{"id":15622,"date":"2021-06-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/11-06-2021\/facts-in-news-175\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T18:55:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T13:25:21","slug":"facts-in-news-175","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2021\/facts-in-news-175","title":{"rendered":"Facts in News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Facts in News<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Content Distribution Network (CDN)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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  • Recently, several popular websites were reported to be facing an outage due to a possible glitch with CDN services .<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • A <\/span><\/span><\/span>Content Distribution Network (CDN)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> is a network of <\/span><\/span><\/span>servers\/data centres distributed across<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> the globe that helps <\/span><\/span><\/span>highly-trafficked websites<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> keep up with the constant demand for data.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u00a0A CDN does this by<\/span><\/span><\/span> offloading some <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>of this load from the<\/span><\/span><\/span> website\u2019s primary servers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • For instance, sending all the images that make up a web page to millions of users can be a <\/span><\/span><\/span>demanding task<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and easily overwhelm a small group of servers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • A CDN can act as a <\/span><\/span><\/span>middle-man, sending these images directly<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to the user, without the website\u2019s own servers coming into play, thus improving response time.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • This is known as \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>caching\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • The CDN can further improve the <\/span><\/span><\/span>speed and responsiveness of a website<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> by serving assets (images, videos, JavaScript and other files) from a location closer to the end-user.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • This cuts the amount of cross-continental traffic, as a local server is usually quicker to respond.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Brood X<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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  • The US President\u2019s first trip abroad was delayed unexpectedly when a swarm of <\/span><\/span><\/span>cicadas bombarded<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> the plane of the Air Force .<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • Swarms of these insects <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>have been spotted in a number of American states.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • These are part of a group named <\/span><\/span><\/span>Brood X, based on their life cycles<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and periodic appearances.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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      • The term \u2018brood\u2019 refers to a population of cicadas that is i<\/span><\/span><\/span>solated from other populations because <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>of differences in their year of emergence or locality.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Brood X is the largest brood of 17-year cicadas and is f<\/span><\/span><\/span>ound in Pennsylvania, northern Virginia<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, Indiana and eastern Tennessee, according to the US National Park Service (NPS).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The cicadas in Brood X number in billions and come out of their underground <\/span><\/span><\/span>homes every 17 years.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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        • When underground, cicada nymphs<\/span><\/span><\/span> go through five stages of development.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Once they become adults, which takes about <\/span><\/span><\/span>17 years for some periodical cicadas<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, the males emerge from underground<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Last year, another grouping of 17-year cicadas dubbed Brood IX emerged in some states on the east coast of the US.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • The time when they decide to emerge is dependent on weather, specifically when ground temperatures reach about 17-18\u00b0C.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • They <\/span><\/span><\/span>feed on the roots of trees both underground and above it<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Cicadas also<\/span><\/span><\/span> do not bite or sting<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, but when the males sing, their <\/span><\/span><\/span>collective chorus can reach up to 100 decibels, a noise level<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that can possibly cause severe damage if you are exposed to it for several hours.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • \u00a0One hundred decibels is equivalent to a jet flyover at 1000 feet, a motorcycle or a powered lawn mower.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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          Image Courtesy :guardian.com<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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CAR-T Cell Therapy<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, the clinical trial of an <\/span><\/span><\/span>indigenously developed CAR T-cell therapy for blood cancer treatment<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has begun at Mumbai\u2019s Tata Memorial Centre.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Chimeric Antigen Receptor<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (CAR) T-cells are cells that are <\/span><\/span><\/span>genetically engineered<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to <\/span><\/span><\/span>produce an artificial T-cell receptor<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • T-cell receptor is widely used in developed nations for <\/span><\/span><\/span>immunotherapy during cancer treatment<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • However, the technology is <\/span><\/span><\/span>not available in India<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> yet.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • The therapy<\/span><\/span><\/span> targets leukaemia and lymphoma<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, and the team has applied for <\/span><\/span><\/span>national and international patents<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> for the research.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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      • Leukaemia is cancer of blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s germ-fighting network.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • The researchers of the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (IIT-B) have now designed and developed the <\/span><\/span><\/span>first indigenous CAR T-cell therapy<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The design developed by IIT-B uses <\/span><\/span><\/span>lentiviral technology<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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        • In gene therapy, this is a <\/span><\/span><\/span>method of inserting, modifying, or deleting genes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> in organisms using lentivirus, a <\/span><\/span><\/span>family of viruses responsible for diseases such as AIDS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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          (Image Courtesy: <\/span><\/span><\/span>NCI<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Dihing Patkai National Park<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, the Assam government has notified <\/span><\/span><\/span>Dihing Patkai <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>as a <\/span><\/span><\/span>National Park<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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  • It is<\/span><\/span><\/span> Assam\u2019s seventh National Park <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and has been notified four days after creating the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Raimona National Park<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (sixth NP).<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • The five older National Parks in the State are <\/span><\/span><\/span>Kaziranga<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Manas<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Nameri<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Orang<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>Dibru-Saikhowa<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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      • Kaziranga and Manas<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> are <\/span><\/span><\/span>UNESCO World Heritage Sites<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>. They are also tiger reserves along with Nameri and Orang.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Assam now has the<\/span><\/span><\/span> third most National Parks after the 12 in Madhya Pradesh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>9 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Area<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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        • 234.26-sq. km covering <\/span><\/span><\/span>eastern Assam\u2019s Dibrugarh and Tinsukia<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> districts.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • It encompasses the erstwhile Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary (notified in 2004), the Jeypore Reserve Forest and the western block of the Upper Dihing Reserve Forest.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Short stretches of the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Dirak and Buri Dihing rivers<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> have been included in the park<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Flora: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>It covers the last remaining stretches of the Assam Valley tropical wet evergreen forests.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Fauna: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>It is a major <\/span><\/span><\/span>elephant <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>habitat and 310 species of <\/span><\/span><\/span>butterflies <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>have been recorded there. The park has 47 species each of <\/span><\/span><\/span>reptiles and mammals<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, including the tiger and clouded leopard.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • In April 2020, Dehing Patkai was in focus after a series of virtual protests highlighted <\/span><\/span><\/span>rampant illegal coal mining<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> in the area.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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          (Image Courtesy: <\/span><\/span><\/span>SNF<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Monal Species<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, local wildlife enthusiasts have sighted<\/span><\/span><\/span> two species of monal<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, a colour pheasant, together in <\/span><\/span><\/span>Upper Siang<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> district of <\/span><\/span><\/span>central Arunachal Pradesh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n