Meteorite (ALH) 84001

👉Meteorite named Alan Hills (ALH) 84001 was found in December, 1984 in the Far Western Icefield of Allan Hills in Antarctica by a US meteorite hunting expedition.

👉At the time of its discovery it was recognised as the most unusual rock collected.

👉In 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover collected the first sample of Martian rock.

👉It can be said with certainty that the meteorite did come from the Red planet because of the presence of traces of certain gases that are just like the Martian atmosphere.

👉Scientists are interested in studying meteorites as examining them offers clues about the beginning of the solar system and maybe even the Earth.

👉Space agencies have launched specific missions to asteroids to be able to study them.

👉One such example is NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission launched in 2018 with the aim of reaching asteroid Bennu and getting back a sample from the ancient asteroid.

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AntiMicrobial Resistance

👉Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitic – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.

👉Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

👉As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.

👉Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health and development threat. It requires urgent multisectoral action in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

👉WHO has declared that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.

👉Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

👉Lack of clean water and sanitation and inadequate infection prevention and control promotes the spread of microbes, some of which can be resistant to antimicrobial treatment.

👉The cost of AMR to the economy is significant. In addition to death and disability, prolonged illness results in longer hospital stays, the need for more expensive medicines and financial challenges for those impacted.

👉Without effective antimicrobials, the success of modern medicine in treating infections, including during major surgery and cancer chemotherapy, would be at increased risk.


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Vikas engine


👉The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently conducted a successful qualification test of its High Thrust VIKAS Engine at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Tamil Nadu’s Mahendragiri.

👉The Vikas engine will power the ambitious Gaganyaan mission into space.

👉It is a family of liquid fuelled rocket engines.

👉It is used in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) series of expendable launch vehicles for space launch use.

👉With this launch, India will become the fourth nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission after the USA, Russia and China.

👉The objective of the Gaganyaan programme is to demonstrate the capability to send humans to low earth orbit on board an Indian launch vehicle and bring them back to earth safely.


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Negative Ion Technology

👉The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS), Netherlands issued a statement identifying various negative ion wearable products containing more Radioactivity than legally permitted.

👉Negative ion technology embeds negative ions in personal products and is currently being advertised as a means to maintain health, balance energy, and improve well-being.

👉This technology is used in certain silicone wristbands, quantum or scalar-energy pendants, and kinesthesiology tape.

👉The minerals that produce these negative ions often include naturally occurring radioactive substances such as uranium and thorium.

👉It is believed that negative ions create positive vibes and uplift the mood.

👉They show the various mental and physical health benefits, such as stress reduction, better sleeping, respiration etc.

👉whereas these ions may also act on pollutants, make them negatively charged and get them collected on surfaces.


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Lithium mining

👉The Serbia government has revoked the licenses for lithium mining to Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian multinational mining organisation, following protests for nearly two months.

👉Serbians have been protesting against Rio Tinto’s plans to mine lithium in the Jadar valley near Lozinca town in the country.

👉Rio Tinto had discovered lithium deposits in the country in 2006 and had bought land in the Lozinca area in Serbia the mine would have produced enough lithium to operate one million electric vehicles along with boric acid and sodium sulphate.

👉While Rio Tinto has said to be fulfilling all Serbia’s and European Union’s environmental standards, protestors have been pointing out that lithium mining in the $2.4-billion project would irrevocably pollute the drinking water.

👉Serbian capital Belgrade is surrounded by lignite mines and coal power plants powered by these mines, which only make the pollution worse.

👉First traces of Lithium in India were discovered in Karnataka’s Mandya district recently. The preliminary find is relatively small: a mere 1,600 tonnes of lithium deposits.

👉 Chile, on the other hand, has an estimated reserves of 9.2 million tonnes.

👉If oil powered the world in the 20th century, Lithium could play the same role in the 21st century. Naturally, even a small find commands great importance.

👉Echoing a similar sentiment, the discovery is being given importance at the highest levels of government.

