Google launches Gemini 3.7 Flash, an AI model focused on programming and business automation

During the celebration of the country's 80th anniversary of independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech from the Red Fort, emphasizing India's rapid development in the technology sector.

Modi stated that mobile phone production has increased thirty-threefold, and the country has also achieved successes in digitalization and innovation in the modern world. He also announced that 6-7 semiconductor plans will soon be created in India, and that work on data centers in the country is actively underway.

Currently, many mobile brands such as Apple and Samsung have opened manufacturing facilities in India. Moreover, brands like Apple and Samsung export smartphones produced in India, which benefits India itself. Thanks to the mobile equipment manufacturing capabilities in the country, new employment opportunities have emerged.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also noted that electronic manufacturing in India has increased by approximately seven times. He stressed that over the last twelve years, India has made significant strides in both the technology sector and other areas.

Modi stated that the country has gained a new pace of development over the past twelve years. He noted that it is impossible to stop more than one hundred forty million citizens of the country. Furthermore, over the past twelve years, defense production has increased by approximately four times, and electronic production by seven times.

A new scientific study has provided the first detailed overview of the Earth's interior directly beneath the East Indian Craton—an ancient fragment of the Earth's crust that has remained stable for over three billion years. Using a network of 16 broadband seismic stations located in the states of Odisha and Jharkhand, Dr. Prantik Mandal from CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) in Hyderabad mapped the enigmatic region known as the Mantle Transition Zone (MTZ).

The results showed that this deep layer is about 235 kilometers thick and contains evidence of ancient water and reworked oceanic sediments, offering a rare insight into the planet's internal processes.

The Mantle Transition Zone functions as a key passage between the upper and lower mantle of the Earth, situated at depths of approximately 410 to 660 kilometers. To study these depths, Prantik applied the P-wave visualization method, which is similar to medical ultrasound. When earthquakes occur in other parts of the world, seismic waves pass through the Earth's interior. When these waves reach major boundaries, such as the upper or lower boundary of the transition zone, they change their speed and direction.

By recording 666 such wave transformations, Prantik was able to calculate the depth and composition of the structures beneath the East Indian Craton with unprecedented accuracy. At depths below the upper mantle, immense pressure and temperature cause changes in common elements and compounds. At the 410-kilometer mark, the mineral olivine transforms into a denser form called wadsleyite, and at 660 kilometers, it changes again into bridgmanite. The speed of seismic waves changes sharply at these points, creating discontinuities.

The study found that although the thickness of the MTZ under East India is close to the global average, there are significant low-velocity layers directly above these boundaries. These layers act as dampeners, reducing the speed of seismic waves, which strongly suggests either the presence of partially molten rock or water-saturated minerals.

From a geological perspective, the data obtained represents a time capsule. The study suggests that the transition zone under India contains 0.1 to 0.3 percent of water by weight. Although this may seem like a small amount, at these depths and on this scale, it represents a huge reservoir of volatiles. This water likely infiltrated the Earth's interior during the formation of the supercontinent Gondwana about 550 million years ago, or more recently during the ongoing collision of India and Asia, which led to the formation of the Himalayas.

Furthermore, evidence of stagnant material at the base of the zone indicates that remnants of ancient oceanic floors, submerged millions of years ago, are currently accumulating beneath the Indian Plate. By using a denser network of seismographs specifically in the Singbhum-Odisha region, this study provided the first detailed constraints on the deep structure of the East Indian Craton. This allowed the scientific discussion to shift from general assumptions to specific measurements of mantle temperature and chemistry variations in different parts of the country.

Nevertheless, the study also highlights the inherent difficulties of observing through hundreds of kilometers of solid rock. Prantik notes that while low-velocity layers are a compelling explanation for the data, they are not yet an absolute truth. Seismic velocity drops can also be explained by the alignment of minerals in the rock, a phenomenon known as anisotropy, or potentially artifacts created during complex mathematical processing of seismic signals. To confirm whether this is truly a deep-sea water reservoir, scientists will need to conduct further research using other methods, such as magnetotellurics, which measures the Earth's electrical conductivity.

This work contributes to the understanding of the long-term stability and evolution of the land we live on. Cratons like the East Indian serve as anchors for continents. Understanding their deeply rooted structure helps geologists predict the continent's response to tectonic stresses and determine areas of seismic activity. Moreover, studying the global water cycle of the Earth is critical for understanding the long-term climate and habitability of our planet, as the movement of water between the surface and the deep mantle regulates everything from volcanic activity to atmospheric formation. By mapping the deep foundations of the land, scientists help understand the ancient forces that shaped the earth beneath our feet and the processes that continue to support it.

Technology giant Google has unveiled its updated line of Pixel smartphones, making the artificial intelligence model Gemini the central element of its new products. The Silicon Valley company has established itself as one of the clear leaders in the field of AI, but it has yet to achieve significant success in developing smart hardware.

Mark Neu from San Francisco reports that the release of these devices could be a step toward the company getting closer to competitors in the smart device segment.