27th August 2025

1. New World Screwworm: Recently, US health authorities confirmed the first human case of a flesh-eating parasitic infestation caused by the New World screwworm (NWS) fly.

• About New World Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax): Known as “man-eater” larvae; parasitic infestation caused by fly larvae (maggots) that feed on living tissue; native to South America and the Caribbean.
• Geographical Spread: Outbreak confirmed in all Central American countries, Mexico, and now the US.
• Primary Hosts: Mainly affects livestock; humans are rarely infected, usually via open wounds.
• Larval Stage: Eggs hatch into maggots that burrow into wounds of warm-blooded animals (including humans) and feed on living flesh in a screw-like motion.
• Life Cycle: After feeding, larvae drop to soil, pupate, and emerge as adult blue-grey blowflies.
• Eradication in the US: Successfully eliminated in 1966 using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) through mass release of sterile males.
• Human Infestation (Myiasis): Causes painful, non-healing wounds with bleeding, foul odor, and a crawling sensation; can lead to sepsis or death if untreated.

2. National Sample Survey on Schools: Recently, a survey by the National Sample Survey (NSS) 80th round, revealed a significant gap in educational spending between students in government and private schools across India.

• Key Findings: Huge fee disparity: Students in private/non-government schools pay nearly 9 times more than those in government schools (₹25,002 vs ₹2,863 per student in 2025-26).
• Private coaching prevalence: Around 27% of students took private coaching in 2025-26, higher in urban areas (30.7%) than rural areas (25.5%).
• Government school enrolment: Government schools account for 9% of total enrolments, with higher presence in rural areas (66%) vs urban areas (30.1%).
• Private school enrolment: Private unaided (recognised) schools account for 9% of enrolments nationwide.
• Household funding: 95% of students’ school expenses are primarily funded by household members; only 2% rely mainly on government scholarships.
• Survey scope: Data collected from 52,085 households and 57,742 students using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI); focused on household expenditure for current school-year students.

3. Guidelines for Veterinary Blood Transfusion: Recently, the Government of India unveiled the country’s first comprehensive guidelines for veterinary blood transfusion services, addressing a crucial gap in emergency animal healthcare.

• About Guidelines: A national framework outlining scientific protocols for animal blood donation, storage, and transfusion, with a focus on safety, biosafety, and animal welfare.
• Launched by: Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD)
• Why it was needed: Previously, most animal transfusions in India were conducted emergently without standardized protocols.
• No national system existed for donor screening, blood typing, storage, or registry.
• Essential for managing trauma, anemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and bleeding disorders in animals.
• Key Features: Mandatory blood typing and cross-matching to prevent adverse reactions.
• Donor eligibility criteria including health checks and vaccinations.
• Voluntary donation promoted via a Donor Rights Charter.
• One Health integration to address zoonotic disease risks.
• Future innovations: mobile blood collection units, preservation of rare blood types, and donor–recipient matching apps.

4. Project Aarohan: Recently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in collaboration with Vertis Infrastructure Trust, launched ‘Project Aarohan’.

• About Project Aarohan: Support education for children of toll plaza employees, remove financial barriers, and ensure equal access for students from economically weaker sections, including girls, first-generation learners, and marginalized communities (SC/ST/OBC/minorities).
• Launch & Partners: Launched by NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav in collaboration with Vertis Infrastructure Trust; implemented by SMEC Trust’s Bharat Cares.
• Phase 1 Details: Fund allocation of ₹1 Crore (July 2025 – March 2026).
• 500 students (Class 11 to graduation) to receive ₹12,000 per student annually.
• 50 students aspiring for postgraduate/higher studies to receive ₹50,000 each.
• Application & Selection: Online portal; submission of academic records, income proof, caste certificate, ID proof; transparent and inclusive selection with continuous mentorship and renewal mechanism.
• Nationwide Reach: Targets toll-plaza employees across National Highways, aiming to create long-term educational and career impact.

5. Gold Nanoclusters: Recently, researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, developed a nanotechnology-based tool using gold nanoclusters for the early detection of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

• Key Findings: α-synuclein, a protein central to Parkinson’s disease, starts harmless but eventually forms toxic aggregates that harm brain cells.
• Researchers focused on detecting surface charge differences between normal and toxic forms.
• Gold nanocluster sensors: Proline-coated clusters bind the normal form and Histidine-coated clusters bind toxic aggregates.
• This approach allows clear identification of harmless vs toxic protein forms.
• Development of the Functional Sensor: Engineered and purified normal and mutant α-synuclein proteins.
• Synthesized amino-acid-coated gold nanoclusters for selective binding.
• Characterized clusters using UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, Transmission Electron Microscopy, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.
• Examined protein–nanocluster interactions through gel electrophoresis, fluorescence quenching, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance spectroscopy.
• Successfully tested in human-derived SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells to ensure safe and effective function in biological conditions.

