The Earth has not one, but three moons

• The research research says that the new moons are entirely made up of extremely tiny dust particles of less than one millimetre size and reflect light rather faintly.
• This is the reason why they were difficult to observe and study in the first place even when they are located at around the same distance as the Moon from the Earth—400,000 kilometres.
• In 1961, Kazimierz Kordylewski, a Polish scientist had observed these moons for the first time and they were later named after him as Kordylewski Dust Clouds (KDCs). But their existence has been questioned by astronomers for the past six decades and not many accurate models or simulations of these objects are available.
• In the current study, using special filters on their cameras which polarise incoming light to catch hold of and study the scattered light from the dust particles inside these moons.
• Though the dust clouds themselves are ancient the particles that they are comprised of change and are replaced over time.
• They take in dust from various sources—remnants of planets, comets, meteors, asteroids and other objects loitering around in space. When the Earth, the Sun or the Moon destabilise, the particles slip away with their gravity and particles from other sources replace them.
• Kordylewski had discovered the dust clouds close to a special point in space known as L5 which is a Lagrange point of the Earth-Moon gravitational system.

Lagrange points

• Lagrange points are places of equilibrium in space where gravitational forces of two large and solid astronomical objects like the Earth and the Moon cancel out the centrifugal forces.
• Many other small celestial objects are often found around Lagrange points. For example, there are minor planets close to the Lagrange points of the Sun-Earth gravitational system and the Sun-Jupiter system.
• Such points are also ideal for parking satellites and other space vehicles as the fuel consumption is considerably lower here.
• They will be essential for space exploration projects as transfer stations where space shuttles and stations can stop over on long journeys to other planets and even the Sun.
• There are five such points of stability identified in any such two-body system including the Earth-Moon system.

Shri Manoj Ahuja launches new campaign for banks underAgri Infra Fund titled Banks Heralding Accelerated Rural and Agriculture Transformation Campaign

• It is a one month-long Campaign with a target of Rs 7200 crore.
• It aims to get active involvement and support of members of commercial Banks in the public and private sector, Regional Rural Banks, Small Finance Banks, NBFCs and select cooperative Banks in promoting the Scheme of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

• It is a Central Sector Scheme which was launched in 2020
• The scheme shall provide a medium - long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.
• Duration: The duration of the Scheme shall be from FY2020 to FY2032 (10 years).
• Benefits
  • All loans under this financing facility will have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs. 2 crores. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.
  • Further, credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to Rs. 2 crores. The fee for this coverage will be paid by the Government.
  • In case of FPOs the credit guarantee may be availed from the facility created under FPO promotion scheme of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DACFW).
  • Moratorium for repayment under this financing facility may vary subject to minimum of 6 months and maximum of 2 years

Discovery of 500-million-year-old fossil reveals astonishing secrets of tunicate origins

• The new fossil, named Megasiphon thylakos, revealed that ancestral tunicates lived as stationary, filter-feeding adults and likely underwent metamorphosis from a tadpole-like larva.

Tunicates

• These are commonly called sea squirts which are a group of marine animals.
• They spend most of their lives attached to docks, rocks or the undersides of boats.
• About 3,000 species of tunicate exist in the world’s oceans, living mostly in shallow water.
• They are a species of marine invertebrates with an evolutionary history from at least 500 million years ago.
• Researchers are interested in them as they are the closest relatives of vertebrates, which includes fish, mammals, and people.
• There are two main tunicate lineages namely;
  • Ascidiaceans: They are often called “sea squirts and most ascidiaceans begin their lives looking like a tadpole and mobile, then metamorph into a barrel-shaped adult with two siphons. They live their adult life attached to the seafloor.
  • Appendicularias: They retain the look of a tadpole as they grow to adults and swim freely in the upper waters. These seem extremely far removed from vertebrates.
• Features
  • Tunicates are truly strange creatures that come in all shapes and sizes and have a wide variety of lifestyles.
  • An adult tunicate’s basic shape is typically barrel-like, with two siphons projecting from its body.
  • One of the siphons draws in water with food particles through suction, allowing the animal to feed using an internal basket-like filter device.
  • The other siphon expels the water.

Sediments decode climate and environmental changes on Kaas Plateau around 8664 years BP

• Sediment profile dating back to 8000 years which helped decode climatic signatures indicated a relatively reduced rainfall and weak southwest monsoon during the late Holocene (around 2827 years BP).
• The seasonal lake in the Kaas Plateau is probably a product of an erosional localized shallow depression on a pediment (rock debris) developed over the crust.
• During the early to mid-Holocene, at around 8664 years ago, pollen, as well as diatom data, indicated a change in the climate from freshwater to drier conditions with low rainfall.
• Surprisingly, there was a significant rise in the number of diatoms in between.
• This suggests a major shift in the Indian summer Monsoon activity during that time, possibly resulting in intermittent humid periods amidst the dry spells.
• There was a decrease in rainfall and a weakened southwest Monsoon during the late Holocene (around 2827 years BP).
• During the recent past (around last 1000 years), pollen, as well as the presence of a high number of planktonic and pollution-tolerant diatom taxa indicated lake eutrophication, possibly due to human impact and cattle/livestock farming in the catchment.

