Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) astronomers developed a method to study the Sun’s magnetic fields using the Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope. The study focused on a sunspot region with complex features like multiple umbrae and a penumbra. Observations were made using Hydrogen-alpha and Calcium II spectral lines, revealing magnetic field differences at various atmospheric heights. The Tunnel Telescope’s 3-mirror Coelostat setup allowed precise Sun tracking and improved data accuracy. Solar magnetic fields are generated by the movement of electrically charged particles, affecting sunspots, prominences, and coronal loops.

Notes:
The Green Strategic Partnership between India and Denmark led to the creation of the Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) in Varanasi. This partnership involves India’s Department of Water Resources, IIT-BHU, and Denmark to improve small river management. SLCR focuses on rejuvenating the Varuna River using sustainable methods and collaboration. The initiative combines a hybrid lab at IIT-BHU and a living lab on the Varuna River to test solutions. SLCR includes strong institutional and review mechanisms to ensure high standards. The Indo-Danish Joint Steering Committee provides strategic guidance, while a Project Review Committee oversees quality control.

Notes:
ICGS Sujay, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Indian Coast Guard, recently visited Jakarta, Indonesia. It is stationed in Paradip, Odisha, under the Coast Guard Region (North-East) command and frequently deployed for various missions. The 105-meter vessel is equipped with a 30mm CRN 91 gun, advanced navigation, communication systems, and sensors. The ship is designed for extended deployment in maritime zones, conducting missions like surveillance, search and rescue, and law enforcement.

Notes:
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the ‘National Conclave: Sangathan Swasthya Samriddhi’ in New Delhi. The event focuses on women’s roles in food, nutrition, health, and WASH. Health and nutrition are highlighted as essential for the nation’s development, with women playing a key role. Self-help groups are recognized as important for the country’s progress. Discussions emphasized the need for better basic health facilities and the idea that a healthy population leads to national growth. Women, including self-help groups from across the country, are attending the conclave.

Notes:
The Zoological Survey of India and Odisha Forest Department are tagging horseshoe crabs to study their population, habitat, and migration. Horseshoe crabs are ancient marine arthropods, known as “living fossils,” related to scorpions and spiders. They live in shallow coastal waters and spawn on intertidal beaches during high tides. Global species include the Vulnerable American Horseshoe Crab, Endangered Tri-spine Horseshoe Crab, Coastal Horseshoe Crab, and Mangrove Horseshoe Crab. India has two species: Coastal Horseshoe Crab and Mangrove Horseshoe Crab, found mainly along the northeastern coast in Odisha and West Bengal.

Notes:
Scientists detected the heaviest antimatter nucleus, anti-hyperhydrogen-4, at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in New York. The discovery came from over 6 billion collision events at the particle accelerator. This finding could help understand why the universe is mostly matter, despite equal creation of matter and antimatter during the Big Bang. Antimatter is like ordinary matter but with opposite electric charges, often called “mirror matter.” Antimatter particles include positrons (positive electron counterparts), antiprotons, and antineutrons. Matter and antimatter annihilate each other on contact, releasing energy. Antimatter is created in particle accelerators and naturally occurs in the universe.

Notes:
A new dinosaur species named Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus has been discovered in Kyrgyzstan, dating back about 165 million years. It is a large theropod found in the Middle Jurassic Balabansai formation in the northern Fergana Depression. This predator, from the Callovian age, was around 7 to 8 meters long. It had a distinctive protruding ‘eyebrow’ on the postorbital bone, suggesting a horn-like structure. Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus belongs to the Metriacanthosauridae family, known for high-arched skulls and slender hindlimbs. It is the first large Jurassic predatory dinosaur found between central Europe and East Asia.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Meghalaya recently tested positive for Scrub Typhus. Scrub Typhus, or bush typhus, is caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is transmitted through bites from infected chiggers (larval mites). Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, a rash, and a scab-like area at the bite site. There is no vaccine for Scrub Typhus. It commonly affects rural areas in Southeast Asia, China, the Indian subcontinent, and Northern Australia.

Notes:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised tests of new suicide drones developed domestically. These drones, capable of targeting ground and sea objectives, have varying striking ranges. Kim Jong-un has encouraged further development of diverse suicide drones for infantry, special operations, and strategic reconnaissance. He also emphasized integrating artificial intelligence into unmanned aerial vehicles. This move comes amid rising tensions with the US and South Korea.

Notes:
The Indian government has banned 156 Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) drugs. FDC drugs combine two or more Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in one pill, capsule, or injection. They are commonly prescribed for conditions like tuberculosis, diabetes, and hypertension to make it easier for patients by reducing the number of pills they need to take daily. The banned FDCs were considered “irrational” because they do not offer additional therapeutic benefits. Some combinations in these FDCs include ingredients that do not work well together or contain unnecessary components.