• The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER will get a close-up view of the location and concentration of ice and other resources at the Moon's South Pole.
• It is NASA's first mobile robotic mission to the Moon.
• It will directly analyse ice on the surface and subsurface of the Moon at varying depths and temperature conditions within four main soil environments.
• The data VIPER transmits back to Earth will be used to create resource maps, helping scientists determine the location and concentration of ice on the Moon and the forms it’s in, such as ice crystals or molecules chemically bound to other materials.
• It navigates across the rugged terrain of the lunar South Pole and gathers valuable data that will help us better understand the history of the Moon and the environment where NASA is planning to send Artemis astronauts.
• Mission duration:100 Earth days, covering 3 cycles of lunar day and night.
• It will land at the South Pole of the Moon in late 2024.

About Phytocannabinoids:

• Cannabinoids are a class of compounds found in the cannabis plant.
• The prefix ‘phyto’ in phytocannabinoid means it comes from a plant.
• Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the bodies of animals to produce a variety of neurological effects.
• The researchers extracted cannabidiol from a cannabis plant and made it react with hydrogen, using palladium as a catalyst.
• This process yielded a mixture of molecules with the same composition and order of atoms but different structures. One of them was THCBD.

Key facts about Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
• The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
• AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels. Its drivers and consequences are exacerbated by poverty and inequality, and low- and middle-income countries are most affected.
• AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. It makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures and treatments – such as surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemotherapy – much riskier.

About Baleen whales:

• These are any cetacean possessing unique epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to filter food from water.
• Most mammals have teeth in their mouth. Baleen whales are a strange exception.
• Baleen is a large rack of fine, hair-like keratin used to filter out small krill from the water.
• This structure enabled baleen whales to feed efficiently on enormous shoals of tiny zooplankton in productive parts of the ocean, which facilitated the evolution of larger and larger body sizes.
• Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales except for the sperm whale which is very big and has teeth.
• Many baleen whales migrate annually, travelling long distances between cold water feeding areas and warm water breeding areas.
• The large whale fossils from Australasia and South America seem to suggest that for most of the evolutionary history of baleen whales, whenever a large baleen whale shows up in the fossil record, it is in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Baleen whales are ecosystem engineers, their huge bodies consuming tremendous amounts of energy.
• Upon death, these whales provide an abundance of nutrients to deep-sea ecosystems.

About Thylakoid membranes:

• Thylakoids are little pouches located in the chloroplasts of plants.
• They store chlorophyll, the substance in plants that reacts to sunlight and triggers photosynthesis.
• These membranes are dense, mostly galactolipid, protein-containing bilayers in which photosynthesis occurs in photosynthetic organisms.
• They are found in ancient, light-sensitive bacteria called cyanobacteria.
• The cyanobacteria multiplied in the oceans billions of years ago, and are believed to be responsible for the vast stores of oxygen that are found in the atmosphere and thus, a precursor to life.
• It is now believed that thylakoid membranes in cyanobacteria were what made them capable of using sunlight to create energy and release oxygen.

Key facts about Cyanobacteria

• These are also called blue-green algae, microscopic organisms found naturally in all types of water.
• These single-celled organisms live in fresh, brackish and marine water.
• These organisms use sunlight to make their own food.
• In warm, nutrient-rich (high in phosphorus and nitrogen) environments, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms that spread across the water’s surface.
• Cyanobacteria blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients from sources such as fertiliser runoff or septic tank overflows.
• It needs nutrients to survive. The blooms can form at any time, but most often form in late summer or early fall.

About the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023:

• National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.
• Categories of National Sports Award
  • Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: It is considered India’s highest sporting honour; the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92. The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand.
  • The award is given for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years and the Khel Ratna winners receive a medallion, certificate and a cash prize.
  • Arjuna Award: It is awarded for consistent good performance over a period of four years. The winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • Dronacharya Award: It was instituted in 1985, is India’s highest sports honour for coaches. It is awarded to individuals for producing medal winners at prestigious international events. Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • Major Dhyan Chand Award: This award represents India’s highest honour for lifetime achievements in sports. Presented for good performance and contributing towards the promotion of sports in an individual capacity since 2002, the winners get a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA): It was instituted in 1956–1957. It is given to an institution or university for top performance in inter-university tournaments over the last one year.
  • Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: Awarded to organisations or corporates (both private and public) and individuals for playing a role in the area of sports promotion and development over the last three years.

