Astronomers Find Super-Earth Exoplanet in Habitable Zone of TOI-715

• Using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have discovered and characterised a habitable zone planet named TOI-715b.
• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is a NASA mission that''s searching for planets orbiting the brightest stars in Earth''s sky.
• The satellite is a follow-up to NASA''s highly successful Kepler space telescope, which found thousands of exoplanets during a decade of work after its launch in 2009.
• Launch: It was launched on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket out of Cape Canaveral.
• Orbit: TESS circles Earth in a unique high Earth orbit of 12 to 15 days, which is inclined in such a way that the telescope’s sky view is largely free from obstructions by our bright planet and the Moon.
• Over the course of its two-year primary mission, TESS’ four sensitive cameras systematically scanned over 200,000 of the nearest and brightest stars, imaging 75% of the sky. It found 2,100 planetary candidates and 66 confirmed exoplanets.
• The prime mission ended on July 4, 2020, and TESS is now on an extended mission.
• TESS is finding planets ranging from small, rocky worlds to giant planets, showcasing the diversity of planets in the galaxy.

How does TESS find exoplanets?

• It uses the transit method to detect planets.
• It looks for periodic dips in stars'' brightness as planets cross in front of them along our sightline.
• The larger the planet, the greater the drop in brightness during the transit.
• How long it takes a planet to pass in front of the star and come back tells us the shape of its orbit.
• This method reveals the diameter of the planet and the size of its orbit.
• Orbits within a certain range lie in the “habitable zone”, where liquid water can exist on the surface of an Earth-like world.

Madagascar: giant tortoises have returned 600 years after they were wiped out.

• A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600 years.
• Aldabra giant tortoise is the second-largest species of land tortoise in the world, after the Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra).
• It can live for 100 years and has a fascinating history.
• This tortoise evolved from ancestors of Aldabrachelys abrupta, one of two giant tortoises that inhabited Madagascar for 15 million years.
• Four million years ago, the Aldabrachelys abruptalineage migrated, likely via a combination of drifting with floating vegetation and assisted by their natural buoyancy and good swimming abilities, to Seychelles.
• These are endemic to the Aldabra Atoll of the Seychelles, an archipelago nation in the western Indian Ocean about 930 miles east of Africa and northeast of Madagascar.

Habitat:

• These are terrestrial and occur in a wide variety of habitats, including scrub forests, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes and beaches, each with their respective vegetation.
• The largest populations of tortoises are found on grasslands called "platins."
• Due to prolonged periods of heavy grazing, a habitat known as “tortoise turf”, consisting of a variety of grasses, has developed in certain areas.

Conservation status

• IUCN: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix II

Invasive thrips caused 80% damage to chilli crops, Rajya Sabha told

• Union Agriculture Minister informed the Rajya Sabha that Thrips Parvispinus might have dominated or even replaced the native chilli thrips known as scirtothrips dorsalis in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh region.
• Thrips Parvispinus is an invasive pest species.
• It is a polyphagous pest, which can also grow and multiply on alternate hosts like drumstick, pigeon pea, chickpea, papaya, mango and weed species like Parthenium, Cleome viscosa, Prosopis sp., Lantana camara, Calotropis sp., Tecoma sp. and wild solanum plants.
• It has been reported from Thailand, Australia and Europe.
• The last two decades witnessed a drastic extension in the geographic distribution and it is now known to occur in France, Greece, Hawaii, Mauritius, Reunion, Spain, Tanzania and the Netherlands, besides India.
• In India, this species was first reported on Papaya from Bengaluru in 2015.
• Thrips parvispinus adults mainly colonise on flowers and the underside of leaves whereas larvae suck sap from the undersurface of the leaves.
• Infestation causes heavy flower drop thereby reducing fruit production.
• Its infestation increased during heavy rainfall of North East monsoon in contrast to other thrips species.

What are Thrips?

• Thrips are an important group of sucking pests which cause significant economic losses both as pests and vectors of serious plant viruses in several horticultural crops.
• There are reports of the outbreak of sucking pests like thrips in different regions due to changes in crop production patterns, pesticide usage and climate change.

