Category: Environment Current Affairs

Perovskite Solar Cells: Indian scientists at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad, have developed highly stable, low-cost Carbon-based perovskite solar cells (CPSCs). These solar cells overcome the challenges of degradation during operation, making them suitable for large-scale commercialization. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a type of solar cell […]

Pilot Whales :Slaughtered Seventy-eight long-finned pilot whales, a species of oceanic dolphins, were slaughtered near the capital of Faroe Islands recently. Pilot Whales are one of the largest members of the dolphin family. They belong to the dolphin family Delphinidae. There are two species of pilot whales: Short-finned pilot whales(Globicephala macrorhynchus), which are mainly found […]

Foreign Cicada : Assumed An Indian Identity A ‘foreign’ cicada that is commonly found in several parts of South India has assumed an Indian identity. The insect species that has now been named as Purana cheeveeda (after its Malayalam name Cheeveedu) used to be mistaken for Purana tigrina, a species that was first described in […]

Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve : Birth Of Cubs   The newly notified Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) witnessed the birth of cubs for the first time, a year after a tigress was relocated to the park. Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve lies in the south-eastern part of Rajasthan in Bundi district with representation of both Vindhyan […]

Hoolock Gibbon : Matter Of Concern At a Global Event The conservation status of the hoolock gibbon, India’s only ape species, has become a matter of concern at a global event on gibbons held in China. Gibbons is the smallest and fastest ape and is found in tropical and subtropical forests in Southeast Asia. The […]

Jerdon’s Babbler : Globally Endangered Bird Species A rare and globally endangered bird species ‘Jerdon’s Babbler’ was recently spotted in the buffer zone of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR). Jerson’s Babbler is a passerine bird native to wetlands and grasslands of the Indian subcontinent. A passerine is a perching bird in the formal scientific order […]

Coal Gasification : New Target The Ministry of Coal has set a target to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by FY 2030 in line with its energy transition plans. The Coal Ministry announced that it is considering a comprehensive scheme to promote coal gasification projects for both government Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and the […]

Kaas Plateau : Climate And Environmental Changes A recent study by the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune along with the National Centre for Earth Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram decoded climate and environmental changes on Kaas Plateau. Key findings: Sediment profile dating back to 8000 years which helped decode climatic signatures indicated a relatively reduced rainfall and weak […]

Floating Gold : Found In The Belly Of a Dead Whale A massive chunk of “floating gold” was recently found in the belly of a dead whale beached on the Spanish island of La Palma. Floating Gold or Ambergris (commonly identified as a lump of vomit), is a substance extracted from the bile duct in […]

Indian Grey Hornbill : Sighted The Indian grey hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) was sighted by a bird enthusiast from the Nature and Wildlife Forums in Koodapakkam, near the Sankarabarani river in Puducherry. Indian Grey hornbill is a common hornbill found on the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly sighted in pairs. These birds are known to be […]