Facts in News
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Snow Leopard
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- Scientific Name: Panthera uncia.
- Habitat: Cold High Mountains.
- These are found in 12 countries including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia & Mongolia.
- Diet: Carnivore & hunt blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas, hares, etc.
- Features
- One of the world’s most elusive cats & are perfectly equipped to thrive in extreme, high-elevation habitats.
- Insulated with thick white-gray coats spotted with large black rosettes & wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. Tail helps in balancing and also covers the body while sleeping.
- Shy & rarely seen in the wild.
- Threats
- Increased conflict due to expansion of human settlement & livestock grazing.
- Poaching for trade in body parts and fur.
- Climate change & shrinkage in habitat.
- Conservation
- Establishment of protected areas like sanctuaries & corridors.
- Strengthen enforcement against poaching.
- Building awareness.
- Protection Status
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.
(Image Courtesy: WWFIndia)
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Cotton Pygmy Goose
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- Scientific Name: Nettapus coromandelianus.
- Habitat: Freshwater wetlands with extensive floating vegetation especially water lilies.
- They are distributed in South East Asia & parts of eastern Australia.
- Features
- Tiny duck belonging to the anatidae family which is constituted by ducks, geese and swans.
- Male has a bright white head and neck with a dark crown and eyes.
- Female is plainer, with a strong dark eye-line that does not continue back to the nape.
- In India, they breed between June and August, seeking tree hollows to build the nests.
- Concerns
- Decreasing population due to habitat loss.
- Climate change and natural disasters (hurricanes, global warming, tsunamis, etc).
- Disease & anthropogenic threats.
- Conservation
- Geographically spaced populations.
- Protecting wetlands from storms & sea level change.
- Post-disaster contingency plans for population restoration.
- Protection Status
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern.
- State of India’s Birds 2020 Report: Concerning List.
(Image Courtesy: TH)
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Unicorn Black Hole
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- It is possibly the smallest-known black hole in the Milky Way galaxy and the closest to the solar system.
- The black hole is located about 1,500 light years (the distance light travels in a year, 9.5 trillion km) from Earth.
- It is roughly three times the mass of the sun.
- A luminous star called a red giant orbits with the black hole in a so-called binary star system named V723 Mon.
- Black holes are electromagnetically dark so they are difficult to find. However, tidal distortion on the companion star of Unicorn indicated its presence.
- Its strong gravity alters the shape of the companion star in a phenomenon known as tidal distortion, making it elongated rather than spherical and causes its light to change as it moves along its orbital path.
(Image Courtesy: TH)
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Oxygen Concentrators
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- An oxygen concentrator or generator is a device recommended by doctors to fulfill the shortage of oxygen and it functions with the help of atmospheric air and electricity.
- The oxygen concentrator takes in this air, filters it through a sieve, releases the nitrogen back into the air, and works on the remaining oxygen.
- Oxygen concentrators are the easiest alternatives to cylinders but can only supply 5-10 litres of oxygen per minute (critical patients may need 40-50 litres per minute) and are best suited for moderately ill patients.
- An oxygen concentrator can only be used under medical supervision and prescription and it should not be considered as a treatment for COVID-19.
Image Courtesy: Zee news
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EXERCISE VARUNA – 2021
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- India and France commenced their annual “Varuna” joint naval exercise with large-scale drills in the western Arabian Sea.
- This is the 19th edition of the exercise.
- India and France have been holding these exercises since 1993.
- The joint exercise will comprise various drills across the spectrum of maritime operations, “with the goal of fostering interoperability and mutual learning between the two navies.
- The exercise plays a key role in the two countries’ joint vision for a “free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific” and a rules-based international order.
Other Military Exercises of India
- Malabar Exercise: Navies of India, USA, and Japan.
- JIMEX: India-Japan
- Ex-Desert Knight 21 exercise– It is a bilateral air exercise to be held between Indian Air Force and the French air and Space Force.
- Indra Dhanush-It is a joint air force exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom
- Exercise Pitch Black- India and Australia.
- The main aim of the exercise is to practice Defensive Counter Air combat and Offensive Counter Air Combat
- AUSINDEX is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Australian Navy.
- Both countries hold bilateral army exercises named AUSTRAHIND.
- Dharma Guardian-The joint military exercise named “Dharma Guardian” between India and Japan.
- Aviaindra –India and Russia joint air exercise.
- Nomadic Elephant-India and Mongolia joint exercise.
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Deep Time Project
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- Scientists at the Human Adaption Institute leading the 1.2 million-euro (US$1.5 million) “Deep Time” Project.
- Under the Project, Eight men and seven women lived for 40 days in the dark, damp depths of the Lombrives cave in the Pyrenees southwestern France.
- There was no sunlight inside, the temperature was 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) and the relative humidity stood at 100 percent.
- The cave dwellers had no contact with the outside world, no updates on the pandemic nor any communications with friends or family.
- The project aimed to test how people respond to losing their sense of time and space.
- It will help scientists to better understand how people adapt to drastic changes in living conditions and environments.
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