1. NEW PATHWAY TO REGULATE NITRATE ABSORPTION IN PLANTS
Researchers led by those from the National Centre of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru (NCBS-TIFR), have found a new pathway that regulates nitrate absorption in plants.
About:
- The gene MADS27, which regulates nitrate absorption, root development and stress tolerance, is activated by the micro-RNA, miR444, therefore offers a way to control these properties of the plant.
- The researchers studied this mechanism in both rice (monocot) and tobacco (dicot) plants. The research is published in Journal of Experimental Botany.
Role of Nitrates
- Nitrogen is one of the most important macronutrients needed for development of a plant. It is a part of chlorophyll, amino acids and nucleic acids, among others. It is mostly sourced from the soil where it is mainly absorbed in the form of nitrates and ammonium by the roots.
- Nitrates also play a role in controlling genome-wide gene expression that in turn regulates root system architecture, flowering time, leaf development, etc.
- Thus, while a lot of action takes place in the roots to absorb and convert nitrogen into useful nitrates, the absorbed nitrates in turn regulate plant development apart from being useful as a macronutrient.
2. INDIA'S FLORA AND FAUNA
India added 540 species to its faunal database in 2021 taking the total number of animal species to 1,03,258. The country also added 315 taxa to the Indian flora during 2021, taking the number of floral taxa in the country to 55,048.
About:
- Of the 540 faunal species, 406 are new discoveries and 134 new records to India. Thirteen new genera were also discovered in 2021. Among the new species discovered is one species from mammal, 35 reptiles and 19 species of pisces.
- The new mammal species discovered is Crocidura narcondamica, a white-toothed shrew, from Narcondam Island of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands.
- Among the reptiles discovered in 2021, notable is Boiga whitakeri, or Whitaker’s cat snake, from the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu.
- The most number of new discoveries was from the faunal group Hymenoptera, an order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants, in which 80 species, including one new genus, were discovered.
- With 1.03 lakh species of fauna, India contributes to 6.1% of faunal diversity in the world.
Source : The Hindu
3. GST ON DAIRY PRODUCTS
The decision of the GST Council at its 47th meeting to impose a 5% tax on dairy products such as “pre-packed, pre-labelled curd, lassi and butter milk” and to increase the tax on dairy machinery and milking machines from 12% to 18% has drawn criticism from farmers’ organisations and milk cooperatives.
About:
- Various cooperatives are waiting for the notification of the Centre to take the next step, while farmers fear that the decision will result in an increase in the price of the products.
- The Pradeshik Cooperative Dairy Federation (PCDF) of Uttar Pradesh, the largest milk-producing State in the country, will meet soon to assess the impact of GST on dairy products and the machinery.
Source : The Hindu
4. PARTNERSHIP FOR GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT (PGII)
On June 26, the G-7 grouping of the world’s “most industrialised nations” — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., Japan and the U.S. along with the European Union (EU) — launched a U.S.-led $600 billion Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) at their summit in Germany’s Schloss Elmau, where India was among five special invitees.
About:
- The initiative was billed as a “values-driven, high-impact, and transparent infrastructure partnership to meet the enormous infrastructure needs of low- and middle-income countries and support the U.S. and its allies’ economic and national security interests.”
- Officials also made it clear that the PGII would offer a counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for projects worldwide that was formally launched five years ago.
Source : The Hindu
5. EARTHQUAKES
Recently a powerful earthquake of magnitude 5.9 on the Richter scale struck a remote town in Afghanistan, killing over a thousand and injuring many more.
How do earthquakes happen?
- According to the theory of plate tectonics, the Earth’s crust and upper mantle are made of large rigid plates that can move relative to one another. Slip on faults near the plate boundaries can result in earthquakes.
- The point inside the Earth where the earthquake rupture starts is called the focus or hypocentre. The point directly above it on the surface of the Earth is the epicentre.
What are seismic waves?
- Any elastic material when subjected to stress, stretches in a proportional way, until the elastic limit is reached. When the elastic limit is crossed, it breaks.
- Similarly, the Earth also has an elastic limit and when the stress is higher than this limit, it breaks. Then there is a generation of heat, and energy is released. Since the material is elastic, the energy is released in the form of elastic waves.
- These propagate to a distance determined by the extent of the impact. These are known as seismic waves.
Source : The Hindu
6. KAI CHUTNEY
In Odisha, scientists are now fine-tuning their research to make a presentation for the Geographical Indications (GI) registry of Kai chutney.
About:
- Applied under food category, the GI tag will help develop a structured hygiene protocol in the preparation of Kai chutney for standard wider use. Geographical Indications labels enhance the reputation and value of local products and support local businesses.
