Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 12, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

At least 49 migrants died and 140 others were missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, the U.N. migration agency said on June 11.

About International Organization of Migration (IOM)

• The IOM is an intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
• Establishment: IOM was established in 1951.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Member States: IOM has 175 member states and 8 observer states.
• Mandate: To promote humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, through providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
• Publications: World Migration Report, Migration Health Annual Report.

Key Areas of Work

• Migration and development: IOM works to maximize the benefits of migration for both the home and host countries, as well as for migrants themselves.
• Migration health: The organization provides health services and support to migrants and displaced populations.
• Emergency operations: IOM responds to humanitarian crises by providing emergency relief and post-crisis recovery programs, such as transportation assistance, temporary shelter, and rebuilding infrastructure.
• Counter-Trafficking: The organization actively combats human trafficking through prevention, protection, and prosecution initiatives, providing support to victims of trafficking.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket accomplished its first fully successful test flight last week, with both its booster and spacecraft making a gentle splashdown after an hour-long sub-orbital space flight.

About Starship

• SpaceX's Starship is an ambitious spacecraft designed to be fully reusable for missions to various destinations in space, including Mars.

Design and Specifications

• It is part of a two-stage-to-orbit launch system composed of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft itself:
  • Super Heavy Booster: The first stage, responsible for lifting Starship out of Earth's atmosphere.
  • Starship Spacecraft: The second stage, designed for space travel, including carrying crew and cargo.
• Reusability: Both stages are designed to be fully reusable, aiming to significantly reduce the cost of space travel.
• Capacity:
  • Crew: Can carry up to 100 passengers.
  • Cargo: Large payload capacity, with different configurations for various missions.
• Engines: Powered by Raptor engines, which use liquid methane and liquid oxygen (Methalox) as propellants.

Objectives and Missions

1. Mars colonization: Central to SpaceX's long-term goal of making humanity multiplanetary by establishing a self-sustaining colony on Mars.
2. Lunar missions: NASA's Artemis program has selected a variant of Starship to serve as a lunar lander for returning humans to the Moon.
3. Orbital flights and beyond: Designed for a variety of missions, including satellite deployment, interplanetary exploration, and even space tourism

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the counselling for admissions of students to medical colleges over alleged paper leak and irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate (UG) examination 2024.

About National Testing Agency (NTA)

• The NTA was established in 2017 by the Ministry of Education as a premier, specialist, autonomous and self-sustained testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational institutions.

Functions

• Conducting entrance examinations for admission to higher educational institutions
• Creating a question bank using modern techniques
• Establishing a strong research and development culture
• Collaborating with international organizations like ETS (Educational Testing Services)
• Undertaking any other examination entrusted to it by the Ministries/Departments of Government of India/State Governments

NEET

• The NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is an entrance examination for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical courses (MBBS/BDS) and postgraduate courses (MD/MS) in government or private medical colleges.
• Objective: To standardize the admission process for medical and dental courses across India, ensuring a uniform evaluation of candidates' eligibility.
• The NTA conducts NEET on behalf of the Ministry of Education.

Hence both statements are correct.

Researchers recently used CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis for the first time.

About CRISPR/Cas9:

• CRISPR, short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a gene-editing technology that can be used to alter the genetic sequence of a specific gene by removing, adding, or altering sections of the DNA sequence.
• It makes it possible to correct errors in the genome and turn on or off genes in cells and organisms quickly, cheaply, and with relative ease.
• How was it developed?
• Some bacteria have a similar, built-in gene editing system to the CRISPR-Cas9 system that they use to respond to invading pathogens like viruses, much like an immune system.
• Using CRISPR, the bacteria snip out parts of the virus DNA and keep a bit of it behind to help them recognise and defend against the virus next time it attacks.
• Researchers adapted this immune defense system to edit DNA.
• The CRISPR-Cas9 system consists of two key molecules that introduce a change (mutation) into the DNA. These are:
• an enzyme called Cas9. This acts as a pair of ‘molecular scissors’ that can cut the two strands of DNA, at a specific location in the genome so that bits of DNA can then be added or removed.
• a piece of RNA called guide RNA (gRNA). This consists of a small piece of pre-designed RNA sequence (about 20 bases long) located within a longer RNA scaffold. The scaffold part binds to DNA and the pre-designed sequence ‘guides’ Cas9 to the right part of the genome. This makes sure that the Cas9 enzyme cuts at the right point in the genome.
• The guide RNA is designed to find and bind to a specific sequence in the DNA.
• Cas9 follows the guide RNA to the same location in the DNA sequence and makes a cut across both strands of the DNA.
• Once the DNA is cut, researchers use the cell's own DNA repair machinery to add or delete pieces of genetic material, or to make changes to the DNA by replacing an existing segment with a customized DNA sequence.
• CRISPR-Cas9 has a lot of potential as a tool for treating a range of medical conditions that have a genetic component, including cancer, hepatitis B, or even high cholesterol.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Researchers have built a portable optical atomic clock that can be used onboard ships. 

