Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 25, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

There is an urgent need to conserve Pappathi Chola which is a Biodiversity hotspot and has a high population of butterflies; balsams and orchids are abundant in the area.

• Pappathi Chola, known for its high butterfly population, derived its name from the Tamil word Pappathi meaning butterflies and Chola means shola land. 
• It is also regarded as a hub of balsams (Impatiens balsamina) and rare varieties of orchids.
• It is located right in the middle of the Chathurangappara hills and Mathikettan shola.
• Last year, the region witnessed the blooming of Neelakurinji,”
• This area is covered with eucalyptus trees.
• Many butterflies reach the area during their migratory course from the rain shadow forests of Tamil Nadu back to the higher elevations of Munnar.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, three heritage projects from Punjab and Haryana have secured prestigious spots among the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2023.

• UNESCO seeks to encourage private sector involvement and public-private collaboration in conserving the region’s cultural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations.
• Since 2000, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation have been recognizing the achievement of the private sector and public-private initiatives in successfully conserving or restoring structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region.
• Among the recognised sites, five are from China, six from India, and one from Nepal.
• Award winning sites from India are as follows
• The Rambagh Gate in Amritsar received the “Award of Excellence,” the highest recognition among all categories.
• Pipal Haveli, a heritage rural homestay from Punjab was honoured for its sustainable development. 
• The Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple in Kerala earned the Award of Distinction.
• Epiphany in Haryana, David Sassoon Library and Reading Room in
  Mumbai and Bikaner House in New Delhi received the Award of Merit.

Hence both statements are correct.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) recently developed an indigenous river model, BRAHMA-2D.

About BRAHMA-2D:

• BRAHMA-2D (Braided River Aid: Hydro-Morphological Analyzer) is a mathematical model to gauge the flow of large braided rivers like the Brahmaputra.
• It is a quasi-3D river flow model which helps to understand how fast the water moves at different depths inside a river and its circulation around a structure like a spur installed to prevent river bank erosion.
• It can help engineers in the design of sustainable hydraulic structures like spurs, reverent, and other river bank protection measures in order to check river bank erosion.
• It was developed by the researchers at IIT Guwahati in collaboration with the Brahmaputra Board under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• It was successfully validated on the Brahmaputra River near Majuli Island, the second largest freshwater River Island in the world, in Assam, which is prone to river bank erosion.
• It integrates a two-dimensional model of water movement with a theory about entropy, a measure of disorder or randomness.
• Specifically, it observes a dip phenomenon near spurs where the flow of water underneath increases, a phenomenon absent at points away from these structures.
• It has also been applied to understand the habitat suitability of aquatic species, especially endangered species, based on the availability of the required depth and flow velocity.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

A novel vaccine aimed at reducing "bad" cholesterol has been created.

What is cholesterol?

• Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body.
• Your liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such as meat and dairy products. 
• Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly.
• What are LDL and HDL?
• Cholesterol travels through the blood on proteins called “lipoproteins.”
• Two types of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout the body: LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
• LDL and HDL have different purposes.
• LDL cholesterol, sometimes called “bad” cholesterol, makes up most of your body’s cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries.
• HDL cholesterol sometimes called “good” cholesterol, because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver then removes the cholesterol from your body.
• How can a high LDL level raise my risk of disease?
• If you have a high LDL level, this means that you have too much LDL cholesterol in your blood.
• This extra LDL, along with other substances, forms plaque. The plaque builds up in your arteries; this is a condition called atherosclerosis.
• Coronary artery disease happens when plaque builds up is in the arteries of your heart. It causes the arteries to become hardened and narrowed, which slows down or blocks the blood flow to your heart. This can cause angina (chest pain) or, if the blood flow is completely blocked, a heart attack.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

At least six megaprojects came into existence within the radius of 10 km of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary and City Bird Sanctuary without obtaining the Wildlife Clearance Certificate (WCC) between 2017 and 2023, as per recent findings.

About Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is located at the foothills of the Shivalik range in Chandigarh.
• It forms part of the Sukhna Lake catchment area falling in the Shivalik Hills.
• The sanctuary was developed as a result of afforestation done for soil conservation around Sukhna Lake. It came into existence in March 1998 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Spanning over an area of 2600 hectares, the place is quite unstable geographically and becomes prone to soil erosion by surface runoff during rains.
• It has sandy soil of Shivalik with pockets of clay embedded at places. 
• Apart from the Sukhna Lake, there are around 150small and large water bodies in the sanctuary that form its catchment area.
• Vegetation: It is characterized by a mix of forests, grasslands, and wetlands, with the Sukhna Lake forming an important part of the ecosystem.
• Flora: The common flora of the sanctuary includes Khair, Phulai, Kikar, Shisham, Moonj, Amaltas, Jhingan, Amla, Rati, Vasaka, and many more.
• Fauna: 
• Squirrel, Common-Mongoose, Indian Hare, Porcupine, JungleCat, Jackal, Wild boar, etc are the mammals found in the sanctuary.
• Peacock, Hill myna, Jungle crow, Black drongo, Parrots, Doves, and others are the common birds of this region. Migratory birds also flock around this place. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, researchers have discovered a new species Cyperaceae and named it as Fimbristylis jaleeliana.

