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Syndiniales & Corallicolids

The international team of researchers collected samples of corals from across the Mediterranean Sea and analysed the bacteria that live with the corals. The researchers found that the presence of a group of parasitic single-celled organisms called Syndiniales made it more likely that a coral could survive heat stress. The presence of Corallicolids, a group of single-celled organism related to the parasite that causes malaria, was more common in corals that die&

06 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

India's stock market

India overtakes Hong Kong to become 4th-largest stock market recently. India's stock market capitalization crossed USD 4 trillion for the first time, with about half of that reportedly coming in the past 4 years. The top 3 stock markets are the U.S., China, and Japan.

06 February, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Science communication- how to promote

Steps taken by India to promote Science Communication Publications and Information Directorate (PID) - An organisation under Council of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) established in 1951 for publishing and disseminating scientific information in India. National science magazines- The PID published magazines to popularize science among masses. Vigyan Pragati- In Hindi launched in 1952. Science Reporter- In English la

06 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

Voice clone-AI

Voice clone fraud has been on the rise in India. AI voice cloning – It is the process of creating a synthetic replica of a person’s voice through machine learning and speech synthesis technology.It is called as voice deepfakesor audio deepfakes. Objective – To achieve a high level of naturalness that sounds exactly like a person’s voice. Usage of Voice Deepfakes Voice assistants – Creation of perso

06 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)- NGO 

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA) registration of two prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) — Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and World Vision India (WVI) have been cancelled this month. What is FCRA? Key provisions of FCRA, 2010 Key aspects Description About It regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security

06 February, 2024 GS-III Internal security

Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana

Recently, Prime Minister announced Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana under which 1 crore households will get rooftop solar power systems. India’s Status of Current Solar Capacity India currently stands at 4th place globally in solar power capacity. As per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), solar power installed capacity in India has reached around 73.31 GW as of 2023. Solar power has the major share in the

06 February, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Pinanga Subterranea

Pinanga subterranea is a species of palm tree native to Borneo. It's the 1st known species of palm to flower and fruit almost exclusively underground. This rare phenomenon has only been recorded in one other plant group, the orchid Rhizanthella.

05 February, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Peregrine Lunar Lander

The Peregrine Lunar Lander, also known as Peregrine Mission One, is a lunar lander built by Astrobotic Technology, U.S. It was launched recently carrying payloads for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

05 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

National Multidimensional Poverty Index

Over 24.8 crore people moved out of poverty in India in nine years: NITI report. The Index Released by - Niti Aayog, which is the nodal agency to release Multidimensional Poverty (MDP) report for States and Union Territories. Purpose - Plays a role in assessing advancements towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1.2. SDG 1.2. - By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensi

04 February, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Vijay Raghavan Panel Report

A 9-member panel headed by the former principal scientific advisor to the government Prof. Vijay Raghavan have submitted its report. Aim of the committee - To review the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Reasons - Several projects of DRDO suffer from huge delays and cost overruns. According to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, 23 of DRDO’s 55 mission mode projects could not be completed in time. According to

04 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

ReTro

Chinese scientists recently announced that they have cloned a Rhesus monkey named ReTro that lived to adulthood. The scientists created ReTro using a slightly modified version to create Dolly the Sheep and other mammals like the long-tailed macaque, which was the first primate to be cloned.

03 February, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Ingenuity helicopter on Mars- USA

NASA has re-established contact with its Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, the US space agency said recently. Ingenuity Mars Helicopter It is a small, autonomous aircraft. that flew to Mars aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. It was sent to Mars to perform experimental flight tests to determine if powered, controlled flight at the Red Planet was possible. Ingenuity’s mission is experimental in nature and completely independent of the rover’s science m

03 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

SIGHT Program

Rs 17,490 crore has been set aside for the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme, to bolster domestic electrolyser manufacturing, green hydrogen production. About Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) Programme It is a subcomponent of National Green Hydrogen Mission. Aim: To bolster domestic electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production. In the initial stage, two distinct financial incentive mechan

03 February, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Hepatitis A vaccine ‘Havisure’ 

Recently, the Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL) a wholly owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) launched India’s first indigenously developed Hepatitis A vaccine ‘Havisure’ in Hyderabad. About Havisure vaccine It is a two-dose vaccine — first dose administered at above 12 months of age and the second at least six months after the first dose. The vaccine is recommended for children as part of the routine immunization as wel

03 February, 2024 GS-III S&T

Gangetic dolphin – Fresh water Dolphins

River dolphins are a group of freshwater cetaceans that inhabit various river systems across Asia and South America. The Six Surviving River Dolphin Species include: Amazon, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy, Tucuxi, and the Yangtze finless porpoise.The Chinese river dolphin was deemed 'probably extinct' in 2007. As per the IUCN Red list, Yangtze finless porpoise are classified as Critically Endangered.Amazon, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy and Tucuxi

