WHO recommends groundbreaking malaria vaccine for children at risk

• It took more than 30 years and approximately $700 million for this breakthrough.
• Malaria kills nearly 600,000 people every year, the majority of whom are children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Malaria is a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
• The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
• There are many different types of plasmodium parasite, but only 5 types cause malaria in humans.
  • Plasmodium falciparum – mainly found in Africa, it''s the most common type of malaria parasite and is responsible for most malaria deaths worldwide.
  • Plasmodium vivax – mainly found in Asia and South America, this parasite causes milder symptoms than Plasmodium falciparum, but it can stay in the liver for up to 3 years, which can result in relapses.
  • Plasmodium ovale – fairly uncommon and usually found in West Africa, it can remain in your liver for several years without producing symptoms.
  • Plasmodium malariae – this is quite rare and usually only found in Africa.
  • Plasmodium knowlesi – this is very rare and found in parts of Southeast Asia.
• Transmission:
  • The plasmodium parasite is spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which are known as "night-biting" mosquitoes because they most commonly bite between dusk and dawn.

What is partial stubble burning and why do many farmers resort to this

• After harvesting, farmers opting for partial burning let the loose straw dry for a couple of days and then they set these dumps on fire to prepare the field for the next crop.
• In such cases, the standing stubble, which is mostly green, does not get burnt fully but it gets scorched close to those places in the field where loose straw is burnt.
• And in the case of air pollution, it will be around 40-50% less as they only burn around 50% to 60% of the total stubble in such cases.

Stubble management machines:

• The state has distributed 1.05 lakh stubble management machines and a large number of individual farmers and groups of farmers have purchased these machines on subsidy.
• Farmers who do not have these machines but want to manage the stubble, get these on rent from farmers groups and cooperative societies.
• However, even after having three main machines such as Happy Seeder, Smart Seeder and Super seeder, many farmers are resorting to partial burning.
• The three machines ensure that there is no need for partial burning even after harvesting as stubble clearing is not required to sow wheat.

Lunar Eclipse on November 8

• An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon – when Earth is located directly between the Sun and the Moon –, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth''s shadow.
• That shadow is composed of two cone-shaped components -
  • The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun''s rays from reaching the Moon.
  • The inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
• **Types:**Astronomers recognize three basic types of lunar eclipses –
• **Penumbral Lunar Eclipse:**The Moon passes through Earth''s penumbral shadow. These events are of only academic interest because they are subtle and hard to observe.
• **Partial Lunar Eclipse:**A portion of the Moon passes through Earth''s umbral shadow. These events are easy to see, even with the unaided eye.
• **Total Lunar Eclipse:**The entire Moon passes through Earth''s umbral shadow. These events are quite striking due to the Moon''s vibrant red colour during the total phase (totality).

Anthropological Survey of India builds tribal hut replicas to promote unique heritage

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands which have originally been the abode of six aboriginal tribes i.e., the Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompens.
• Except Nicobarese, the rest of the 05 tribes are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The tribes of the Islands belong to two different races.
• The Andamanese, Jarawas, Onges and the Sentinelese living in the Andaman group of islands belong to the Negrito group while the Nicobarese and Shompens, living in Nicobar Islands belong to the Mongoloid group.
• The tribes in the two regions have shown a marked difference in racial, linguistic and cultural terms as also the way of life adapted by them over the centuries.