• It is a family of graminoid (grass-like) monocotyledonous flowering plants, from the lateritic hillocks of Kannur district.
• It thrives in lateritic grasslands at an elevation of 60 metres above sea level. 
• The genus Fimbristylis was one of the largest genera within the family Cyperaceae, represented by 320 species distributed in tropical and subtropical regions.
• In India, the genus was represented by 124 species, of which 97 were found in the Western Ghats and west coast.
• Threats: Its existence is under threat due to habitat destruction caused by mining activities, posing a risk to its already fragmented populations on the lateritic plateau.

What are Cyperaceae?

• It belongs to sedge family of monocotyledonous flowering plants.
• The Cyperaceae are grasslike herbaceous plants found especially in wet regions throughout the world.
• The members are distributed throughout all the continents except Antarctica.
• Although there is a large number of species in Arctic, temperate, and tropical regions, the diversity of genera is far greater in tropical regions. 

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Researchers have discovered that the more time reindeer spend ruminating, the less time they spend in non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep.

• These are one of the largest species of deer behind the caribou.
• Reindeers are classified as mammals that belong to the family of Cevidae.
• These are the only mammals known to see ultraviolet light which allows them to spot predators whose white fur is more visible in UV light.
• A reindeer has the ability to use their nose to warm the air they breathe in before it enters its lungs.
• Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. However, male reindeer antlers tend to be twice as big in size.
• Habitat: These are found in polar and Arctic climates.
• Distribution: They have been spotted in Europe, Asia, and North America.
• Diet: Classified as herbivores, reindeer live on diets of plants and vegetation.
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Vulnerable

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, a team of researchers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu have discovered two new species of jumping spiders that belong to the genus Afraflacilla. 

• Specimens of Afraflacilla kerala were spotted in Irinjalakuda and Kuttanad while Afraflacilla adavathurensis was discovered from Adavathur in Tiruchirappalli
• Only three species belonging to the Afraflacilla genus had been hitherto discovered in the country.
• Features
• According to the researchers, these species have interesting diagnostic features consisting of dark brown carapace with fine bands of white setae covering laterally.
• Their abdomens are light brown and display white bands formed of white hairs that cover it laterally.
• Jumping spiders of the genus Afraflacilla are widespread from Africa to Australia with various known species found in Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, numerous African countries and Australia.
• Recent findings have revealed the presence of the genus in Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• With the new findings, the number of known Afraflacilla species has grown to 47 with Africa reporting the most at 19.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

For the first time, scientists have sequenced the genome of a mysterious species of giant bacterium Epulopiscium viviparus that can be seen without a microscope.

• It is a bacteria which live symbiotically in the guts of a fish, Naso tonganus, in tropical ocean environments. 
• The first member of Epulopiscium – whose name comes from the Latin words for "a guest" and "of a fish" – was discovered in 1985.
• Epulopiscium viviparus has modified its metabolism to make the most of its environment, by using a rare method to make energy and to move (the same swimming method is used by the bacteria that cause cholera), and by devoting a huge portion of its genetic code to making enzymes that can harvest the nutrients available in its host’s gut.
• It makes enzymes that are highly efficient at nutrient extraction from their host fish, especially carbohydrates called polysaccharides from the algae that forms a large part of N. tonganus's diet.
• It has plentiful enzymes that make ATP too, the 'energy currency' that supports a wide variety of cellular processes.
• Researchers discovered space for these molecules in a unique membrane, similar to the mitochondria of more complex organisms.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The Odisha government recently declared leprosy a reportable disease in the state.

About Leprosy:

• Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae.
• The disease predominantly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes.
• Left untreated, the disease may cause progressive and permanent disabilities.
• It is more common in tropical and subtropical areas.
• It is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that still occurs in more than 120 countries, with more than 200 000 new cases reported each year.
• It is known to occur at all ages, ranging from early childhood to old age.
• Transmission:
• The disease is transmitted through droplets from the nose and mouth.
• Prolonged, close contact over months with someone with untreated leprosy is needed to catch the disease.
• The disease is not spread through casual contact with a person who has leprosy, like shaking hands or hugging, sharing meals, or sitting next to each other. 
• Symptoms: It usually takes about 3 to 5 years for symptoms to appear after you come into contact with the bacteria that cause leprosy. 
• The main symptom of leprosy is disfiguring skin sores, lumps, or bumps that don’t go away after several weeks or months.
• Nerve damage can lead to:
• Loss of feeling in the arms and legs
• Muscle weakness
• People may also have a stuffy nose or nosebleeds if the disease affects the mucous membranes in their nose.
• Treatment:
• It is curable with multidrug therapy (MDT), and treatment during the early stages can prevent disability.
• Moreover, the patient stops transmitting the disease when they begin treatment.

Hence option a is the correct answer.