Gain-Of-Function Research: The Wuhan Institute of Virology was said to have conducted gain-of-function research on coronaviruses which may possibly have caused the lab-leak origin of the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19 pandemic). Gain-of-function Research: In virology, gain-of-function research involves deliberately altering an organism in the lab, altering a gene, or introducing a mutation in a pathogen to […]
Category: Current Affairs
Summer Solstice : 21st June 2021
Summer Solstice: 21st June: 21st June is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, technically this day is referred to as Summer solstice. In Delhi, the day length is around 14 hours. The amount of light received by a specific area in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer solstice depends on the latitudinal location of […]
Medical And Wellness Tourism (MWT)
Medical And Wellness Tourism (MWT): The Ministry of Tourism has formulated three draft strategies with roadmaps for promoting Medical and Wellness Tourism, for development of Rural Tourism and for promotion of MICE Industry in India. India has been ranked 34th out of 140 countries on the World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2019, released […]
Black Softshell Turtle IUCN Status
Black Softshell Turtle: The Assam forest department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and adopted a Vision Document to raise at least 1,000 black softshell turtles by 2030. About Black Softshell Turtle: Scientific Name: Nilssonia nigricans They look almost the same as the Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum), […]
7th International Day Of Yoga 2021
7th International Day Of Yoga: Seventh International Day of Yoga (21st June 2021) is being celebrated by the Ministry of Culture at 75 cultural heritage locations across the country. The idea of International Day of Yoga (IDY) was proposed by India during the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), […]
Ebola Outbreak in Guinea
Ebola Outbreak: An Ebola outbreak in Guinea that started in February, infecting 16 people and killing 12, has been declared over by WHO. The Ebola outbreak in 2014-2016 killed 11,300 people, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. In May 2021, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared the end of the 12th […]
REGEN-COV2 – Monoclonal Antibodies on Covid 19
Monoclonal antibodies: An experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail, REGEN-COV2, has been found to be a life-saving treatment for some of the most severely affected Covid-19 patients, results of a clinical trial in the UK have shown. However, Such therapies are expensive because they are difficult to make and take a lot of time. They are artificially […]
Mangrove Plantation in Odisha
What are Mangroves? The Odisha government has proposed to raise mangrove and casuarinas plantations in the coastal belt. Previously, the mangroves served as a natural barrier to cyclonic winds in Bhitarkanika National Park during Cyclone Yaas. Odisha is vulnerable to various natural disasters like cyclones, floods, hailstorms, drought due to its unique geo-climatic condition. Mangroves […]
Children and Digital Dumpsites Report – WHO
Children and Digital Dumpsites report: The new report, titled Children and Digital Dumpsites, was recently released by the WHO. More than 18 million children and adolescents working at e-waste dumpsites in low- and middle-income countries are potentially at the risk of severe health hazards. They face risk due to discarded electronic devices or e-waste […]
Flag Satyagraha : Madhya Pradesh
Flag Satyagraha: The Ministry of Culture on 18th June had organized a program to observe the Flag Satyagraha in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The Flag Satyagraha movement by the freedom fighters shook the British government and it infused a new life into the freedom movement. Also called the Jhanda Satyagraha, it was held in Jabalpur and […]
