National Science Day 2023

National Science Day is celebrated on 28 February every year. The day marks the discovery of the Raman effect by Nobel laureate, physicist C V Raman on this day in 1928. On this National Science Day, let’s examine some scientific advancements that have influenced how we view the world around us:

X-Ray: German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered in 1895 that his cathode ray tube could emit invisible rays that could pass through human flesh and bones and produce images of the internal anatomy of the body. He revolutionized medicine with the discovery of X-rays, which are still utilized today for diagnostic imaging.

Gravity: Sir Isaac Newton formulated gravitational theory in 1665 or 1666 and found that gravitational force pulls every object in the cosmos towards every other object and is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their distance from one another. It also gave rise to an explanation for the motion of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies, and set the groundwork for modern physics.

DNA: DNA was discovered in 1869 by Swiss researcher Friedrich Miescher, who was originally trying to study the composition of lymphoid cells (white blood cells). Instead, he isolated a new molecule he called nuclein (DNA with associated proteins) from a cell nucleus. Now, this information is utilised to create new medicines, improve agricultural output, and treat hereditary illnesses.

The Big Bang Theory: The Big Bang Theory is the most commonly accepted theory for how the cosmos came into being. It is thought that the Big Bang occurred when a single, incredibly small point of energy erupted into the entire cosmos. It is believed that this explosion was the source of all the matter and energy in the cosmos. The theory was first proposed by Georges Lemaître in the 1920s and has since been refined and expanded on by modern cosmologists.