Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 27, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) played a quiet crucial role in the backend as the hijacking incident of (Merchant Vessel) m.v. Ruen unfolded by coordinating between the Navy and with the ship owner. 

• It was established by the Government of India at Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) Gurugram in 2018.
• The centre aims at strengthening maritime security in the region by building a common coherent maritime situation picture and acting as a maritime security information sharing hub.
• The centre also hosts International Liaison Officers (ILOs) from partner nations.
• The Centre hosts ILOs from 12 partner nations viz., Australia, France, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Singapore, United Kingdom and United States of America,
• The Centre monitors the Indian Ocean and adjoining seas to understand each region and generates various periodic reports viz., Weekly Maritime Security Updates (WMSU), Monthly Maritime Security Updates (MMSU), Half Yearly Overviews and Annual Reports.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) have examined the long-term seasonal ionospheric observations at Indian Antarctica station Bharati between 2010 and 2022 and also with solar activity following Sun’s 11-year cycle.

• It is a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere, which is partially ionized extending from 100-1000km.
• The ionosphere at polar regions is highly dynamic and acts as a major energy sink for space weather events, and related processes in magnetosphere-ionosphere systems as the magnetic field lines are vertical in this region.
• It is an interesting layer which overlaps the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
• It’s a very active part of the atmosphere, and it grows and shrinks depending on the energy it absorbs from the sun. 
• The ionospheric observations in Antarctica are few compared to Arctic region due to geographic limitations and limited number of stations.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, a research expedition in the Southern Ocean has mapped a string of seamounts that help to shape the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

• The Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean) is one of the five great ocean basins on Earth.
• It was formed around 34 million years ago when Antarctica and South America drifted apart, creating the Drake Passage.
• The passage is located between the Antarctica Peninsula’s tip and South America. 
• It is made up of the portions of the world ocean south of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and their tributary seas surrounding Antarctica below 60° S.
• Physiography
• The structure of the ocean floor includes a continental shelf usually less than 160 miles (about 260 km) wide that attains its maximum width of more than 1,600 miles (2,600 km) in the vicinity of the Weddell and Ross seas.
• It is known for its strong winds, intense storms, dramatic seasonal changes and cold temperatures.
• It is dominated by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC): the longest, strongest, deepest-reaching current on earth.
• The ACC circulates clockwise around the continent, carrying more water around the globe than any other current.
• Biodiversity: The Ocean supports a variety of plants and animals, with most animals relying on the rich phytoplankton from the Antarctic Convergence. Marine life includes whales, penguins, orcas, and seals. 

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Children suffering from lysosomal storage disorders like Gaucher disease are facing a bleak future as their treatment has been stopped due to the exhaustion of one-time support from the Union health ministry. 

• It is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder (LSD).
• It is a type of disease that causes fatty substances (sphingolipids) to build up in your bone marrow, liver and spleen.
• The sphingolipids weaken bones and enlarge your organs.
• Symptoms: Enlarged spleen, liver, eye movement disorders and yellow spots in the eyes etc.
• There are three types of Gaucher disease 
• Type1: It affects your spleen, liver, blood and bones. It doesn’t affect your brain or spinal cord. Gaucher disease type 1 is treatable, but there’s no cure.
• Type 2: A rare form of the disorder appears in babies younger than 6 months old.
• It causes an enlarged spleen, movement problems and severe brain damage. There’s no treatment for Gaucher disease type 2.
• Type 3: It is the most common form which appears before age 10 and causes bone and organ abnormalities and neurological (brain) problems.
• Treatments can help many people with Gaucher disease type 3 live into their 20s or 30s.
• Treatment: There’s no cure for Gaucher disease, but treatments can relieve symptoms and greatly improve quality of life.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Kerala state government urged the Centre to speed up measures for building a new dam at Mullaperiyar in Idukki district at a meeting with the Central Water Commission recently.

About Central Water Commission (CWC):

• It is a premier technical organization in India in the field of water resources.
• It is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.
• Functions:
• The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating, and furthering, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation, and utilization of water resources throughout the country for the purposes of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply, and Water Power Development.
• It also undertakes the investigation, construction, and execution of any such schemes as required.
• It is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.
• The work of the Commission is divided among three wings namely, the Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, the River Management (RM) Wing and the Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
• Each wing is placed under the charge of a full-time member with the status of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Hence both statements are not correct.

In a significant environmental development, a Black-necked Grebe was recently sighted for the first time at Hokersar wetland.

