Current Affairs Reverse Engineering – CARE (08-05-2024)
| News at a Glance |
| Environment and Ecology: Maharashtra to translocate tigers to Sahyadri reserve |
| Science and Technology: CRISPR gene editing trial able to treat inherited blindness |
| Deployment of station managers at India’s Arctic research base Himadri |
| Kerala govt. issues alert against West Nile fever |
| Art and Culture: 4,600-year-old woman from Rakhigarhi |
| Public Health: Cancer cases soaring in India |
Maharashtra to Translocate Tigers to Sahyadri reserve
Source: Indian Express
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/tiger-translocation-sahyadri-wildlife-corridor-9314268/
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 3 (Environment and Ecology)
Context: Tiger Translocation Sahyadri Wildlife Corridor
Why in News
- To revive the population of tigers in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) the state’s forest department will soon translocate tigers from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district.
About Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR)
- The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is located in the Sahyadri Ranges of Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
- These ranges form a common boundary between Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa, and comprise of rich evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests.
- It is the first Tiger Reserve of Western Maharashtra and the fourth Tiger Reserve of the State spreading over two Protected Areas of Koyana Sanctuary (KWLS) and Chandoli National Park (CNP).
Reasons Why is Maharashtra planning to translocate tigers to STR
- Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) is located in northern Western Ghats.
- It was established in January 2010 and straddles Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Ratnagiri districts in western Maharashtra.
- It comprises Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The tiger population in the region has been historically low due to poaching, poor prey base, and changing habitat.
- Even after the STR was notified, the number of tigers did not increase as breeding tigers did not colonise the reserve.
- One way the population can increase is through the inflow of tigers from the forests, located towards the south of STR, in Goa and Karnataka, especially with the strengthening of the wildlife corridor.
- However, the spike in tiger numbers can take years this year.
- As a result, the translocation of tigers has been opted for short-term outcomes.
Critical Analysis of translocation approach for tiger recovery
- Tiger translocation projects have been undertaken in India since 2008.
- Sariska Tiger Reserve, in 2008, and Panna Tiger Reserve, in 2009, have witnessed successful tiger reintroduction and translocation projects.
- There have also been failures and shelving of reintroduction plans, like in the case of Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, which was the country’s first inter-state translocation project.
- The translocation initiatives have been a mixed bag so far and they should be taken up as a last resort.
- Before choosing translocation, other available options such as habitat improvement, prey augmentation, strengthening of tiger corridors, and vigilance improvement should be assessed.
- The tiger corridors are crucial for the long-term and sustainable success of a translocation project.
- Even after translocations, one must ensure that corridors are strengthened and they are free of major disturbances. This will ensure dispersal of tigers to other source population areas.
- The poor management of community apprehensions was a key reason for the failure of the translocation project.
- Before and after the reintroduction of one male and one female tiger from Kanha in 2018, locals in Satkosia Tiger Reserve had violently protested the plan.
About Tiger Corridor
- A tiger corridor is a stretch of land linking tiger habitats, allowing movement of tigers, prey and other wildlife.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India has mapped out 32 major tiger corridors in India.
- These are operationalized through a Tiger Conservation Plan, mandated under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Role of wildlife corridors in conservation
- Corridors are essentially habitats and pathways that connect wildlife populations, which are fragmented by human settlements and infrastructure works.
- The objective of the translocation project can only be achieved if the Sahyadri-Konkan wildlife corridor is secure enough and free from human disturbances.
- They are crucial for the long-term survival of the tiger population as they help guard against localized extinctions and ensure the exchange of gene flow, which helps in population diversity.
- Tigers have large home ranges and often travel long distances in search of mates and food.
- In doing so, they make use of these wildlife corridors and cross several human-dominated landscapes.
- The role played by corridors in conservation is a well-established one and has been incorporated into policy decisions as well.
- Mitigation measures such as underpasses, and wildlife crossings are now routinely ordered to safeguard tigers and other wildlife in projects where linear infrastructure projects fragment habitats.
- Tigers routinely use the space beneath the elevated stretch of the highway to cross the forests.
Importance of the Sahyadri-Konkan corridor
- The Sahyadri-Konkan corridor or the Sahyadri-Radhanagari-Goa-Karnataka corridor is crucial for the long-term survival of tiger populations in northern Western Ghats.
- This corridor connects the source population area in Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka to the forests in Goa’s hinterland, which in turn provides tigers connectivity to Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, conservation reserves in Sindhudurg district and STR.
