Daily Current Affairs MCQ - May 3, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

• Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) is member of a group of archaic humans who emerged at least 2,00,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • They were replaced or assimilated by early modern human populations (Homo sapiens) between 35,000 and perhaps 24,000 years ago.
• A genome is all the genetic matter in an organism. It is defined as an organism’s complete set of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA), including all of its genes. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • In humans, a copy of the entire genome contains more than 3 billion DNA base pairs.

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established in 1966.
• It has 68 members. India is a founding member. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
• It aims to promote social and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.
• As of 31^st December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%). Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

• Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an indicator that measures the changes in the volume of production of industrial products during a given period.
• It is compiled and published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• It is a composite indicator that measures the growth rate of industry groups classified under:
  • Broad sectors, namely, Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity.
  • Use-based sectors, namely Basic Goods, Capital Goods, and Intermediate Goods.
• Base Year for IIP is 2011-2012. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Significance of IIP:
  • It is used by government agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India, etc, for policy-making purposes.
  • IIP remains extremely relevant for the calculation of the quarterly and advance GDP (Gross Domestic Product) estimates.

Toxins in water produced by cyanobacteria killed more than 300 elephants in Botswana.

Cyanobacteria are microscopic organisms common in water and sometimes found in soil. Not all produce toxins but scientists say toxic ones are occurring more frequently as climate change drives up global temperatures.

Some cyanobacterial blooms can harm people and animals and scientists are concerned about their potential impact as climate change leads to warmer water temperatures, which many cyanobacteria prefer.

A registered party is recognised as a national party only if it fulfils any one of the three conditions listed below:

1. A party should win 2% of seats in the Lok sabha from at least three different states.[8]
2. At a general election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party polls 6% of votes in any four or more states and in addition it wins four Lok Sabha seats.
3. A party gets recognition as a state party in four states.
4. A party gets at least 8% of total valid votes polled in 4 or more states (with or without any seats)

Newly published results of an international experiment hint at the possibility of new physics governing the laws of nature, scientists say. The results of the experiment, which studied a subatomic particle called the muon, do not match the predictions of the Standard Model, on which all particle physics is based, and instead reconfirm a discrepancy that had been detected in an experiment 20 years previously.

The muon g-2 experiment:

• Fermilab, which houses the American particle accelerator, has released the first results from its ‘muon g-2’ experiment.
• These results spotlight the anomalous behaviour of the elementary particle called the muon. The muon, a heavier cousin of the electron, is expected to have a value of 2 for its magnetic moment, labelled ‘g’.
• However, the muon exists not in isolation but embedded in a sea where particles are popping out and vanishing every instant due to quantum effects.
• So, its g value is altered by its interactions with these short-lived excitations.

• Since the 1990s, climate change has caused billions of tonnes of glacial ice to melt into oceans. This has caused the Earth’s poles to move in new directions.
• The north pole has shifted in a new eastward direction since the 1990s, because of changes in the hydrosphere (meaning the way in which water is stored on Earth). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• From 1995 to 2020, the average speed of drift was 17 times faster than from 1981 to 1995.
• Also, in the last four decades, the poles moved by about 4 metres in distance.
  • The calculations were based on satellite data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission.
• Causes of Polar Drift:
  • Ice Melting:The faster ice melting under global warming was the most likely cause of the directional change of the polar drift in the 1990s.
    • As glaciers melt, water mass redistributes, causing shifts in the planet's axis.
  • Change in Non-Glacial Regions (Terrestrial Water Storage): Due to climate change and unsustainable consumption of groundwater for irrigation and other anthropogenic activities.
  • Groundwater Depletion: As millions of tonnes of water from below the land is pumped out every year for drinking, industries or agriculture, most of it eventually joins the sea, thus redistributing the planet’s mass. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The first Lok Adalat camp was organised in Gujarat in 1982 as a voluntary and conciliatory agency without any statutory backing for its decisions.
• In view of its growing popularity over time, it was given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. The Act makes the provisions relating to the organisation and functioning of the Lok Adalats.
• The term ‘Lok Adalat’ means ‘People’s Court’ and is based on Gandhian principles.
• It is one of the components of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system and delivers informal, cheap and expeditious justice to the common people.

Feni River is a river in southeastern Bangladesh and Tripura. It is a trans-boundary river with an ongoing dispute about water rights. The Feni River originates in South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh. It discharges into Bay of Bengal.

• Agasthya hill is a 1,868-metre tall peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The peak lies on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This peak is a part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• The peak is named after Hindu sage Agastya, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis (Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas. It is a pilgrimage centre for devotees.
• The Thamirabarani River is a perennial river which originates from the eastern side of the range and flows into the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is listed on UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (2016). Hence, statement 1 is correct.