Daily Current Affairs MCQ- August 29, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Scientists have known of somatic variants for many years, but recently there has been an explosion in the amount of data.

• It is also known as somatic mutations which refer to alterations in the DNA sequence that occur in the cells of an individual’s body after conception.
• Somatic genetic variants are important for a number of normal physiological processes. For example, the immune cells in our body, which produce antibodies, undergo an enormous amount of somatic changes to create diverse proteins.

Where do somatic mutations happen?

• The change to a person’s DNA during a somatic mutation happens after fertilization in any cell of their body that isn't a sperm or egg cell (germ cells).
• Cells continuously copy and replace themselves in humans.
• If a mutation occurs, all cells that form from that affected cell will have that mutation in its DNA.
• These mutations don’t pass from parents to their children (not hereditary) and happen sporadically or randomly.
• Common somatic mutation conditions include: Skin cancer, Lung Cancer, Sturge-Weber and syndrome etc.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the poop of tigers has helped a team of scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) understand the prey selection patterns of the striped feline in the Indian part of the Terai-Arc Landscape.

• It is an 810km stretch between the river Yamuna in the west and the river Bhagmati in the east.
• It comprises the Shivalik hills, the adjoining bhabhar areas and the Terai flood plains.
• It is spread across the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and the low lying hills of Nepal.
• About 22% of the wild tiger population in India is found across the TAL, living amidst some of the highest human and livestock densities on the subcontinent.
• The landscape boasts of some of India’s most well-known Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas such as Corbett Tiger Reserve, Rajaji National Park, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Valmiki Tiger Reserve and Nepal’s Bardia Wildlife Sanctuary, Chitwan National Park, and Sukhla Phanta Wildlife Sanctuary
• These forests are home to three flagship species, the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), the greater one horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).

Hence both statements are correct.

The research, conducted by Hyderabad-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), demonstrated that cinnamon’s active components — cinnamaldehyde and procyanidin B2– administered orally to rats had an inhibitory effect on early-stage prostate cancer.

• It is one of the earliest known spices mainly cultivated for the dried inner bark of the tree.
• It is a native of Sri Lanka and is cultivated in lower elevations of Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• It is a hardy plant and tolerates a wide range of soil and climatic conditions.
• Soil and climate:
• The tree is grown on laterite and sandy patches with poor nutrient status.
• It comes up well from sea level to an elevation of about 1,000 m.
• Since it is mostly raised as a rainfed crop, an annual rainfall of 200-250 cm is ideal.
• Health benefits
• Researchers observed that cinnamon and its active components could mitigate oxidative stress, decrease spread of cancer cells in the prostate gland.
• They also observed beneficial effect on bone mineral content and decrease in bone degeneration in rats.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Ministry of Labour & Employment recently said over one million vacancies in the private as well as public sector are active on the National Career Service (NCS) portal.

About National Career Service (NCS):

• NCS aims to bridge the gap between those who need jobs and those who want to hire them, between people seeking career guidance and training and those who can provide the counselling and training. 
• It was launched in the year 2015.
• It provides a host of career-related services such as dynamic job matching, career counselling, job notifications, vocational guidance, and information on skill development courses, internships and alike. 
• The focus areas for the NCS platform are listed below:
• Enhancing Career and employment opportunities;
• Counselling and guidance for career development;
• Focusing on decent employment;
• Enhancing female labour force participation;
• Encouraging entrepreneurial endeavours;
• It aims at reaching out to people across the country, in particular the youth, through a well-designed structure that comprises an ICT-based portal, a countrywide set-up of career centres, a multilingual call centre, and a network of career counsellors.
• Nodal Agency: The project is being implemented by the Directorate General of Employment, Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• NCS portal:
• The NCS Portal links job-seekers, employers, counsellors and training providers, all through Aadhaar-based authentication.
• Registration is online and free of charge.
• The portal provides information on over 3000 career options from 53 key industry Sectors - from IT to Textiles, Construction to Automobiles, Pharma and much more.
• Job-seekers also have access to industry trends in a user-friendly way.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The loco of the Tourist Special train that was running between New Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar Junction decoupled from coaches at the entry point of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary recently.

About Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location:
• It is situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
• It is located on the foothills of the Himalayas and in between the Teesta and the Mahananda rivers.
• It was started as a game sanctuary for children in 1955. In 1959, it got the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect the Indian Bison and Royal Bengal Tiger.
• The Sanctuary reaches up to a high elevation at Latpanchar in Kurseong Hill.
• Terrain: The terrain is undulating, with moderate to steep slopes and high ridges towards the north.
• Vegetation: It varies mainly from riverine forests to dense mixed-wet forests due to the difference in altitude. 
• Flora:
• Mainly, Sal, Shisu, Teak and Jarul forests are available here.
• Other plantations include Udal, Champ, Lali, Jarul, Gamar, Mandane, Bamboos, Ferns, Orchids, Sidha etc. 
• Fauna:
• The important mammalian species include the Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian elephants, Indian bison, spotted deer, barking deer, many species of lesser cat, Himalayan black bear etc.
• The Sanctuary also holds hundreds of feathered species. It includes endangered species like fairy blue bird, Himalayan pied hornbill, etc.