6. India Energy & Climate Centre: Recently, a study by the India Energy & Climate Centre (IECC) at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with the Power Foundation. The study estimated that India will need an investment of $40–50 billion (₹3–4 trillion) in energy storage by 2032.

• Key Findings: Clean Energy Milestone: India has surpassed 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources, five years ahead of schedule.
• Energy Storage Requirement: By 2030: 61 GW / 218 GWh of storage needed.
• By 2032: 97 GW / 362 GWh required—a massive increase from today’s 6 GW (mostly pumped hydro).
• Investment Needed: $40–50 billion (₹3–4 trillion) in storage by 2032; total power generation and grid investment could reach $380 billion (₹30 trillion).
• Geographical Focus: Storage to align with solar-rich states and large load centres: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
• Grid Reliability: Existing and under-construction thermal, hydro, nuclear, and storage capacity ensures dependable supply through 2032.
• Thermal Plant Utilisation Risk: 50–70 GW of thermal capacity may run at less than 30% utilisation by 2032, risking stranded assets.
• Battery Manufacturing: India’s battery capacity expected to exceed 200 GWh by 2030, supported by PLI scheme, viability gap funding, and critical mineral sourcing.

7. Tawi River: Recently, heavy rains in Jammu led India to warn Pakistan of a potential Tawi river flood as a humanitarian gesture.

• About Tawi River: A major left-bank tributary of the Chenab River and a key river in the Jammu region. It is considered sacred, historically referred to as "Surya Putri" in ancient texts.
• Origin: Rises from Kalpas Kund of Seo Dhar in Bhaderwah, Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir, and flows through Sudh Mahadev.
• The river descends through steep hills and plains, eventually entering Pakistan’s Punjab province where it merges with the Chenab River.
• Catchment Area: Up to the Indian border (Jammu), it covers 2,168 sq.km, spanning the districts of Jammu, Udhampur, and part of Doda.
• Tributaries: Joined by rivers like Bhuteshwari (Birma), Duddhar, Jajjhar, among others.
• The Tawi divides the city of Jammu into two segments and serves as the primary water source for the city.

8. Study on Neurons: Recently, a study in Nature Neuroscience tracked over 2,500 neurons in mice navigating a virtual track for a reward.

• It found that even neurons previously thought to hold stable spatial memories are reconstructed daily through neuronal plasticity.
• Key Findings: Memory is dynamic, not static: Even stable memories are reconstructed daily through neuronal plasticity rather than fixed permanently.
• Place cells in mice: Neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region fire at specific locations (“place fields”), but their activity is rebuilt each day via behavioural timescale synaptic plasticity.
• Stable synapses guide reactivation: A few stable synapses, influenced by lncRNAs, help trigger repeated reactivation, supporting long-term memory.
• Probabilistic reactivation: Neuron activity follows a cascade model, where prior activity increases likelihood of future firing, balancing memory stability and flexibility.
• Forgetting is active: In fruit flies, memory traces can shift or be dismantled deliberately; molecules like Rac1 and Ephrin guide this process.
• Metabolic and molecular influences: Energy (ATP) availability and molecular regulators like lncRNAs impact whether a memory persists or fades.
• Spaced learning reinforces memory: Repeated, spaced activation of synapses strengthens connections via protein synthesis, supporting durable memory formation.
• Memory as a tool for action: Memories are used to guide present and future behavior, not merely to record the past.
• Cross-species consistency: Both mice and fly studies indicate that memory requires active rebuilding, reinforcement, and protection against decay across molecular, synaptic, and circuit levels.

9. National Designated Authority (NDA): Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the creation of a National Designated Authority (NDA) to implement a carbon emissions trading system in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.

• Key Highlights: Article 6 of the Paris Agreement outlines the framework for emissions trading or market mechanisms. After long-standing negotiations, Article 6 was finalized at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan (Nov 2024).
• Structure: NDA will be a 21-member committee headed by the Environment Ministry Secretary, including representatives from External Affairs, Steel, Renewable Energy ministries, and NITI Aayog.
• Responsibilities of NDA: Recommend activities eligible for trading of emission reduction units under Article 6.

• Update these activities in line with national sustainable goals, country-specific criteria, and priorities.
• Evaluate, approve, and authorize projects or activities.
• Authorize the use of emission reduction units to achieve India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).