Blog

1) Hanle Dark Sky Reserve: The Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of India’s first dark sky reserve at Hanle village in Ladakh, as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. The dark sky reserve will also be known as the ‘Night Sky Sanctuary’. It will be one of the world’sRead more

1) Anti-radiation pills: Potassium iodide (KI) tablets, or anti-radiation pills, are known to provide some protection in cases of radiation exposure. They contain non-radioactive iodine and can help block absorption, and subsequent concentration, of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland, which uses iodine to produce hormones to regulate the body’s metabolism, hasRead more

1) Indian Navy’s ensign: The red cross on a white background is known as the Saint George’s Cross and is named after a Christian Warrior Saint who is believed to have been a crusader during the third crusade. (This cross also serves as the flag of England) After Independence, on August 15, 1947, the IndianRead more

1) UN High Seas Treaty: is also referred to as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean’. The treaty aims to deal with Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction. The proposed treaty concerns the ocean existing beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones that lie from the coast of a country to about 200 nautical miles into the sea, tillRead more

1) Full court meeting: It literally means one which is attended by all the judges of the court. There are no written rules dealing with this. As per convention, full-court meetings are called by the Chief Justice of India to discuss issues of importance to the judiciary. The senior designations of practising advocates in theRead more

1) Zorawar: The Indian Army is prioritising the procurement of the indigenous Indian light tank named ‘Zorawar’ for deployment in the mountains. The Armoured Fighting Vehicle-Indian Light Tank (AFV-ILT) ‘Zorawar’ will be deployed to outmanoeuvre the movement of Chinese forces during the standoff in eastern Ladakh. It will be designed to operate from High AltitudeRead more

1) Data Sonification: Data Sonification is the translation of astronomical data into sounds. This sonification translates the actual sound waves discovered in data from various NASA missions – such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope. There is a misconception that there is no sound in space because most ofRead more

1) Mandala art: Mandala is a geometric design or pattern that represents the cosmos or deities in various heavenly worlds. “It’s all about finding peace in the symmetry of the design and the universe,”. It is believed to be rooted in Buddhism, appearing in the first century BC in India. In Hinduism, the mandala imageryRead more

1) India’s sex ratio at birth normalizes slightly: The latest study by Pew Research Center has pointed out that “son bias” is on a decline in India and the average annual number of “baby girls missing” in India fell from approx. 4.8 lakh in 2010 to 4.1 lakh in 2019. Missing females: It refers toRead more

1) Soft release centres: Jharkhand forest officials have chalked out plans to set up soft release centres in order to ensure enough food for tigers, which will help in increasing their numbers in the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR). The soft release centres are those where animals are placed in pre-release cages located close to theRead more