Uttarakhand has become the first Indian state to launch a Gross environment product Index (GEPI).

About Gross Environment Product Index:

• GEPI is a novel method to evaluate ecological development caused by human interventions.
• Four pillars of GEPI: Air, soil, tree and water. 
• Formula: 
  • GEP index = (Air- GEP index + Water- GEP index + Soil-GEP index + Forest-GEP index.

Significance:

• Help assess the impact of anthropological pressure on our ecosystem and natural resources.
• Also Calculates what we put back into the environment. 
• Quantifies contributions of natural ecosystems to the economy and overall welfare.

Scientists have found that Prokaryotes are remarkably resilient to climate change and may dominate marine environment. 

About Prokaryotes 

• Microscopic single-celled organisms including bacteria, blue green algae, etc.  
• Absence of a defined nuclear region, and membrane-bound cell organelles.
• Have a single chromosome. 

About Eukaryotes

• Includes plants, animals and fungi.
• Have a well-defined nucleus as well as membrane- enclosed organelles. 
• Eukaryotic cells may be either unicellular or multicellular.
• Have multiple chromosomes.
• All eukaryotic cells are not identical. Plant and animal cells are different as former possess cell walls, plastids and a large central vacuole are absent in animal cells.

Researchers highlight that biosurfactants can be produced using green substrates from agro-industrial waste. 

Surfactants

• A surfactant (surface-active agent) is a substance that, when added to a liquid, reduces its surface tension, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties. E.g., Detergent. 

About Biosurfactants

• They are active compounds that are produced at microbial cell surface or excreted, and reduce surface and interfacial tension. 
• Produced by bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi. 
• Microbial surfactants advantages over synthetic ones: 
  • Low toxicity and high biodegradability.
  • Remain active at extreme pH and salinity.

Indigenous tetravalent dengue vaccine, DengiAll has proceeded toward its phase-3 clinical trials. 

• Trial would be conducted with collaboration of Indian Council of Medical Research and Panacea Biotec.

Dengue (Break-Bone Fever)

• Viral infection that transmits with bite of an infected female Aedes mosquitoes (also responsible for chikungunya, Zika).
• Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.
• It can escalate to severe conditions like dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome in adults. 
• Currently, there is no antiviral treatment or licensed vaccine against dengue in India.

New study highlighted that microwave ovens host thriving microbial communities and extremophiles.

About Extremophile

• Extremophiles are organisms with the ability to thrive in extreme environments under high pressure, temperature, radiation, salinity etc. E.g. Archaea thrive in extreme environment.
• Unique enzymes used by these organisms, called "extremozymes," enable these organisms to function in such forbidding environments. 
• Plays crucial role in maintaining plant growth and crop productivity in regions with adverse conditions.
• Applications in biotechnology, biodegradation, bioremediation, biorefinery along with other industries like pharmaceuticals, food, agricultural, cosmetics, and textile.

President has approved 103 Gallantry awards to Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces personnel on Independence Day 2024. 

About Gallantry Awards

• Order of precedence of awards: Param Vir Chakra, Ashoka Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
• Announced twice in a year - first on occasion of Republic Day and then on occasion of Independence Day. 
• Wartime Gallantry Awards i.e. Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted in 1950.
• Ashoka Chakra Class-I, Class-II and Class-III were instituted in 1952. Later renamed as Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra respectively in 1967. 
  • These are Peacetime Gallantry Awards.

A package suspected to contain Californium was seized in Patna.

About Californium

• Silvery white Synthetic radioactive element with Atomic Number 98.
  • A synthetic element is an element of the Periodic Table that has been created in a lab.
• Discovered by Stanley Thompson, Kenneth Street et al. in 1950 and named after University of California.
• It is highly radioactive (very strong neutron emitter) and prohibitively expensive.
• Applications: Portable metal detectors, gold and silver ore identification, help start up nuclear reactors etc.
• Threats: Can damage genetic makeup, Hazardous to health(due to radioactivity) etc.

Dahisar and Kandivali in Mumbai have been added to the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

About Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

• Ministry of Railways
• Objectives: To develop/upgrade railway stations to provide enhanced and modern facilities to passengers. 
  • Intends to upgrade and modernize a total of 1275 stations. 
• Involves a long term vision creating Master Plans like better accessibility, free Wi-Fi, promoting initiatives like 'One Station One Product', etc.
• Seamless multi-modal connectivity and to enable the station function as a city center, act as a driver of local economy and facilitate Transit Oriented Development.