👉This also shows the amount of effort and investment that lithium is likely to garner in the years ahead.


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Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission

👉The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its recent order has directed the constitution of a ‘Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission’.

👉The Main Objective of the mission is to coordinate and monitor issues relating to the handling, and disposal of fly ash and associated issues, and to ​​make the roadmaps and progress in fly ash utilisation available for all thermal power plants and their clusters.

👉The Mission is to be jointly headed by the Secretaries of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Union Ministry of Coal and Power.

👉There will also be Chief Secretaries of concerned states on board.

👉The secretary of MoEF&CC will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance.

❇️Fly Ash

👉Fly ash is an unwanted unburnt residue of coal combustion in a coal thermal power plant.

👉 It is emitted along with flue gases during the burning of coal in a furnace and collected using electrostatic precipitators.

👉The fly ash collected with the help of precipitators is converted into a wet slurry to minimise fugitive dust emissions.

👉It is then transported to the scientifically designed ash ponds through slurry pipelines.

👉However, the gross under-utilisation of this by-product over the years has led to the accumulation of 1,670 million tonnes of fly ash.


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NeoCoV

👉NeoCoV is a bat coronavirus that was first identified in 2011.

👉It was identified in a species of bats known as Neoromicia, which is where the name NeoCoV was derived from.

👉Commonly known as aloe bats, this species is distributed in the Afro-Malagasy region.

👉NeoCoV shares an 85% similarity to MERS-CoV in the genome sequence, making it the closest known relative of MERS-CoV.

👉It is important to note that inherently, NeoCoV cannot interact with human receptors, implying that in its current form the virus cannot infect humans.

👉NeoCoV does not infect humans yet and has thus not caused any deaths.

👉The study reports that despite their similarity, MERS-CoV and NeoCoV use different receptors to infect cells.

👉The bat coronavirus NeoCoV was found to use bat ACE2 receptors for efficiently entering cells.

👉The interaction between NeoCoV and bat ACE2 receptors is different from what is seen in other coronaviruses that utilize ACE2.

👉However, specific mutations artificially created in the receptor-binding domain of NeoCoV can enhance its efficiency to interact with human ACE2 receptors.

👉These mutations have not yet been seen in NeoCov isolates from natural settings.

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Coal Gasification and Liquefaction

👉India aims for 100 million tonnes (MT) coal gasification by 2030 with investments worth over Rs. 4 lakh crores.

👉For encouraging use of clean sources of fuel, the government has provided for a concession of 20% on revenue share of coal used for gasification.

👉This will boost production of synthetic natural gas, energy fuel, urea for fertilisers and production of other chemicals.

❇️Coal Gasification

✔️It is the process of producing syngas, a mixture consisting of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), natural gas (CH4), and water vapour (H2O).

✔️During gasification, coal is blown with oxygen and steam while also being heated under high pressure.

✔️During the reaction, oxygen and water molecules oxidize the coal and produce syngas.

✔️Transporting gas is a lot cheaper than transporting coal.

✔️Help address local pollution problems.

✔️Has greater efficiency than conventional coal-burning because it can effectively use the gases twice: the coal gases are first cleansed of impurities and fired in a turbine to generate electricity.

✔️The exhaust heat from the gas turbine can be captured and used to generate steam for a steam turbine-generator.

❇️Liquefaction

✔️It is an alternative route to produce diesel and gasoline and makes economic sense only in a world of high crude oil prices,Also called Coal to Liquid (CTL) technology.

✔️The process involves gasification of coal, which in turn will produce synthetic gas (a mix of CO+H2).

✔️The synthetic gas can be liquefied to its fuel equivalent in presence of cobalt/iron-based catalysts at higher pressure and temperature.

✔️However, liquefied coal emits twice as much CO2 as burning oil. It also emits a large volume of SO2.

✔️The CO2 emissions are more readily and cheaply captured from CTL plants than from conventional coal-fired power stations.

