Today’s Current Affairs: 10th May 2024 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
Table of Contents
Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Project:
Amid growing concerns over rivals deploying advanced weapons like hypersonic missiles, Japan is investing in the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Project under joint development with the US.
- Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Project is a missile-intercepting system under joint development by the US and Japan.
- By the end of 2032, Washington and Tokyo aim to achieve full operational capability for the system.
- With a traditional Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), the warhead separates from its booster and continues on a parabolic, gravity driven trajectory to its target.
- A hypersonic weapon, by contrast, separates from its booster after the peak of its trajectory and accelerates toward the Earth using gravity. It then performs a pitch manoeuvre to begin a flatter trajectory called the glide phase.
- Unlike typical ballistic missiles, the hypersonic and glide vehicles travel at five times (or more) the speed of sound on an unpredictable trajectory.
46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting:
The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environment Protection (CEP) will be held in Kochi from May 20-30.
- Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting is pivotal in the international community’s ongoing efforts to safeguard Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem and promote scientific research in the region.
- It is convened annually under the Antarctic Treaty System, these meetings serve as forums for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and other stakeholders to address Antarctica’s pressing environmental, scientific, and governance issues.
- CEP was established under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) in 1991.
- The CEP advises the ATCM on environmental protection and conservation in Antarctica.
- Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and entered into force in 1961.
- It established Antarctica as a region dedicated to peaceful purposes, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection. Over the years, the Treaty has garnered widespread support, with 56 countries currently party to it.
AlphaFold3:
Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its “AlphaFold” artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively.
- AlphaFold3 is a new AI model developed by Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs.
- It is a revolutionary model that can predict the structure and interactions of all life’s molecules with unprecedented accuracy and even it mapped the behaviour for all of life’s molecules, including human DNA.
- It can generate molecules joint 3D structure, revealing how they all fit together.
- It models large biomolecules such as proteins, DNA and RNA, as well as small molecules, also known as ligands — a category encompassing many drugs.
- AlphaFold 3 can model chemical modifications to these molecules which control the healthy functioning of cells, that when disrupted can lead to disease.
- It assembles its predictions using a diffusion network, akin to those found in AI image generators.
Widal Test : Study
The Widal Test’s propensity for erroneous results is obfuscating India’s typhoid burden, increasing expenses, and risking more antimicrobial resistance.
- Widal Test is a test done for diagnosing typhoid fever.
- Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi, and it is commonly spread through contaminated food or water.
- A person with typhoid fever will experience symptoms like fatigue, high fever, headache, diarrhoea or constipation, abdominal pain, weight loss, and red spots.
- These symptoms mimic those of malaria, dengue, influenza, and typhus, to name a few, making it difficult to diagnose without proper testing.
- As with other infections, our immune system produces antibodies in the blood against the bacteria, causing enteric fever.
- The widal test is a serological test that detects antibodies against the bacteria in a patient’s blood sample, indicating whether or not they have been infected with the bacteria.
- It is used to help diagnose a current or recent infection or to determine if an individual has had a previous typhoid infection.
- It’s a point-of-care test and doesn’t need special skills or infrastructure.
- Developed in the late 1800s by a French physician, it is no longer used in many countries because of its flaws.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that due to the various factors that can influence the results of a Widal test, it is best not to rely too much on this test.
Dice Snake : Study
The recent study found that the dice snakes can fake their own death when being attacked by predators by putting on a theatrical display which includes oozing “mouthfuls” of blood.
- Dice Snake is a nonvenomous snake belonging to the family Colubridae, subfamily Natricinae. It is also called water snake.
- Females of this species are bigger than males.
- They are mainly found in much of Eurasia and are also present in Egypt.
- They live near rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and the surrounding grasslands. They can also be found in coastal areas and frequent plantations and urban areas.
- They fake their own death to avoid being eaten by predators, as it is a good tactic for the prey to create a distraction and escape.
- This behaviour depended on various factors like the sex of the individual, injuries, body temperature, size, age, presence of food in the stomach, presence of eggs in females, and previous experience with a predator.
- When feeling threatened, they spread a very bad-smelling secretion from their cloaca or play dead.
- They suffer from loss of the wetland habitat in some areas of their range, pollution, roadkill, persecution by people, and collection for the pet trade.
- Conservation status : IUCN Red list: Least Concern
Neural Processing Unit (NPU):
Apple company debuted the M4 chip with the iPad Pro and the most prominent change in this chip is the 16-core Neural Engine, which is Apple’s term for Neural Processing Unit (NPU).
- Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is a dedicated processor designed specifically for accelerating neural network processes.
- A neural network is essentially a type of machine learning algorithm that mimics the human brain for processing data.
- It is highly capable for handling machine learning operations that form the basis for AI-related tasks, such as speech recognition, natural language processing, photo or video editing processes like object detection, and more.
