According to a new study, tropical montane grasslands (TMG) in the Shola Sky Islands of the Western Ghats have suffered big reductions due to invasions by exotic trees such as acacias, pines and eucalyptus. Impact The invasion has led the Read More …
Category: PRELIMS TERMINOLOGY
Droughts in India: El Nino and Rossby wave
According to a study led by researchers at the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (CAOS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, not all Indian droughts are caused by El Nino. Actually, droughts in India have historically been associated with Read More …
HGCO19-India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate
HGCO19-India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate has received approval from Indian Drug regulators to initiate Phase I/II human clinical trial. HGCO19 The novel mRNA vaccine candidate, HGCO19 has been developed by Gennova, Pune and supported with seed grant under the Read More …
XP100: Indian Oil launches world-class premium grade Petrol
Indian Oil has launched world-class premium grade Petrol (Octane 100) in the country on December 1, 2020. Branded as XP100, the premium grade petrol was launched across ten cities by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel. Read More …
ARTPARK to develop DataSetu and BhashaSetu
An AI & Robotics Technologies Park (ARTPARK) set up in Bengaluru will promote technology innovations in AI (Artificial Intelligence) & Robotics. ARTPARK, is a unique not-for-profit foundation established by Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru with support from AI Foundry in Read More …
Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling
Recently brain fingerprinting was in the news in the context of the alleged rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The four accused were brought at the Gandhinagar-based Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) with the four Read More …
What is a Virtual Court?
The Virtual Court (traffic) and e-Challan project have been inaugurated in Assam on November 12, 2020 by Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, the chief minister of Assam. Maharashtra’s second virtual court called “Nyay Kaushal” was recently inaugurated on October 31, 2020 by Read More …
Parliamentary Committee recommends 7-point action plan to ensure security against biological weapons
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health headed by Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav has called for an effective laws to counter bio-terrorism in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report titled “The Outbreak of Pandemic COVID-19 And its Management”, has Read More …
What are M dwarfs?
Why in the news? A team of Indian scientists have established some empirical relationships enabling the use of spectral indices for finding the fundamental parameters of M dwarf stars that could identify them as potentially habitable. M dwarfs are becoming Read More …
JNU to establish centre for systems medicine
The Academic Council of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on November 19, 2020 announced the decision to establish a special centre for systems medicine (SCSM) at the university. What is systems medicine? Systems medicine is an approach to understand the complexity Read More …
What is Chapare virus?
The researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have discovered that a rare Ebola-like illness that is believed to have first originated in rural Bolivia in 2004 can spread through human-to-human transmission. The virus, which is Read More …
Species’ I-cards for chirp of the crickets
The chirp of the cricket may soon be used to monitor their species diversity. Scientists are establishing an acoustic signal library that can help track the diversity of these insects. Morphology-based traditional taxonomy has gone a long way to recognise Read More …
President appoints 28 Additional Judges as Permanent Judges of Allahabad High Court
President of India in exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, appointed 28 Additional Judges of the Allahabad High Court as permanent Judges of the Allahabad High Court with effect from the date Read More …
What is mRNA vaccine?
In November 2020, US firm Moderna announced results of human trials on the vaccine it has developed with US National Institutes of Health. The trials found the vaccine 94.5 per cent effective. Earlier, Pfizer had also released trial results showing 90 per Read More …
Haryana Assembly passes Bill on right to recall panchayat member
The Haryana Assembly on November 6, 2020 passed the ‘Haryana Panchayati Raj (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020’ which provides the right to recall members of Panchayati Raj institutions to those who elected them. The Bill allows the recall of village sarpanches Read More …