Zoological survey of India has recently compiled the list of invasive animal species.
These are species which pose a threat to the native biodiversity and human well-being.
Papaya Mealy Bug - It belongs to Mexico and Central America.
It is believed to have destroyed huge crops of papaya in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Cotton Mealybug - It is a native of North America but has severely affected cotton crops in the Deccan.
Amazon Sailfin catfish – It is destroying fish populations in the wetlands of Kolkata.
African Apple Snail – It is said to be most invasive among all alien fauna.
It is a mollusk and was first reported in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands but today it is found all across the country.
Orange Cup-Coral – It originated in the Indo-East Pacific.
It has been reported in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Gulf of Kutch, Kerala and Lakshadweep.
Nyaya Gram
It is a township with a judicial academy and auditorium in the Allahabad High Court.
The U.P state government has provided the funding for this judicial infrastructure.
And U.P public works department is the nominated construction agency.
It will help judges to assemble and deliberate on the contemporary legislation and developments in the field of law.
Gene to Tackle Stress Faced By Plants
Plants during their lifetime face biotic stress induced by living entities (pathogens) and abiotic stress caused by non-living entities (drought, osmotic stress, chemical or salt stress).
Scientists have recently discovered a single gene whose expression controls the plants’ response to both biotic and abiotic stress.
Hsp31 is a heat shock protein found in the plants. Over expression of this protein renders them tolerant to stresses.
Methylglyoxal is an aldehyde which regulates processes such as cell proliferation and its survival at lower concentrations. But above a certain level it becomes toxic, targeting proteins and DNA to turn them non-functional.
Hsp31 protein is found to detoxify the methylglyoxal when it reaches higher concentration.
The protein is similar to PARK7 protein in humans which is linked to the early onset of Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers believe that this finding can be used to engineer plants that can withstand, for instance, drought or bacterial infections.
Kangri
Kangri is an earthen pot filled with burning charcoal traditionally used in Kashmir to keep them warm during the winter season.
It is held by its handle under a long loose woolen garment which people in the Valley wear.
As a part of their culture, parents give a specially designed pot to their daughter in the first winter after her wedding.
It is being displayed as a work of art in affluent households, especially in urban Kashmir.
Kangri-making is a cottage industry, providing employment to many men and women.
But it is slowly losing out its relevance due to its ill-effects such as causing rashes and burns as well as due to affordability of modern heating appliances like electric and gas heaters.
Wakaleo Schouteni
It is a new species of marsupial lion discovered in Australia which has been extinct for at least 19 million years.
It was a meat eating predator existing in the late Oligocene to early Miocene era (some 18 to 26 million years ago).
It is named in honour of palaeo-artist Peter Schouten.
With this new finding, it is believed that two different species of marsupial lions were present in Oligocene era.
Sampark, Samanvay, Samvad
It is a conclave organized by the Ministry of Railways to discuss and deliberate “Vision for New Railway – New India 2022”.
The conclave is aimed at
breaking the boundary put up by railway organization in sharing information (sampark)
improve co-ordination (samanvay)
find solutions (samvad) to the critical issues facing Indian Railways
It encouraged all officers to give inputs and bring out the ground realities and potential impediments to implementation of new policies and reforms.
