theIASHub | 06 May, 2025 | 4
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Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis): In a significant breakthrough for wildlife conservation, an international team of scientists has successfully mapped the genome of the elusive saola often referred to as the "Asian unicorn.“
o Scientific Name: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis.
o Common Names: Saola, Asian Unicorn, Spindlehorn.
o Appearance: Known for its dark brown coat, white markings on its face, and two long, straight horns that are present on both males and females.
o Habitat: Forests in the Annamite Range in Vietnam and Laos.
o IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
o Threats: Primarily hunting, particularly commercial snaring to supply the wildlife trade.
Carbon Tax: Recently, the UK's proposed carbon tax has raised concerns over its impact on Indian exports, posing a key hurdle in finalizing the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
o An FTA, a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and a social security agreement termed as the Double Contribution Convention Agreement (DCAA).
o UK remains unwilling to grant any concession under its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which seeks to impose duties on carbon-intensive imports.
o The draft UK CBAM legislation states that the levy will apply to imported goods from January 1, 2027.
o The carbon tax, first introduced by the EU, has also met with strong resistance in India.
o Goal: Supports the EU’s CBAM and the target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
o Sectors Covered: Cement, steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity, and hydrogen – all high carbon-emitting industries.
o How it works: Importers must buy CBAM certificates that match the carbon emissions of their goods.
o The price equals the EU’s own carbon cost under the Emissions Trading System (ETS).If the exporting country already has a carbon tax, it will be adjusted to avoid double taxation.
One Day One Genome : Recently, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) released detailed graphical summaries, infographics, and data on over 100 bacterial genomes as part of its ‘One Day One Genome’ initiative.
o Features a fully annotated bacterial genome each day with graphical summaries, infographics, and genome data on the DBT website.
o Microbial Diversity: Showcasing India’s unique species and their roles in the environment, agriculture, and human health.Examples:
ü Methylophaga lonarensis from Lonar Lake, producing ectoine for skincare.
ü Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ILSF15, a probiotic strain with health benefits.
o Public Engagement: Uses social media to increase awareness and educate the public.
o Highlight Microbial Diversity: Emphasize the critical roles of India’s microbial species.
o Publicly Accessible Data: Provide genome data and supporting materials freely to researchers and the public.
o Uncover Microbial Potential: Inspire innovation in microbial genomics.
o Support Diverse Fields: Aid research in environmental management, agriculture, and human health.
Piprahwa Stupa: Recently, the Ministry of Culture requested the immediate withdrawal of Buddhist relics from Sotheby’s upcoming Hong Kong auction and urged the auction house to cooperate in returning them to India.
o About Piprahwa Stupa: Located near the India-Nepal border, believed to be the burial site of a portion of Buddha's ashes given to the Sakya clan.
o Discovery: Excavated in 1898 by William Claxton Peppé.
o Significance: Houses sacred relics, including bone fragments, soapstone and crystal caskets, a sandstone coffer, and gold ornaments and gemstones.
o Brahmi Inscription: Confirms the relics as those of the Buddha, deposited by the Sakya clan.
o Relics Transfer: Moved to the Indian Museum in Kolkata in 1899.
o Legal Status: Classified as ‘AA’ antiquities under Indian law, making their sale or removal illegal.
o Historical Importance: The stupa is an essential Buddhist archaeological and spiritual site, directly tied to the legacy of Lord Buddha.
Triple Test To Ensure OBC Quotas In Local Bodies : Recently, Jharkhand completed the first phase of data collection on the OBC population in urban areas.
o This effort aims to determine quotas for OBCs in urban local bodies, in line with the Supreme Court’s “triple test” guideline.
o Setting up a dedicated commission to conduct a thorough empirical inquiry into the backwardness of communities in local bodies.
o Determining the proportion of reservation required in urban local bodies, based on the findings of the commission, ensuring that quotas do not exceed an overbroad range.
o Ensuring that the total reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs combined does not exceed 50% of the total seats, as per constitutional guidelines.
Asian Development Bank (ADB): Recently, during the 58th Annual Meeting of the ADB Board of Governors, the ADB President expressed the Bank's full support for India's development priorities and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
o Functions: ADB provides grants, loans, technical assistance, and equity investments to developing countries, the private sector, and public-private partnerships. It enhances development impact through policy dialogues, advisory services, and cofinancing operations with official, commercial, and export credit sources.
o Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.
o Membership: ADB has 68 members, including 49 from Asia and the Pacific and 19 from other regions. Membership is open to UN members, regional countries, and developed nations.
o Governance: Governed by a Board of Governors, ADB operates with a weighted voting system based on capital subscriptions. Major shareholders include Japan, the US, China, India, and Australia.
o Funding: ADB raises capital via international bonds and relies on member contributions, loan repayments, and retained earnings.
Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE): Recently, India made significant progress in its ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, with the first set of parachutes for the uncrewed mission (G-1).
o The parachutes were developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), a laboratory in Agra under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
o Specializes in developing various parachute systems, including:
ü Paratrooper, aircrew, ammunition, brake, and recovery parachutes.
ü Heavy drop systems, inflatable systems, airship technologies, and aircraft arrester barrier systems.
o Currently working on: Armament delivery parachutes , Balloon barrage and surveillance systems ,Airships and related applications and Space recovery parachutes.
Microgravity: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) have developed a groundbreaking 3D computational model that reveals how microgravity consistently increases the human core body temperature, a key factor for long-duration space missions.
o Gravity is still present at orbital altitudes (~250 miles), but it’s 89% as strong as on Earth's surface.
o Weightlessness occurs due to continuous free-fall, not the absence of gravity.
o Thermoregulation, the body's ability to maintain a stable core temperature, becomes crucial in space.
o IIST developed a 3D model to simulate heat distribution in the body under microgravity.
o The model factors in sweating, shivering, clothing effects, organ heat, and blood flow redistribution.
o Body temperature rises faster during exercise in space.
o Core temperature can increase from 36.3°C to 37.8°C in 2.5 months in microgravity.
o With exercise, temperature may rise to near 40°C, a dangerous level.
o Model predictions were validated with data from the Mir and ISS.
o The model calculates the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), considering wind, humidity, and solar radiation.
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