RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

  1. Solar probe lifts
    1. NASA has launched its Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in Feb 2010
    2. The solar probe was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida
    3. The SDO is designed to acquire detailed images of the Sun and study variations in its activity
    4. The main motivation behind the study is to understand the phenomena of solar flares, solar storms etc that severely affect satellites, communications and power systems on earth
    5. A key goal of the mission is to probe the inner workings of the solar dynamo, the deep network of plasma currents that generate the Sun’s magnetic field
    6. The SDO contains three important remote sensing instruments
      1. Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI): study the motions and magnetic fields at the Sun’s surface to determine what is happening inside the Sun
      2. Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA): is a suite of four telescopes that will image the Sun’s corona (the outer layer of Sun’s atmosphere)
      3. Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE): measure the Sun’s energy output in extreme UV (E-UV) wavelengths. E-UV rays contain very high energy and their ionising effect can affect radio signals on Earth
  2. Evolution of the tiger revealed
    1. Studies of evolution of the tiger have revealed that they began evolving about 3.2 million years ago, much earlier than previously thought
    2. The report in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution,
      uses DNA studies to reveal that the tiger is more closely related to the snow leopard than to other big cat species
    3. There are five species of the big cat, which are categorised into the Panthera genus family
      1. Tiger
      2. Lion
      3. Leopard
      4. Jaguar
      5. Snow leopard
    4. Both tigers and snow leopards are among the most endangered big cats
    5. Fewer than 3500 tigers are said to survive in the world today
    6. One subspecies, called the Sumatran Tiger, is so rare that the first film of a wild individual was recorded only this year (in Indonesia)
  3. Ukraine Presidential Elections 2010
    1. Viktor Yanukovych has been elected President of Ukraine in the recently concluded Presidential Elections in Jan-Feb 2010
    2. Yanukovych, garnered 48.95% of votes compared to 45.47% of opposition candidate Yulia Tymoshenko (who is the present Prime Minister)
    3. The Presidential Elections of 2010 were the fifth to be held in Ukraine since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991
    4. Ukraine follows a semi-Presidential system of government, and the President is elected for a five year term.
    5. Ukraine has a unicameral Parliament, called the Verkhovna Rada
    6. Ukraine was the site of the Orange Revolution in 2004-2005, where massive demonstrations and protests against electoral fraud by then-President Yanukovych led to the election of Viktor Yushchenko as President. Yushchenko, who served as President 2005-2010, was eliminated in the first round of voting in the 2010 Presidential Elections
  4. Moratorium on use of Bt Brinjal in India
    1. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has declared a moratorium (voluntary stoppage) on the use of Bt Brinjal in India
    2. The moratorium is to be in effect until scientific studies can conclusively prove that Bt Brinjal does not have adverse effects on human health, the environment and other brinjal crops
    3. The moratorium was declared in response to increasing concerns regarding the safety of use of the genetically modified (GM) food crop
    4. Bt Brinjal, developed by the American seed giant Monsanto, is a genetically modified (GM) brinjal crop that is capable of resisting several insect pests and reduces the need for pesticides
    5. It is developed by inserting a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (hence the name Bt) into the brinjal species
  5. 2010 South Asian Games conclude
    1. The 2010 South Asian Games, the eleventh edition of the Games, took place between 29 Jan and 08 Feb 2010 in Dhaka
    2. This was the third time that Dhaka hosted the Games, thus becoming the first city to host the Games three times
    3. Eight nations from the region participated in the Games:
      1. Afghanistan
      2. Bangladesh
      3. Bhutan
      4. India
      5. Maldives
      6. Nepal
      7. Pakistan
      8. Sri Lanka
    4. The Games featured 23 sports and hosted about 2000 athletes in the various sports
    5. India topped the medal tally, with a total of 176 medals, including 90 gold medals. Pakistan came second with 19 golds and Bangladesh came third with 18 gold medals
    6. For the first time, Twenty20 cricket was included in the tournament. All nations sent under-21 cricket teams for particpation
    7. See here for a full list of the sports and winners
    8. The South Asian Games were first held in Kathmandu in 1983. It is held every two years
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