Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 7, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, Google announced the launch of its latest, most powerful AI model, Gemini.

• It is a new multimodal general AI model, which means it can understand, and work with different formats, including text, code, audio, image, and video, at the same time.
• It is now available to users across the world through Bard, some developer platforms and even the new Google Pixel 8 Pro devices.
• It can understand, explain and generate high-quality code in the world’s most popular programming languages, like Python, Java, C++ and Go.
• It comes in three sizes — the yet-to-be-launched Ultra, Pro and Nano.
• Gemini Ultra, the largest and most capable model, will be meant for highly complex tasks.
• It is available now only to select customers, developers, partners and safety and responsibility experts for early experimentation and feedback.
• Gemini Pro will be best at scaling across a wide range of tasks and is now available in Bard for regular users across the world.
• Gemini Nano will manage on-device tasks and is already available on Pixel 8 Pro, powering new features like Summarise in the Recorder app and Smart Reply via Gboard.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, in a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) have identified seismogenic liquefaction features in the active Kopili Fault (KF) zone.

• It is a 300 km long and 50 km wide lineament situated in the northeastern region (NER) of India.
• It extends from the western part of Manipur to the tri-junction of Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam.
• It is closer to Himalayan Frontal Thrust.
• This is a seismically active area falling in the highest Seismic Hazard Zone V.
• It is associated with collisional tectonics because of the Indian Plate subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate. 
• The fault itself is a transpressional fracture that generates lower crustal dextral strike-slip earthquakes.
• A tectonic depression filled up by the alluvium of the Kopilli river and its tributaries, the Kopili fault zone has witnessed many seismic activities in the past including the 1869 earthquake (7.8 magnitude) and the 1943 earthquake (7.3 magnitude).

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Recently, the ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI), Izatnagar, Bareilly has found the exact status of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus subtypes (EEHV) and its subtypes circulating among Asian elephant population in India.

• It is a double-stranded DNA virus that is classified in the family Herpesviridae.
• It causes acute, fatal haemorrhagic disease in wild and captive juvenile Asian and African elephants.
• It is lethal for young elephants between the ages of one and 12.
• The disease is usually fatal, with a short course of 28-35 hours.
• Transmission: Direct contact with body fluids of infected elephants (saliva, shedding from skin lesions, etc.)
• Symptoms: Some elephants show symptoms such as reduced appetite, nasal discharge and swollen glands.
• Treatment: It includes a combination of anti-viral therapy, aggressive fluid therapy (to counter haemorrhaging), immuno-stimulant drugs (selenium and Vitamins C, E), anti-pyretics and analgesics (to bring down fever)
• There is no true cure for herpesviruses in animals or in humans because herpes viruses go latent.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, Garba of Gujarat' has been inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity by UNESCO.

• It is a ritualistic and devotional dance performed throughout the State of Gujarat, and across India.
• It is celebrated for nine days during the festival of Navaratri.
• The festival is dedicated to the worship of the feminine energy or Shakti.
• The cultural, performative, and visual expressions of this feminine energy are expressed through the Garba dance.
• The performative and visual celebration of Garba takes place within homes and temple courtyards, public spaces in villages, urban squares, streets, and large open grounds. Garba thus becomes an all-encompassing participatory community event.
• In addition to being a religious ritual, Garba fosters social equality by diluting socio-economic, gender, and rigid sect structures.
• It continues to be inclusive and participative by diverse and marginalized communities, strengthening community bonds.
• This dance form is the 15th cultural item from India to make it to the UNESCO list. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), astronomers have recently discovered a new pulsar, which has received the designation PSR J1032−5804.

About Pulsars:

• Pulsars are rotating neutron stars observed to have pulses of radiation at very regular intervals that typically range from milliseconds to seconds.
• Pulsars have very strong magnetic fields, which funnel jets of particles out along the two magnetic poles. These accelerated particles produce very powerful beams of light.
• Often, the magnetic field is not aligned with the spin axis, so those beams of particles and light are swept around as the star rotates.
• When the beam crosses our line of sight, we see a pulse; in other words, we see pulsars turn on and off as the beam sweeps over Earth.
• Pulsar masses range between 1.18 and 1.97 times that of the Sun, but most pulsars have a mass 1.35 times that of the Sun.

What is a Neutron Star?

• It is an extremely dense and compact celestial object that forms when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
• The very central region of the star, the core, collapses, crushing together every proton and electron into a neutron. 
• If the core of the collapsing star is between about 1 and 3 solar masses, these newly-created neutrons can stop the collapse, leaving behind a neutron star. (Stars with higher masses will continue to collapse into stellar-mass black holes.)
• Since neutron stars began their existence as stars, they are scattered throughout the galaxy in the same places where we find stars. And like stars, they can be found by themselves or in binary systems with a companion.

Hence both statements are correct.

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court recently held that an arbitration agreement can bind non-signatories as per the "group of companies" doctrine.

