Rogue Waves
A University of Melbourne expedition to Antarctica has discovered that wind drives the formation of colossal rogue waves.
- Waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves.
- Also called – ‘Extreme storm waves’
- Form in – Large bodies of freshwater as well as the ocean
- Other Features –
- Steep-sided with unusually deep troughs.
- Unpredictable and dangerous and can cause damage to ships or coastal infrastructure.
Noyyal River
Noyyal River of Tamil Nadu facing issues of pollution and choking by plastics and sewage.
- Origin – Velliangiri hills (called as South-Kailash), a division of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
- Joins at – Cauvery River.
- Historical significance – Excavated remains of storage tanks, and check dams of the Chalukya and Chola periods have been discovered across the river.
- Restoration efforts – Central Government provided financial assistance from the National River Restoration Fund for its restoration.
- This fund is managed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti
Bumblebees
Recent research highlights that the Bumblebees are resilient to pesticides.
- Important pollinator for many wildflowers.
- Fuzzy insects with short, stubby wings.
- Larger than honeybees, but they don’t produce as much honey.
- Known for buzz pollination.
- Their wings beating with high speed combined with their large bodies vibrate flowers until they release pollen.
- Use dance as a means of communicating ‘food alert’ signals to other members of their colony.
Operation Iron Shield
Israel’s successful interception of drones and missiles launched by Iran, has been officially named operation “Iron Shield”.
- Multi-layered defence array of Israel includes – Arrow-2, Arrow-3, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome active defence systems.
- Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 – Intercepts medium to long-range missiles
- David’s Sling – Intercepts short to medium and medium to long range missiles.
Legal Person
New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a treaty to recognize whales as legal persons.
- A legal person is a human or a non-human legal entity that is treated as a person for legal purposes.
- A legal person is capable of engaging in all usual legal business that a real person can participate in, such as suing, being sued, owning property, and entering into contracts.
- Earlier, New Zealand declared the Whanganui River as a legal entity.