About the Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED):

• Launched in October 2016 and revamped in April 2022, the ZED scheme offers certification for environmentally conscious manufacturing under three certification levels (gold, silver, and bronze) classified according to 20 performance-based parameters such as quality management, timely delivery, process control, waste management, etc.
• The major objectives of the ZED Scheme are:
  • To create proper awareness in MSMEs about ZED manufacturing and motivate them for the assessment of their enterprise for a ZED rating.
  • To drive manufacturing with the adoption of Zero-Defect production processes without impacting the environment (Zero Effect).
  • To encourage MSMEs to constantly upgrade their quality standards in products and processes.
  • To support the “Make in India” campaign.
• Currently, the scheme is applicable for manufacturing MSMEs only.
• MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification can be attained in three levels after registering and taking the ZED Pledge:
  • Certification Level 1: BRONZE
  • Certification Level 2: SILVER
  • Certification Level 3: GOLD

About Article 30:

• It is one of the many provisions that ensure the preservation of minority rights. 
• Article 30 of the Indian Constitution states the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions.
• It says: “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.”
• Features:
  • It consists of provisions that safeguard various rights of the minority community in the country, keeping in mind the principle of equality as well.
  • Article 30 (1) says that all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
  • The right is provided by this clause on two types of minorities, namely, religious and linguistic minorities. 
  • Article 30 (1A) deals with the fixation of the amount for the acquisition of property of any educational institution established by minority groups.
  • Article 30 (2) states that the government should not discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language, while giving aid.
• Concept of Minorities:
  • The Constitution of India uses the word minority but does not define it.
  • Article 29 of the Indian Constitution uses the word ‘minorities’ in its marginal heading, but it speaks about "any section of the citizens inhabiting the territory of India or any part of the country should have the right to protect their language or script or culture, which is different and varied. 
    • It also says that citizens should be allowed to take admission in any educational institution which is maintained by the State or getting help from State funds whether they vary in religion, race, caste, language, or any of them.
  • Article 30 of the Constitution of India talks only about religious and linguistic minorities.
  • Religious Minority: The basic ground for a community to be nominated as a religious minority is the numerical strength of the community.
  • Section 2, clause (c) of the National Commission of Minorities Act, declares six communities as minority communities. They are:
    • Muslims
    • Christians
    • Buddhists
    • Sikhs
    • Jains and
    • Zoroastrians (Parsis)
  • Linguistic Minorities:
    • Class or group of people whose mother language or mother tongue is different from that of the majority groups is known as the linguistic minorities. 
    • Article 350-A of the Indian Constitution imposes an obligation on the states to try to provide enough facilities for instruction in the mother language at the primary level of education to children belonging to the linguistic minority community.

About the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU):

• It is a government-run education institution situated in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
• History:
  • It was originally established by social reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875.
  • In the aftermath of the 1857 Indian War of Independence, the College was built on Khan’s conviction that it was important for Muslims to gain education and become involved in public life and government services in India.
  • Raja Jai Kishan helped Sir Syed in establishing the college.  
  • Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became AMU in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act. 
• From its very inception, it has kept its door open to members of all communities and from all corners of the country and the world. The university is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion, or gender.
• AMU is recognised by the University Grant Commission (UGC) and the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). 
• AMU offers more than 300 courses in the traditional and modern branches of education.
• It has three off-campus centres: AMU Malappuram Campus (Kerala), AMU Murshidabad Centre (West Bengal), and Kishanganj Centre (Bihar).

About Congo River:

• It is a River in west-central Africa and is also called the Zaire River.
• With a length of 2,900 miles (4,700 km), it is the continent’s second-longest river, after the Nile, and the ninth-longest in the world.
• The river gets its name from the ancient Kongo Kingdom, which existed near the mouth of the river.
• The Congo River system runs through the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, western Zambia, northern Angola, and parts of Cameroon and Tanzania.
• Course:
  • It rises in the highlands of northeastern Zambia between Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa (Malawi) as the Chambeshi River at an elevation of 5,760 feet (1,760 metres).
  • Its course then takes the form of a giant counterclockwise arc, flowing to the northwest, west, and southwest before draining into the Atlantic Ocean at Banana (Banane) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Its course through the rainforest causes it to cross the equator twice.
• It is the deepest river in the world. It reaches depths of over 750 feet (230 metres).
• The river also has the second-largest flow in the world, with a discharge of 1.5 million cubic feet of water per second, trailing only the Amazon, and the second-largest watershed of any river.
• It drains an area of 3.7 million square kilometres (1.4 million square miles) known as the Congo Basin.
  • Much of the basin is covered by rich tropical rainforests and swamps. Together these ecosystems make up the bulk of Central Africa's rainforest, which, at 178 million hectares (2005), is the world's second-largest rainforest, second only to the Amazon Rainforest in South America.
• The main tributaries are the Ubangi, Sangha, and Kasai.