About ‘Group of Companies’ Doctrine:

• The "group of companies" doctrine states that a company that is a non-signatory to an arbitration agreement would be bound by the agreement if such a company is a member of the same group of companies that signed the agreement. 
• The doctrine deems that the parties to the arbitration agreement mutually intended for such a non-signatory to be bound by it.
• Arbitration is a mechanism to resolve disputes between parties without going to court. A neutral person is appointed to adjudicate the dispute, and the judgment of an arbitrator is legally enforceable.
• The "group of companies" concept, unlike other non-signatory theories that are based on domestic law principles, is based on international arbitration jurisprudence.
• The doctrine was first recognised by the Indian Supreme Court in Chloro Controls India Private Limited v. Severn Trent Water Purification Inc. (2013). Since then, Indian courts have applied the doctrine to bind group companies of signatories to arbitration agreements.
• The Supreme Court in ONGC Ltd. vs. Discovery Enterprises (P) Ltd. came up with certain factors to be considered in order to decide whether the Doctrine would find application or not, being:
• the mutual intent of the parties
• the relationship of a non-signatory to a party which is a signatory to the agreement
• the commonality of the subject-matter
• the composite nature of the transaction
• the performance of the contract
• The main purpose behind bringing the 'group of companies' doctrine in India was to prevent fragmentation of disputes in composite transactions i.e., disputes consisting of several parties and multiple contracts.
• Recent Supreme Court Ruling:
• The Court held that it is not necessary that only persons who are signatories to the arbitration agreement will be bound by the arbitration agreement.
• The requirement of a written arbitration agreement does not mean that non-signatories will not be bound by it, provided there is a defined legal relationship between the signatories and the non-signatories and that the parties intended to be bound by it by the act of conduct.
• Non-signatories, by virtue of their relationship with the signatory parties and their commercial involvement in the subject matter, are not total strangers to the arbitration agreement.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

A pregnant megamouth shark, a rare and elusive deepwater species, was recently discovered washed up on a beach in the Philippines.

About Megamouth Shark:

• It is an extremely rare and unusual species of deep-water shark.
• Scientific Name: Megachasma pelagios.
• Distribution:
• Their range is believed to span the region between latitudes 40°N and 40°S.
• These sharks inhabit the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.
• Habitat: They are found in deep, warm oceanic water.
• This species has only been observed in the wild a few times, and less than 60 individuals are known by scientists to have ever been captured or observed.
• Features:
• It is a large species, reaching weights of 2700 pounds (1215 kg).
• They are typically 425-515 cm long. Females are larger than males.
• They are easily recognised by their huge, soft head and large mouth, which is positioned at the anterior margin of the head.
• The colour varies from grey to blueish-black above and is pale grey below. The tips of most of the fins are usually white.
• They have a series of small, hooked teeth along their top and bottom jaws.
• They are filter feeders, and they swim with their mouths constantly wide open in order to filter out their preferred planktonic prey.
• The inside of their mouths is covered with light-producing organs that may be used to attract pelagic crustaceans and other potential prey.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter recently captured the most detailed image of the Sun's full disc and outer atmosphere, the corona, to date.

About Solar Orbiter:

• It is a Sun-observing satellite with 10 science instruments, all designed to provide unprecedented insight into how the sun works.
• It is conceived to perform a close-up study of our Sun and inner heliosphere-the uncharted innermost regions of our Solar System.
• It is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA.
• It is the most complex scientific laboratory ever to have been sent to the Sun.
• It will take images of the Sun from closer than any spacecraft before and, for the first time, look at its uncharted polar regions.
• The mission, launched on February 10, 2020, released its first images in June of that year.
• After multiple gravitational assist manoeuvres at Earth and Venus, it started its full science operations in December 2021.
• It follows an elliptical orbit around the sun, with the closest point, the perihelion, at about 25 million miles (40 million kilometers) from the sun, which is closer than the orbit of Mercury.
• Instruments: It carries six remote-sensing instruments to observe the Sun and the solar corona and four in-situ instruments to measure the solar wind, energetic particles, and electromagnetic fields.
• The mission is scheduled to last until at least 2027.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

According to the Wildlife Trust of India the dancing frogs are the most threatened amphibian genus of India. 

• These are endemic to the Western Ghats.
• Habitat: The species was found to prefer habitats in areas with thick canopy cover of at least 70-80 per cent
• It belongs to the Micrixalus genus.
• It is also the fifth most threatened genus in the world with 92 per cent of its species in the threatened category
• Behaviour
• The dancing frogs that are found near the streams do a unique display to mate.
• The males stretch up their hind legs one at a time and wave their webbed toes in the air in a rapid motion akin to a dance.
• This is to attract mates as well as ward off competition, probably preferred because their mating calls are drowned out by the gurgling of the streams.
• This act is called “foot flagging” and gives the species their name. 
• Ecological significance:
• Frogs are valuable in the food chain and also provide other ecological services.
• Threats: These species are threatened by invasive species like the mosquito fish, land use change, variation in temperature and humidity, extreme weather events such as floods and excess rainfall, infectious diseases, water pollution, light pollution, and infrastructure projects.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Sri Lanka set to take over chairmanship of Indian Ocean Rim Association during 23rd Council of Ministers' Meeting.

• It was established in 1997 as an intergovernmental organisation of States on the rim of the Indian Ocean.
• Member countries:
• It has members from Africa, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Oceania.
• The Association’s membership has expanded to 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners.
• Asia: India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• Africa: Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles.
• Oceania: Australia.
• Europe: France
• Its apex body is the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) which meets annually.
• IORA has identified six priority areas namely: Trade and Investment, Maritime Safety and Security, Fisheries Management, Disaster Risk Management and Blue Economy. 
• The secretariat is based in Ebène Mauritius and is overseen by a secretary-general who

Hence only statement 1 is correct.