Vaccine Passport Programme: Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, is not among the vaccines which have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its “vaccine passport” programme that allows free movement of people in and out of Europe. The EMA list only includes four vaccines now Vaxzevria (Oxford-AstraZeneca), Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech), Spikevax (Moderna) […]
Category: Science and Technology Current Affairs
Cyber Capability
Cyber Capability: According to a report by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an influential think tank, India’s offensive cyber capability is “Pakistan-focused” and “regionally effective”, and not tuned towards China. Countries Under Observation: The report has done a qualitative assessment of cyber power in 15 countries. Four members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance […]
African Swine Fever : Four Districts Of Mizoram – Epicentres
African swine fever : Four Districts Of Mizoram Have Been Declared As Epicentres: African Swine Fever (ASF) was first reported in Manipur in December 2020 and there have been no cases since. Illegal import of pigs might have introduced the infection to the state, officials of the state veterinary department suspect. Recently, four districts of […]
What is Ambergris?
Ambergris: The Mumbai Police has arrested five people and seized nearly 9 kg of Ambergris. Ambergris, French for grey amber, is generally referred to as whale vomit. It is a solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale. Ambergris is produced only by an estimated 1% of sperm whales. Chemically, ambergris contains […]
Chandrayaan-2: New Developments
Chandrayaan-2: New developments: Chandrayaan-2, hovering over the Moon, has found new developments on the hot outermost layer of the bright star known as Corona. These include: Abundances of magnesium, aluminium and silicon in the solar corona. Around 100 microflares were observed, providing new insights about coronal mass heating. Reasons behind coronal heating problem: The corona […]
Covid-19 Delta Plus Variant
Covid-19 Delta Plus Variant: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has warned people against the new Covid-19 strain ‘Delta Plus’ (DP). There is fear that this new variant may spark the third wave of Covid-19. Delta plus (B.1.617.2.1/(AY.1) is a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus formed due to a mutation in […]
Peter Pan Syndrome
Peter Pan Syndrome: A special court in Mumbai granted bail to an accused of sexually assaulting a minor as he was suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome (PPS). A syndrome is a combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process. PPS is a psychological condition that is used to describe an adult who […]
Ebola Virus
Ebola Virus: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the Ebola outbreak, that started in February 2021 in Guinea, is over now. In its first deadly wave in 2013-2016, the Ebola outbreak killed 11,300 people, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The WHO in its list of “Ten threats to global health in […]
National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI): 18th Foundation Day
National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) : 18th Foundation Day.: NIXI is a non-profit Company incorporated under Section 25 of the India Companies Act, 1956 with an objective of facilitating improved internet services in the country. It was registered on 19 June 2003 for spreading the internet infrastructure to the citizens of India through the following […]
First CAR-T Cell Therapy : Gene Therapy
The First CAR-T Cell Therapy: The first CAR-T cell therapy (a type of gene therapy) in India was done at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. The CAR-T cells were designed and manufactured at Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT Bombay with support from DBT/BIRAC, through National Biopharma Mission. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council […]
