Prelim Bits 29-02-2024 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

PAN tropical investigation of bio-Geo-chemistry and Ecological Adaptation (PANGEA)

Scientists across the globe convened in Cameroon to initiate a knowledge-sharing initiative to guide Project PANGEA.

• Funding - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Aim - To understand the combined effects of climate and land-use change in tropical forests within and between continents.
• Objectives -
  1. To examine similarities and differences in forest composition, structure and biogeochemical cycling across tropical regions.
  2. To evaluate the vulnerability and resilience of tropical forest ecosystems to global change.
  3. To guide decision making to support societal responses to climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity conservation.

Quick Facts

References

1. Down To Earth | Study to unravel mysteries of tropical forests
2. Tropical Forest Scoping | PANGEA

Obelisks

Rod-shaped fragments of RNA called “obelisks” were discovered in gut and mouth bacteria for the first time.

• It is a new form of life lying between viruses and viroids on the scale of simplicity.
• Like viroids, obelisks have a circular single-stranded RNA genome and no protein coat but, like viruses, their genomes contain genes that are predicted to code for proteins.
• Even though they are smaller than viruses, they can still transmit instructions to cells.

Viruses, prions and viroids are non-living organisms that require a living cellular host in order to reproduce.

• All obelisks encode a single major protein known as obulin.
• Obelisks may cause neither harm nor benefit to their microbial host, or to humans.
• The discovery was made possible using data obtained using a powerful technique called next-generation sequencing (NGS).
• The researchers linked one particular obelisk to the bacterial species Streptococcus sanguinis, commonly found in the human mouth.

References

1. The Hindu – Obelisks join viruses, viroids as 3rd unusual life form
2. The Conservation – A new virus-like entity has just been discovered
3. Vice – Scientists discovered strange ‘entities’ called ‘obelisks’

Panda Diplomacy

China is renewing its panda diplomacy project as it is planning to loan the San Diego Zoo a pair of giant pandas.

• Panda diplomacy - The Chinese government gifts or loans pandas endemic to the country to other countries as a symbol of friendship or soft diplomacy, hence leading to the phrase panda diplomacy.
• Loaning Pandas - China Wildlife Conservation Authority signed agreements with San Diego and Madrid, for loaning pandas, and is also in talks with zoos in Washington D.C. and Vienna, Austria for the same.
• Tang Dynasty - Panda diplomacy essentially picked up in the mid-to-late 20th century, however it existed as early as during the Tang Dynasty that ruled between 7th and 10th century.

In 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping similarly described pandas as envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

• Modern diplomacy - China has gifted pandas to countries like the U.S., the U.K., France, and Japan, and 1972 is often believed to be the start of modern panda diplomacy.
• China stopped gifting pandas in early 1980s, and instead started loaning them at a fee of around $1 million per year.

Panda deals with Canada, France, and Australia coincided with these countries’ uranium deals and contracts with China.

References

1. The Hindu – What is China’s panda diplomacy?
2. The Indian Express – China signs panda conservation pact with US zoo
3. BBC – A brief history of 'panda diplomacy'

BioTRIG

A new waste management technology that allows pyrolysis at a community to help rural Indians cut indoor air pollution, improve soil health, and generate clean power, introduced.

• BioTRIG - It is a community level pyrolysis system that runs on villagers’ waster.
• BioTRIG can provide multiple benefits to the Below Poverty Level (BPL) rural communities.
• The project also envisions using clean-burning bio-oil to replace dirty cooking fuels in homes and using bio char to store carbon, while improving soil fertility.

References

1. Down To Earth – New waste management technology
2. ARS USDA – What Is Pyrolysis?