PRAGATI 2024
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has launched Pharma Research in AyurGyan And Techno Innovation (PRAGATI-2024).
- Offers opportunity for collaborative research between CCRAS and the industry in the field of Ayurveda.
- Showcase the vast potential of the Ayurveda and herbal industry.
- CCRAS – An autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Ayush
- Apex body for the formulation, coordination, development and promotion of research on scientific lines in Ayurveda and SowaRigpa system of medicine
Magellan Mission
A fresh look at 30-year-old radar images captured by the Magellan spacecraft suggests the planet Venus may currently be volcanically active.
- Launched by – NASA in 1989.
- 1st spacecraft to image the entire surface of Venus.
- Designed to use a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to map the Venusian surface.
- SAR – Technique for producing fine-resolution images from a resolution-limited radar system.
- Venusian terrain images reveal signs of volcanism, tectonic activity, and turbulent surface winds among other features
Jumping genes
New plant species (Stellaria mcclintockiae) from Kerala has been named after Barbara McClintock who won the Nobel Prize for her discovery of Jumping Genes.
- Also known as – Transposable elements
- DNA sequences that can move or “jump” from one location to another within the genome, causing nearby genes to become active or inactive.
- They can replicate themselves and insert copies at new locations.
- Their movement can cause genetic mutations and contribute to genome evolution.
Nidoviruses
Researchers discovered unknown nidoviruses in various vertebrates.
- Positive-sense Ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses that infect a broad range of animals including terrestrial and marine mammals, fish, etc.
- Share a similar genome organization and expression strategy but vary in the size of genomic RNA.
- Out of the large group of nidoviruses, only coronaviruses have been so far associated with disease in humans.
Oedocladium Sahyadricum
New species discovered in Kerala
- Algal species discovered in Western Ghats of Kerala.
- Terrestrial in nature.
- Found like filmy mat of elongated strands on wet soil.
- Exists in habitat of loamy, acidic in nature.
- Applications – In medicine, agriculture and in the production of a natural pigment