GS3

Syllabus: GS3-Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life. Context Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari launched the world’s first prototype of the BS 6 Stage II ‘Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle’, developed by Toyota Kirloskar Motor BS 6 Stage II ‘Electrified Flex …

Syllabus:  Security challenges and their management in border areas Context The Army has signed contracts for the procurement of 130 tethered drones and 19 tank-driving simulators under Emergency Procurement (EP) and they will be delivered in 12 months. The armed forces are currently executing the fourth tranche of EPs sanctioned …

Syllabus: Environment conservation Context: Hollongapar sanctuary has become a ‘forest island’, a Wildlife Institute of India report said Primatologists have suggested rerouting a 1.65-km long railway track that has divided Hollongapar sanctuary in eastern Assam sanctuary dedicated to the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock). Housing about 125 hoolock gibbons, India’s …

Syllabus:  Disaster and its management Tropical cyclones that originate near the Equator, while being devastating, have been unusually subdued in recent decades. Last major cyclone in India was Cyclone Okchi, which devastated parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka in 2017. A combination of global warming and a cyclical …

Syllabus:  General science Context: government tries to screen seven-crore tribal people for sickle-cell disease (SCD) and attempts to create a data bank of tribal people’s health. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. It …

Syllabus:  Space technology Pragyan rover has confirmed the presence of sulphur on the moon’s surface, near its south pole. The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument aboard the rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole. The LIBS is a …

Why in news:  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the Aditya-L1 mission, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, will be launched soon. About Aditya-L1 mission The Aditya-L1 mission will see the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carry the 1,475-kg spacecraft to an elliptical orbit around the Earth. The …

Why in news:  Up to 10,000 emperor penguin chicks across four colonies in Antarctica’s Bellingshausen Sea may have died as the sea ice underneath their breeding grounds melted and broke apart in late 2022, according to a new study. About Emperor Penguins: The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all …

Syllabus:  Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Context Amid Indigenous Tejas Mk-2 Development, SAAB Offers Single-Engine Gripen E For IAF’s 114 Advanced Fighter Jet Contract 114 Advanced Fighter Jet Contract Swedish aerospace company Saab has announced its intent to submit a proposal …

Science behind it Source emits sound waves, and listens for their reflections by objects in their surroundings. Based on what the reflected waves, or echoes, sound like, the animal or device understands its environment. Animals that use echolocation emit high-frequency sound pulses beyond the range of human hearing. Bats – …

The human genome has 23 pairs of chromosomes, one inherited from each of our parents. The genome is the blueprint of our genetic makeup. As the cells divide, the DNA is copied with extremely high accuracy due to proteins that proofread and correct errors in the DNA. But despite this …

Syllabus:  Space technology Context: Aditya-L1 mission, meant to study the sun, lifts off in September. First space-based Indian mission to study the sun from a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system. XL variant of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to place the Aditya-L1 …

Syllabus:  Space technology Near side refers to the portion of the moon visible to us (about 60%). It is always the same side that is visible from Earth because the moon takes the same time to rotate about its axis as it does to circle around the Earth. The ‘new …

Syllabus:  Green economy India’s experience has shown that climate action is only effective and embraced at scale if it aligns with the development aspirations of millions and contributes to economic growth. The green economy paradigm provides an optimistic pathway to align development and environmental outcomes. Example: building a solar park …

Other lunar missions this year Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Lunar Trailblazer from the U.S.. China’s lunar communication and navigation satellite constellation Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) Other lunar missions next year Beresheet 2 from Israel S.’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) China’s Lunar Exploration Programme …

AR4 Tech, a start-up in Coimbatore, has partnered Sodion Energy of Singapore to make sodium ion battery packs for domestic and export markets. The sodium-ion batteries, developed by Sodion, will be made into battery packs here. AR4 Tech will use the packs to convert existing petroleum vehicles (mainly two-wheelers) into …

Environmental conservation Context: Japan began releasing wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. A big step in decommissioning the still highly dangerous site 12 years after one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents. Japan has repeatedly insisted the wastewater is treated and will be harmless backed by …

Security challenges and their management in border areas Context India and China have agreed to step up efforts for the disengagement of troops and de-escalation of tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) Respect the LAC In a conversation with President of China, PM highlighted India’s concerns on the …

Syllabus: Security and Disaster Management Context A railway bridge under construction over the Kurung river in Mizoram collapsed on Wednesday, killing at least 18 workers. Pillars intact According to the Railway Ministry, the girder was designed by the Paris-headquartered STUP Consultants and proof-checked by experts from the Indian Institute of …

Syllabus: Indigenous technology Context The Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) – modelled on the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), a project of the Towards Zero Foundation (U.K.-registered charity) Application From October 1 Voluntary – except in certain cases such as a base variant of a popular …