News In Short 09-09-2026

Endometriosis

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• A first-of-its-kind Indian study has identified 21 genetic regions linked to endometriosis, offering new clues to why some women may be more prone to the disease.

About Endometriosis

• Endometriosis affects an estimated 10% (190 million) of reproductive age women worldwide.
• In endometriosis, endometrium-like tissue (usually found only in the lining of the uterus) grows outside the uterus, causing inflammation and scar tissue formation.
• Symptoms include: severe pain during menstruation; heavy menstrual bleeding; chronic pelvic pain ; infertility; and abdominal bloating and nausea.
  • Endometriosis most commonly occurs in the pelvis but in some women, occurs elsewhere in the body, including the abdomen and chest.
• Endometriosis can impact sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination; and mental health (including depression and anxiety).
• The causes of endometriosis are unknown. Emerging research suggests that endometriosis is associated with immune system dysregulation.
• There is currently no cure for endometriosis; access to early diagnosis and effective treatment of endometriosis is limited in many settings and treatment aims to control symptoms and limit long-term impacts.

Source: IE

Orangutan

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• The Odisha Forest Department rescued five young orangutans after they were found abandoned in a casuarina plantation in the Udayapur-Talsari forest area of Balasore district.

About Orangutan 

• Characteristics: Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammal, spending most of their time in trees.
  • They are the closest living relatives of humans and they share 96.4% of Human genes and are highly intelligent creatures.
• There are three species of Orangutan  – the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli – which differ a little in appearance and behavior.
• Eating habitats : Orangutans mainly eat fruits, such as mangoes, lychees and figs, but they also feed on young leaves, flowers, insects, and even small mammals.
• Habitat and Distribution: They can occur up to 1,500m above sea level, most are found in lowland areas and prefer forests in river valleys or floodplains.
  • These great apes are only found in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.  
• IUCN status: All three orangutan species are critically endangered.

Source: TH

Anti-smog Guns

Syllabus: GS3/Environment 

In News

• The Delhi government has approved spending ₹100 crore for 1,000 truck-mounted “anti-smog” guns to be operated across the city in the winter months over three years.

Anti-smog gun 

• Anti-smog guns are equipment that spray the atmosphere with fine droplets of nebulised water to absorb the smallest dust and contaminated particles. 
• The gun is attached to a water tank which is on a truck. 
• It is built in such a way that, by passing through high-pressure nozzles, it turns the water into a fine spray with droplets of a size of 50-100 microns.

Importance 

• It reduces air pollution by binding dust and other particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and carrying them down to the ground level along with water.
• It creates a canopy effect and works like rain to bring down the suspended particles wafting in the atmosphere. 
• It contains air pollution in cities, and it also helps in controlling industrial dust in mining, grinding, coal, and stone crushing. 

Source: HT 

Permafrost Melting  

Syllabus: GS3/Environment 

In News

• According to a recent study, melting permafrost in the Arctic could cause infrastructure damage worth $261 billion by the middle of the 21st century.

Permafrost 

• Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen — 32°F (0°C) or colder — for at least two years straight. 
• These permanently frozen grounds are most common in cold regions.
• These include high mountains and Earth’s higher latitudes — near the North and South poles.
• It covers about 24 per cent of the Northern Hemisphere, including large areas of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia
• It is made of a combination of soil, rocks, and sand that are held together by ice.
  • The soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen all year long.

Impacts of climate change

• Permafrost loss, also known as permafrost thaw, is the progressive loss of ground ice in permafrost, usually due to the input of heat.
• Global warming patterns are causing permafrost to melt.
  • This melting releases previously stored greenhouse gases.

• Climate warming is accelerating the thawing of permafrost and melting ground ice and destabilising soils, which can ruin buildings, roads and other infrastructure in northern communities. 
• Thawing also activates microorganisms that break down previously frozen organic detritus, releasing CO2 and methane and generating a positive feedback that further enhances warming. 
• It might also release ancient bacteria and viruses frozen in the soil.

Source: DTE 

Slumping: A Soft-coral Threat

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

Context

• UNESCO-listed soft corals, mostly around uninhabited islets south of Jeju, South Korea are showing the ‘slumping’ phenomenon.

About

• Unlike hard corals supported by rigid calcium carbonate skeletons, soft corals rely on internal fluid pressure to keep upright.
  • Environmental changes can disrupt that pressure, leading them to slump or collapse.
• Weather conditions and water flowing down from China’s Yangtze River are affecting the area’s salinity triggering slumping.

There are two main types of corals: hard corals and soft corals.

• Soft corals are soft and bendable and often resemble plants or trees.
  • These corals do not have stony skeletons and are non-reef-building corals—instead, they grow wood-like cores and fleshy rinds for protection. Like hard corals, they tend to live in colonies.
• Hard corals grow in colonies and are often referred to as “reef-building corals.” 
  • Hard corals create skeletons out of calcium carbonate, a hard substance that eventually becomes rock. 
  • Over time, this rock builds up to form the foundation of a coral reef and provides a structure upon which baby corals can settle. 
  • Hard corals depend upon tiny algae called zooxanthellae that live inside them. 
  • Together, they share a symbiotic relationship—the corals provide the zooxanthellae with shelter, and in return, the zooxanthellae provide the corals with food.

Source: TH

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) 

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• JSW MG Motor India has rolled out Hector Tomahawk in Battery Electric Vehicle (EV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) variants, indicative of the rising diversity in India’s clean-mobility environment.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

• A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV combines an internal combustion engine (ICE) with an electric motor and a rechargeable battery such that the vehicle can run on electric power, the engine or both.
• A PHEV is similar to a normal hybrid electric car (HEV), but has a larger battery and can be charged by plugging the car into an electrical source, in addition to charging through regenerative braking and the engine.
• Its larger battery provides a longer electric-only driving range, enabling short-distance journeys to be completed primarily on electricity, while the ICE provides greater range for long-distance travel and reduces range anxiety.
• PHEVs, however, tend to be more expensive and physically complex than conventional vehicles.

Source: IE

Veer Guardian-2026

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The India-Japan bilateral air exercise, Veer Guardian-2026, began at Air Force Station Jodhpur.

About

• The inaugural edition of the bilateral air exercise was held in 2023. Veer Guardian-2026 aims to enhance tactical proficiency and aerospace operational synergy, reflecting the deepening strategic partnership between India and Japan. 

Do you know?

• The JIMEX series of exercises between India and Japan began in 2012, with a focus on strengthening maritime security cooperation. 

Source: PIB