✔️The captured CO2 can be transported and injected into underground storage reservoirs (a procedure known as “carbon capture and storage”—CCS—or “geosequestration”).

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Khaibar-buster missile

👉The missile uses solid fuel and has a range of 1,450 kilometers, or 900 miles.

👉It is called the Khaibar-buster, a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors in the early days of Islam.

👉This missile has high accuracy, is manufactured completely domestically, and can defeat missile shield systems.

👉Israel’s closest point to Iran is some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away.

👉Iran has missiles that can travel up to 2,000 kilometers, 1250 miles.

👉Iran, which has long said it does not seek nuclear weapons, insists its missile program is only a deterrent.
Earlier in January Iran tested an engine for a solid-fuel rocket designed to launch satellites.


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Rice Fortification

👉Food fortification is defined as the practice of adding vitamins and minerals to commonly consumed foods during processing to increase their nutritional value.

👉It is a proven, safe and cost-effective strategy for improving diets and for the prevention and control of micronutrient deficiencies.

👉The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), defines fortification as “deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients in a food so as to improve the nutritional quality of food and to provide public health benefit with minimal risk to health”.

👉According to the Food Ministry, fortification of rice is a cost-effective and complementary strategy to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets.

👉According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg fortified rice will contain iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram) and Vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).

👉In addition, rice may also be fortified with micronutrients, singly or in combination, with zinc (10 mg-15 mg), Vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), Vitamin B1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), Vitamin B2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), Vitamin B3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and Vitamin B6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.

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Lassa Fever

✔️The Lassa Fever-causing virus is found in West Africa and was first discovered in 1969 in Lassa, Nigeria.

✔️The fever is spread by rats and is primarily found in countries in West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria where it is endemic.

✔️Human beings can transmit the virus to each other through contact with infected bodily fluids.

✔️The best way to avoid getting infected is to avoid contact with rats.

✔️Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, has been used to successfully treat Lassa fever in patients.

✔️Mild symptoms include slight fever, fatigue, weakness and headache.

✔️Serious symptoms include bleeding, difficulty breathing, vomiting, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back, and abdomen and shock.

✔️Death can occur from two weeks of the onset of symptoms, usually as a result of multi-organ failure.


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Origami Metamaterials

👉Researchers have developed a special class of origami metamaterials which show a constant value of Poisson Ratio when subjected to stress.

👉When a material is crushed or stretched along a particular direction, it undergoes a modification in the perpendicular, or lateral, direction.

👉The ratio between the deformation along the force and the deformation in a direction lateral to the force is called the Poisson ratio. The Poisson ratio can be positive or negative.

👉In order to be useful, materials need to maintain a constant Poisson ratio when they crumble under pressure.

👉 However, they are prone not to do so, and the Poisson ratio varies as they deform.

👉The benefit is that the observed property does not depend on whether it is made from a sheet of paper, polymer or metal but under impact the sheet folds up along the creases.


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Guduchi

👉The Ministry of Ayush’s advisory on the use of Guduchi, also known as Giloy, confirms that Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) is safe to use but some similar looking plants like Tinospora crispa may be harmful.

👉Guduchi is a popularly known herb and has been used in therapeutics since long in AYUSH systems.

👉It is a large, glabrous, perennial, deciduous, climbing shrub of weak and fleshy stem found throughout India.

👉It is a widely used plant in folk and Ayurvedic systems of medicine.

👉Potential medicinal properties include anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-stress, antimalarial, etc.


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India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

👉INO Project is aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover to conduct basic research on neutrino.

👉The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is the nodal institution.

👉The observatory is to be built jointly with the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.

👉The observatory will be located underground so as to provide adequate shielding to the neutrino detector from cosmic background radiation.

👉The operation of INO will have no release of radioactive or toxic substances. It is not a weapons laboratory and will have no strategic or defence applications.

❇️Neutrino

👉The neutrino is a tiny elementary particle, but it is not part of the atom.

