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Posted 26 Apr 2024

8 min read

Blue Whale

 

  • Blue whales have made a comeback near the Seychelles after 60 years.

 

  • About Blue Whales
    • Largest & loudest animal on the planet.
    • Habitat: Found in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean.
    • Lifespan: Estimated at around 80 to 90 years.
    • Key Behaviour aspect: Sometimes swim in small groups but are more often found alone or in pairs. 
    • Diet: Feeds almost exclusively on krill (marine crustaceans)
    • Threats: Vessel Strikes, commercial whaling, etc.
    • IUCN Status: Endangered
  • Tags :
  • Blue Whale

Cardamom

  • Cardamom prices are rising rapidly.
    • It is because of lower production due to the absence of sufficient rainfall. 

 

  • About Cardamom
    • It is a dried ripe fruit (capsules) of the cardamom plant.
      • It is often referred to as the ‘Queen of Spices’ because of its very pleasant aroma and taste. 
    • It is a native of the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of southern India.
      • Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are major producer. 
    • Favourable Growing Conditions:
      • Soil: Loamy soil, which is usually acidic. 
      • Rainfall: 1500-2500 mm
      • Temperature: 15°C to 35°C
      • Elevation: 800-1300 above mean sea level 
  • Tags :
  • Cardamom

Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN)

  • Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) marks its 10th anniversary. 

 

  • About CTCN
    • Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark.
    • Established in 2014, it is the implementation arm of Technology Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
      • Technology Mechanism was established in 2010 for accelerating and enhancing climate technology development and transfer.
    • It is hosted by the UN Environment Programme.
    • It promotes accelerated transfer of environmentally sound technologies for low carbon and climate resilient development at the request of developing countries. 
  • Tags :
  • UNEP
  • Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN)
  • UNFCCC

Climate Promise 2025

  • UN Development Programme unveiled Climate Promise 2025, next stage of its Climate Promise Initiative.

 

  • About Climate Promise Initiative 
    • It is an initiative to support developing countries on their climate action.
    • It is world’s largest offer of support to developing countries on NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) enhancement and implementation.
      • Each Party to Paris Agreement is required to establish an NDC, which includes targets for mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions and for adapting to climate impacts.

 

  • Climate Promise 2025 aims to align next generation of developing countries’ NDCs to the goals of 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Tags :
  • Climate Promise 2025
  • Nationally Determined Contribution
  • Paris Agreement

Liquid Nitrogen

  • The Commissioner of Food Safety in Tamil Nadu has directed officials to monitor use of liquid nitrogen in food items.  

 

  • About Liquid Nitrogen  
    • It is a colorless, odorless, non-flammable, non-corrosive and extremely cold element
    • It is an inert cryogenic fluid with a temperature of −196 °C produced by compressing and cooling nitrogen gas below its evaporation point.
    • Applications: Freezing and transporting of food products, Cryotherapy, etc. 
  • Harmful Effects: It can rapidly freeze skin tissue and eye fluid, resulting in cold burns, frostbite, etc. 

 

  • Tags :
  • Liquid Nitrogen

Zero Shadow Day

  • Recently, Bengaluru experienced a rare celestial phenomenon known as ‘Zero Shadow Day’. 

 

  • About Zero Shadow Day
    • It occurs when the sun aligns perfectly overhead, causing vertical objects to cast no shadows.
    • This phenomenon occurs twice a year (once during Summer Solstice and once during Winter Solstice) in regions situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
    • The zero shadow days are different for different places.
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  • Zero Shadow
  • Solstice

Atacama Desert

  • Researchers found a biosphere of extreme microbes 13 feet below the Atacama Desert which could inform the search for life on Mars.

 

  • About Atacama Desert 
    • It is one of the driest coastal deserts and forms a continuous strip for nearly 1,000 km along the narrow coast of northern Chile. 
    • It is located between Andes Mountains and Pacific Ocean.
    • It showcases unique combination of environmental extremes (extreme dryness, the highest UV radiation levels on Earth and highly saline and oxidizing soils)
      • Atacama Desert is often used as an analog for studying harsh conditions of Mars

 

  • Tags :
  • Chile
  • Atacama
  • Mars

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)

  • The market for NaaS in India is expected to expand from $1.18 billion in 2024 to $7.32 billion by 2029.  

 

  • About NaasS
    • It is a cloud service model in which customers rent networking services from cloud providers.
      • It provides the flexibility to pay for services based on usage and to scale as business needs change.
    • It allows customers to operate the networks without maintaining their own networking infrastructure.
      • The traditional network model requires capital expenses (CapEx) for physical networks with switches, routers, and licensing.

 

  • Tags :
  • NaaS
  • Cloud Computing
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