Science & technology

Recently, the Advertisement Monitoring Committee at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) flagged 32 fresh cases of food business operators (FBOs) making misleading claims and advertisements. What are the regulations? FSSAI uses the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising & Claims) Regulations, 2018 which specifically deals with food (and related products). The Central Consumer …

Three civilians were killed after an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter jet crashed into a house in Rajasthan. About MiG-21: The MiG-21s are among the six fighter jets presently flown by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The MiG-21s are single engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack aircraft. It was inducted into the IAF in the early 1960s. …

The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) is working on technical and scientific terminology in 10 Indian languages that are under-represented in the learning landscape. Key details: The CSTT will bring out what it calls fundamental (basic) dictionaries with 5,000 words per language. These will be in digital, searchable format, and free of cost. Which …

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine, Arexvy for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to lower respiratory tract disease in people older than 60 years. This is the first RSV vaccine to be approved anywhere in the world. The trial showed that a single dose of the vaccine reduced the risk of people, older than 60 years, developing lower respiratory tract disease caused …

Two drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease showed promising results. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects a person’s ability to function independently. The early signs of the disease include …

Bluesky has come to the fore as a potential claimant to Twitter’s throne. What is Bluesky? Bluesky is a micro-blogging platform and social website. It is built on the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transport Protocol). Bluesky might be classified as a Twitter competitor but it is different in terms of its structure, as it is meant to form part of …

The penumbral lunar eclipse happened recently. A penumbral lunar eclipse is a celestial event that occurs when the moon passes through the outer part of the Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra. Although it is not as visually striking as a total or partial lunar eclipse. During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the alignment of the Earth, Moon, …

The Indian Astronomical Observatory located over Mount Saraswati in Hanle, Ladakh, India, captured aurora lights on its camera. An intense geomagnetic storm that hit Earth resulted in mesmerising auroras in several regions of Earth, including Ladakh. It is extremely rare to see auroras at latitudes as low as those of Ladakh. Auroras are seen only in high-latitude regions, near the Arctic and Antarctic …

Frequent reports of dogs attacking people to death have made the management of stray dogs an administrative and legal issue. Dog bites and poor waste management The carrying capacity, i.e. the ability of a city to support a species, is determined by the availability of food and shelter. Free-ranging dogs, in the absence of …

11 people died due to a gas leak in the Giaspura area of Ludhiana, Punjab, while four people fell ill and were hospitalised. Neurotoxins Neurotoxins are poisonous substances which can directly affect the nervous system. Neurotoxicity occurs when exposure to natural or man-made toxic substances alters the normal activity of the nervous system. These substances …