About Atomic Clock:

• An atomic clock is a device that measures time using the vibrations of atoms.
• Specifically, it uses the oscillations of the electrons in atoms to keep time.
• It is the most accurate time-keeping device available, with a margin of error of just a few billionths of a second per day.
• Atomic clocks are far more precise than conventional clocks because atomic oscillations have a much higher frequency and are much more stable.
• They are used in many applications that require very precise timing, such as GPS systems, telecommunications networks, and scientific research.
• How does an atomic clock work?
• Atomic clocks work by using a type of atom called a "cesium atom".
• Cesium atoms are very stable and have a very specific frequency at which their electrons vibrate.
• This frequency is used as the basis for the atomic clock's timekeeping.
• To measure time using cesium atoms, an atomic clock uses a device called a "microwave cavity".
• The microwave cavity is a chamber that is filled with cesium vapor.
• A microwave signal is then sent into the cavity, which causes the cesium atoms to vibrate.
• As the cesium atoms vibrate, they emit radiation at a very specific frequency.
• This frequency is then detected by a detector, which compares it to a standard frequency.
• The difference between the two frequencies is used to adjust the clock's timekeeping.
• Types of atomic clocks: There are two types of atomic clocks: cesium atomic clocks and hydrogen maser atomic clocks.
• Cesium atomic clocks are the most common and are used to define the international standard for time, called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
• Hydrogen maser atomic clocks are even more accurate than cesium atomic clocks and are used in scientific research.

Hence both statements are correct.

• Statement 1 is correct. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is indeed elected by a simple majority of the house members.
• Statement 2 is correct. The term of the Speaker ends with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha unless they resign or are removed earlier.
• Statement 3 is correct. According to Article 100 of the Indian Constitution, the Speaker has a casting vote in the event of a tie during a decision but does not vote in the first instance.

• Statement-I is incorrect because the CIC is not a constitutional body; it is a statutory body established under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• Statement-II is correct as the CIC functions under the Right to Information Act to enforce transparency in the workings of Central Government organizations.

• Statement 1 is correct. Birsa Munda led a tribal mass movement known as Ulgulan against British colonial policies and the Zamindari system imposed on tribal lands in Jharkhand.
• Statement 2 is correct. The Munda Rebellion aimed at overthrowing the British administration and Zamindari system to restore the traditional tribal governance system.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. While Birsa Munda's movement highlighted the plight of tribals, the direct cause for the enactment of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act was more complex, involving various factors and additional agitation post his death.

During excavations for an airport on Greece’s largest island of Crete, a large circular monument dating back 4000 years was unearthed.

About Crete Island:

• It is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest one in the Mediterranean Sea.
• It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea).
• It is bordered by the Sea of Crete in the north, the Libyan Sea in the south, the Myrtoan Sea in the west, and the Carpathian Sea in the east. 
• It covers an area of 8,336 sq. km.
• It is relatively long and narrow, stretching for about 260 km east-west and about 60 km at its widest point. 
• The island is dominated by rugged mountains that crisscross from west to east.
• The highest point on the island is Mt. Ida, also known as Psiloritis, at 2,456 m.
• History:
• The island of Crete has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age by early hominids.
• The earliest advanced European civilization, the Minoan Civilization, started on the island around 2700-1420 BCE.
• The Minoan civilization ended after a major earthquake, and thereafter, the island’s rule was taken over by the Mycenaean civilization.
• The island was then subsequently ruled by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Andalusians, the Venetians, and the Ottomans.
• After the island’s independence from Ottoman rule, Crete became a part of Greece.
• During the Second World War, the island was occupied by the Nazi German forces and also served as the battleground of the famous “Battle of Crete.”

Hence option d is the correct answer.

• Statement 1 is correct. Crete has indeed been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age, and it was the site of the earliest advanced European civilization, the Minoan Civilization.
• Statement 2 is correct. The highest point on Crete is Mount Ida, also known as Psiloritis, which is significant in Greek mythology as it is said to be the birthplace of Zeus.
• Statement 3 is correct. The Battle of Crete during WWII was mainly between German airborne forces and Allied (predominantly British and Commonwealth) forces, making it one of the first major airborne invasions and also a significant conflict in the Mediterranean theater.