National News
15-year study details origins, diversity of every known mineral
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A 15-year study led by the Carnegie Institution for Science details the origins and diversity of every known mineral on the Earth, a landmark body of work that will help reconstruct the history of life on the earth, guide the search for new minerals and ore deposits, predict possible characteristics of future life, and aid the search for habitable planets and extraterrestrial life.
In twin papers published by American Mineralogist and sponsored in part by NASA, Carnegie scientists Robert Hazen and Shaunna Morrison detail a novel approach to clustering (lumping) kindred species of minerals together or splitting off new species based on when and how they originated.
Once mineral genesis is factored in, the number of “mineral kinds” — a newly-coined term — totals more than 10,500, a number about 75 per cent greater than the roughly 6,000 mineral species recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) on the basis of crystal structure and chemical composition alone.
“This work fundamentally changes our view of the diversity of minerals on the planet,” says Hazen, Staff Scientist with the Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington DC.
“For example, more than 80 per cent of earth’s minerals were mediated by water, which is, therefore, fundamentally important to mineral diversity on this planet. By extension, this explains one of the key reasons why the moon and mercury and even mars have far fewer mineral species than the earth.”
“The work also tells us something very profound about the role of biology,” he adds. “One third of earth’s minerals could not have formed without biology — shells and bones and teeth, or microbes, for example, or the vital indirect role of biology, such as by creating an oxygen-rich atmosphere that led to 2,000 minerals that wouldn’t have formed otherwise.”
“Each mineral specimen has a history. Each tells a story. Each is a time capsule that reveals earth’s past as nothing else can.”
According to the paper, nature created 40 per cent of earth’s mineral species in more than one way — for example, both abiotically and with a helping hand from cells — and in several cases used more than 15 different recipes to produce the same crystal structure and chemical composition.
Of the 5,659 recognized mineral species surveyed by Hazen and colleagues, nine came into being via 15 or more different physical, chemical and/or biological processes — everything from near-instantaneous formation by lightning or meteor strikes, to changes caused by water-rock interactions or transformations at high pressures and temperature spanning hundreds of millions of years.
And, as if to show she has a sense of humour, nature has used 21 different ways over the last 4.5 billion years to create pyrite (aka Fool’s Gold) — the mineral world’s champion of diverse origins.
Pyrite forms at high temperature and low, with and without water, with the help of microbes and in harsh environments where life plays no role whatsoever.
Composed of one part iron to two parts sulfide (FeS2), pyrite is derived and delivered via meteorites, volcanoes, hydrothermal deposits, by pressure between layers of rock, near-surface rock weathering, microbially-precipitated deposits, several mining-associated processes, including coal mine fires, and many other means.
To reach their conclusions, Hazen and Morrison built a database of every known process of formation of every known mineral.
Relying on large, open-access mineral databases, amplified by thousands of primary research articles on the geology of mineral localities around the world, they identified 10,556 different combinations of minerals and modes of formation, detailed in the paper, “On the paragenetic modes of minerals: A mineral evolution perspective.”
National News
J&K Heading For ‘Historic’ Assembly Elections Under National Flag & Constitution: Amit Shah
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Jammu, Sep 7: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday assured restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly polls, which he said are the first under the national flag and the Constitution following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi government.
He accused the Congress-National Conference alliance of making attempts to revive the “old system”.
The NDA government will not allow the revival of terrorism, “autonomy”, and injustice with any community including Gujjars, Pahari, Bakerwals and Dalits who were granted reservation by the BJP dispensation, he said.
Shah is in Jammu on a two-day visit to boost the BJP’s election campaign for the three-phase assembly elections, beginning September 18.
He released the party’s manifesto on his first day of visit on Friday and also chaired two crucial meetings with senior leaders to discuss the campaign strategy.
“The coming elections in J-K are historic because after Independence, the polls are happening the first time under our national flag and Constitution, unlike in the past practice of two flags and two constitutions. We have only one prime minister from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and he is Modi,” the home minister told a BJP workers’ rally here on Saturday.
Taking a dig at the National Conference-Congress alliance, Shah alleged they are trying to push Jammu and Kashmir into the fire of terrorism once again when the government has brought down terror incidents in the union territory by 70 percent.
“The National Conference and the Congress will never be able to form a government in J-K, be confident about it,” Shah told the party workers, encouraging them to ensure the success of the BJP candidates to form the next government.
National News
Chandrababu Naidu Narrowly Escapes As Speeding Train Passes Inches Away From Him During Flood Inspection In Vijayawada
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had a narrow escape while inspecting flood-affected areas in Vijayawada. On September 3, Naidu was on a small bridge evaluating the damage caused by recent floods when a speeding passenger train passed dangerously close to him.
Naidu, along with his security personnel and officials, was standing near the railing on a narrow platform when the train whizzed by. A video of the incident has gone viral, showing the Chief Minister and his team standing just inches away from the fast-moving train. Passengers aboard the train were seen waving at Naidu as it sped past. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident.
Situation worsens due to heavy rains
Meanwhile, the flood situation in Andhra Pradesh has worsened due to heavy rains, claiming the lives of at least 32 people.
Vijayawada and surrounding areas have been particularly hard-hit, with thousands displaced from low-lying regions.
The NTR district, which encompasses Vijayawada, has suffered the most, with 24 fatalities. Other severely affected areas include Guntur, with seven deaths, and Palnadu, with one reported death.
More than 40,000 people have been moved to relief camps across the state as water levels continue to rise. Farmers, too, have borne the brunt of the flooding, with over 2.35 lakh farmers reporting significant crop damage due to the unrelenting rains.
In response to the crisis, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has donated Rs 5 crore for flood relief. His contribution is aimed at supporting recovery efforts across the state, with 400 panchayats set to receive Rs 1 lakh each.
“I will make sure these funds are directly deposited into the panchayats’ accounts, ensuring they are used for immediate flood recovery,” said Kalyan in a statement.
The Andhra Pradesh government continues to monitor the situation closely, working to provide relief and assistance to affected areas as rains persist across the region.
National News
PM Modi To Not Address UNGA Debate This Time, Jaishankar To Represent India
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be addressing United Nations General Assembly debate scheduled to take place later this year and India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar will be representing India instead on September 28. PM Modi will be travelling to New York though, to attend a major community event at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. The event is slated to take place on September 22. PM Modi will also be attending United Nations’ ‘Summit of the Future’ on September 22-23. This summit is focused on global co-operation for challenges that await humanity.
The general debate of the 79th UNGA session is scheduled to be held between September 24 and September 30. The summit will see major world leaders addressing the world. US President Joe Biden will address the assembly as well. This will be his last address to the UNGA as president of the United States as a new president will be elected in the presidential elections slated to take place in November this year. The contest will be between Republican Party nominee Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris.
Modi’s last address to the UNGA came in September 2021. He visited UN headquarters in June 2022.
The community event in Long Island has seen registration from over 24,000 Indian-Americans. PM Modi held his first such event at Madison Square Garden in 2014. This upcoming event marks the 10-year anniversary of the event.
That registrations for PM Modi’s event came through 590 community organisations in the US. There was a huge response from the tri-state area.
PM Modi’s community outreach events in the US have in past, drawn huge crowds. Last such event was ‘Howdy Modi’ which was held in Houston in 2019. The event had witnessed enthusiastic participation from Indian-Americans.
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