Indian scientists identify new wave in Antarctica that could enhance safety of satellites (GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Indian scientists have identified a unique form of plasma wave at Maitri, the Indian Antarctic station, which plays a key role in the radiation belt of Earth.
- The analysis of the wave could further help in safeguarding Indian assets in Low Earth Orbit.
EMIC waves:
- The Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron waves identified in Antarctica play an important role in the precipitation of killer electrons, which have speed close to the speed of light.
- The waves are formed when low-energy ions in the magnetosphere interact with electromagnetic fields, causing the ions to spiral along the magnetic field lines.
- Found in the magnetosphere, EMIC waves accelerate electrons to very high energies and can cause the particles in the radiation belts to scatter, accelerate, and precipitate into the Earth's atmosphere, which can lead to changes in the distribution and intensity of the radiation belts.
Key Highlights:
- The study of plasma waves provides with information on regions inaccessible, transport mass and energy across different regions, how they interact with charged particles, and control the overall dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere.
- Scientists from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) collected data between 2011 and 2017 using the Induction Coil Magnetometer, installed at the Indian Antarctic station Maitri to bring out several aspects of the ground observation of the EMIC waves.
- They found the location of the generation of the waves in space and also suggested that the lower-frequency waves modulate the higher-frequency waves.
- The study showed that the short-period modulation of such wave events is common and dependent on EMIC wave frequency.
Way Forward:
- Understanding the behavior of EMIC waves is important for predicting and mitigating the effects of space weather on satellites and other spacecraft in the near-Earth environment.
Argentina battles major dengue outbreak with atomic radiation
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- Argentine, fighting one of its worst outbreaks of dengue in recent years, is sterilizing mosquitoes using radiation that alters their DNA before releasing them into the wild.
- It has recorded over 41,000 cases of the disease transmitted by mosquitoes, far above the equivalent level in previous years of major outbreaks in 2020 and 2016.
Key Highlights:
- To fight back, National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) biologists have been experimenting with atomic sterilization since 2016.
- They are sterilizing 10,000 males per week and aim to increase that to 500,000. They expect to release the first batch of sterilized males in November.
- They are sterilized through ionizing energy and those sterile males are freed into the fields and when they meet with a wild female, their offspring are not viable.
Dengue:
- Dengue is transmitted through the bites of aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Its symptoms include fever, eye, head, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
Background:
- Similar techniques to sterilize pests using the same radiation found in X-rays have been utilised for decades, helping global efforts to control diseases such as chikungunya, dengue and Zika.
SC sets up constitution bench to hear plea on same-sex marriage
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Supreme Court made it clear that it will not go into the personal laws governing marriages while deciding the pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages and asked the lawyers to advance arguments on the Special Marriage Act.
- A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud termed the issue involving the pleas complex and said the very notion of a man and a woman, as referred to in the Special Marriage Act, is not an absolute based on genitals".
Special Marriage Act:
- The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is a law that provides a legal framework for the marriage of people belonging to different religions or castes. It governs a civil marriage where the state sanctions the marriage rather than the religion.
Centre’s response:
- Solicitor General appearing for the Centre, referred to the laws on transgenders and said there are several rights such as the right to choose partners, privacy right, right to choose sexual orientation, and any discrimination is criminally prosecutable.
- However, the conferment of socio-legal status of marriage cannot be done through judicial decisions. It cannot even be done by the legislature. The acceptance has to come from within the society.
- He said the problem will arise when a person, who is a Hindu, wants to avail the right to marry within the same sex while remaining a Hindu. Hindus and Muslims and other communities will be affected and that is why the states should be heard
Distinct views:
- Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi supported the Centre's objection to same-sex marriages and said all states were necessary parties in the matter and needed to be heard.
- Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, said the court should either hear the issue in entirety or not hear it at all as a piecemeal approach will cause more harm than good to the group seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages.
- One of the senior lawyers Menaka Guruswamy referred to the difficulties being faced by the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual, and ally) community in opening bank accounts and buying life insurance and alleged they were being denied these rights.
Background:
- Earlier during the day, the Centre insisted its preliminary objection on whether the court can at all go into this question or it would be essentially for parliament to go into it be heard first.
- The apex court had on March 13 referred the pleas to a five-judge constitution bench for adjudication, saying it is a very seminal issue.
- The hearing and the outcome will have significant ramifications for the country where common people and political parties hold divergent views on the subject.
- The apex court had on November 25, 2022 sought the Centre's response to separate pleas moved by two gay couples seeking enforcement of their right to marry and a direction to the authorities concerned to register their marriages under the Special Marriage Act.
