UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on National Supercomputing Mission and microRNA (Week 72)

QUESTION 2

Discuss the significance of India’s National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) to develop supercomputers.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: What is microRNA and how was it discovered? Discuss the significance of understanding gene regulation.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Nobel Prize for Medicine this year has been awarded to scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA — tiny molecules which play a crucial role in how genes function.

— MicroRNA are molecules that help cells control their protein production. The proteins that cells produce play vital roles in almost all biological processes of living organisms.

— In human bodies, for example, the protein haemoglobin transports oxygen, insulin aids in the absorption of carbohydrates from the blood, etc. Thus, anything that affects protein production can have an impact on human health.

— MicroRNA functions by attaching to another type of molecule known as messenger RNA (mRNA).

— According to an article on the Ohio State University website, “microRNA regulates gene expression primarily by binding to messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cell cytoplasm.” Instead of being translated into a protein right away, the designated mRNA will be either destroyed and its components recycled, or kept and translated later.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Discovery of microRNA

— In the late 1980s, Ambros and Ruvkun were working under Nobel Prize-winning researcher Robert Horvitz, studying a tiny roundworm called C. elegans. Despite being just 1 millimetre long, this worm had many of the same cell types found in larger animals, making it an ideal candidate for understanding how tissues develop.

— Ambros and Ruvkun were especially interested in two genes in these worms: lin-4 and lin-14. These genes performed critical roles in determining when certain cells developed. The scientists’ interest was sparked when they discovered that certain mutant worms had difficulty with this timing. Ambros noticed that lin-4 appeared to block lin-14, but the scientific reasoning for this was unclear.

— After establishing his lab at Harvard, Ambros undertook further research into the lin-4 gene. To his amazement, he discovered that lin-4 produced a little RNA molecule that did not code for proteins, like most genes do. Instead, this microRNA just inhibited the action of lin 14.

— This discovery revealed a fascinating new way in which genes could be controlled through tiny RNA molecules now called microRNAs.

Significance of understanding gene regulation

— Genetic information is stored in DNA inside the nucleus of each cell. This information is copied to the mRNA, a molecule that contains the instructions that direct cells to synthesise appropriate proteins. Proteins handle all kinds of important jobs in the body, such as making muscles contract or helping nerves communicate.

— Different tissues in the body create different proteins, depending on their specific functions. This differentiation among cells is governed by gene regulation, which effectively turns on or off specific genes in a cell in order to allow it to carry its specific task.

— Faults in gene regulation can result in serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, or autoimmune conditions. Understanding gene regulation, thus, holds the key to understanding — and potentially treating — many of these conditions.

(Source: MicroRNA, gene regulation: What 2024 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded for by Kaunain Sheriff M, Nobel Prize for Medicine out: What exactly have the winners worked on)

Points to Ponder

What is the role of microRNA in post-transcriptional gene regulation?

What is the difference between messenger RNA and microRNA?

Related Previous Year Questions

What is the basic principle behind vaccine development? How do vaccines work? What approaches were adopted by the Indian vaccine manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines? (2022)

The Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for the invention of Blue LEDs in the 1990s. How has this invention impacted the everyday life of human beings? (2021)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the significance of India’s National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) to develop supercomputers.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015, was established to provide the country with supercomputing infrastructure to satisfy the growing computational demands of universities, researchers, MSMEs, and startups.

— The National Super Computing Mission is led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), with implementation by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

— The Indian Prime Minister recently inaugurated three PARAM Rudra supercomputers in Delhi, Pune, and Kolkata to help advance research in astronomy, medicine, and high-energy physics.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

What are supercomputers?

— A supercomputer is a large computing system specifically designed to solve complex, scientific and industrial challenges, which tend to be time-consuming and computation-intensive.

— They are used in quantum mechanics, weapons research, weather forecasting and climate research, oil and gas exploration, molecular dynamics and physical simulations, data analytics and big data — all of which require a high computing capacity which are unavailable with regular systems.

Significance

— India bore the brunt of technology-denial by Western nations on two significant occasions. The first delayed India’s forays into space in the 1970s, and the second stopped it from building supercomputers in the 1990s. However, this further motivated India to develop pocket-friendly, indigenous technologies in the decades that followed.

— Some of the broad applications of the NSM include climate modelling, weather prediction, aerospace engineering, computational biology, molecular dynamics, atomic energy simulations, national security and defence applications, seismic analysis, disaster simulations and management, computational chemistry, computational material science and nanomaterials, astrophysics, large complex systems simulations, cyber-physical systems, big data analytics, finance, and information repositories.

Conclusion:

— The three new supercomputers are all indigenously manufactured PARAM Rudra machines produced under the National Supercomputing Mission at a total cost of around Rs 130 crores.

— All of these HPCs will play a critical role in delivering cutting-edge facilities to the country’s scientific community. It will also aid advanced research in subjects such as physics, cosmology, and earth sciences.

(Source: Explained: the significance of India’s mission to develop supercomputers by Anjali Marar, PM Modi dedicates three new supercomputers to nation by Anjali Marar, dst.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

What is FLOPS in computing?

Read about Param Rudra and other supercomputers

Which supercomputer is the world’s fastest supercomputer?

Related Previous Year Question

Discuss India’s achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How has the application of this technology has helped India in its socio-economic development? (2016)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 71)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 70)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 70)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 71)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 71)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 70)

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