Black-necked Crane

• The Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed the Lok Sabha about the important steps taken to protect Black-necked Crane by the government.
• The Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) is classed as a medium-sized member of the crane family.
• Habitat: The high-altitude wetlands in the Tibetan plateau are the main breeding ground of the species. These wetlands with small mounds provide an excellent habitat for the birds to breed.
• Distribution: This species is found in India, China and Bhutan and breeds in high-altitude wetlands in the Tibetan plateau at elevations of 2950-4900 m above mean sea level.
• Threats: Habitat loss and degradation related to climate change, changes in agriculture practices, pollution and environmental contamination.

Conservation status

• IUCN: Near Threatened
• The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• CITES: Appendix I

The important steps taken by the government of India to protect bird species include:

• The important habitats of the Black-necked Crane have been notified as Protected Areas, for example, Changthang Sanctuary, Ladakh.
• The Tso Kar Wetlands Complex, an important foraging and breeding ground for Black-necked Crane, has been designated as a Ramsar Site in December 2020.
• The National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031) released by the Ministry in October 2017 provides for specific Chapters and priority actions on various aspects of wildlife conservation.
• The Central Government provides financial assistance to State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ for the management of wildlife and its habitat in the country.
• The Government of India has initiated the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) programme, which aims to generate public awareness about the environment, and conservation.

MERA GAON MERI DHAROHAR

• The Union Minister for Culture, Tourism And Development of North Eastern Region informed the Lok Sabha about the Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar programme.
• It is a pan-India initiative of the Ministry of Culture under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping and was launched on 27th July 2023.
• It seeks to compile comprehensive information detailing the life, history, and ethos of Indian villages and to make the same available to virtual and real-time visitors.

Under the MGMD, information is collected under seven broad categories as given below-

• Arts and Crafts Village
• Ecologically Oriented Village
• Scholastic Village Linked with Textual and Scriptural Traditions of India
• Epic Village linked with Ramayana, Mahabharata and/or Puranic legends and oral epics
• Historical Village linked with Local and National History
• Architectural Heritage Village
• Any other characteristic that may need highlighting such as fishing village, horticulture village, shepherding village etc.
• Objective: The main objective of the project is to culturally map India''s 6.5 lakh villages, spanning 29 States and 7 Union Territories, on a comprehensive virtual platform.
• Through MGMD, people will get an opportunity to immerse themselves in the diverse and vibrant cultural heritage of India.
• The core idea behind this project is to encourage appreciation for India''s culture and traditions, paving the way for economic growth, social harmony, and artistic development in rural communities.

The financial outlay of Rs.353.46 Crore is approved under the scheme of Financial Assistance for Promotion of Art and Culture consisting of 08 scheme components namely;

• Financial Assistance to Cultural organisations with National Presence
• Cultural Function & Production Grant (CFPG)
• Financial Assistance for the Preservation & Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas
• Financial Assistance for the Preservation & Development of Buddhist/Tibetan Organization
• Financial Assistance for Building Grants including Studio Theatres
• Financial Assistance For Allied Cultural Activities
• Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Hindu Kush Himalaya is a ‘biosphere on the brink’: ICIMOD

• Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) declared the Hindu Kush Himalaya region a biosphere on the brink of collapse and called for bold action and urgent finance to prevent nature loss.
• The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
• It was formally established and inaugurated on 5 December 1983.
• Mission: To build and share knowledge that drives regional policy and action and attracts investment that enables the diverse countries and communities of the HKH to transition to greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient development.
• Member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Governance

• The Board of Governors is the highest governing body of the centre.
• It consists of one representative from each of the eight regional member countries and independent members who are nominated by the ICIMOD Support Group based on their recognized professional expertise and experience.

Functions

• It serves the region through information and knowledge generation and sharing to find innovative solutions to critical mountain problems.
• It bridges science with policies and on-the-ground practices.
• It provides a regional platform where experts, planners, policymakers, and practitioners can exchange ideas and perspectives towards the achievement of sustainable mountain development.
• Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal

Key facts about Hindu Kush Himalaya

• The HKH region extends 3,500 km over all or part of eight countries from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east.
• It is the source of ten large Asian river systems – the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra (Yarlungtsanpo), Irrawaddy, Salween (Nu), Mekong (Lancang), Yangtse (Jinsha), Yellow River (Huanghe), and Tarim (Dayan).
• It provides water, ecosystem services, and the basis for livelihoods to people in the region.