<keyword id="9684" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rabindranath-Tagore">Rabindranath Tagore</keyword>, India’s first Nobel laureate, will always be remembered in India as his poetic composition reverberates in our hearts and spirits in the form of our national anthem. A poet, philosopher, patriot, and a social thinker put in one, <keyword id="1593" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tagore">Tagore</keyword> is one of the greatest revolutionaries India has produced. Tagore felt <keyword id="6360307" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nature">nature</keyword> is a treasure of wisdom and hence education must happen in a natural setting. He championed the ideals of naturalism, humanism, internationalism and idealism. He breathed these concepts in the education provided at <keyword id="711287" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shanti-Niketan">Shanti Niketan</keyword>, the school he founded. Here is a list of the greatest quotes of Rabindranath Tagore.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rabindranath Tagore greatest quotes</strong><br /><br /><strong>Tagore’s greatest quote #1</strong><br /><br />‘If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.’<br /><br />When we are obsessed with the biggest goal of our life, we become blind to the galaxy of joys we find all along our journey. Such an attitude will only put us in a constant craving for success, while finding the life hopeless, unenjoyable and boring. Instead, we must find ways to enjoy life and love every bit of our life so that the whole of our lives becomes an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. <br /><br /><strong>Tagore’s greatest quote #2</strong><br /><br />‘Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky’<br /><br />Tagore’s thoughts are so deeply soaked in his philosophy of Man, Life and God. Tagore always advocated a life in perfect communion with nature. For his beauty is one of the biggest purposes of creation. While most of us look at clouds as the source of rains and storms, Tagore is able to appreciate its beauty. Like <keyword id="119241" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wordsworth">Wordsworth</keyword>, Tagore too felt Nature is the best teacher and we can learn a lot from nature. <br /><br /><strong>Tagore’s greatest quote #3</strong><br /><br />Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.<br /><br />Bacon said in one of his essays: “Men fear death as children are afraid of darkness”. Fear of death is a common feeling every human shares on this earth. Even the sickest man does not want to give up his body. Somehow we identify ourselves with the body and we want to cling to our temporal existence for eternity. This quote of Tagore opens up a new dimension of our understanding about the life after death. Life after death can be enjoyable and a great experience. In fact, the comparison in his quote sees death as the gate opening up the doors to a glorious world.<br /><br /><strong>Tagore’s greatest quote #4</strong><br /><br />"We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility."<br /><br />The essence of wisdom is the awareness that knowledge is oceanic while what we learnt is only a drop of it. Great men of this world had always been humble and simple. In fact, humility is one of the characteristic hallmarks of learned people. In this quote, Tagore stresses on the importance of cultivating humility despite our accomplishments and successes.<br /><br /><strong>Here is a list of many other greatest quotes of Rabindranath Tagore that can inspire us and broaden our understanding of life, man and God.</strong><br /><br /><ul style=""><li style="">If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.</li><li style="">Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.</li><li style="">Music fills the infinite between two souls.</li><li style="">What is Art? It is the response of man's creative soul to the call of the Real.</li><li style="">Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.</li><li style="">Do not say, 'It is morning,' and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.</li><li style="">Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.</li><li style="">Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.</li><li style="">The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.</li><li style="">By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.</li><li style="">Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.</li><li style="">Beauty is truth's smile when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror.</li><li style="">Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.</li><li style="">Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.</li><li style="">Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.</li><li style="">I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.</li><li style="">Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them.</li><li style="">Facts are many, but the truth is one.</li><li style="">Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance.</li><li style="">The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.</li><li style="">"Want of love is a degree of callousness; for love is the perfection of consciousness. We do not love because we do not comprehend, or rather we do not comprehend because we do not love. For love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. It is"</li><li style="">You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.</li><li style="">Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky</li><li style="">Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.</li><li style="">Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.</li><li style="">"We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility."</li><li style="">We live in the world when we love it.</li><li style="">"Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation."</li><li style="">"In our desire for eternal life we pray for an eternity of our habit and comfort, forgetting that immortality is in repeatedly transcending the definite forms of life in order to pursue the infinite truth of life."</li><li style="">The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark. The small truth has words which are clear; the great truth has great silence.</li><li style="">"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade."</li><li style="">Love is an endless mystery, for it has nothing else to explain it.</li><li style="">"Praise shames me, for I secretly beg for it."</li><li style="">"A dewdrop is a perfect integrity that has no filial memory of its parentage."</li><li style="">Emancipation from the bondage of the soil is no freedom for the tree.</li><li style="">‘If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.’</li><li style="">The flower which is single need not envy the thorns that are numerous.</li><li style="">‘Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.’</li><li style="">Life is given to us, we earn it by giving it.</li><li style="">‘If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.’</li><li style="">We gain freedom when we have paid the full price.</li><li style="">‘The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.’</li><li style="">Age considers; youth ventures.</li></ul><br /><br />

Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti 2021: Remembering some of his greatest words

A lot of <keyword id="6363803" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="easter" source="Orion">Easter</keyword> traditions - including hot cross buns and lamb on Sunday - stem from medieval <keyword id="6370006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="christian" source="Orion">Christian</keyword> or even earlier pagan beliefs. The chocolate <keyword id="236882" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="easter-egg" source="Orion">Easter egg</keyword>, however, is a more modern twist on tradition. <br /><br />Chicken eggs have been eaten at Easter for centuries. Eggs have long symbolised rebirth and renewal, making them perfect to commemorate the story of Jesus' resurrection as well as the arrival of spring. <br /><br />Although nowadays eggs can be eaten during the fasting period of Lent, in the middle ages they were prohibited along with meat and dairy. Medieval chefs often found surprising ways around this, even making mock eggs to replace them. <br /><br />For Easter - a period of celebration - eggs and meat, such as lamb (also a symbol of renewal), were back on the table. <br /><br />Even once eggs were permitted in fasting meals, they kept a special place in the Easter feast. Seventeenth-century cookbook author <keyword id="17030366" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="john-murrell" source="Orion">John Murrell</keyword> recommended "egges with greene sawce", a sort of pesto made with sorrel leaves. <br /><br />Across Europe, eggs were also given as a tithe (a sort of yearly rent) to the local church on Good Friday. This might be where the idea of giving eggs as a gift comes from. The practice died out in many Protestant areas after the Reformation, but some English villages kept the tradition going until the 19th century. <br /><br />It's not known exactly when people started to decorate their eggs, but research has pointed to the 13th century, when King Edward I gave his courtiers eggs wrapped in gold leaf. <br /><br />A few centuries later, we know that people across Europe were dying their eggs different colours. They usually chose yellow, using onion peel, or red, using madder roots or beetroots. The red eggs are thought to symbolise the blood of Christ. One 17th-century author suggested this practice went as far back as early Christians in Mesopotamia, but it's hard to know for sure. <br /><br />In England, the most popular way of decorating was with petals, which made colourful imprints. The Wordsworth Museum in the Lake District still has a collection of eggs made for the poet's children from the 1870s. <br /><br />From dyed eggs to chocolate eggs <br /><br />Although dyeing patterned eggs is still a common Easter activity, these days eggs are more commonly associated with chocolate. But when did this shift happen? <br /><br />When chocolate arrived in Britain in the 17th century, it was an exciting and very expensive novelty. In 1669, the Earl of Sandwich paid £227 - the equivalent of around £32,000 today - for a chocolate recipe from King Charles II. <br /><br />Today chocolate is thought of as a solid food, but then it was only ever a drink and was usually spiced with chilli pepper following Aztec and Maya traditions. For the English, this exotic new drink was like nothing they'd ever encountered. One author called it the "American Nectar": a drink for the gods. <br /><br />Chocolate was soon a fashionable drink for the aristocracy, often given as a gift thanks to its high status, a tradition still followed today. It was also enjoyed in the newly opened coffee houses around London. Coffee and tea had also only just been introduced to England, and all three drinks were rapidly changing how Britons socially interacted with each other. <br /><br />Catholic theologians did connect chocolate with Easter in this time, but out of concern that drinking chocolate would go against fasting practices during Lent. After heated debate, it was agreed that chocolate made with water might be acceptable during fasts. At Easter at least - a time of feasting and celebration - chocolate was fine. <br /><br />Chocolate remained expensive into the 19th century, when Fry's (now part of Cadbury) made the first solid chocolate bars in 1847, revolutionising the chocolate trade. <br /><br />For the Victorians, chocolate was much more accessible but still something of an indulgence. Thirty years later, in 1873, Fry's developed the first chocolate Easter egg as a luxury treat, merging the two gift-giving traditions. <br /><br />Even in the early 20th century, these chocolate eggs were seen as a special present, and many people never even ate theirs. A woman in Wales kept an egg from 1951 for 70 years and a museum in Torquay recently bought an egg that had been saved since 1924. <br /><br />It was only in the 1960s and 1970s that supermarkets began to offer chocolate eggs at a cheaper price, hoping to profit off the Easter tradition. <br /><br />With rising concerns over long-term chocolate production and bird flu provoked egg shortages, future Easters might look a little different. But if there is one thing that <keyword id="133868" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="easter-eggs" source="Orion">Easter eggs</keyword> can show us, it's the adaptability of tradition.

