Current Affair 1:

India’s scientific developments in 2022

 

a. Glaciers at Pangong in Ladakh retreated 6.7% since 1990

In the Pangong region of Ladakh, 87 glaciers have retreated by 6.7% since 1990, according to recent research. This is mostly related to increased anthropogenic activity in glacial and periglacial habitats and atmospheric warming. According to studies, the melting of glaciers also causes the soil to retain less moisture, which affects the vegetation and, in turn, the region’s flora and wildlife.

 

b. New species of tree, corals, spider and honeybee discovered

Corals

Four new species of azooxanthellate corals have been discovered for the first time in Indian waters near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Azooxanthellate corals are a kind of corals that lack zooxanthellae and get their nutrition not from the light but rather by from various kinds of plankton. With the bulk of species reportedly seen from depths of 200 to 1000 metres, these coral groupings are deep-sea representatives.

New species discovered

Tree

From the Agasthyamala biosphere reserve in the southern part of the Western Ghats in the Thiruvananthapuram district, scientists have discovered a new species of evergreen tree of the genus Miliusa.

Bee

In the Western Ghats, a brand-new indigenous honeybee species has been found. Named  Apis karinjodian or the Indian black honeybee, the discovery come 200 years after the last species was discovered in the Western Ghats. It has brought the total number of honeybee species in the world to 11. This species can be found in Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and portions of Tamil Nadu, from the middle Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats. Based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, it has been designated as near threatened.

c. Indian researchers develop artificial photosynthetic system to capture solar energy

Researchers from IISER-Thiruvananthapuram and IIT-Indore have found a way to imitate photosynthesis and capture light for power conversion. They used an atom-precise nano-cluster which resulted in 93% energy transfer from the light spectrum. This harvested energy from sunlight could generate current with better yields than previous technology.

 

d. India’s Mars orbiter craft bids adieu after 8 years

India’s first interplanetary mission, Mangalyaan, concluded its journey as the Mars Orbiter craft ran out of fuel and battery, ISRO scientists announced in October. Launched onboard PSLV-C25 on November 5, 2013, the spacecraft functioned for almost eight years, well beyond its designed capacity of six months.

The Mars Orbiter Mission carried five payloads which gathered data regarding surface geology, morphology, atmospheric processes, surface temperatures and atmospheric escape process. Its primary objective was to test the capability to operate with sufficient autonomy during the journey phase, Mars orbit insertion/capture and in-orbit phase around Mars. It captured over 1000 pictures of the red planet which is published in Mars Atlas.

e. Unique dinosaur egg poses new questions for evolution

A team of University of Delhi researchers discovered a remarkable set of fossilised dinosaur eggs, with one egg nesting within the other, at the Dinosaur Fossil National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar District. While eggs-within-eggs are unusual phenomenon, they are so far known to occur solely in birds and have never been seen in reptiles. This research shows possible links between reptile and avian evolution. The egg has two continuous and spherical eggshell layers separated by a large gap, similar to that seen in birds. Until now, no egg-in-egg fossil egg had been discovered in dinosaurs or other reptiles such as turtles, lizards, and crocodiles.

 

 

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