About Black-necked Grebe:

• The black-necked grebe, or eared grebe, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. 
• Scientific Name: Podiceps nigricollis
• Distribution: It has a widespread breeding area, with migratory populations covering an extensive range of Eurasia and North America, while a resident population is also found in subtropical Africa.
• Features:
• It usually measures between 28 and 34 centimetres in length and weighs 265 to 450 grams.
• It has a wingspan range of 20.5-21.6 in (52-55 cm).
• Its breeding plumage features a distinctive ochre-coloured plumage that extends behind its eye and over its ear coverts.
• The rest of the upper parts, including the head, neck, and breast, are coloured black to blackish brown.
• When in its non-breeding plumage, this bird has greyish-black upper parts.
• The legs are a dark greenish grey. The sexes are similar.
• It uses multiple foraging techniques. Insects, which make up the majority of this bird's diet, are caught either on the surface of the water or when they are in flight. 
• Although it generally avoids flight, the black-necked grebe travels as far as 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) during migration. 
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN: Least Concern

Hence both statements are not correct.

Paleontologists from China and Brazil recently identified a new species of chaoyangopterid pterosaur.

About Pterosaur:

• A pterosaur is any of the flying reptiles that flourished during all periods (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous) of the Mesozoic Era (252.2 million to 66 million years ago). 
• Although pterosaurs are not dinosaurs, both are archosaurs, or “ruling reptiles,” a group to which birds and crocodiles also belong. 
• They were also the first animals after insects to evolve powered flight—not just leaping or gliding, but flapping their wings to generate lift and travel through the air.
• Pterosaurs were not only the first reptiles capable of flight. They were also the first vertebrates to fly.
• It included the largest vertebrate ever known to fly: the late Cretaceous Quetzalcoatlus.
• The appearance of flight in pterosaurs was separate from the evolution of flight in birds and bats; pterosaurs are not closely related to either birds or bats and thus provide a classic example of convergent evolution.
• Their wings were formed by a sophisticated membrane of skin stretching from the thorax to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger.
• The pterosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, around 65.5 million years ago, during the mass extinction known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event (K-T extinction event).

Hence option b is the correct answer.

In a concerning development, scientists are sounding the alarm about the potential spread of a condition known as chronic wasting disease (CWD) from animals to humans. 

About Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD):

• CWD, also known as Zombie deer disease, is a neurological disorder affecting deer and other cervids (members of the deer family) caused by the abnormal growth of a misfolded protein called a prion.
• This prion causes healthy brain proteins to become abnormal, leading to a range of symptoms.
• CWD is contagious; it can be transmitted freely within and among cervid populations.
• Transmission: CWD is transmitted directly through animal-to-animal contact and indirectly through contact with objects or environments contaminated with infectious material (including saliva, urine, feces, and carcasses of CWD-infected animals).
• Symptoms: It may take over a year before an infected animal develops symptoms, which can include drastic weight loss (wasting), stumbling, listlessness, and other neurologic symptoms. 
• CWD is particularly concerning because it has the potential to affect both animals and humans, with the possibility of transmission through the consumption of infected meat.
• CWD can affect animals of all ages, and some infected animals may die without ever developing the disease.
• CWD is fatal to animals, and there are no treatments or vaccines.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, a new island emerged near Japan's Ogasawara island chain after an undersea volcano erupted.

• A new island near Japan's Ogasawara island chain was formed by phreatomagmatic eruption.
• It is an eruption that involves both magma and water.
• It typically interacts explosively leading to concurrent ejection of steam and pyroclastic fragments.
• Phreatomagmatic ash is formed by the same mechanism over a wide range of basic and acidic compositions.
• A blocky and uniform crust with low vesicle content is formed.
• Deposits from phreatomagmatic eruptions are thought to be better classified and finer-grained than those from magmatic eruptions.
• This is the result of higher fragmentation of phreatomagmatic eruptions.

Key facts about Ogasawara Islands

• The Ogasawara Islands are located in the North-Western Pacific Ocean.
• It is also known as Bonin Islands.
• It is a volcanic arc comprising more than 30 islands and islets. 
• The landscape is dominated by subtropical forest types and sclerophyllous shrublands surrounded by steep cliffs. 
• It is one of the famous UNESCO World Heritage sites of Japan.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Recently, Exercise CORPAT and BONGOSAGAR between the Indian Navy and Bangladesh Navy were conducted in the Northern Bay of Bengal from 07 - 09 Nov 2023.

• It is the 4th edition of the BONGOSAGAR and the 5th edition of Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) exercise.
• Both are bilateral naval exercises.
• Ships and aircraft from both navies undertook joint patrolling along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), and subsequently conducted maritime exercises to enhance interoperability.
• Indian Navy Ships Kuthar, Kiltan and Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) Dornier participated in the exercise along with Bangladesh Navy Ships Abu Bakr, Abu Ubaidah and MPA.
• The ships undertook communication drills, surface gun-shoots, tactical manoeuvres and other exercises that culminated with a steam past.
• CORPAT-23 also included the maiden Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) drills conducted between the two navies wherein a Search and Rescue scenario at sea was exercised.
• Regular bilateral exercises and coordinated patrols have strengthened mutual understanding and cooperation between the two navies.
• INS Kuthar is an indigenously built guided-missile Corvette, whereas INS Kiltan is an indigenously built anti-submarine Corvette.
• Both ships are part of the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam, which functions under the operational command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

Hence option d is the correct answer.