NewSpace Research and Technologies successfully tested a 100-kg Max Take Off Weight (MTOW) UAV at Unming La Pass. Located at 19,024 ft. in Eastern Ladakh along the Ladakh Range, Unming La Pass is the highest motorable road in the world, constructed by the Border Road Organization under Project Himank. The road enhances connectivity to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and improves local connectivity in the Chisumle-Demchok sector to Leh, boosting tourism. Other significant passes in Ladakh include Khardung La, Chang La, and Tanglang La.

Canada’s longest river, the Mackenzie, is experiencing historically low water levels. The Mackenzie River system, North America’s second largest after the Mississippi-Missouri, is Canada’s largest and longest river basin and the world’s 10th largest. It spans 4,241 km from the Finlay River to the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean, with the Mackenzie itself being 1,650 km long. The river drains an area of about 1.8 million sq. km, representing 20% of Canada’s land area. Important tributaries include the Peace, Athabasca, and Liard Rivers, with notable lakes like Athabasca, Great Slave, and Great Bear.

Researchers at IIT-BHU Varanasi have developed a groundbreaking ‘lab-on-chip’ device capable of early-stage disease detection with unprecedented accuracy. This innovation, utilizing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology, can detect minute concentrations of neurotransmitters like dopamine, aiding in the early diagnosis of neurological illnesses such as Parkinson’s, depression, and schizophrenia. This non-invasive device promises real-time monitoring and significant advancements in personalized treatment plans, potentially saving countless lives.

Chinese geologists discovered two new minerals, Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite, at the world’s largest rare-earth mine in northern China’s Bayan Obo deposit. Announced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, these minerals contain valuable elements, niobium and scandium, which are critical for special steels, superconducting materials, aerospace, aluminum-scandium alloys, and solid oxide fuel cells. These findings have significant implications for new materials, energy, IT, aerospace, and national defense industries, benefiting China’s economic and social development.

The Khandwa forest department, Madhya Pradesh reclaimed 100 hectares of encroached jungle used for farming, destroying illegal soybean and corn crops. Despite heavy rains, earthmoving machines and tractors were employed. The operation included digging contour trenches and sent a strong message to encroachers. Efforts will continue to clear remaining areas, followed by reforestation with seed balls and wire fencing. A detailed afforestation plan will be prepared after reclaiming a total of 2000 hectares this year.