Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Providing a major shot in the arm for space aspirations in India, over 100 global ambassadors have agreed to be part of 'ShakthiSAT', an all-girl team comprising nearly 12,000 participants, majorly students, to launch an orbiter to the Moon in September 2026. The groundbreaking lunar orbiter mission ShakthiSAT has been initiated by Space Kidz India, a Chennai-based startup which has launched 19 near space launch vehicles, three suborbital payloads, and five orbital satellites, including AzaadSAT. 108 girls from 108 countries to learn satellite building as the said mission has a goal to boost women's role in space science.
Ready for Hubble's largest ever mosaic?
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) January 16, 2025
Over the course of a decade, scientists compiled 600+ images of our nearest major galactic neighbor, Andromeda.
This 2.5-billion-pixel image allows astronomers to study Andromeda in meticulous detail: https://t.co/qBH7LcfYR7#AAS245 pic.twitter.com/io46Qk0xWj
(Credit - X/@NASAHubble)
Since the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have tallied over 1 trillion galaxies in the universe. But only one galaxy stands out as the most important nearby stellar island to our Milky Way — the magnificent Andromeda galaxy (Messier 31). It can be seen with the naked eye on a very clear autumn night as a faint cigar-shaped object roughly the apparent angular diameter of our Moon. Andromeda seems to be more highly populated with younger stars and unusual features like coherent streams of stars. This detailed look at the resolved stars will help us to piece together the galaxy’s past merger and interaction history.
Researchers at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) developed a new class of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, presenting an alternative to cobalt-based designs. Cobalt presents several challenges, including its high cost and price volatility, limited availability, with major sources in countries like Cuba, Madagascar, and Papua New Guinea, and significant environmental and ethical concerns associated with its extraction. The research team developed magnesium-based cathode materials as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to cobalt. The patented work demonstrates that magnesium can effectively replace cobalt in cathode structures without compromising performance.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left lasting scars on young people's mental health, with studies showing high levels of depression and anxiety. A recent Lancet study has shown that younger people, who were forced into isolation during one of the most social times of their lives, took the biggest mental health hit during the pandemic. The fallout from the pandemic is also being felt by the next generation. Some children who were just starting school five years ago have experienced problems with learning and emotional development. There has also been a "huge increase" in the number of children with special educational needs or requiring extra support for behavioural challenges, the study revealed.