Hence both statements are correct.

Astronomers recently conducted an autopsy of a star that got destroyed after wandering too close to a supermassive black hole, in what is known as a tidal disruption event (TDE). 

About Tidal Disruption Event (TDE):

• TDE is a phenomenon in astronomy that occurs when a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole or a massive stellar-mass black hole.
• The intense gravitational forces from the black hole cause tidal forces that can tear the star apart. This process is also known as "tidal disruption."
• How does a TDE typically unfold?
• Close Approach: A star in a galaxy approaches a black hole on a very close trajectory due to gravitational interactions within the galaxy.
• Tidal Forces: As the star gets closer to the black hole, the gravitational forces acting on it become increasingly uneven due to the difference in gravitational pull on the near side and far side of the star. These tidal forces can be strong enough to disrupt the star.
• Stellar Disruption: When the tidal forces exceed the self-gravitational forces holding the star together, it undergoes a process called "tidal disruption." The star is stretched and eventually torn apart into a stream of gas and debris.
• Accretion Disk Formation: The debris from the disrupted star forms an accretion disk around the black hole. This disk is composed of hot gas and dust, and it spirals inwards towards the black hole.
• Energy Release: As the material in the accretion disk spirals inwards, it releases a tremendous amount of energy in the form of X-rays and ultraviolet radiations.
• Flares and Observations: TDEs are often observed as bright flares of radiation from the center of a galaxy. These flares can last for several months to years, gradually fading as the disrupted star's material is consumed by the black hole.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, researchers found a live eight-centimeter Ophidascaris robertsi roundworm in the brain of a 64-year-old Australian woman. 

• It is the parasitic roundworm, typically found in carpet pythons.
• It typically lives in a python’s oesophagus and stomach, and sheds its eggs in the host’s faeces.
• Humans infected with Ophidascaris robertsi larvae would be considered accidental hosts.
• Roundworms are incredibly resilient and able to thrive in a wide range of environments.
• In humans, they can cause stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, appetite and weight loss, fever and tiredness.
• This infection does not transmit between people.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

In a unified stance, Poland and the Baltic nations have formally requested Belarus to expel the Russian mercenary group Wagner. 

About Baltic Nations:

• The Baltic nations, often collectively referred to as the "Baltic States," are a group of three countries in Northern Europe located along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.
• They are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
• They are bounded on the west and north by the Baltic Sea, on the east by Russia, on the southeast by Belarus, and on the southwest by Poland and an exclave of Russia. 
• Capitals: Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania).
• Languages: Spoken languages are Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. In Estonia and Latvia, about one-quarter of the population are ethnic Russians.
• Independence: They gained their independence first from the Russian Empire at the end of World War Iin 1918 and later from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
• The Baltic States have been members of the European Union (EU) since 2004.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, the carcass of a blue whale washed ashore at Meghavaram beach of Santabommali mandal in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.

• Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on our planet.
• Whales are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment.
• Habitat: They are found in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean.
• They generally migrate seasonally between summer feeding grounds and winter breeding grounds
• Lifespan: The average lifespan is estimated at around 80 to 90 years. Scientists can estimate the age of whales by counting the layers of wax-like earplugs collected from deceased animals.
• Behaviour and Diet
• They sometimes swim in small groups but are more often found alone or in pairs.
• They generally spend summers feeding in polar waters and undertake lengthy migrations towards the equatorial waters as winter arrives.
• The primary diet whale is krill—tiny shrimp-like animals, but fish and copepods (tiny crustaceans) may occasionally be part of the blue whale’s diet.
• Conservation Status

IUCN: Endangered

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, researchers have found that an alloy of Cobalt and Platinum when doped with Manganese which act to be an effective catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) that takes place at the anode of the direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).

• Researchers have synthesized a trimetallic PtMnCo catalyst that displayed superior catalytic activity and high CO tolerance when compared to commercially available catalyst.
• The choice of Manganese (Mn) as a dopant was based on its abundance and affordability and the multiple oxidation states it offers making it a good candidate for electro-catalysis.
• Significance of DMFC
• Among the different classes of fuel cells proposed, DMFCs have long been considered an attractive alternate power source for small vehicles such as forklifts and as battery chargers for mobile phones, digital cameras, laptops, and other small electronic gadgets.
• It has high energy density, high efficiency, and low operating temperature.
• They are also much safer to operate because they deal with liquid fuel (methanol).
• The methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) at the anode and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode are the main processes that determine the performance of DMFCs.
• Platinum is the most often used MOR catalyst. However, fundamental challenges such as slow kinetics, high manufacturing costs (due mostly to the pricey Pt-based catalyst), and CO poisoning of the Pt catalyst make commercialization of DMFCs challenging.
• Therefore, the search for an alternative Pt-based catalyst that circumvents the above issues is one of the most pressing research problems with respect to DMFCs.
• Alloying Pt with other transition metals such as (Ru, Co, Ni, and Fe) is thought to be a useful strategy for improving the catalytic performance and durability of Pt catalyst along with reducing the amount of Pt being used in the catalyst.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.