Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Science & Technology
ARIES, along with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune has organised Indo-US Workshop on “Space Radiation Workshop: Radiation Characterisation from Sun to Earth, Moon, Mars and Beyond”.

Notes:
Northern Ireland is marking 50 years of Bloody Sunday, on which British soldiers fired upon a crowd of protesters, killing 14 people.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin also tweeted that the country is paying tribute to the families of the victims. The violence took place during a march organized by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association.

Notes:
Chinese researchers have claimed to develop an artificial intelligence nanny (AI Nanny), which can monitor and take care of embryos as they grow into foetuses in an Artificial womb.
The artificial womb, or “long-term embryo culture device”, is a container where the researchers grow mouse embryos in cubes filled with nutritious fluids. The AI technology helps to detect the smallest signs of change in the embryos and make changes. This may help in solving birth defects.

Notes:
Italian Space Agency, the Italian Ministry of Defense and the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Scientific Research funded the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite.
It was launched aboard the two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX from Florida station. The system consists of two satellites, which are designed to observe Earth using synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

Notes:
Antonio Costa is serving as the current Prime Minister of Portugal since 2015. The 60-year old leader of Socialist Party has been re-elected for the second term in the snap general election.
The vote was called in November last year after former Communist and Left Bloc allies joined the right to strike down his minority government budget.

Notes:
The Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka have been finalised as India’s nomination for World Heritage List for the year 2022-2023.
This was announced by the Union Culture Ministry. The ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala’ are on UNESCO’s Tentative list since 2014.

Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched “Project Sadbhawana”. It aims to dispose over 4-5 lakh pending files lying in the State secretariat within a year.
A portal will be created where people can inform of their pending files. Along with project Sadbhavana, a Swachhata Abhiyan in Janata Bhawan will also be launched to promote cleanliness in all the departments in the Secretariat.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered a tiny new species of cynipid gall wasp in the branches of a live oak tree. It is the first insect species to be described alongside its fully sequenced genome.
The researchers are studying how the nonstinging wasps may have been impacted by Houston’s historic February 2021 freeze. The wasp was named Neuroterus Valhalla, after the location of its original discovery, as it was discovered at Valhalla, a student hangout at Rice University, USA.

Notes:
Scientists have discovered an alien hammerhead flatworm species that looks like a miniature king cobra. The researchers found the creatures hunting snails in France and Italy.
The flatworm has been named after the COVID-19 pandemic as Humbertium covidum’. These new hammerhead flatworms are also among two newly described species found in countries that are not part of their native range so they were very likely introduced there by humans.

Notes:
The Union Budget has announced a new scheme called ‘Vibrant Villages programme’, which aims to boost the infrastructure of the villages along India’s border, especially with China.
Under the programme, additional funding will be provided, existing schemes will be converged. Activities include housing, tourist centres, road connectivity, provisioning of decentralised renewable energy, DTH access for Doordarshan and educational channels, and livelihood support.