News In Short 13-11-2024

Retail Inflation

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), the retail inflation rate in India surged to a 14-month high of 6.21% in October, driven by a notable increase in the prices of essential food items.

What is Retail Inflation?

• Retail inflation refers to the rate at which the general price level of goods and services bought by households increases over a specific period.
• In India, retail inflation is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the changes in the prices of a basket of goods and services typically consumed by urban and rural households.
• Inflation can be caused by an imbalance in supply and demand, disruption in supplies, or expectations of inflation.

Steps Taken 

• Monetary Policy Adjustments: The RBI may consider tightening monetary policy by raising the repo rate to curb inflationary pressures.
• Supply Chain Measures: The government intervenes to streamline supply chains and reduce disruptions.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) – CPI is an economic measure that tracks the average change in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services over time. – The CPI in India is compiled by the National Statistical Office (NSO) and is categorized into CPI for urban and rural areas.  1. These indices are then combined to calculate the CPI (Combined), which gives a comprehensive overview of inflation for the entire country.

Source: IE

Genetic Circuits in Bacteria

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and technology

Context

• Researchers from the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in India have developed a cell-based biocomputer using genetically modified bacteria.

Cell-Based Biocomputer

• Living cells can naturally perform computations to carry out biological functions. For examples;
  • Neurons in the brain communicate to make decisions.
  • Immune cells collaborating to respond to threats.
• Synthetic biology allows for engineering cells to perform human-designed computations.
• This fusion of biology and computer science has led to living cell-based biocomputers.

Role of Genetic Circuits

• Researchers introduced genetic circuits in bacteria activated by specific chemical inducers.
  • Escherichia coli (E. coli) was used as the model organism.
• These engineered bacteria were combined to create a bacterial computer mimicking artificial neural networks.
• Each type of engineered bacteria acted as a “bactoneuron” collectively performing complex computations.

Potential Applications

• Pharmaceutical industry: Enhances drug design and development.
• Medical sciences: Supports personalized medicine for diagnostics and therapies.
• Biomanufacturing: Optimizes production processes and develops innovative bio-products.

Source: TH

NISAR 

Syllabus: GS3/Space

Context

• The NISAR mission is set to be launched early next year from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

About

• It is jointly developed by NASA and ISRO named’NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar’ (NISAR).
• It will use radar imaging to produce a high-resolution map of the earth’s landmasses.
  • It aims to deepen understanding of dynamic Earth processes, measuring the motion of nearly all of the planet’s land and ice-covered surfaces every 12 days. 
• Functions: The satellite will observe movements from earthquakes, ice sheet movements, landslides and volcanic activity, track changes in forests, wetlands and farmland and even check infrastructure stability.
• It is currently expected to be launched onboard an ISRO GSLV Mk II rocket in 2025.

Source: DTE

Article 6.4 of the Carbon Market

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• Experts have raised concerns over the new rules adopted for Article 6.4 of the carbon market during the COP29 held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

About

• Article 6.4: Refers to a provision under the Paris Agreement that establishes a UN-regulated system for trading carbon credits, which countries and private companies can use to offset their emissions. 
• Carbon credits: Countries can transfer carbon credits earned from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help other countries achieve their targets.

Significance 

• Financial Support: Provides funding for developing countries.
• Monitoring and Reliability: Establishes long-term market standards and transparency in credit use.

Types of Carbon Credit Projects

• Emission Avoidance Projects: These involve activities that prevent the release of greenhouse gasses. Examples;
  • Implementing energy-efficient technologies like improved cookstoves.
  • Using renewable energy systems for lighting and other applications.
• Emission Removal Projects: These focus on taking CO₂ out of the atmosphere. Examples;
  • Planting trees or restoring forests.
  • Developing carbon capture and storage solutions.

Source: DTE

Corpse Flower

Syllabus: GS3/Environment 

In News 

• A giant flower named “Amorphophallus Titanum” bloomed in Australia.

Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) 

• About: It has the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom, growing up to 8 feet tall in cultivation and up to 12 feet in the wild.
• Bloom Cycle: It blooms for just 2-3 days every two to three years or more, depending on energy accumulation in its underground corm.
• Odor and Pollination: It emits a putrid odor, resembling rotting flesh, especially at night.
  • The smell has been compared to dead bodies, sweaty socks, or dead animals.
  • The flower generates heat to spread the smell further, attracting carrion beetles and flies for pollination.
• Fruiting: Post-pollination, it produces around 400 reddish-orange fruits, each containing two seeds.
• Native Habitat: The plant is native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, and was first documented in 1878.
  • Discovery: First documented by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1878.
• Conservation Status: Listed as “Endangered” by the IUCN, with fewer than 1,000 individuals in the wild.

