Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2024

Notes:
India stands out as the only top-five crude steel-producing country to exhibit growth in April 2024, recording a 3.9% increase compared to April 2023, reaching 12.1 million tonnes. This growth contrasts with the global decline of 5.0%, totaling 155.7 million tonnes. China, the largest producer, experienced a 7.2% decrease, while Japan, the USA, and Russia also faced declines. India’s growth is notable amidst concerns about potential steel dumping following US import duties on Chinese steel.

Notes:
In Ladakh, the BRO’s Project Vijayak used REJUPAVE technology, developed by CSIR-CRRI, to build high-altitude bituminous roads on the Drass-Umbala-Sankoo Road in Drass, the world’s second coldest inhabited place. REJUPAVE, made from biomass and renewable resources, reduces heating needs and maintains temperature during transit. Previously, it was used in the Sela road tunnel and LDY road section near Arunachal Pradesh’s China border at 18,000 feet.

Notes:
Researchers at Brazil’s Federal University of Sao Paulo discovered that Neanderthals 50,000 years ago harbored three viruses still impacting modern humans. This finding surpasses the previous record by 20,000 years, held by a 31,000-year-old common-cold virus. Marcelo Briones suggests it’s feasible to synthesize these ancient viruses. The discovery, from DNA analysis of Neanderthal skeletons in Russia’s Altai mountains, confirms ancient viral origins, ruling out contamination.

Notes:
Twelve nations signed the Zero Debris Charter at the ESA/EU Space Council, committing to sustainable human activities in Earth orbit. The European Space Agency (ESA) initiated the Charter in November 2023. It aims to eliminate space debris by 2030 through ambitious technical targets and global cooperation. Although non-binding, it sets key goals like a debris generation probability below 1 in 1,000 per object and 99% post-mission disposal success.

Notes:
GAIL (India) Ltd. inaugurated its first 10 MW Green Hydrogen Plant in Vijaipur, Madhya Pradesh, under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Approved on January 4, 2022, the mission aims to make India a global hub for green hydrogen. It includes incentives for electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production, support for pilot projects, development of Green Hydrogen Hubs, and a policy framework for a green hydrogen ecosystem and standards.

Notes:
The strongest earthquake in decades recently hit Italy’s Campi Flegrei supervolcano region. Campi Flegrei, located near Naples, is an active volcanic system with multiple centers in a 12-15 km caldera formed 39,000 years ago. Unlike Mount Vesuvius, it is more active and expansive, with a third under the Tyrrhenian Sea. The last eruption in 1538 created Monte Nuovo. Restless since 1950, it poses significant geological risks.

Notes:
The Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER) signed an MoU on MRI and Linear Accelerator technology transfer with industry. The Linear Accelerator (LINAC) is used for cancer treatment through external beam radiation. It accelerates electrons using microwave technology to produce high-energy x-rays that target and destroy cancer cells. SAMEER is an autonomous R&D lab in Mumbai under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

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Genetically modified mosquitoes were released in Djibouti to combat malaria as part of the two-year-old ‘Djibouti Friendly Mosquito Programme’. This method releases engineered male mosquitoes that mate with females, passing on a gene that prevents female offspring from surviving to adulthood, reducing the population of malaria-transmitting Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. Similar methods have been successful in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and India.

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Scientists analyzing archived data from NASA’s Magellan mission discovered new lava flows on Venus, indicating volcanic activity between 1990 and 1992. Launched on May 4, 1989, aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Magellan aimed to map Venus’s surface using radar imaging. Named after Ferdinand Magellan, it was the first interplanetary mission launched from a space shuttle. In 1994, Magellan intentionally plunged into Venus, gathering atmospheric data before ceasing operations.

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Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) seized an iguana and an emperor scorpion in Dewas district, enforcing Rule 49 M of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) for the first time. Section 49 M mandates registration of possession, transfer, and reporting of birth/death of scheduled animals. Both species are in Appendix II of WPA 1972 and CITES, needing specific permits. Animals are housed at Kamala Nehru Zoological Museum. New rules require online registration of CITES-listed animals by August 31, 2024.