News: The 6th edition of the India International Science Festival(IISF) will be held virtually in December,2020.
Facts:
- IISF: It is a festival launched in 2015 to celebrate the achievements of India’s scientific and technological advancements with students, innovators, craftsmen, farmers, scientists and technocrats from India and abroad.
- Aim: To engage the public with science and celebrate the joy of science and show the ways how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) provide solutions to improve people’s lives.
- Organized by: Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) organise IISF every year.
- IISF 2020: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) will spearhead the IISF 2020 with support of all other concerned ministries and departments.
Additional Facts:
- Vijnana Bharati(VIBHA): It is a non-profit organisation which was previously known as ‘Swadeshi Science Movement’.It works towards popularization of science & implementation of modern technology & ancient sciences in India.
- Founded by: It was founded in 1991 by the eminent scientists of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru led by Prof. K.I. Vasu.
2. India successfully test-fired the Stand-off Anti-tank(SANT) Missile off the coast of Odisha
News: India has successfully flight tested an indigenously developed Stand-off Anti-tank(SANT) missile from a ground-based platform off Odisha coast.
Facts:
- SANT Missile: It is an air-to-surface missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) for the Indian Air Force.
- Range: The missile can destroy targets 15 km to 20 km away.
- Upgraded Version: The missile is an upgraded version of the Helicopter Launched Nag (HeliNa) missile which has a range of around 7 to 8km.
3. Explained: The giant cat drawing at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Peru
News: A giant cat geoglyph was discovered on a hill at the famous Nazca Lines site in Peru.
Facts:
- Nazca Lines: These are a group of geoglyphs or large designs made on the ground by creators using elements of the landscape such as stones, gravel, dirt or lumber.
- Location: The site is around 450 km away from Peru’s capital Lima.
- World Heritage Site: The Lines were first discovered in 1927 and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.
- Significance: These are believed to be the greatest known archaeological enigma, owing to their size, continuity, nature and quality.
4. IIT Kharagpur launched COVIRAP
News: Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Kharagpur has launched a Covid-19 test called ‘COVIRAP’.
Facts:
- COVIRAP: It is a cuboid-shaped portable testing device that can deliver results in an hour making it an effective tool to scale up Covid-19 screening in peripheral and rural areas.
Additional Facts:
- Corosure: It is a low-cost RT-PCR Covid-19 test kit developed by IIT Delhi.
5. National Deworming Day: 14 States Record Decline In Worm Infection
News: Since the launch of the ‘National Deworming Day’ in 2015, 14 states have shown a reduction in worm infections prevalent among children while nine states showed a substantial decline.
Facts:
- National Deworming Day(NDD): It is observed bi-annually since 2015 by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
- Aim: It is aimed at eradicating intestinal worms also known as Soil-Transmitted Helminths(STH) among children in the age group of 1-19 years.
- What happens on Deworming Day? Children and adolescents aged 1-19 years are administered Albendazole tablets across government, government-aided schools, anganwadis, private schools and other educational institutions.
Additional Facts:
- Soil Transmitted Helminths(STH): It is a sub-group within the group of helminth infections.It is caused specifically by those helminths which are transmitted through soil contaminated with faecal matter and are therefore called soil-transmitted helminths.
- Causes: The main species that infect people are the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), the whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) and the hookworms (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale).
- Transmission: It is transmitted by eggs that are passed in the faeces of infected people.
6. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully touches asteroid
News: OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully touched an asteroid Bennu to collect dust and pebbles from the surface for delivery to Earth.
Facts:
- OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission.
- Aim: To travel to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu and bring a small sample back to Earth for study by 2023.
- Significance: The material returned is expected to enable scientists to learn more about the formation and evolution of the Solar System, its initial stages of planet formation, and the source of organic compounds that led to the formation of life on Earth.
- Uniqueness of mission: If successful, OSIRIS-REx will be the first United States spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid.
News: Haryana State has topped the Anemia Mukt Bharat(AMB) Index among 29 states in the country.
Facts:
- Anemia Mukt Bharat: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF.
- Aim: To reduce the prevalence of Anemia all over India.
- Implementation: It provides preventive and curative mechanisms through a 6x6x6 strategy including six target beneficiaries, six interventions and six institutional mechanisms for all stakeholders to implement the strategy.
- Target Beneficiaries: The target beneficiaries are Children (6-59 months), Children(5-9 years), Adolescent Girls & Boys of 10-19 years, Women of Reproductive Age (15-49 years), Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers.
- Target Interventions: Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid supplementation, Deworming, Intensified Year round behaviour change communication activities, Testing of anemia using digital methods, Mandatory provision of Iron and Folic Acid fortified foods in government-funded health programmes and Addressing non-nutritional causes of anemia.
Additional Facts:
- Anaemia: It is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiological needs which vary by age, sex, altitude, smoking and pregnancy status.
