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
- It is a dried ripe fruit (capsules) of the cardamom plant.
- 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.
- Tags :
- 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.
- It is a cloud service model in which customers rent networking services from cloud providers.
- Tags :
- NaaS
- Cloud Computing