- People often keep a safe distance from red weaver ants as their sting inflicts a sharp pain and reddish bumps on the skin. Despite this, weaver ants are popular among the tribes of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha for the mouth-watering dish made of them — the Kai chutney.
- This savoury food item, rich in proteins, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, fibre and 18 amino acids, is known to boost the immune system.
- Weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina, are abundantly found in Mayurbhanj throughout the year. They make nests with leaves of host trees.
Source : The Hindu
7. INTERNET SHUTDOWN
Following the brutal on-camera killing of tailor Kanhaiyalal Teli in Udaipur by two men, the Rajasthan government imposed a ban on Internet services.
About:
- Shutting down the Internet as an administrative or law-and-order measure has been a common step taken across India — for a range of reasons and by almost all political parties and governments.
- According to the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), a legal services organisation working in this field in India, since 2012 there have been 665 Internet shutdowns in India to date.
- Here, ‘shut downs’ mean a total ban on mobile (3G, 4G/LTE), or fixed-line (dial-up, wired/wireless broadband) Internet, both or either of which may be shut down.
- According to Internet freedom and tech policy organisations, India is the leading country (by number) for Internet disruption incidents and frequency of shutdowns. This year, 59 shutdowns have been enforced, according to SFLC, which determines shutdowns based on government orders and media reports.
- Internet shutdowns are not always officially announced, so it might be difficult to know if your phone is simply not working properly, or if a shutdown is in place.
- Jammu and Kashmir has had more than 411 shutdowns since 2012, and the longest one went on for more than 552 days after the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state.
Source : Indian Express
8. AUSTRALOPITHECUS
The fossils of our earlier human ancestors, located in a cave in South Africa, are a million years older than previously understood according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science on June 27.
About:
- The researchers analysed the fossilised remains of Australopithecus from Sterkfontein caves and argued they lived at the same time as their East African counterparts like the famous Lucy, complicating the way scholars have understood human evolution.
What is Australopithecus?
- Australopithecus, meaning “southern ape”, was a group of hominins or now-extinct early humans, that was closely related to and almost certainly the ancestors of modern humans.
- They inhabited the planet 4.4 million to 1.4 million years ago, likely encompassing a time period longer than our own genus, Homo. Their fossils have been found across sites in eastern, northern, central and southern Africa.
What are the Sterkfontein caves?
- The “Cradle of Humankind” is a 47,000-hectare paleoanthropological site, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Located 40 km northwest of Johannesburg, it contains a complex system of limestone caves, where a significant number of hominin fossils have been found.
- Within this complex lies Sterkfontein, a complex system of caves that holds a long history of hominin occupation and contains the largest number of Australopithecus fossils in the world.
Source : Indian Express
9. SPACE TOURISM
Rocket launches amid a growing space tourism race among commercial players like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin can negatively impact the climate and the ozone layer, a new study has found.
About:
- The Researchers found that the soot emissions from rocket launches are far more effective at warming the atmosphere compared to other sources.
- The researchers state that routine launches by the rapidly growing space tourism industry “may undermine progress made by the Montreal Protocol in reversing ozone depletion.”
Montreal Protocol
- The Montreal Protocol is a landmark international treaty that was adopted in Montreal in 1987, and was aimed at protecting the Earth’s ozone layer by regulating the production and consumption of nearly 100 chemicals called ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
- The treaty phases down the consumption and production of various ODS in a stepwise manner.
- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) states that without this treaty, ozone depletion would have increased by more than ten times by 2050, as compared to current levels.
Source : Indian Express
10. VARROA MITE
In the last two weeks, Australian authorities have exterminated millions of honeybees in a bid to prevent a potentially devastating parasitic plague affecting the southeast region of the country.
About:
- The recent outbreak of the deadly varroa mite, a sesame seed-sized parasite that was first spotted at a port near Sydney last week, poses a massive threat to the country’s multimillion-dollar honey industry.
- The Varroa mite, or Varroa destructor, is a parasitic insect that attacks and feeds on honeybees.
- Reddish-brown in colour, the tiny pests are known to kill entire colonies of honeybees, officials have warned. They often travel from bee to bee and also via beekeeping equipment, such as combs that have been extracted.
- The spread of the mite is largely blamed for a sharp decline in the number of honey bee colonies worldwide. It has plundered bee colonies across the globe.
- Although Varroa mites can feed and live on adult honey bees, they mainly feed and reproduce on larvae and pupae in the developing brood, causing malformation and weakening of honey bees as well as transmitting numerous viruses.