The Ministry of Power has announced the launch of a task force to conceive the India Energy Stack.

About India Energy Stack

• It is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) that will provide a standardised, secure, and open platform to manage, monitor, and innovate across the electricity value chain.
• AIM: To create a unified, secure, and interoperable digital infrastructure for India's energy sector.
• Key Features of India Energy Stack (IES)
  • Unique IDs for consumers, assets, and transactions.
  • Real-time, consent-based data sharing.
  • Open APIs for seamless system integration.
  • Tools for consumer empowerment, market access, and innovation.

Researchers have found that botrytis fungi cannot be cloned as no single nucleus contains a complete set of chromosomes in these fungi.

• Instead, the chromosome set is distributed across two or more nuclei.

About botrytis fungi (Noble rot)

• Botrytis are ascomycetes fungi. 
• Ascomycetes is a type of fungi that produces sexual spores known as ascospores inside small sacs known as asci. 
• It infects grapes: Causes the berries to lose water by evaporation and shrivel up.

About Fungi

• Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that lack chlorophyll and vascular tissue, living by decomposing and absorbing organic matter. 
• Fungi’s cell wall contains chitin, which is similar to the exoskeleton of insects and arachnids

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet named TWA 7b.

About TWA 7b

• It was discovered in the debris rings that surround the low-mass star CE Antilae, also known as TWA 7.
• It is ten times lighter than any exoplanet previously directly imaged.

About Exoplanet

• Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars other than the sun and thus exist outside the solar system.
• Exoplanets that orbit in the habitable zone around their star where it's not too hot or too cold are targets for the search for life outside the solar system.
• Currently, the closest exoplanet to Earth is Proxima Centauri b, 4 light-years away.

A study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that secondary pollutants, account for nearly one-third of India's PM2.5 pollution.

Secondary Pollutants

• Genesis: It is formed in the atmosphere as a result of the chemical or the physical interactions between the primary pollutants themselves or between the primary pollutants and other atmospheric components. 
• Sources: Primary pollutants, sunlight, and atmospheric conditions.
• Examples: Ozone (O3), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), nitric acid (HNO3), etc.

As per a recent RBI report, remittances to India reached $135.46 billion in 2024-25 jumping 14% from the previous year.

• Remittances have more than doubled from $61 billion in 2016-17.

Significance of Remittances for India

• Contribution to Economy: Remittances accounted for over 10% of India’s $1 trillion gross current account inflows in FY25.
• Trade Deficit Support: Represented 47% of India’s $287 billion merchandise trade deficit.
• Stable Source of Financing: Remittances surpass gross inward foreign direct investment (FDI), serving as a stable source of external financing.

Following controversy, a global fashion brand acknowledged drawing design inspiration from ‘Kolhapuri chappals.

About Kolhapuri Chappals

• It is a traditional handcrafted leather sandal that has been awarded Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2019.
• Kolhapuri chappals trace their origins to the 12th century in Maharashtra.
• They are made entirely by hand using vegetable-tanned leather.

The dhole, or Asiatic wild dog, once thought extinct in the region, has made a confirmed comeback in Assam’s Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape (KKAL). 

About Dhole (Cuon alpinus)

• Distribution: India, Cambodia, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Central Asia, etc.
  • In India, it inhabits Eastern and Western Ghats, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Ladakh etc.
• Characteristics:
  • Carnivores that resemble a small wolf or domestic dog in size.
  • Hunt mainly in early morning or late evening.
• Threat: Habitat loss, disease, etc.
• Conservation status:
  • IUCN: Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule II
  • CITES: Appendix II

Researchers are working on the Synthetic Human Genome (SynHG) project to construct human genetic material from scratch to learn more about how DNA works.

About SynHG Project

• It is the five-year multi-centre (Universities of Cambridge, Oxford etc) research project.
• Aim: To develop the foundational and scalable tools, technology and methods needed to synthesise human genomes.

What is Synthetic Genome?

• A synthetic genome is a man-made DNA sequence that is either completely designed in the lab or heavily modified from natural DNA.
• It could enable targeted cell therapies, virus-resistant transplants, and climate-resilient engineered plants.