How Easter eggs evolved from chicken to chocolate

<br /><ul><li>A new study by Harvard University finds that any habitable planet is bound to have <keyword id="13195" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rain">rain</keyword>.</li><li>Whether or not drops manage to reach the surface can help further narrow down the search for life on planets outside the <keyword id="52393" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Solar-System">solar system</keyword>.</li><li>This depends on the size of the drops, what they’re made up of, how fast they fall and what happens if they manage to survive the fall.</li></ul>Finding another planet that can support human life is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But rain should serve as a magnet to detect the most likely candidates. <br /><br />A new study by researchers at <a href="https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2021/04/raindrops-also-keep-fallin-exoplanets">Harvard</a> finds that <keyword id="461135" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raindrops">raindrops</keyword> are a common denominator across different planetary environments. Even when you compare the Earth to Jupiter — the rain is remarkably similar.<br /><br />  <div type="ExtQuote" text="“The humble raindrop is a vital component of the precipitation cycle for all planets.”" auname="Robin Wordsworth, senior author of the paper"></div><br />Trying to study the entire water cycle of a planet is a complicated endeavor. But studying raindrops is much simpler. The first step merely involves figuring out whether or not raindrops evaporate before reaching the surface or survive the journey down from the clouds. <br /><br />“If we can understand how individual raindrops behave, we can better represent rain in complex climate models,” said Robit Wordsworth, senior author of the paper published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020JE006653">Journal of Geophysical Research</a>. <br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Size matters" comment="subhead" text="Size matters"><span data-til="noop">Size matters</span></cmsannotation><br />In trying to determine whether or not a raindrop reaches the surface of a planet, the size of drops matter. If it’s too big, the drop will fall apart regardless of whether it's made up of water, methane, or even liquid iron — as spotted on the exoplanet dubbed <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2005/?lang">WASP-76b</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div type="image" title="red planet_edited" msid="81927075" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Artist’s impression of WASP-76b&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />If the drop is too small, it will evaporate before it's able to make a splash landing. <br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rain on different planets:" comment="subhead" text="Rain on different planets:"><span data-til="noop">Rain on different planets:</span></cmsannotation><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Planet<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Type of rain<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Venus<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sulphuric acid<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Neptune<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Diamonds<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Titan<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Methane<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HD 189733b<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Glass<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">OGLE TR 56b<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Iron<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The Goldilocks zone of raindrop size" comment="subhead" text="The Goldilocks zone of raindrop size"><span data-til="noop">The Goldilocks zone of raindrop size</span></cmsannotation><br />The researchers at Harvard University narrowed down three aspects of a raindrop to determine what size would be ‘just right’ — the Goldilocks zone (habitable zone) — to find out whether or not the rain reaches the surface.<br /><br />This includes the shape of the drops, how they fall and what happens when they evaporate.<br /><br />All raindrops start out the same way, regardless of the material they are made up of. While many of us picture teardrop shaped rain, raindrops are actually spherical when small. As they grow larger, they become more squashed, like pizza dough.<br /><br />The shape is important since it determines the speed at which the drops fall. This speed can vary depending on gravity as well as the thickness of the surrounding air. <br /><br />Evaporation is where things get a little more complicated because there are more variables involved — like atmospheric conditions, pressure, temperature, relative humidity and other factors.<br /><br />By using the three properties of drops, the study determines that there is only a very small fraction of possible raindrop sizes within a cloud that can reach the surface.<br /><br />“We can use this behavior to guide us as we model cloud cycles on <keyword id="122247" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Exoplanets">exoplanets</keyword>,” said Kaitlyn Loftus, the lead author of the paper.<br /><br /><br /><br />

