theIASHub | 12 May, 2025 | 5
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Vruthi’ campaign: Recently Kerala has been aggressively advocating its latest campaign — ‘Vruthi’. Meaning cleanliness of the body and mind.
o It serves as a key component of the broader ‘Malinyamuktham Nava Keralam’ (Waste-Free New Kerala) mission,Which emphasizes community participation, technological innovation, and decentralized waste management.
o Showcasing Kerala's successful waste management practices
o Empowering Local Bodies.
o Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
o Strengthening Haritha Karma Sena: the backbone of Kerala's waste management system.
o Transforming Waste into Wealth:.
o Promoting Climate Resilience
Grey Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes): Recently two wolves died of canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly contagious disease found in dogs in Indapur Maharastra.
o Common names: Indian wolf, Persian wolf, desert wolf
o Family: Canidae
o IUCN Status: These wolves, brown with black-and-white markings on their backs, are on the ‘Red List’ of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an environmental network, meaning they are at risk of extinction.
o The species is also on India’s Schedule I list of animals, which receive the highest level of protection.
Musa Indandamanensis: Recently, a 4.2-metre-long inflorescence was recorded in a species of wild banana, Musa indandamanensis, which was first discovered in a remote tropical forest near the Krishna Nala Reserve Forest in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
o Plant height: Medium-tall, herbaceous with a pseudostem like other banana plants.
o Leaves: Broad, green, with red to purplish tinges; prominent midrib.
o Inflorescence: Pendulous (drooping), which is characteristic of many wild bananas.
o Fruits: Small, inedible, with numerous seeds, unlike the cultivated bananas.
o Male flowers: Yellowish, with a distinct morphology that helped classify it as a new species.
ATLAS telescope: Recently astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid YR4 moving away from Earth.
o Objective: To detect and track small to medium-sized asteroids on collision courses with Earth, giving time to evacuate or respond if necessary.
Key Features and Capabilities: Wide-Field Coverage: Each ATLAS Capable of detecting 100-meter asteroids days to weeks before impact and smaller ones hours to days aheadSample Registration System (SRS) Report: Recently as per SRS Report India witnesses a steady downward trend in maternal and child mortality towards achievement of SDG 2030 targets.
o Maternal Mortality Ratio drops significantly from 130 to 93 per lakh live births
o Infant Mortality Rate declined from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1000 live births in 2021.
o Neonatal Mortality Rate falls from 26 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 19 per 1000 live births in 2021
o Under-Five Mortality Rate has dropped from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 31 per 1000 live births in 2021.
o Fertility Rate is consistent at 2.0 in 2021.
o Sex Ratio at Birth improves from 899 to 913.
o It was initiated on a pilot basis in select states in 1964–65 by the Registrar General of India.
o The system became fully operational in 1969–70.
o The SRS field investigation includes:
- Continuous enumeration of births and deaths by resident part-time enumerators, usually anganwadi workers or teachers, in selected sample units.
- An independent retrospective survey conducted every six months by SRS supervisors.
o The data collected through these two independent sources are matched to ensure accuracy and reliability.
National Technology Day: Recently The Technology Development Board unveiled the official theme for National Technology Day 2025 —“YANTRA – Yugantar for Advancing New Technology, Research & Acceleration.”
o This day marks the historic nuclear tests conducted at Pokhran in 1998, which established India as a nuclear power on the global stage.
o Beyond the nuclear milestone, National Technology Day also highlights India’s journey towards self-reliance, innovation, and scientific excellence, inspiring future generations to drive technological growth.
o The related term "Yugantar" means epochal change and reflects India’s shift: From just adopting technologies To leading globally in innovation and technology
Kosmos 482 Mission: Recently A piece of a Soviet spacecraft launched more than 50 years ago is expected to crash back to Earth later this week.
o One, the thick clouds of Venus were believed to be hiding life on the surface.
o Two, the Soviets wanted to demonstrate their scientific superiority by sending probes to a far-off planet.
o The Kosmos 482 consisted of various instruments to measure the temperature, pressure, wind speed, visibility, atmospheric gases and rock composition, and radio the results back to Earth.
o It was designed to study Venus's atmosphere and surface, but a launch malfunction prevented it from reaching its destination, and the probe instead remained in Earth orbit for over 50 years.
First ‘Pangenome’ Of Asian Rice: Scientists have created the first pangenome of Asian rice, a comprehensive genetic map that includes both shared and unique genes across 144 wild and cultivated varieties.
oThe pangenome, built using PacBio HiFi sequencing and advanced computational tools, revealed 3.87 billion base pairs of previously missing genetic material.
o Genetic Diversity: Mapping of 144 wild and cultivated rice varieties across Asia reveals broad genetic variation.
o Core & Unique Genes: 28,907 core genes are shared, while 13,728 genes are specific to wild rice, aiding adaptability and disease resistance.
o Evolutionary Insights: Confirms domestication from O. rufipogon and traces divergence between indica and japonica.
o Climate Resilience: Identifies genes for drought, flood, and heat tolerance, crucial for adapting to climate change.
Karegutta hills: Recently, a massive 20-day anti-insurgency operation involving 28,000 personnel was called off in the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
o Challenging Terrain: Characterized by steep slopes, rocky formations, and numerous caves, the region offers natural fortifications ideal for Maoist guerrilla warfare.
o Interstate Border Zone: Located along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, the area suffers from a security vacuum due to overlapping and often unclear jurisdictional responsibilities.
o Sustainable Water Sources: Presence of freshwater springs supports long-term insurgent hideouts by providing reliable water access.
o Absence of Civilian Settlements: With no local population, the area allows for intensified security operations with minimal risk of civilian casualties.
o Historic Maoist Base: Known as a long-standing stronghold for Maoist Central Committee members and their armed units.
LICONN (Light-Microscopy-Based Connectomics): Scientists have developed LICONN, a revolutionary technique that uses light microscopes to map the brain's neural connections at the synapse level.
o Fluorescent Tagging & Deep Learning: Key molecular features are highlighted with fluorescent tags, and deep learning helps with precise neural segmentation.
o Nanoscale Resolution: It achieves nanoscale imaging, a level of detail previously only possible with electron microscopy, but now with light microscopy.
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