UPSC Prelims Facts – 29 February 2024

UPSC Prelims Facts

SWAYAM Plus Platform launched recently.

  • SWAYAM – Massive Open Online Course platform providing educational opportunities for learners.
  • SWAYAM Plus platform – Online platform to include courses supporting industry needs that enhance learners’ employability in collaboration with industry leaders.
  • Launched by – Ministry of Education (MoE)
  • Features – Include innovative elements like multilingual content, AI-enabled guidance, credit recognition, and pathways to employment
  • Nodal agency – IIT Madras

USD 50 million global fund called WEIDE Fund launched

  • WEIDE Fund – A global fund to assist women-led businesses and entrepreneurs in developing economies and least-developed countries in adopting digital technologies and expanding online presence.
  • Launched by – WTO and International Trade Center (ITC)
  • ITC – Joint agency of UN and WTO for supporting small businesses of developing countries to trade.

Steadfast Defender 2024 started.

  • Steadfast Defender – It is a military exercise which incorporates land, air, sea, cyber, and space operations
  • Launched by – NATO.
  • Significance – Largest exercise conducted by the NATO since the Cold War.
  • Participants – Over 90,000 troops from 31 NATO allies as well as special invitee Sweden will participate in the exercise.

A synthetic antibody (human) has been developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) Bengaluru.

  • Snake Venom Neutralising Antibody – It can neutralise a potent neurotoxin produced by highly toxic snakes, which includes the cobra, king cobra, krait and black mamba.
  • Process Used – An approach previously used to screen for antibodies against HIV and COVID-19 was applied 
  • Significance – Side-effects like fatal anaphylaxis can be prevented because the antibody is fully human derived.

Google introduces Gemma

  • Gemma – Google’s latest open AI-offering
  • Feature – Built using the same research and technology used in Gemini models by Google DeepMind
  • Gemini – Next-generation AI model developed by Google

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *