EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
Jan 7th, 2022 - Daily Quiz
1. Which of the following statements are correct about Clouded leopard.
1. It is found in mountainous regions but never above the elevation of 3000m due to lack of oxygen.
2. It is the smallest of the large wild cats and is categorized as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. Consider the followings statements about vaccines.
1. A Sub-unit vaccine contains live attenuated or inactivated Virus.
2. An mRNA vaccine contains genes that use the body’s cells to make the immune-triggering antigen. Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
3. "IC15" seen in news is related to
(a) Electronic Gadgets
(b) Cryptocurrency
(c) Sportive Car
(d) Cloned mammal
4. The Global Hunger Index is published by
(a) World Economic Forum
(b) Food and Agriculture Organization
(c) United Nations Population Fund
(d) Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe
5.Consider the following statements regarding “Great Indian Bustard”.
1. It is listed as critically endangered species in IUCN list.
2. Its largest population is found in Rajasthan.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only.
(b) 2 only.
(c) Both 1 and 2.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2.
Answers
1. b
https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/clouded-leopard-nagaland-mountain-cat-species-wildlife-vulnerable-iucn-1897231-2022-01-07
2. b
- Traditional vaccines such as a virion (entire virus particle) and subunit ones (pathogen fragment) contain inactivated parts of the virus that enter the body as antigens and trigger an immune response.
- A subunit vaccine is a vaccine that contains purified parts of the pathogen that are antigenic, or necessary to elicit a protective immune response.
- A "subunit" vaccine doesn't contain the whole pathogen, unlike live attenuated or inactivated vaccine, but contains only the antigenic parts such as proteins, polysaccharides or peptides. Thus statement 1 is incorrect.
- Advantage of Sub-unit vaccines:
- Because the vaccine doesn't contain "live" components of the pathogen, there is no risk of introducing the disease, and is safer and more stable than vaccine containing whole pathogens.
- Well-established technology and being suitable for immunocompromised individuals.
- Subunit vaccine can be created via genetic engineering.
- Disadvantages include:
- Relatively complex to manufacture compared to some vaccines (such as RNA vaccine), possibly requiring adjuvants and booster shots, and requiring time to examine which antigenic combinations may work best.
- mRNA or DNA vaccines contain modified genes that use the body’s cells to make the immune-triggering antigen.
3. b - https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/business-news-all-you-need-to-know-about-ic15-indias-first-crypto-index/408698
4. d - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/global-hunger-index-ranks-india-at-101-out-of-116-countries/article36998777.ece
5. c - https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/green-energy-projects-threaten-the-last-refuges-of-the-endangered-great-indian-bustard/article35228542.ece#:~:text=The%20bustard%20has%20had%20a,viable%20population%20of%20the%20species.
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- Earlier this year (2021), in a bid to check the dwindling numbers of the endangered Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican, a Supreme Court bench directed that overhead power lines be laid underground, wherever feasible, passing along the habitat of the birds in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
- Concerns Raised:
- Implications for the Power Sector in India:
- The area falling in Rajasthan and Gujarat contains a large proportion of the country’s total solar and wind energy potential.
- Laying power lines underground will escalate the cost of renewable energy production and hurt India’s renewable energy cause.
- Energy transition is essential for reducing emission and controlling climate change and India has made international commitments including under the agreement signed in Paris in 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for transition to non-fossil fuels and for emission reduction.
- India has set a target to achieve installed renewable energy capacity (excluding large Hydro) of 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
- Chances of Renewable Energy to Remain Untapped:
- So far, only a miniscule 3% of the estimated potential of around 263 GW renewable energy in this area has been tapped.
- If the remaining potential stays untapped, an additional 93,000 MW of coal fired capacity will be needed to replace the unutilised renewable energy in the future which would cause an adverse direct impact on the environment.
Great Indian Bustard (GIB)
-
- It is the State bird of Rajasthan and is considered India’s most critically endangered bird.
- It is considered the flagship grassland species, representing the health of the grassland ecology.
- Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- The bird is under constant threats due to collision/electrocution with power transmission lines, hunting (still prevalent in Pakistan), habitat loss and alteration as a result of widespread agricultural expansion, etc.
- Protection Status:
- International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List: Critically Endangered
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix 1
- Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): Appendix I
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1
- Measures taken to protect GIB:
- Species Recovery Programme:
- It is kept under the species recovery programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- National Bustard Recovery Plans:
- It is currently being implemented by conservation agencies.
- Conservation Breeding Facility:
- MoEF&CC, Rajasthan government and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have also established a conservation breeding facility in Desert National Park at Jaisalmer in June 2019.
- The objective of the programme is to build up a captive population of Great Indian Bustards and to release the chicks in the wild for increasing the population.
- Project Great Indian Bustard:
- It has been launched by the Rajasthan government with an aim of constructing breeding enclosures for the species and developing infrastructure to reduce human pressure on its habitats.
- Eco-Friendly Measures:
- Task Force for suggesting eco-friendly measures to mitigate impacts of power transmission lines and other power transmission infrastructures on wildlife including the Great Indian Bustard.
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