- In most consumer-facing gadgets such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, the NPU is integrated within the main processor, adopting a System-on-Chip (SoC) configuration.
Sri Madhava Perumal Temple:
Inscriptions found at Sri Madhava Perumal Temple indicate the existence of a major trade route over 1,000 years ago, connecting the Kongu region in western Tamil Nadu with southern Karnataka and Kerala.
- Madhava Perumal Temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu, who is worshipped as Madhava Perumal.
- It is located in Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- The Mylapore region came under the rule of the Hoysala dynasty, particularly King Veera Ballala III.
- The general of the Hoysala army, constructed Dhandanayaka Fort, 680 years ago. The temple in the Dravidian style of architecture was constructed inside the fort.
- The area was later ruled by the Vijayanagara Empire and Tipu Sultan.
- The Battle of Sathyamangalam (1790), during the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-1792), also took place near the fort.
- The temple is believed to be the birthplace of Peyalvar, one of the first three of the twelve Alvar saints of the 6th-9th century CE.
- The temple, largely submerged in the water-spread area of the Bhavanisagar dam in Erode district, became visible as the water level in the dam dipped.
Rythu Bharosa Scheme : Hold The Disbursement Of Amounts
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has put on hold the disbursement of amounts under Rythu Bharosa (previously known as Rythu Bandhu) till the completion of polling for the Lok Sabha election in the State.
- The Chief Minister of Telangana violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by publicly speaking about ensuing disbursement under the Rythu Bharosa.
- The MCC is a set of guidelines issued by the ECI to regulate the conduct of political parties and candidates during elections.
- Article 324 of the Constitution grants the ECI the authority to oversee and ensure the conduct of impartial elections for both the Parliament and State Legislatures.
- The scheme ‘RYTHU BHAROSA’ is one of the nine navratna welfare schemes launched by Telangana Govt in June 2019.
- The scheme provides financial assistance of Rs. 13,500 per farmer family every year including tenant farmers also across the state.
India VIX:
India’s VIX surged above 16.5 amidst election-driven volatility, prompting caution from experts on leveraged positions. With the general election outcome nearing, market experts anticipate increased volatility.
- India VIX is a volatility index that measures the expected volatility in the Indian stock market over the next 30 days.
- It is often referred to as the “Fear Index” because it reflects investors’ sentiments about the market’s future volatility.
- A high India VIX suggests that investors expect significant fluctuations in stock prices, indicating uncertainty and risk in the market.
- A low India VIX indicates expectations of relatively stable market conditions.
Semi-Cryogenic Engine (SCE)-200 : ISRO
ISRO recently achieved a milestone by conducting the first PreBurner Ignition trial for the Semi-Cryogenic Engine (SCE)-200.
- This ignition process is crucial in developing liquid rocket engine systems.
- The SCE uses liquid oxygen (LOX) as an oxidizer and refined kerosene as fuel, aiming to produce a thrust of 2,000 kilonewtons (kN).
- ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Bengaluru leads the SCE development, aiming to enhance the payload capacity of Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) and future launch vehicles.
- Unlike traditional cryogenic engines, SCEs offer advantages such as easier storage and handling, increased thrust capacity, and eco-friendliness, making them more cost-effective.
LockBit Ransomware Group:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the apprehension of Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, an alleged creator of the LockBit ransomware group.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized the agency’s commitment to disrupting ransomware organizations.
- The substantial reward underscores the severity of Khoroshev’s alleged crimes and the urgency in bringing him to justice.
- LockBit ransomware is a malicious software designed to block user access to computer systems in exchange for a ransom payment.
- LockBit automatically vets valuable targets, spreads the infection, and encrypts all accessible computer systems on a network.
- It primarily targets enterprises and government organizations rather than individuals.
- LockBit operates as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) model.RaaS is a business model where cybercriminals create and distribute ransomware, allowing other individuals (affiliates) to use it for their attacks.
Indian Ocean Dipole:
According to recent reports, Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) or Indian Nino may re-emerge for the second consecutive year in the latter half of 2024.
- It is for the first time since 1960 that the event is recurring for a second consecutive year since record-keeping began.
- The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), also known as the Indian Niño, is an irregular oscillation of sea surface temperatures in which the western Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer (positive phase) and then colder (negative phase) than the eastern part of the ocean.
- During a positive phase, warm waters are pushed to the Western part of the Indian Ocean, while cold deep waters are brought up to the surface in the Eastern Indian Ocean.
- This pattern is reversed during the negative phase of the IOD.
- The IOD can modulate the impact of El Niño on the Indian monsoon.
- When a positive IOD coincides with an El Niño event, it can partially offset the negative effects of El Niño.
- The IOD influences local weather, causing heavy rains and/or droughts in Africa and Australia.
- Associated sea-level changes can lead to increased threats of coastal flooding and related impacts.