Raindrops on other planets could be key in search for life beyond the solar system

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5321f276ecad04fc5e9602cf-1024-576/69c.jpg" border="0" alt="kepler 69c"><p class="source"><span>Science@NASA and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Tiny, microbial life could be swarming deep below the surface of Mars or swimming in the underground oceans on Saturn's moon Enceladus, but that's not where we're likely to find the first life forms beyond earth.</p><p>The bad news is that the first alien life forms humankind will likely discover will be too far away to ever visit. But the great news is that we could detect these exotic beings extremely soon:</p><p>"I think we're probably going to be able to detect life on another planet in the next decade or so," <a href="http://www.chrisimpey.com/">Christopher Impey</a>, who is an astronomer at the University of Arizona and author of over a dozen popular <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> books, told Business Insider. The way we're going to do it is "by exploring exoplanets that we're discovering in large numbers."</p><p>Exoplanets are planets that exist outside of our solar system. The <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/03/closest-exoplanet-remarkably-earth-sized">closest exoplanet we know of so far</a> is actually orbiting one of the nearest stars Alpha Centauri B about 4.3 light years from earth, but it would take current spacecraft technology well over <a href="http://earthsky.org/space/alpha-centauri-travel-time">100,000 years</a> to reach it.</p><h2>Why exoplanets?</h2><p>Discovering another life force beyond earth is going to be difficult no matter where astronomers look, but exoplanets have several advantages.</p><p>First, there are more earth-like exoplanets in our galaxy than in our solar system. Indeed, earth is the only real earth-like planet nearby, with Mars as a close but pretty disappointing second. As of right now, there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_potentially_habitable_exoplanets">over 45 exoplanets</a> in our galaxy thought to be potentially habitable.</p><blockquote class="pullquote">I think we're probably going to be able to detect life on another planet in the next decade</blockquote><p>Another advantage is that scientists can search for life on exoplanets inexpensively and efficiently with instruments on earth.</p><p>In contrast, large government agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency will likely have to land a robotic probe on the surface of Europa, or some of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/where-is-there-liquid-water-in-the-solar-system-2015-3">other promising places in our solar system</a>, to discover evidence of life. (The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/are-there-aliens-in-our-solar-system-2015-3">one exception could be</a> Saturn's water-rich moon Enceladus.)</p><p>"They're billion-dollar, decade-long missions and NASA's budget is so tight that you can only do one big thing at a time," Impey told Business Insider about missions to land a probe on a nearby planet or moon.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554d2ebfecad0474564773e8-1200-750/8095438809_ae0017e8c6_o.jpg" border="0" alt="exoplanet"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/esoastronomy/8095438809/in/photolist-dkneVc-ecEJt7-8xpVHF-9vbE2t-5eg7KE-jj7Bd4-7ZpUgZ-5efqME-oTUQG3-8rJbgu-cmawjm-r4Fdv9-2V7CtM-qPKxHT-7LLQnX-rqevLJ-s1BD7P-rP2wMC-rj3YAy-rZTX4v-fxVQci-qvPrBA-rMC8YE-ifT3a2-qJ32MJ-sdksgb-dMpYGX-r7tAiM-rmDYdf-rrQS7B-rG16j3-rJhQRi-rJcLsV-rBXbi1-rE8ZZh-qHsthZ-ruQ2wU-rnFwS7-rwHvce-qSnUsV-rP5Ws8-rZQNr9-ruQ4bL-rBhHQy-ri4ZSx-qPxt6w-si9eYg-rUjTAK-rMizAp-r9dwym">European Southern Observatory on Flickr</a></span></p><p class="caption">Artist's impression of the exoplanet around Alpha Centauri B. </p></img></div><p></p></div></div>On the other hand, with powerful telescopes on earth, scientists can sniff out alien life across the galaxy by inspecting the different cocktail of gases in these planets' atmospheres. Only planets with certain key elements and molecules will have the potential to spawn and sustain life.</p><h2>The chemical recipe for life</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/51deda4f69beddbb43000014-1200-858/azure-blue-exoplanet-1.jpg" border="0" alt="azure blue exoplanet"><p class="source"><span>NASA, ESA, M. Kornmesser </span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>However, scientists are still debating what that perfect cocktail is.</p><p>For example, until last year, the detection of oxygen - an crucial element for life on earth - within an exoplanet's atmosphere would have been an extremely exciting discovery and widely considered a sure sign for life.