Scientists at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) have mapped a massive submarine fan and channel–levee system in the Arabian Sea.

About Submarine Fan

• A submarine fan is a fan-shaped sediment deposit on the deep-sea floor.
• Formation: Mainly formed by turbidity currents carrying mud, sand and other sediments downslope through submarine channels.
• Structure: The principal elements of submarine fans are canyons, channels and lobes.
• Bengal Fan is the world’s largest submarine fan.
• Hydrocarbon Significance: Coarse sand deposited in channels can form potential oil and gas reservoirs.

PAIMANA monitors 1,847 ongoing Central infrastructure projects as of June 2026.

About PAIMANA

• It was launched in 2025, replacing the Online Computerized Monitoring System (OCMS-2006).
• Purpose: It is a web-based platform for transparent, efficient and data-driven monitoring of Central Sector infrastructure projects.
• Ministry: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)  
• Coverage: It monitors Central Sector infrastructure projects costing ₹150 crore and above.
• PAIMANA-CRIP: Launched in July 2026, it replaced the Integrated Project Monitoring Portal and aims to become a Central Repository of Infrastructure Projects.

Lake Mead in US has fallen to its lowest water level since it was filled nearly 90 years ago.

About Lake Mead

• It is located in the Mojave Desert region.
• It is the largest reservoir in the U.S by water storage capacity.
• Formation: Artificial reservoir Created in the 1930s by Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.
  • The Colorado River forms part of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. 

The Supreme Court ordered time-bound eviction of forest encroachments in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve have triggered distress and protests in Tamil Nadu.

About Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

• Location: The reserve is located at the southernmost end of the Western Ghats in southern India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
• UNESCO MAB: It is part of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
• Ecosystems: Composed mostly of tropical forest ecosystems.
• Flora: It serves as a unique genetic reservoir for cardamom, jamun, nutmeg, pepper, and plantain.
• Fauna: Diverse species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and birds 
• Protected Zones: The area encompasses three wildlife sanctuaries (Shendurney, Peppara, and Neyyar) as well as the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
• Indigenous Tribe: It is home to the indigenous Kani tribes. 

Parliament has passed The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026.

About the Bill

• This legislation formally repeals the Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891.
• Modernized Definition: The scope of "bankers’ books" is expanded to include ledgers, day-books, cash-books, and all other business records, whether they are maintained in physical form or digitally.
• Evidentiary Value: Certified bank records are accepted as prima facie evidence in all legal proceedings.
• Electronic Records: Bank records remain admissible even when kept digitally.

Scientists have potentially the first evidence for a form of matter made just from the carriers of a fundamental force.

About Glueballs

• Fundamental Forces: There are four fundamental forces in nature- Strong, Weak, Electromagnetic and Gravity.
• Force-carrier particles: These forces result from the exchange of certain specific particles which are unique to each force and act as a mediator
  • Strong Force- Mediated by Gluons.
  • Weak Force- Mediated by W and Z bosons.
  • Electromagnetic- Mediated by photons.
  • Gravity- Graviton (It is not yet found).
• Glueballs: Gluons (the mediator of strong force) can attract each other to form new bound states called glueballs.
  • These are the only particles in nature entirely composed of force mediators.

Scientists detect unusually thick ozone layer over North Bay of Bengal.

About Ozone Layer

• Ozone Layer: It is a region of the stratosphere (approximately 15 to 40 kilometers above the Earth's surface) that contains the bulk of atmospheric ozone.
• Protective Role: It serves as a shield that protects all life on Earth from the sun's harmful radiation.
• Ozone Depletion: Human activities have released ozone-depleting substances (ODS) — such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform.
• Effects of Ozone Depletion: UVB light causes skin cancer and cataracts in humans, harmful damage to crops and plants, marine organisms etc.

The new research indicates genes from one parent can sometimes unexpectedly silence those inherited from the other, and that the effect could persist for generations.

• The phenomenon is named paramutation, in which one copy of a gene can silence the dominant version inherited from the other parent by coating it with methyl groups.
  • Paramutation challenges the conventional view of inheritance and had not been shown to naturally occur in mammals.
• Paramutation is a form of epigenetics, in which chemical modifications to DNA sequences or proteins they wrap around turn genes on or off.

The government is strengthening skill development and employability among adolescent girls through the NAVYA programme.

About Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls (NAVYA) 

• Launched: 2025.
• Joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD). 
  • Implemented under: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0. 
• Objective: Empowering adolescent girls(16-18 years) through industry-relevant vocational training and career-oriented skills with On-the-Job Training (OJT).
• Focus: Futuristic job roles along with a Holistic Development Module.
• Covers digital literacy, financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship orientation.
• Expansion: Extended to 100 Aspirational Districts.