1. BRAHMANI RIVER
Environmentalists expressed concern over the massive diversion of fresh water from the Brahmani river basin, which could pose a grave threat to the famous mangrove vegetation in Odisha.
About:
- The Talcher-Angul coal mines, steel and power plants as well as the Kalinganagar steel and power hub are drawing enormous quantities of fresh water from the Brahmani river
- The Brahmani is a major seasonal river in the Odisha state of eastern India. The Brahmani is formed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers.
- Together with the river Baitarani, it forms a large delta before emptying into the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra.
- Bhitarkanika — a notified Ramsar wetland — is spread over 195 sq. km and is home to 62 mangrove species. Proportionate fresh water flow from the Brahmani river basin and the Kharasrota river keep the salinity level of the water along the shore down.
Source: The Hindu
2. HYCEAN WORLDS
A study published in The Astrophysical Journal identifies a new class of exoplanets – Hycean worlds – that could support life different from that on Earth.
About:
- These planets are about 2.6 times the size of Earth, have temperatures about 200 degrees Celsius and planet-wide oceans. These could support microbial underwater life.
- An exoplanet is any planet beyond our solar system. Most orbit other stars, but free-floating exoplanets, called rogue planets, orbit the galactic center and are untethered to any star.
Source : The Hindu
3. CORBEVAX
Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct further trials of its vaccine Corbevax on children and adolescents.
About:
- Corbevax is based on a vaccine technology of a protein antigen, in this case, the spike protein, which binds to the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor on the host cell membrane and facilitates virus entry.
- The body’s own cells then make more copies of this protein that then stimulates the immune system of the body to produce antibodies to protect against potential, future infection.
Source: The Hindu
4. NIPAH VIRUS
After a gap of over three years, a case of the zoonotic Nipah virus infection was reported in Kozhikode district of Kerala, with the death of a 12-year-old boy from Pazhoor, near Chathamangalam, at a private hospital.
About:
- The virus is transmitted to people from animals and can also be passed on through contaminated food or directly from person-to-person.
- Fruit bats are considered to be a natural reservoir of the virus.
- In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.
- There are currently no drugs or vaccines specific for Nipah virus infection although WHO has identified Nipah as a priority disease for the WHO Research and Development Blueprint.
Source: The Hindu
5. DINOSAURS IN INDIA
Footprints of three species of dinosaurs have been found in the Thar desert in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district, proving the presence of the giant reptiles in the western part of the State, which formed the seashore to the Tethys Ocean during the Mesozoic era.
About:
The footprints, made in the sediment or silt of the seashore, later became permanently stone-like. They belong to three species of dinosaurs —
- Eubrontes cf. giganteus,
- Eubrontes glenrosensis and
- Grallator tenuis.
- While the giganteus and glenrosensis species have 35 cm footprints, the footprint of the third species was found to be 5.5 cm.
- The footprints were 200 million years old. They were found near Jaisalmer’s Thaiat village.
- The dinosaur species are considered to be of the theropod type, with the distinguishing features of hollow bones and feet with three digits. All the three species, belonging to the early Jurassic period, were carnivorous.
Source: The Hindu
6. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN)
Some 28% of the 1,38,374 species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for its survival watchlist are now at high risk of vanishing forever, the global conservation body said.
About:
- Habitat loss, overexploitation and illegal trade have hammered global wildlife populations for decades, and climate change is now kicking in as a direct threat as well.
- Komodo dragons, the largest living lizards, which are found only in the World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and neighbouring Flores, were listed as “endangered”.
- Some 37% of the 1,200 shark and ray species assessed by experts are directly threatened by extinction, a third more than only seven years ago.
- The IUCN officially launched its “green status” — the first global standard for assessing species recovery and measuring conservation impacts. It makes the invisible work of conservation visible.
Source: The Hindu
7. WOMEN IN THE JUDICIARY
Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana lamented that “very few women find representation at the top” and admitted that even a “mere” 11% representation of women on the Bench of the Supreme Court was achieved with “great difficulty”.
About:
- The CJI’s remarks come within days of the Supreme Court Collegium led by him scripting history by successfully recommending three women judges to the court in one go. The court has four women judges now, the highest ever.
- A majority of women lawyers suffered within the profession and continued to face significant challenges even after they reached the top. Women lacked basic amenities in court complexes. Women do not have restrooms in lower courts… It is difficult for them to wait for long hours in the court corridors.
- The CJI refused to accept sole credit for the recent appointment of nine judges to the Supreme Court in one shot. The Collegium, led by the CJI, had followed this feat by recommending a whopping 68 judges to 12 High Courts, again in one go.
Source : The Hindu
8. INSPIRESat-1 CubeSat
INSPIRES at-1 CubeSat, developed under the International Satellite Program in Research and Education (INSPIRE), is ready for launch, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) has said.
About:
- The small satellite that weighs less than 10 kg will be launched aboard an upcoming Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Source: The Hindu
9. STABLECOINS
The number of stablecoins in circulation globally has jumped from $29 billion in January to $117 billion as of early September, according to The Block, a publication dedicated to cryptocurrency.
About:
- Crypto is very volatile, making it less practical for transactions like payments or loans.
- That’s where stablecoins come in.
- They are cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets, commonly the dollar.
- They are meant to provide the steady value of government-issued money in digital form for blockchain transactions, but they are issued by private entities.
- Popular dollar-tied tokens include Tether and USD Coin. The first stable coin, created in 2014, was Tether.
Source: Indian Express