Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
As per the ‘United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s State of World Population 2023’ report, India’s population is expected to reach 1.429 billion by the end of the year, according to the U.N. China will be at second place, with 1.426 billion people.
This will make India the most populous country in the world for the first time. This number is expected to be 2.96 million more than the population of China.

Notes:
Cycas pectinate is a plant species of Genus Cycas which is the found in the north-eastern part of India, Nepal, Bhutan, South China etc. It is the only ‘Cycas’ species found in Bhutan.
It usually grows at an elevation of 300 m to 1200 m and in difficult terrains. A new study has found that this vulnerable species is threatened in the Himalayan country due to habitat loss and its overcollection as an ornamental plant.

Notes:
RAMBAAN (Rapid Action Mobile BSL3+ Advanced Augmented Network) is India’s first mobile BSL-3 laboratory.
It was showcased at the second G20 Health Working Group Meeting, which was organized in Goa. This fully equipped, Made-in-India mobile clinic can reach remote regions to conduct testing.

Notes:
The State of World Population report titled ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities’ was released recently by the United Nations Population Fund.
According to this report released by UNFPA, India is now the most populous country in the world, as it has surpassed China’s population numbers.

Notes:
A “civil union” refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred upon married couples. These civil unions would be accompanied by rights such as inheritance rights, employment benefits to spouses, which are generally conferred upon married couples.
Recently, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, began hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage.

Notes:
Scientists from the Houston Methodist Academic Institute have recently developed a tiny nanofluidic device named Nanofluidic Drug-Eluting Seed (NDES) that delivers cancer drugs directly to pancreatic tumors.
The Nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES) delivers low-dose immunotherapy via CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) — which encourage the immune system to fight tumor cells — directly to pancreatic tumors to treat the aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.

Notes:
Gramdan is the expansion of Bhoodan movement that was started in 1951 by Vinoba Bhave. Under this initiative, the entire village will put its land under a common trust.
At present, seven states in India have 3,660 Gramdan villages, the highest being in Odisha (1309).

Notes:
Hanuman Plover Bird has been reinstated as species after more than eight decades. This bird is endemic to India and Sri Lanka.
Hanuman Plover Bird was merged with the Kentish plover in the 1930s as both species were considered to be the same.

Notes:
Exercise Orion, a bilateral military EXERCISE between the Indian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force (FASF) started at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase in France.
IAF Contingent comprises of four Rafale, two C-17, two ll-78 aircraft, and 165 air warriors. This would be the first overseas exercise for the IAF’s Rafale aircraft.

Notes:
A new study has found that a protein called shugosin locks the chromosomes into X shapes to give them their structure.
The protein’s function is to maintain the stability of chromosomes during cell division. Also called as SGO1, this protein fits precisely into a sort of keyhole which gives the chromosome its X shape.