</p><p>But in May, 2014 a pair of researchers - Robin Wordsworth and Raymond Pierrehumbert - <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/all/1/all:+AND+habitable+AND+terrestrial+AND+on+AND+atmospheres+AND+Abiotic+EXACT+oxygen%5fdominated/0/1/0/all/0/1">suggested that worlds</a> with large amounts of liquid water could still have lots of oxygen but be completely devoid of life. That's because light from the planet's star could have enough energy to separate the hydrogen and oxygen atoms making up water vapor in the atmosphere, where the hydrogen could then escape to space, leaving behind the oxygen.</p><p>"Any claims about the remote detection of life beyond the solar system would be open to a lot of close scrutiny," Jack O'Malley-James <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25314-dead-exoplanets-can-have-oxygenrich-atmospheres-too.html">told New Scientist for an article about the study</a>. "So knowing more about the non-biological sources of atmospheric gases, coupled with methods for ruling those sources out, would help to make those claims more robust."</p><h2>A new fleet of gigantic, revolutionary telescopes</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554d2ff3eab8ea5f418e5798-1200-500/e-elt_and_vlt_vs_colosseum.jpg" border="0" alt="EELT"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Extremely_Large_Telescope#/media/File:E-ELT_and_VLT_vs_Colosseum.jpg">ESO on Wikipedia</a></span></p><p class="caption">Comparing the European Extremely Large Telescope to the Colosseum and other current telescopes.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>While scientists like Wordsworth and Pierrehumbert are investigating what to look for, astronomers and engineers are working on the tools we'll use in the search for life outside our solar system by building the largest, most powerful telescopes in history.</p><p>"[Exoplanets] are far away and they're very faint," Impey told Business Insider. "You need a huge collecting area to get the light from a distance of an earth-like planet."</p><p>The collecting area of a telescope refers to the size of the part of the instrument, called the mirror, which collects the light from distant objects. Astronomers will then study this light to detect different chemical signatures in the atmosphere. Similar to how each human has a unique thumbprint, each element has a specific light signature, which astronomers can detect through a method called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectroscopy">spectroscopy</a>.</p><p>But, it's going to take the most powerful telescopes in history to detect the faint light signatures of these molecules on distant exoplanets. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Right now, astronomers at institutes across the globe are building three gigantic, next-generation telescopes, two in Chile and one in Hawaii:</span></p><ul><li>The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will be <a href="http://www.space.com/14075-10-biggest-telescopes-earth-comparison.html">three times large than any current telescope</a> and will produce images 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. It's currently under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in La Serena, Chile and is scheduled to begin operations by 2024.</li><li>The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is expected to provide images that are <a href="http://www.space.com/14075-10-biggest-telescopes-earth-comparison.html">12 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope</a> and was scheduled to begin operations atop Hawaii's dormant volcano Mauna Kea as soon as 2025. However, <a href="http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28757745/protest-against-thirty-meter-telescope-spreading-worldwide">recent protests</a> have temporarily halted construction.</li><li>The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) will dwarf both the GMT and TMT with a mirror the size of half a soccer field! (See the image above.) Construction on the E-ELT began in June 2014 in Cerro Armazones, Chile, and this colossal telescope is scheduled to start operations in 2024.</li></ul><p>These three huge telescopes each have the capability to observe distant worlds and maybe, just maybe, make the most important discovery in the history of the human race by answering that tantalizing question: Are we alone?</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-aliens-look-like-2014-12">Scientists Have A Pretty Good Idea What Aliens May Actually Look Like</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="k4MTU2cjqHJG6cOulknf6VK7dBGi8s-U" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'k4MTU2cjqHJG6cOulknf6VK7dBGi8s-U',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