- The high occurrence of human-dominated settlements and development activities fragments this corridor at several locations, posing a threat to tiger movement and raising the chances of man-animal conflict.
- With authorities planning the translocation of tigers to Sahyadri, strengthening this corridor is crucial.
- Without those efforts, even a breeding population of tigers would face difficulties in dispersing to other forests.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q1. Select the names of Tiger Reserves with Zero Tigers
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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Q. Consider the following statements: (UPSC Prelims 2018)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Ans: (A) |
| Answer 1- D
Explanation:
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CRISPR gene editing trial able to treat inherited blindness
Source: Indian Express
UPSC Relevance: GS 3- Biotechnology, Science and Technology
Context: Application of CRISPR gene editing to treat cases of inherited blindness
Why in News
- Scientists have said they used a human gene editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, to restore vision in people with a rare form of inherited or congenital blindness.
Key Highlights
- The researchers said 11 out of the 14 people in a clinical trial experienced improved vision, without serious adverse side effects.
- They said the study was also the first to use gene therapy to treat children who had been born with a form of blindness.
- The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine on May 6, 2024.
CRISPR gene editing brings ‘BRILLIANCE’
- The trial was called “BRILLIANCE” and 12 adults and two children, who had a rare form of inherited blindness, known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), participated in it.
- LCA affects about one in 40,000 people and causes severe vision loss at an early age.
- This blindness is caused by a gene mutation that prevents a protein from functioning properly. That protein — CEP290 — is critical for sight.
What is CRISPR-Cas9?
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a precise way of altering DNA. It cuts out specific strands of DNA — the thing that makes us who we are — and replaces them with new strands.
- It is a unique technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing, adding or altering sections of the DNA sequence.
CRISPR-Cas9 Technique used in Study
- Participants in the study received a single dose of a CRISPR gene therapy called EDIT-101.
- In the case of EDIT-101, the treatment cuts out the mutation in CEP290 and inserts a healthy strand of DNA back into the gene.
- This restores normal function of the protein CEP290, allowing the retina to detect light.
- In 2020, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for discovering CRISPR-Cas9.
EDIT-101 gene therapy restores vision
- The BRILLIANCE study tested how well participants could see colored lights, navigate a small maze in varying amounts of light, and read from a chart after receiving the treatment.
- Almost all of the participants, except three, showed some level of visual improvements.
- Six participants had major improvements in vision-related quality of life and could identify objects and letters on a chart.
- According to the researchers, EDIT-101 caused no serious adverse side effects in participants.
- Some patients reported mild adverse effects which resolved quickly.
The future of CRISPR gene editing
- More than 200 people have been treated with experimental CRISPR technologies.
- But so far, only one CRISPR treatment has been approved for clinical use which has been available in the US, the UK, and the EU since December 2023.
- Scientists have said they are entering a new phase in genome editing technologies, which they say can safely help and cure patients with a variety of diseases.
- Ongoing clinical trials are testing other CRISPR therapies for HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and antibiotic resistance.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q2. Consider the following pairs:
Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?
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Q. What is Cas9 protein that is often mentioned in news? (UPSC Prelims 2019)
Ans: (A) |
| Answer 2 – C
Explanation:
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Deployment of station managers at India’s Arctic research base Himadri
Source: Indian Express
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/station-managers-india-artic-research-base-himadri-9312984/
UPSC Relevance: GS 3- Science and Technology
Context: Approval of quotas for people with disabilities (PwDs) in all trains irrespective of fair concessions
Why in News
- India has decided to deploy full-time station managers at its northernmost permanent research facility, the Himadri, in the Arctic.
Need of Station Manager
- India had launched its maiden winter research expedition to the Arctic in December 2023. Officials at the Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).
- During an expedition of 30 to 45 days, the scientist who is appointed as the station leader by default discharges the duties of a station manager and interacts with the local Norwegian agencies.
- The station leader, representing his/her country, is expected to attend daily meetings with other station leaders and expedition organising authorities, coordinate and plan the use of research and support facilities.
- It is the single-point contact for sharing of information and instructions, being the hosts and the visitors.
Experience of Other Countries
- Some countries have employed station managers.
- India, along with Italy and Japan, share the facilities at the Gruvebadet laboratory – located at about 1.25 km away from Himadri. During the recent winter expedition, lightning observation instruments were installed for long-term observations.
- Including India, there are at least ten countries that have set up permanent research facilities at the International Arctic Research base in Ny-Ålesund, Norway, located at about 1,200 km from the North Pole.
- Four hundred Indian researchers have visited Himadri during summer research expeditions since 2008.
