keyword> on a significant scale.<br /><h2>Mission Mausam</h2>India’s "Mission Mausam" aims to reshape the future of weather management by using technology to control rain. Over the next 18 months, the government will start with lab simulations to either enhance or suppress rainfall. The ultimate goal, as outlined by Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran, is to roll out full-scale weather modification within five years. He stated that the initiative could even target events like Independence Day, where “one can think about suppressing rain.”<br /><br />By deploying <keyword id="20644540" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cloud-seeding" source="keywords">cloud seeding</keyword> techniques alongside AI-driven weather prediction tools like "Mausam GPT," the mission seeks to significantly improve India’s ability to manage extreme weather conditions. A key aspect of the plan involves building a robust system of advanced radars, supercomputers, satellites with high-performance sensors, and GIS-based decision support systems. This cutting-edge tech is expected to boost India’s short- and medium-range weather forecasting accuracy by 5-10%, ensuring no event — such as cloudbursts — goes undetected.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113251187" title="India braces for an intensely harsh winter as La Niña takes hold" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>India is not new to weather manipulation efforts. The government has been running pilot projects, such as the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) in Maharashtra, to study cloud properties and enhance rainfall.<br /><h2>Why is weather manipulation necessary and is it safe?</h2>Extreme weather events in India, like deadly floods, droughts, and hailstorms, have noticeably increased in frequency due to <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>. Mission Mausam could potentially give India an edge in combating these disasters. For example, imagine preventing a flood by suppressing rain or creating artificial rain during a drought. India’s investment of Rs 2,000 crore over two years certainly reflects the seriousness of the mission, which is expected to expand further as research progresses.<br /><br />However, weather modification, including cloud seeding, is not without controversy. Globally, cloud seeding has had limited success, with countries like the US, Russia, and China also experimenting with these methods but facing inconsistent results. Even former MoES Secretary Madhavan Rajeevan has noted that “the technology is complex” and still in its developmental stages.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112825937" title="Shivaji Maharaj Statue collapse: Identifying 5 reasons behind the accident" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Further, the potential downsides can't be ignored. While controlling the weather could save lives, meddling with natural processes is risky. Weather manipulation might have unintended ecological consequences, like shifting rainfall patterns that could harm ecosystems and agriculture. It may also pose geopolitical risks, as neighbouring countries could accuse India of altering weather systems that affect their own climates.<br /><br />Ultimately, while the idea of managing the weather may seem appealing, it opens up a Pandora’s box of environmental and ethical challenges that need careful consideration.<br />

The Indian government is taking steps to control rainfall and weather within five years — is it too risky of a move?

8 seeds that boost your brain health

The way our human ancestors left behind paraphernalia like their tools for us to learn about them, our successors will likely inherit a ton of trash on this planet from modern humans. Granted, we won’t be making the best of impressions. But that’s just who we are, we leave garbage everywhere we go — including the <keyword id="19899207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon" source="keywords">Moon</keyword>.<br /><br />Believe it or not, scattered across the lunar terrain are not just American flags, science equipment, and astronaut boot prints, but also... bags of poop. Yes, you read that right! During the six <keyword id="21390038" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apollo-missions" source="keywords">Apollo missions</keyword> that landed on the moon between 1969 and 1972, astronauts left behind a combined total of 96 bags filled with their urine, faeces and other <keyword id="23199695" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="human-waste" source="keywords">human waste</keyword>.<br /><br />Why, you ask? The decision was purely “practical”!<br /><h2>The poo bags paradox</h2>Space missions have strict weight limits, and every pound counted when it came to safely blasting off from the <keyword id="20381887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-surface" source="keywords">lunar surface</keyword>. So instead of lugging their waste back to Earth, astronauts left it behind in favour of bringing home priceless lunar rock samples and scientific data. In fact, alongside human waste, they also left equipment like cameras, boots, and even golf balls from Alan Shepard’s famous moon swing in 1971.<br /><br />The thrash left behind by <keyword id="2278063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="apollo-astronauts" source="Orion">Apollo astronauts</keyword> on the Moon is frozen in vacuum-packed bags, and the question of whether it will survive is scientifically intriguing. The Moon’s environment is extremely hostile to life as we know it. As it has no atmosphere, there’s no protection against harmful radiation from the sun, and the temperatures fluctuate drastically from +120°C to -133°C throughout the day.<br /><br />These conditions make it highly unlikely that any Earth-based microbes could survive, let alone thrive, on the lunar surface. But some scientists disagree!<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111772552" title="Newly discovered Moon caves could shelter astronauts as they set up lunar bases!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><h2>Microbes’ journey to the Moon<br /></h2>Despite these harsh conditions, some scientists believe the <keyword id="19911016" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bacteria" source="keywords">bacteria</keyword> in the poop may have survived. Some forms of bacteria are known to be extremely resilient and can potentially endure harsh environments. <br /><br />While it's a very slim possibility, “the introduction of terrestrial substances onto the moon or other celestial bodies could, permanently, jeopardize the existence of possible indigenous lifeforms,” says Hugo Lopez, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, in a 2020 study titled, “The Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites on the Moon: The Poo Bags Paradox”.<br /><br />Another theory is that, in the vacuum-packed bags, with no oxygen, moisture, or atmospheric pressure, the bacterial organisms might have entered a state of dormancy. In this state, they could theoretically be "revived" if reintroduced to more favourable conditions, such as Earth's environment or inside a lab for study.<br /><h2>A long-standing question<br /></h2>The survival of bacteria in these bags could provide important insights into the long-standing question ‘how microorganisms endure in space?”, which is crucial for understanding the potential of life on other planets and ensuring safety of humans on long-term space missions. However, it's also possible that the high radiation levels on the moon have killed off any remaining life forms in the waste, as radiation can damage DNA over time.<br /><br />For now, Mark Lupisella, a manager at <keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword>’s Goddard Space Flight Center, has suggested a robotic mission to collect samples from the waste bags left at an Apollo landing site. The goal would be to study whether the microbes inside the bags have survived or spread in the lunar environment, a discovery that could provide essential insights for future <keyword id="19929542" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-exploration" source="keywords">space exploration</keyword>. <br /><br />Until then, whether the poop survives on the Moon is still an open question, but it offers an exciting opportunity for scientists to study the limits of microbial life and the conditions for survival beyond Earth!<br /><br />Though it’s an amusing thought that human waste is among our first interplanetary "artefacts," these remnants are part of an enduring legacy of exploration — and leaving trash everywhere.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111455720" title="ISRO&amp;#39;s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission continues to uncover lunar treasures at Shiv Shakti point" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />

Lunar loo: Did Apollo astronauts' 96 bags of poop and urine seed the Moon with life?

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (<keyword id="19952901" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DPIIT" source="keywords">DPIIT</keyword>) has recognised 1.40 lakh entities as <keyword id="19945815" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="startups" source="keywords">startups</keyword> as of June 30 this year, the parliament was informed on Friday. These startups are eligible for a host of incentives, including income tax benefits under the Startup <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> action plan, which was announced in 2016. <br /><br /> The government, with the objective of building a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation, startups and encouraging investments in the startup ecosystem of the country, had launched the Startup India initiative on 16th January 2016. <br /><br /> "DPIIT has recognised 1,40,803 entities as startups as on 30th June 2024," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasdada said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Out of this, over 25,000 are recognised in Maharashtra. It is followed by Karnataka (15,019), Delhi (14,734), Uttar Pradesh (13,299) and Gujarat (11,436). <br /><br /> The minister also informed in a different question that under the <keyword id="20256539" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup-india-seed-fund-scheme" source="keywords">Startup India Seed Fund Scheme</keyword>, Rs 90.52 crore was approved to startups by incubators as on June 30, as against Rs 186.19 crore in 2023. The total number of startups selected by the incubators under this scheme was 592 as against 1025 in 2023. <br /><br /> Similarly, under <keyword id="20554825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fund-of-funds-for-startups" source="keywords">Fund of Funds for Startups</keyword>, Rs 805.86 crore was invested in the startups by supported <keyword id="20043650" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIFs" source="keywords">AIFs</keyword> (Alternate Investment Funds) as on June 30, as against Rs 3,366.48 crore in 2023. The total number of startups supported by the AIFs was 96 as on June 30 as against 148 last year. <br /><br /> The minister added that under the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups, Rs 154.60 crore loan was guaranteed by the member institutions as on June 30 this year, as against Rs 271.49 crore in 2023. The total number of loans guaranteed to startup borrowers was 75 as on June 30, as against 107 last year. <br /><br /> Replying to another question, the minister said over 5.7 lakh sellers and service providers on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (<keyword id="19987599" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ONDC" source="keywords">ONDC</keyword>). ONDC, a section 8 company, is an initiative of the DPIIT. It is aimed at promoting open networks for all aspects of the exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks. Notably, ONDC is not an app or a platform but rather a digital public infrastructure, built on a network model. <br /><br /> "ONDC has witnessed rapid expansion over a span of a year from 1,000 plus transactions in January 2023 to 9.9 million plus transactions in June 2024," he said adding that the network has 71 Seller applications, 22 buyer applications, and 16 logistics service providers.

