Prelims
Gold Superheating: Defying Entropy Catastrophe
Why in News: A new study published in Nature found that gold can remain solid at 14 times its melting point when heated rapidly using ultrashort laser pulses.
Findings:
- Gold can remain solid at 14 times its melting point when heated rapidly using ultrashort laser pulses.
- The atoms retained their crystalline structure for a few trillionths of a second, challenging previous thermodynamic assumptions.
- Researchers used ultrashort laser pulses to heat 50 nm gold films.
- X-ray scattering techniques confirmed gold stayed solid even at 14× its melting point.
- The rapid heating prevented atomic disorder, bypassing the entropy catastrophe.
What is Superheating?
- Superheating occurs when a solid remains in its phase beyond its melting point, without transitioning to liquid.
- Normally, materials melt shortly after reaching their melting point due to increase in entropy (disorder).
Concepts:
- Melting Point of Gold: ~1064°C (1337 K)
Entropy Catastrophe (TEC):
- Proposed by Hans-Jörg Fecht and William Johnson (1988).
- TEC (Temperature of Entropy Catastrophe): Theoretical temperature beyond which a solid’s entropy exceeds that of a liquid — violating the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
- Hence, solids were believed incapable of existing beyond ~3× their melting point.
Applications:
- Insights help design materials for extreme environments, e.g., space exploration, high-speed electronics, or fusion reactors.
BHISHM Cubes
Why in News: On the 60th Independence Day of Maldives (26 July 2025), India gifted two BHISHM Cubes to the Maldives.
What are BHISHM Cubes?
- BHISHM = Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita & Maitri
- Portable, self-contained emergency medical units for disaster-hit or remote regions.
- Developed under India’s Aarogya Maitri mission (2024).
Structure & Configuration
- 1 BHISHM Cube = 2 mother cubes = 72 mini cubes (36 in each mother cube)
- Capacity: Can manage ~200 emergency cases including surgeries.
- Contains trauma kits, surgical tools, medicines, AI-based systems.
Deployment & Mobility
- Setup time: ~12 minutes
- Portable: Hand-carried, bicycle, drone, or airdrop
- Waterproof, lightweight, and climate-resilient
- Designed for golden hour response and field conditions.
Tech Integration
- RFID-based inventory with a tablet interface
- App supports 180 languages, real-time stock updates
- AI & data analytics for disaster management coordination.
PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY)
Why in News: PM-VBRY to Replace ELI Scheme from 1st August 2025
Full Name: PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY)
- Launch Date: Effective from 1st August 2025
- Replaces: Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Labour and Employment
- Outlay: ₹99,446 crore
- Duration: 2025–2027 (2 years)
Scheme Structure
Part A – Incentive to First-Time Employees
Target: EPFO-registered first-time workers earning ≤ ₹1 lakh/month
Incentive: One month’s EPF wage (max ₹15,000) in 2 installments
- After 6 months of service
- After 12 months + financial literacy program
Disbursal: Via DBT through Aadhaar Bridge Payment System
Savings: Part of the amount deposited in savings instrument
Part B – Incentive to Employers
Eligible Firms: EPFO-registered hiring
- ≥2 workers (if <50 staff)
- ≥5 workers (if ≥50 staff) for min. 6 months
Monthly Incentive per Employee:
- ≤ ₹10,000 EPF wage → ₹1,000
- ₹10,001–20,000 → ₹2,000
- ₹20,001–1,00,000 → ₹3,000
Bonus: Extra incentive for 3rd & 4th year in manufacturing
Payment Mode: To PAN-linked employer accounts
Uttarakhand to Assess Tourist Carrying Capacity
Why in News: For the first time, Uttarakhand government will conduct a Tourist Carrying Capacity survey in Nainital district to tackle unregulated tourism, traffic congestion, and environmental degradation.
Key Points
Tourist Carrying Capacity = Maximum number of tourists/visitors a place can handle without damaging local resources or ecology.
NTG Order (2024): Asked state to classify Nainital based on carrying capacity and environmental sensitivity.
Two Key Approaches:
- Planetary Boundaries Approach: Focuses on exceeding Earth’s safe environmental limits (e.g., climate change, pollution).
- Biocapacity Overshoot Approach: Measures how quickly humanity consumes Earth’s natural resource productivity annually (e.g., Earth Overshoot Day).
Significance:
- Helps plan sustainable tourism
- Balances development with ecological protection
- Applies precautionary principles in hill town management.