Kaas Plateau

• It is nestled in the Western Ghats is about 140 km from Pune.
• It is part of the Western Ghats which was declared as world natural heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2012
• It is known as Kaas Pathar in Marathi, its name is derived from the Kaasa tree, botanically known as Elaeocarpus glandulosus (rudraksha family).
• It is also known as valley of flowers which is situated at a mighty altitude of 1200 metres.
• It is a major biodiversity hotspot owing to the many varieties of endemic flowers and butterflies that are found here.

Italy plans to buy Leopard 2 tanks to boost ground forces

Leopard 2 battle tank

• It is a German made main battle tank.
• Manufacturer: Developed by German weapons manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
• Leopard was first produced in the late 1990s for the West German army in response to Soviet threats during the Cold War.
• The Leopard 2 tanks are mainly used by the German military. More than a dozen countries in Europe as well as other countries like Canada are also using these tanks.
• Features:
  • It has a crew of four and a range of about 500 kilometres (310 miles).
  • Weight: 55 tonnes
  • Top speed: 68 km/h (42mph).
  • Its main weapon is a 120mm smooth bore gun, and it has a fully-digital fire-control system.
  • It is also armed with two coaxial light machine guns.
  • They also provide “all-round protection” for troops from threats such as mines, anti-tank fire, and improvised explosive devices

Google unveils NFT policy for Play Store to incorporate tokens into games.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

• NFTs are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated.
• They can represent digital or real-world items like artwork, photograph, song, video, real estate, individuals'' identities, property rights, and more.
• Thus, NFTs are assets that have been tokenized via a blockchain. They are assigned unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from other tokens.
• The term ‘non-fungible’ simply means that each token is different as opposed to a fungible currency such as money (a ten-rupee note can be exchanged for another and so on).
• NFTs can be traded and exchanged for money, cryptocurrencies, or other NFTs—it all depends on the value the market and owners have placed on them.
• NFT transactions are recorded on blockchains, which is a digital public ledger, with most NFTs being a part of the Ethereum blockchain.
• NFTs became popular in 2021, when they were beginning to be seen by artists as a convenient way to monetise their work.

Blockchain Technology

• A blockchain is essentially a digital ledger of transactions that is duplicated and distributed across the entire network of computer systems on the blockchain.
• Each block in the chain contains a number of transactions, and every time a new transaction occurs on the blockchain, a record of that transaction is added to every participant’s ledger.
• Decentralized blockchains are immutable, which means that the data entered is irreversible.
• This means if one block in one chain was changed, it would be immediately apparent it had been tampered with.

Alphabet shares soar after it expands Bard chatbot internationally

Bard Chatbot

• It is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by Alphabet, parent company of Google.
• It is an example of generative AI that can respond to questions in a human-like way.
• Features:
  • Users can interact with the Bard chatbot in 40 languages, including nine Indian languages.
  • Users can change the tone and style of Bard''s responses to either simple, long, short, professional or casual.
  • They can pin or rename conversations, export code to more places and use images in prompts.

Generative AI

• Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of AI that can create a wide variety of data, such as images, videos, audio, text, and 3D models.
• It does this by learning patterns from existing data, then using this knowledge to generate new and unique outputs.
• GenAI is capable of producing highly realistic and complex content that mimics human creativity, making it a valuable tool for many industries such as gaming, entertainment, and product design.

90 Southern Railway stations to get a facelift under Amrit Bharat scheme

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS)

• It envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term vision.
• The scheme will subsume all previous redevelopment projects where work is yet to begin.
• The scheme aims at preparation of Master Plans of the Railway stations and implementation of the Master Plan in phases to enhance the facilities including and beyond the Minimum Essential Amenities.
• However, plans and consequent budgets will only be approved on the basis of factors such as footfall and inputs from stakeholders.
• Zonal railways have been given the responsibility of selecting stations, which will then be approved by a committee of senior railway officials.
• The model envisages low-cost redevelopment of stations which can be executed timely.
• The scheme shall cater for introduction of new amenities as well as upgradation and replacement of existing amenities.
• Facilities Planned under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme:
  • Provision for Roof Plaza to be created in future.
  • Free Wi-Fi, space for 5G mobile towers.
  • Smooth access by widening of roads, removal of unwanted structures, properly designed signages, dedicated pedestrian pathways, well planned parking areas, improved lighting etc.
  • Attempts shall be made to club different grades/types of waiting halls and provide good cafeteria/retail facilities as far as possible.
  • Better furniture will be installed in waiting rooms, platforms, rest rooms and offices.
  • High level platforms(760-840 mill meter) shall be provided at all categories of stations.
  • Special amenities for the disabled as per guidelines issued by the Railway Board from time to time.

North Korea says test launch was latest Hwasong-18 ICBM

• It is a type of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by North Korea.
• It is North Korea''s first ICBM to use solid-fuel, which allows for faster launches.

Solid Fuel vs Liquid Fuel Missiles:

• Liquid propellants provide greater propulsive thrust and power, but require more complex technology and extra weight.
• Solid fuel is dense and burns quite quickly, generating thrust over a short time.
• Solid fuel can remain in storage for an extended period without degrading or breaking down - a common issue with liquid fuel.
• Solid-fuel missiles are easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquid-fuel weapons.

Ballistic Missile

• It is a rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined target.
• Ballistic missiles are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target.
• Ballistic missiles can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.
• What is an ICBM? An ICBM, is a long-range (greater than 5,500 km or 3,500 miles) ballistic missile typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery, that is, delivering one or more nuclear warheads.