Recently, a study revealed a novel adaptation mechanism of the Mpox virus enhancing its ability to infect humans amidst recent outbreaks. The name was changed from "monkeypox" to "mpox" to avoid stigma towards monkeys and reflect the virus's direct human infectivity. Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a DNA virus. It belongs to the family Poxviridae, which consists of large, double-stranded DNA viruses. The virus was first identified in monkeys in 1958 but has since been found to infect humans as well.
U R Rao Satellite Centre (formerly known as ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC)), Department of Space, in Bengaluru recently celebrated Satellite Technology Day (STD) 2024, marking the significant milestone of the 50th anniversary of India's first satellite launch, Aryabhata, on 19th April 1975. The event highlighted URSC's achievements along with recent missions like Chandrayaan-3, aditya-L1 and X-ray Polarimeter Satellite which garnered national and international recognition.
Recently, the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), installed and activated India’s biggest Climate Clock at the CSIR Headquarters in New Delhi as a part of the Earth Day. Celebrations. The event signifies CSIR’s aim to spread awareness about climate change and to make people energy literate. It was launched in 2015 to provide a measuring stick against which viewers can track climate change mitigation progress. It is a graphic to demonstrate how quickly the planet is approaching 1.5°C of global warming, given current emissions trends. It also shows the amount of CO2 already emitted, and the global warming to date.
Recently, D Gukesh won the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Candidates Chess Tournament 2024 in Toronto, Canada. He became the youngest-ever challenger to the world title and secured his place in chess history. Currently, India has got 7 players in the top 20 junior rankings and a third of the top 30 juniors globally. The current world champion is Ding Liren, who defeated his opponent Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 World Chess Championship. Magnus Carlsen, the previous world champion, had declined to defend his title.
Recently, NASA has confirmed the Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan. Dragonfly is a dual quadcopter, resembling a car-sized rotorcraft that can cover tens of kilometres on Titan in under an hour. Due to Titan's hazy atmosphere, Dragonfly will use a radioisotope power system, similar to the curiosity rover on Mars. Dragonfly will fly to dozens of promising locations on Titan looking for prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and Earth. This will be the first time NASA will fly a multi-rotor vehicle for science on other planets.
Recently, the new oral vaccine for cholera Euvichol-S, received prequalification by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is third inactivated oral vaccine to treat Cholera. The other two vaccines are Euvichol and Euvichol-Plus. Currently, 23 countries are reporting cholera outbreaks with severe impacts seen in specific regions such as the Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Cholera, a water-borne disease primarily caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms includes profuse watery diarrhoea, Vomiting, Leg cramps.
A rare butterfly species named Neptis philyra (Nymphalidae family), also known as the long-streak sailor, has been discovered for the first time in India at the Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), Arunachal Pradesh by a team of butterfly enthusiasts. Previously known to be found across various regions of East Asia, including eastern Siberia, Korea, Japan, and central and southwest China. It has serrated wings with rich brownish-black on the upper side and yellow-brown on the underside. It has a white cell streak on the forewing that forms a “hockey stick” pattern.
The Bhutanese government hosted the Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference on Earth Day 2024 to mobilise USD 1 billion over the next decade for conserving tigers and their habitats across Asia. The two-day conference will be hosted by Bhutan under the patronage of the country’s queen, Jetsun Pema Wangchuck. It seeks to mobilise the amount of USD 1 billion over 10 years for the preservation of tiger landscapes. The conservation of tiger landscapes is vital to maintaining biodiversity, sequestering carbon, supplying resources to over 100 million people, and ensuring the overall health of the planet.
