UPSC QUIZ 12.03.2024

Explanation:

• Artificial satellite MethaneSat was launched from California (USA) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. MethaneSat is the first satellite to track and measure methane emissions. Its feature is that it will give more details than its predecessors and its range will be much wider. .

Methanesat

• The organization producing MethaneSat is 'Environmental Defense Fund' (EDF)
• EDF is a US-based environmental advocacy non-profit group.
• EDF has partnered with Harvard University, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the New Zealand Space Agency to build the satellite.
• MethaneSat will orbit the Earth 15 times a day and monitor oil and gas fields.
• It will provide large amounts of data and show that;
• This will help stakeholders and regulators take action to reduce methane emissions.

Explanation:

• Paleolithic stone tools dating back about 1.4 million years have been found in Europe. This discovery was published in the journal Nature.
• This tool has been obtained by scientists from the archaeological site of Korolevo in western Ukraine.
• This tool was probably made by hominins. It is built in Oldowan style.
• Oldowan Style: - This is the early style of making stone tools. It was developed in Africa by hominins about 2.6 million years ago (Mya).
• Such tools have been found at the oldest known human sites in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
• Earlier in 1974, researchers had discovered stone tools from the site dating back to the Palaeolithic period (2.6 million to 10,500 years ago), such as:- choppers.

Explanation:

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Arjun Munda, unveiled the Agriculture Integrated Command and Control Centre at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.

Agricultural Integrated Command and Control Center

• This is an innovation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, which will prepare the farmers of the country to be self-reliant.
• Through this, citizens should be made partners in empowering the country by making them self-reliant, capable and empowered.
• The objective of this initiative is to provide real information about the fields to the farmers and to find out the real challenges related to the agriculture sector.
• Through this, real-time availability of data and its analysis will also be ensured to solve agriculture related problems.
• This will expand agricultural capacity and produce good crops, which will ultimately benefit the farmers of the country.

Explanation:

• A dead galaxy named JADES-GS-z7- 01-QU has been discovered by NASA's James Webb Telescope. This discovery has been published in the journal 'Nature'. It has been named JADES-GS-z7- 01-QU. This galaxy is approximately 700 million years old. It is the oldest galaxy of its kind.

Creation and death

• Star formation in this galaxy occurred rapidly (between about 30 and 90 million years) and stopped just as rapidly about 13 billion years ago.
• That is why it has been called a dead galaxy.

Importance

• Researching this dead galaxy will help scientists understand how and why galaxies stop forming new stars.
• This newly discovered dead galaxy has a mass comparable to that of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way.

Explanation:

• ‘Measles and Rubella Champion’ Award given to India for Exemplary Efforts in Measles and Rubella Disease Prevention.
• India was honoured with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion Award at the Red Cross Headquarters in Washington DC, USA for tireless efforts to combat the disease Measles and Rubella.
• The award was received by Sripriya Ranganathan, Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC, on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• The Measles and Rubella Partnership involves a multi-agency planning committee, including the American Red Cross, BMGF, GAVI, US CDC, UNF, UNICEF, and WHO.
• These organizations are working dedicatedly to reduce measles deaths and prevent rubella disease around the world.
• The Government of India's proactive measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas and innovative strategies to reach out to underserved populations, strengthened surveillance systems, and well-being have played an important role.
• The award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the country's frontline health workers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and communities across the country.
• As a result of these efforts, 50 districts have consistently had no cases of measles, while 226 districts have had no cases of rubella in the last 12 months.
• Measles and rubella are vaccination-preventable diseases (VPDs). MR vaccine has been part of the country's public immunization program since 2017.