👉Neutrino has a very tiny mass and no charge. It interacts very weakly with other matter particles.

👉So weakly that every second trillions of neutrinos fall on us and pass through our bodies unnoticed.

👉Neutrinos come from the sun (solar neutrinos) and other stars, cosmic rays that come from beyond the solar system, and from the Big Bang from which our Universe originated.

👉They can also be produced in the lab.

👉The INO will study atmospheric neutrinos only. Solar neutrinos have much lower energy than the detector can detect.

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Green Hydrogen/Green Ammonia Policy

👉The government has announced plans to produce five million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030 and unveiled a policy that will enable manufacturers to source renewable energy to produce hydrogen or ammonia without paying transmission charges for 25 years.

👉This will boost the usage of the truly carbon-free fuel and make India an export hub.

👉The policy allows firms to set up renewable power capacity anywhere in the country.

👉They can also buy green power from exchanges.

👉In both cases, inter-state transmission will be free.

👉The government will allow the green hydrogen manufacturers to bank unconsumed renewable power, for up to 30 days, with distribution companies and take it back when required.

👉Reliance Industries (RIL), Larsen & Toubro, JSW Steel, Jindal Steel, NTPC, BPCL and Indian Oil Corp, among others, have announced plans to set up green hydrogen units.

👉The renewable energy industry is expected to get a lift from the policy as its cost will fall for those producing green hydrogen or ammonia, thereby increasing demand.

👉Despite the incentives, industry insiders has said green hydrogen would cost substantially more than that made from natural gas and the price would need to fall further for it to be more widely adopted.

👉The cost of green hydrogen is expected to be Rs.350-400/kg against an average Rs.140-180/kg from natural gas reformation.

👉Waiver of inter-state transmission charges will bring down the cost of power, a key element in the production of green hydrogen.

👉The provision for banking of unconsumed renewable power would also be very helpful.

👉These steps will not make green hydrogen commercially viable. The final cost of renewable power for consumers must fall significantly for viable green hydrogen.

👉The policy allows priority transmission, banking with distribution companies, quick open access, and single-window clearance for renewable energy used for green hydrogen or ammonia.

👉Producers will be given land for storage of such green hydrogen at ports.

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Perseverance mission

👉NASA’s rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world, has landed safely on the floor of Jezero Crater on Mars.

👉The Perseverance rover weighs less than 2,300 pounds and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.

👉It is a part of the mission named ‘Mars 2020’.

👉The rover’s mission will be to search for signs of past microbial life. It will also collect samples of Martian rocks and dust, according to the release.

👉All of NASA’s previous Mars rovers — including the Sojourner (1997), Spirit and Opportunity (2004) and Curiosity (exploring Mars since 2012) — were named in this way.

❇️Objectives of the mission

✅Identify past environments capable of supporting microbial life.

✅Seek signs of possible past microbial life in those habitable environments, particularly in special rocks known to preserve signs over time.

✅Collect core rock and regolith (“soil”) samples and store them on the Martian surface.

✅Test oxygen production from the Martian atmosphere.

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P-8I Patrol Aircraft

👉It is a long-range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft.

👉It is an Indian variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing company developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet.

👉With a maximum speed of 907 kmph and an operating range of over 1,200 nautical miles, the P-8Is detect threats and neutralize them if required, far before they come anywhere near Indian shores.

👉The Indian Navy became the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft in 2009.

👉The Navy had procured eight P-8Is under a USD 2.2 billion deal in 2009.

👉The aircraft are part of the 312A Naval Air Squadron based at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu.

👉In 2016, the Navy exercised the optional clause for four more P-8Is in a deal worth over USD 1 billion.

👉Further in May 2021, the US State Department approved the possible sale of six additional P-8I aircraft and related equipment, to India.

👉The six P-8Is will come installed with encrypted communication systems since India has now signed the foundational agreement Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) with the US.

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