02 February, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Kanger Valley National Park 

In a first-of-its-kind model of convergence, Kanger Valley National Park is working with a coalition of various organizations and government departments to prepare a landscape-based ecological restoration plan for the national park. About Kanger Valley National Park Location: It is located in Jagdalpur, in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state. It is located on the banks of the Kholaba River (tributary of the Godavari River). The National Park

02 February, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Lamprey fish

A recent study has uncovered two potential new species of lamprey fish in California waters. About Lamprey Fish Lampreys are boneless, jawless fish with eel-like bodies that date back over 350 million years. They belong to a relic (primitive) group of jawless fish called Agnathans. They live in coastal and fresh waters and are found in temperate regions around the world, except Africa. Features: They range from about 15 to 100 cen

02 February, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Ministry of Finance Year Ender 2023: Dep. of Economic

The Year 2023 marks the beginning of ‘Amrit Kaal’ - the 25-year period beginning from the 75th anniversary of its independence on 15th August 2022, leading up to the centenary of its Independence, towards a futuristic, prosperous, inclusive and developed society, distinguished by a human-centric approach at its core. India continues to be one of the fastest-growing economies of the world. The country's second quarter growth, 7.6 per cent, has been then highest in the worl

01 February, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP)

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) is a zoo in Darjeeling, India. It's also known as the Darjeeling Zoo and is the largest high-altitude zoo in the country. The zoo is dedicated to wildlife conservation and is known for its breeding programs for red pandas, Himalayan salamanders, Tibetan wolves, and snow leopards. World Association for Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has recently annpunced that it has the world’s largest number of snow leopard

31 January, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Tomahawk Missile

It is a US-made long-range cruise missile used for deep-land attack warfare.It can be launched from a ship or submarine and deliver its warhead precisely to a target at a long range. It flies at low altitudes to strike fixed targets, such as communication and air-defense sites, in high-risk environments where manned aircraft may be vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles. Features: It is designed to fly at subsonic speed while maintaining a low

31 January, 2024 GS-III S&T

W1935

W1935 is a brown dwarf star that is 47 light-years away from Earth. It is the 1st auroral candidate outside of the solar system that has been identified through methane emission signatures. It is also the coldest auroral candidate outside of our solar system, with a temperature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovered W1935.

30 January, 2024 GS-III S&T

Vondy

It is an all-in-one AI platform that can create content as well as enhance productivity. The application has been developed by New York-based software engineer Rohit Das and New Jersey-based software engineer David Laub. Vondy is free and there are no message limits unlike ChatGPTand also has an AI assistant that’s a social media influencer.

30 January, 2024 GS-III S&T

Green Hydrogen from Whisky Distillery

Researchers at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh used wastewater from the whisky distilling industry to produce green hydrogen, which is a type of sustainable fuel. They did this by developing a new nanoscale material, nickel selenide that allowed distillery wastewater to replace fresh water in the green hydrogen production & it treats the wastewater.

30 January, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)

The Supreme Court, while dismissing a petition for quashing a complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), has left a crucial question of law open i.e., whether SFIO are police officer(s) under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) It is a corporate fraud investigating agency set up by the Government of India. The SFIO was established on 21st July, 2015, and operates under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

30 January, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Zero Defect, Zero Effect Scheme

Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED) is a certification scheme for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The scheme's goal is to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of MSMEs, and to help them become national and international champions. The ZED scheme has 3 levels of certification - Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The certification is based on parameters such as quality, safety, production, cleanliness, energy, and the environment.

29 January, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

‘Swayam Siddha’

Swayam Siddha is a financial product from the State Bank of India (SBI) that provides loans to women entrepreneurs from Self Help Groups (SHGs). The loans can be up to 5 lakh rupees.

29 January, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon)- Japan

Japan recently landed a spacecraft called SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) on the lunar surface, becoming the 5th country after the Soviet Union, the US, China and India to achieve a soft landing on the moon. About SLIM SLIM was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in September 2023 aboard the H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima spaceport. It aims to demonstrate precision landing within 100 metres through new technologies. It also carried two mini r

29 January, 2024 GS-III S&T

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). At present, the Central Government sets MSP for 23 crops. These include: 7 cereals (bajra, wheat, mai

29 January, 2024 GS-III Economic Issues

Day and Night Microphysics

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has been issuing alerts with maps from various weather monitoring satellites. Day and Night Microphysics RGB Imager It is image created by combination of Red, Green and Blue colours. Aim – To study various atmospheric characteristics. Radiometer – A device that measures the properties of radiation by studying the radiation’s interaction with matter. Atmospheric s

29 January, 2024 GS-III S&T

Global Carbon Project (GCP) Report

The Global Carbon Project report for 2023 was released during the recent COP28 summit held in Dubai, UAE. It is a Global Research Project of Future Earth and a research partner of the World Climate Research Programme. Established in – 2001 It is prepared every year by a global consortium of scientists. Aim – To develop a complete picture of the global carbon cycle, including both its biophysical and human dimensions together with the inte

29 January, 2024 GS-III Biodiversity & Environment

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