DPIIT recognises 1.40 lakh entities as startups as on June 30, 2024

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NEX creates "controllable and IP-consistent" image-generation models for creative tasks.</li><li>Foundation Capital led the company's $3.5 million seed round.</li></ul><p>Creating an advertising campaign is no easy feat. "It's a whole operation," said NEX CEO Darius Lam. To pull off a campaign, major brands fly celebrities and athletes to a studio, hire professional photographers, and shoot images with the product they're marketing, whether it's jewelry or a handbag, said Lam. "Gathering a set of images might cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars."</p><p>Lam aims to change that with NEX, which develops AI image tools for entertainment, gaming, and marketing. Founded in late 2023, the company recently raised a $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital, with participation from Point72 Ventures.</p><p>NEX creates "controllable and IP-consistent" image-generation models for creative tasks, according to its website. Instead of time-intensive and costly photoshoots, customers can automatically generate images for a fraction of the cost, Lam said.</p><p>NEX does this by enabling users to generate images inspired by other images, not just text inputs, in a "real-time canvas." The platform gives users a high degree of control by enabling enhancements to image quality and adjustments to color, pose, or depth in the images.</p><div type="image" title="Set of three images generated by NEX model" height="1211" width="3431" msid="112834896" hostid="261" sizebytes="434608"></div><p>Additionally, NEX can integrate with customers' data to generate content consistent with their IP. The startup's tech can also tailor the AI models based on a customer's existing data, a process called finetuning, or even develop models from scratch. For example, "if you are a film studio that's been operating for decades and you have access to huge amounts of data," said Lam. "Then we could effectively build the model from scratch and it would be completely IP safe."</p><p>NEX initially took a consumer-focused approach, attracting nearly 100,000 users within a few months of launching. But the company has since pivoted to targeting business users, selling to small businesses and enterprise customers. The startup now generates revenue by charging up to $50 a month per user for access to its platform and through fees for model development and maintenance.</p><p>While models like OpenAI's Dall-E and consumer-focused Midjourney are popular, many don't offer the level of control and customization that design professionals require, said Lam. Some customers may seek to develop in-house models on top of open-sourced ones but it ends up being very expensive, he added.</p><p>Setting up and onboarding machine learning engineers, GPUs, and infrastructure is very difficult and costly. "It's much easier to work with a provider like NEX that not only is building the models but can integrate the models directly with applications that their creative teams can use."</p><p>Other visual AI companies include BRIA, which raised a $24 million Series A in March and targets enterprise users, and Cuebric, an early-stage company focused on the film production process.</p><p>Lam leads a small team of four employees at the young startup. Before founding the company, he was the head of product for computer vision at Cerebras Systems, which develops AI chips and confidentially filed for an IPO earlier this year. While companies like Adobe and Autodesk thrived in the internet age, Lam expects AI to completely upend the software landscape for creative tasks. This transformation will extend to areas like 3D design for game development, product design for software development, and visual creation for entertainment. Lam's vision for NEX is to be the "visual media tool for the AI era."</p>

Visual AI startup NEX raises $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital  

10 health benefits of eating Muskmelon seeds

10 health benefits of eating Pumpkin seeds

Top seeds that keep you cool all summer

Beat the heatwave: Fresh fruit summer coolers

Incorporate these nuts and seeds into your diet for healthy weight gain

Top 10 healthy foods packed with fatty acids

10 foods that instantly boost your energy

Benefits of eating pomegranate for weight loss

Best Omega-3 foods for a vegetarian lifestyle

Ayurvedic morning drinks for high Uric acid relief

Top vegetarian foods to boost muscle growth

10 Amazing health benefits of eating Muskmelon seeds

Transform Your Diet with These 7 Daily Must-Have seeds

8 fiber-rich foods to boost your weight loss journey

You Searched For "seed" and got 20 results

8 health benefits of sesame seeds

Kapil Yadav

The Indian government is taking steps to control rainfall and weather within five years — is it too risky of a move?

Ankush Banerjee

8 seeds that boost your brain health

Ayush Mehrotra

Lunar loo: Did Apollo astronauts' 96 bags of poop and urine seed the Moon with life?

Ashmita Gupta

DPIIT recognises 1.40 lakh entities as startups as on June 30, 2024

PTI

Visual AI startup NEX raises $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital

Sri Muppidi

10 health benefits of eating Muskmelon seeds

BI India Bureau

10 health benefits of eating Pumpkin seeds

BI India Bureau

Top seeds that keep you cool all summer

BI India Bureau

Beat the heatwave: Fresh fruit summer coolers

BI India Bureau

Incorporate these nuts and seeds into your diet for healthy weight gain

BI India Bureau

Top 10 healthy foods packed with fatty acids

BI India Bureau

10 foods that instantly boost your energy

BI India Bureau

Benefits of eating pomegranate for weight loss

BI India Bureau

Best Omega-3 foods for a vegetarian lifestyle

BI India Bureau

Ayurvedic morning drinks for high Uric acid relief

BI India Bureau

Top vegetarian foods to boost muscle growth

BI India Bureau

10 Amazing health benefits of eating Muskmelon seeds

BI India Bureau

Transform Your Diet with These 7 Daily Must-Have seeds

BI India Bureau

8 fiber-rich foods to boost your weight loss journey

BI India Bureau