- Based on the feedback from Norwegian counterparts, India has now decided to employ a station manager who will be present at Himadri at all times and ensure smooth functioning of the visiting research teams.
Functions of Station Manager
- The station manager will help and facilitate the visiting participants in their observation, be responsible for the maintenance of the instruments and field sampling.
- Winter expeditions are challenging to organise due to inclement weather, prolonged nights lasting up to three to four months, wildlife threat, frozen waters, limited mobility and minimum logistics.
- That is why only a handful of countries have, so far, undertaken winter expeditions in the Arctic.
- Norway heavily supports visiting researchers with local logistics and other requirements for their smooth functioning while at Ny-Ålesund.
- Since the recent winter, Himadri has been equipped for undertaking observations during polar nights and the hosts supply special winter gear, transport facilities and logistics.
Challenges
- The winter expedition had its own challenges. The team and scientific cargo movements were affected due to bad weather.
- The collection of samples from fjords and the coast were also not possible due to the frozen conditions and difficulty of operation of scientific boats.
- Some promising initial scientific outcomes have already emerged from the winter expedition projects which spanned areas of astronomy, atmospheric science, biology and life sciences, and space science.
- In particular, early analysis of the Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) measurements in the locality suggested that the site at the Arctic holds potential for performing Shaped Antenna measurement of the background Radio Spectrum (SARAS-4) experiment within 100-200 Megahertz radio frequency range.
- Biodiversity changes in fish that survive sub-zero temperatures were noted and identified. Cosmic ray observations and their fluctuations showed correlations with solar activity and the atmospheric phenomenon.
About Himadri base
- Himadri is the research station of India located in the Arctic region.
- It is India’s first permanent Arctic research station located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.
- It was inaugurated on 1st July 2008 by the Ministry of Earth Science.
- It is situated at the Ny-Alesund, International Arctic Research base.
About National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR)
- The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, (NCPOR) formerly known as the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) is an Indian research and development institution, situated in Vasco da Gama, Goa.
- It is an autonomous institution of the Department of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India which is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Programme and maintains the Indian government’s Antarctic research stations, Bharati and Maitri.
- NCPOR was established originally as NCAOR on 25 May 1998, with Dr. Prem Chand Pandey as the founding director.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q3. Consider the following statements
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
|
Q Consider the following countries: (UPSC Prelims 2014)
Which of the above are the members of the ‘Arctic Council’?
Ans: (D) |
| Answer 3 A
Explanation
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Kerala govt. issues alert against West Nile fever
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 3- Viral disease, Science and Technology
Context: West Nile Fever, transmission and symptoms
Why in News
- The Kerala government issued an alert in the State against West Nile fever after one death and around eight cases were reported from Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts in recent days.
What is West Nile Fever?
- The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus.
- It is a flavivirus related to the viruses that cause St. Louis encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever.
- Culex species of mosquitoes act as the principal vectors for transmission.
- It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes between and among humans and animals, including birds, which are the reservoir host of the virus.
Symptoms
- Symptoms of the infection include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, stupor, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
- Most of the symptoms are similar to that of Japanese Encephalitis. However, 80% of the patients need not show any symptoms.
- The disease is spread by the Culex species of mosquitoes.
Human Infection
- As per the World Health Organisation, human infection is most often the result of bites from the infected mosquitoes.
- This happens when they feed on infected birds, which circulate the virus in their blood for a few days.
- There has been no human-to-human transmission so far.
- The WHO says that the treatment is supportive for patients with neuro-invasive West Nile virus, often involving hospitalisation, intravenous fluids, respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections.
- No vaccine is available for humans.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q4. Consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
|
Q. Consider the following statements: (UPSC Prelims 2017)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Ans: (C) |
| Answer 4 D
Explanation
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4,600-year-old woman from Rakhigarhi
Source: The Hindu
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-4600-year-old-woman-from-rakhigarhi/article68132364.ece
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 1- Indus Valley Civilisation, Ancient Indian History, Art and Culture
Context:
- Ninety-nine years after Rakhigarhi was discovered, the findings have raised questions about history and identity.
Why in news
- The 4,600 years old woman skeleton excavated in Rakhigarhi has created a buzz among those who work in history, anthropology, genomics, and linguistics.
Key Highlights
- Rakhigarhi is the Mound 7 of the excavation site that has been identified as a burial plot from which 56 skeletons were recovered.
- The 4,600 years old woman skeleton has created a buzz.
