Current Affair 1:

National Science Day 

 

28th February is celebrated as National Science Day (NSD) in India. NSD is celebrated to commemorate discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’, which led to Sir C.V. Raman winning the Noble Prize. 

When was the day declared as National Science Day? 

In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) asked the Government of India to designate 28 February as National Science Day which the then Govt. of India accepted and declared the day as National Science Day in 1986. The first National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 1987. 

What is Raman Effect? 

Raman Effect is a phenomenon in spectroscopy discovered by the eminent physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1928.  After two years in 1930, he got Nobel Prize for this remarkable discovery and this was the first Nobel Prize for India in the field of science.  

Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules. When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a result of the Raman Effect. 

NSD 2024 

The theme of NSD-2024 is "Indigenous Technologies for Viksit Bharat". The NSD Theme for this year’s celebration reflects a strategic focus on promoting public appreciation for Science, Technology and Innovation and accomplishments of Indian scientists to address challenges through home-grown technologies for over-all well-being. 

Current Affair 2:

What is ‘10,000 Genomes Project’? 

 

News: 

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has announced the successful completion of the ‘10,000 Genomes Project’ – an effort to sequence thousands of individual genomes from India. 

The project, which aimed to identify and catalogue genetic variations in the diverse Indian population, has whole genomes of 10,000 individuals from 99 communities, representing all major linguistic and social groups across the country. 

While India first sequenced a complete human genome in 2006, creating a database that is representative of the diversity of India’s population, is seen as a key step to being able to learn about genetic variants that are unique to India’s population groups and use that to customise drugs and therapies.  

The United Kingdom, China, and the United States are among the countries that have programmes to sequence at least 1,00,000 of their genomes. 

About 20 institutions across India are involved in the project with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad being the lead institutions coordinating the project. 

The entire dataset — which adds up to 8 petabytes of data — will be stored at the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) and will be made available as a digital public good or research. Inaugurated in 2022, the IBDC is the country’s only databank. Prior to that Indian researchers had to host their biological datasets on American or European servers. 

Current Affair 3:

Composition of Lokpal 

 

News: 

The Central government appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre as the new Chairperson of the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal. 

 

Current Affair 4:

BioAsia Summit 2024 

 

The 21st edition of BioAsia, Asia’s premier biotechnology and life sciences convention began on February 27, 2023 in Hyderabad, India. 

The annual event witness’s participation from leading global scientists, researchers, politicians, and industry captains discussing latest developments and future opportunities. 

The flagship initiative started in 2003 by Government of Telangana, it has become a leading ideas exchange platform at the intersection of scientific research and business bringing together diverse stakeholders from pharma giants to startups. 

2024 Edition Theme: The theme for current year summit is “Transforming Life Sciences with Data and AI”. 

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