Source:DTE 

Comb Jelly

Syllabus: GS3/Environment 

In News 

• Scientists have discovered that the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi can reverse its aging process, challenging the usual animal life cycle.

About Comb Jellies

• Comb jellies are also known as ctenophores, comb jellies are gelatinous marine invertebrates with distinctive rows of cilia for swimming. 
• Comb jellies, among the oldest animal species (around 700 million years old), share their time-reversal ability with the immortal jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii.
• They are bioluminescent and lack stinging cells, capturing prey with sticky cells called colloblasts.
• Habitat : These fascinating creatures inhabit oceans worldwide, from shallow coastal waters to deep seas.
• Recent study : Under extreme stress, adult comb jellies regress to a larval form.
  • This finding opens new possibilities for studying age-reversal mechanisms, life cycle plasticity, and animal development, with potential implications for understanding human aging.

Source : TOI

India’s fossil fuel CO2 Emissions set to Rise

Syllabus: GS3/Environment and Conservation

Context

• According to a Global Carbon Project study, India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from burning fossil fuels are expected to rise 4.6% in 2024, the highest among major economies.

Major Findings

• Globally, fossil-based CO2 emissions are set to see a rise of 0.8% from 2023.
  • At this rate there was a 50% chance that global warming will exceed 1.5ºC consistently in about six years.
• India’s carbon emissions are projected to rise with an increase in emissions from coal (4.5%), oil (3.6%), natural gas (11.8%) and cement (4%).
• China’s emissions are projected to rise by 0.2% while that of the United States and the European Union by 0.6% and 3.8%, respectively. 
• India’s contribution to global CO2 emissions stands at 8% while China, the US and EU contribute 32%, 13% and 7%, respectively.
• Land and ocean carbon sinks continued to absorb around half of the total carbon emissions, despite being negatively affected by climate change.

Source: IE

Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM)

Syllabus: GS 3/Defence

Context

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the maiden flight-test of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM).

About LRLACM

• Range: 1,000 km
• Performance: It is a new variant of the Nirbhay LRLACM.
  • Equipped with advanced avionics and software for reliability and efficiency.
  • It is designed to launch from ground using mobile articulated launcher and also from frontline ships using universal vertical launch module system.
• Developed by: Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.
• Approval: LRLACM is a Defence Acquisition Council-approved, Acceptance of Necessity-sanctioned, Mission Mode Project.
• Significance: Once inducted, the LRLACM, similar to the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile, will give Indian armed forces a long range standoff capability to strike targets on land.

Nirbhay Missile

• About: India’s first indigenously developed long-range subsonic cruise missile.
• Range and Speed: Capable of striking targets up to 1,000 kilometers away.
  • Subsonic speed, flying at around Mach 0.7 to Mach 0.9.
• Guidance and Navigation: Equipped with Inertial Navigation System (INS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and Geographic Information System (GIS) for accuracy.
• Terrain Hugging Capability: Nirbhay has a terrain-hugging capability, which allows it to fly at low altitudes, making it difficult to detect by radar.

Source: TH

First all-women Battalion of CISF

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The Home Ministry has approved the establishment of the first all-women battalion of The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

About

• Presently, there are 7% women personnel in the CISF, which has a total strength of 1.77 lakh personnel. 
• The training program is being tailored to develop an elite force, capable of handling high-level security tasks such as VIP protection and safeguarding major facilities.

About CISF

• It is an armed force established under the Central Industrial Security Force Act, 1968.
• The force is led by a Director General (DG) and operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs of India.
• CISF is providing security to the strategic establishment, including the Department of Space, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Airports, the Delhi Metro, the ports, the historical monuments and the basic areas of Indian economy such as petroleum and natural gas, electricity, coal, steel and mining.
  • It also provides counter-terrorism security to various sensitive facilities, as well as private sector operations.
• Presently, CISF is also providing security to the protected persons classified as Z Plus, Z, X, Y.

Source: TH