Camera traps give hope for snow leopard in Kashmir

• Snow leopard surveys have often focused in neighbouring areas of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The survey was expanded to the Baltal-Zojila region of Kashmir
• Camera trapping exercises also raised hopes for other important and rare species such as the Asiatic ibex, brown bear and Kashmir musk deer in the upper reaches of the northernmost part of India.
• Snow Leopard population estimation is part of the Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI).
• The Department of Wildlife Protection has been conducting surveys with partner NGOs to understand presence and abundance of snow leopards under the SPAI project funded by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change.
• The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has been concluded so far in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The estimated population of the great cat is 50 and 100 in these two States respectively.
• Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI):
  • It was launched on International Snow Leopard Day on 23rdOctober 2019.
  • It has evolved from international effort to develop a global protocol for PAWS under the aegis of GSELP.
  • Objective – To help the snow leopard double its population.
  • Under SPAI, a two-step process is undertaken to estimate the snow leopard population.
    • First step– An occupation-based assessment of snow leopard distribution, which involves identifying the area where the study will be conducted based on conducting preliminary surveys and using interview or sign-based methods.
    • Second step– Population sampling for regional density estimation by carrying out a thorough review of already sampled areas.
  • Online tools including a data-sharing portal, training app for identifying individual leopards through photographs and threat mapping tool would be utilized.
• Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP):
  • The GSLEP is a world first joint initiative that aims to conserve the endangered snow leopard within the broader context of also conserving valuable high mountain ecosystems.
  • It unites all 12 range country governments, nongovernmental and inter-governmental organisations, local communities, and the private sector around this aim.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch again after three years

• This is considered as a National Security Space Launch for the U.S. military.
• This is the fourth launch of the giant rocket system, and the first one in nearly three years since its last launch in 2019.
• SpaceX claims Falcon Heavy to be the most powerful rocket in the world today by a factor of two.
• With a lifting capacity of around 64 metric tonnes into orbit, Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy.
• Falcon Heavy has 27 Merlin engines which together generate more than five million pounds of thrust at lift-off, equalling around eighteen 747 aircraft at full power.
• The rocket can lift the equivalent of a fully loaded 737 jetliner, complete with passengers, luggage and fuel, to orbit.
• Merlin is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles.
• Merlin engines use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle.
• These engines were designed for recovery and reuse.

New honeybee species, endemic to Western Ghats, found

• The new species has been named Apis karinjodian and given the common name Indian black honeybee.
• It is after a gap of more than 200 years that a new species of honeybee has been spotted in the Western Ghats.
• The last honeybee described from India was Apis indica in 1798 by Fabricius. Although Fabricius named the Indian bee Apis indica, it was not considered a valid species till now.
• The research team restored the status of Apis indica based on a new measure for species discrimination in honeybees termed ‘Radio-Medial Index (RMI)’.
• While proving the distinct identity of Apis indica, led to the discovery of Apis karinjodian.
• Apis karinjodian has evolved from Apis cerana morphotypes that got acclimatised to the hot and humid environment of the Western Ghats.
• The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, covering the States of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Royal black: Pink City’s indelible  kali syahi has written reams of history

• The fourth generation of the family now produces the ink every Deepavali.
• While the erstwhile royal family used the ink for its official transactions, the businessmen of the princely State used it to write their accounts.
• Even universities established after Independence awarded degrees written with this ink. The ink was believed to ward off evil and bring prosperity to its users.
• The ink was made of natural ingredients using a traditional procedure handed down from generations.
• The black ink is prepared on a no-moon night with the chanting of mantras.
• It is made of kaajal (homemade mascara), gondh (edible gum) and other locally sourced herbal ingredients.
• The ink has medicinal properties, as some of its ingredients were used in the traditional Ayurvedic system for the treatment and healing of wounds.

PM urges citizens to visit Nadabet and other border areas as part of Seema darshan to further tourism

• It was initiated with the aim to provide an opportunity to the people so that they can visualize the life and work of the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on our border.
• Nadabet is located in the Rann of Kutch region. It is also known as the ‘Wagah of Gujarat’.
• The access provided to civilians at Nadabet to view the fenced international border with Pakistan at ‘Zero Point’.
• Nadabet played a key role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. It was in this region that the BSF not only stalled the enemy trying to invade from the west, but also captured 15 enemy posts.
• During the war, the BSF had captured 1,038 square km of Pakistan territory in Nagarparkar and Diplo areas. The area was returned to Pakistan after the Shimla Agreement was signed.
• BSF has set up a unique memorial museum named Seema Darshan to create awareness about the duties of BSF to the general public and the incidents of bravery at Sam sand dunes in Jaislamer.