We're going to detect alien life in the next decade, but not where you might think

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50426691.cms" />Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future. 
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	- William Wordsworth
<br /><br /> The year 2015 had some fascinating developments as far as India's political <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> and social sectors are concerned. The country had its share of ups and downs in different spheres. In the domain of external affairs and foreign policy, it had many ups and some downs. The ups included the country breaking new ground with the prime minister leading from the front. The year included the PM's many successful visits abroad and inviting state guests to India. These included hosting President <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword> for the Republic Day celebrations, hosting Chancellor <keyword id="76" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Angela-Merkel">Angela Merkel</keyword> in October followed by the visits of heads of state and leaders of Africa in the third Indo-Africa Forum Summit, and hosting Prime Minister <keyword id="590894" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shinzo-Abe">Shinzo Abe</keyword> for the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi. On the negative side, there was continued dominance of domestic politics trumping talks with some leaders in the South Asian region and the continuing border issues with some of India's neighboring countries. <br /><br />

	On the political economy front, several things changed. Some for the good others for the worse. The brute majority force and especially the insensitive remarks post the communal violence incidents were checked by the people voting in Bihar. Before this too a setback in Delhi sent a clear signal of focusing on development and governance, the two things for which the government was chosen. Also, the election results in Delhi and Bihar reflected that the honeymoon period for the government seemed to be over. 
<br /><br /> On the economic front, several positives emerged which show the signs of a recovery albeit a slow one. The relatively high <keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword> growth, low <keyword id="22195" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Inflation">inflation</keyword>, a surge in private consumption and increased government investment, substantial investment in highway sector, positive developments in railways and power sector performance seem to be a positive for the government. The negatives seemed to be stalled private investment due to massive debt/ leverage, rising NPA's of banks, spiraling pulse prices, and falling exports. The decision of greater decentralization and acceptance of <keyword id="25455" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="finance">Finance</keyword> Commissions recommendations is a welcome institutional step for strengthening the federal structure of the country. <br /><br />

	On the legislative reforms agenda, people had expected much more legislative action but various sessions were rendered unproductive due to stalling of key reforms by the opposition. In spite of this, the government seemed to have been able to maneuver in particular areas where reforms could have been done without legislative action, most notably in the roads, railways and power sectors. 
<br /><br />

	In the sphere of education, healthcare and law and order some activity was observed but much more remains to be done. The ASER report pointed to the alarming statistics of children's learning outcomes at the primary level.  Similarly, the healthcare debates continued to be around spending and increasing access to healthcare especially in rural areas. In law and order much has remained the same, as there is a pendency of 30 million cases. The landmark judgement on NJAC showcased that the Judiciary will retain the right to appoint judges. 
<br /><br /> An important question now to ask is where does India go from here. In the next year, i.e., 2016 on the external front, foreign policy calibration is likely to continue expected lines. No significant breakthroughs in the neighborhood but increased engagement in the international arena and use of geopolitics and geo-economics to drive <keyword id="6362476" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="investments">investments</keyword> into India. <br /><br />

	On the political economy, front state elections are expected in the southern and eastern belt. Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the UT of Pondicherry will most likely see elections in 2016. Will this tip the balance in favor of the incumbent government or away from it only time can tell.
<br /><br />

	On the economic front, things are looking good for India as commodity prices are expected to stay low amid global glut caused due to falling Chinese demand. India's exports will be an area to look out for on the negative side. Another area to watch out for is the monetary tightening speed of the Federal Reserve. This could have consequences of a weaker rupee against the dollar and chances of capital flight. But overall the country seems well poised for growth amidst stumbling BRICS. 
<br /><br />

	Some positive news is expected in the legislative arena. Members of opposition in Rajya Sabha may just tip the balance closer where the opposition may just become irrelevant as quite some incumbents are will retire. This may just help see some legislative action in the year ahead. The pace of legislative reforms could help India's internal economy as well will have a crucial bearing on India's trade relationships.
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	In the social spheres namely education, healthcare and law and order much is thought to be expected lines. The crucial problems will persist; the government and the institutions of the state must focus on improving outcomes in all these spheres. 
<br /><br />

	Overall what will 2016 hold for India only time can tell? It is in a better position than other BRICS economies to be an engine of global growth
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	(The article is co-authored with Sankalp Sharma, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Competitiveness, India. Amit Kapoor is Chair, Institute for Competitiveness &amp; Editor of Thinkers. The views expressed are personal. Amit can be reached at amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in and tweets @kautiliya)

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	Image credits: indiatimes


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