- The DNA analysis of the 4,600 years old woman skeleton says the individual sequenced fits as a mixture of people related to ancient Iranians (the largest component) and Southeast Asian hunter-gatherers.
- It also says that there was no Steppe Pastoral gene (from people in Central Asia) in the Rakhigarhi woman.
Aryan Controversy
- The word Aryan has been interchangeably used for the Steppe Pastoralists (since we cannot say any time frame), though to avoid racial connotations many scholars now prefer to use the term Indo-Aryan for this group of people.
- This finding has fanned the debate on the so-called Aryan migration to India, part of the history books of many generations of Indians.
- There is a difference of opinion among scientists, with one set associated with the project saying that the skeleton does indeed represent a “continuity in history”.
- This means that the Harappan and Vedic cultures were both indigenous and not alien.
- Another set of historians says that the Harappan civilisation and those who wrote the Vedas were two different people.
Arguments in Favour
- Some scientists say it is true that Harappan ancestry is present in most populations of India.
- Some also says that at present the local population of Rakhigarhi and most Indian populations have a significant part of the Steppe DNA in their genetic composition, sometimes up to 20%.
- These individuals (the Harappans) had little, if any, Steppe pastoralist related ancestry, showing that it was not ubiquitous in north-west South Asia during the IVC (Indus Valley Civilization) as it is today.
- This is because some migration took place from the Steppe region after 1500 BCE and until about 500 BCE. These people intermingled with local populations.
- Both papers stated that Steppe Pastorals came to India between 2000 BCE to 1500 BCE.
- There are genetic and archaeological indications that the Harappan and Vedic cultures are the same, though more research needs to be done.
- This (Harappa) has laid the base of Indian cultural civilization.
Arguments Against
- The NCERT clarifies in the textbook that more research is required on the relationship between the Harappans and the Vedic people.
- The crucial question now is: if Vedic and Harappan cultures are synonymous, how does that explain the development and use of Sanskrit, the language of the Rig Veda, considered the oldest book of Vedic literature and civilisation.
- There is no evidence of the language at the Rakhigarhi site.
- Historian Romila Thapar says that The standard chronology of what is called the Vedic period is taken to be from roughly 1500 to 500 BCE.
- This is the period of the composition of the first Veda, the Rig Veda, and then the later ones, the Samaveda, Yajurveda and finally the Atharvaveda.
- The history of this period has become central to a political ideology that insists on the Aryan culture of the Vedas being the foundational culture of India, and of the Aryans therefore being entirely indigenous to the subcontinent and its earliest inhabitants.
- This is being projected as the popular explanation of how it all began, especially in northern India. However, it tends to be set aside by most historians.
- The classical Sanskrit has emerged from the Indo-Aryan language ‘Rig Vedic Sanskrit’, in which the text is written.
- It has been believed until now that it was the Steppe migrants who brought in the Indo-Aryan languages, a sub-section of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family.
- The paper in Cell says the natural path for the spread of the Indo-European languages was through Steppe Pastorals.
- The Linguist G.N. Devy says that accounts of evolution of languages are based on comparative and historical linguistics. They firmly indicate that Sanskrit, historically, has had no pre-Harappa existence in South Asia.
- He goes on to say that the claim that the DNA study of a Rakhigarhi skeleton disproves the previously established understanding of the language movement is “hasty, far-fetched, and agenda-driven rather than a dispassionate scientific analysis”.
Excavation Findings at Rakhigarhi
- Way back in 1915, the Survey of India, ASI’s precursor, first documented a peculiar mound across the landscape of Rakhigarhi.
- The site was first added to archaeological data in 1968 and 1969, and has been subject to excavation by the ASI between 1997 and 2000, and by the Deccan College of Post Graduate Research Institute in collaboration with the State Archaeology Department of Haryana, between 2011 and 2016.
- Mound 1, which has been identified as a centre of industrial activity throughout the various phases of excavation here, includes evidence of a kiln for pottery production and tools for a lapidary industry for semi-precious stones. Remains of sun-dried unbaked bricks for homes and burnt-brick drains, along with a fire altar have also been found.
- Mound 2 located in the south-west appears to have a 14-metre high citadel, a large podium, two sacrificial pit chambers, a granary, a market complex, house complexes, and two deep wells.
About Rakhigarhi
- Rakhigarhi is an archaeological site located in Hisar district, in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.
- It is one of the largest settlements of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating back to 2600-1900 BCE.
- The site of Rakhigarh is one of the five known biggest townships of Harappan civilization on the Indian sub-continent.
- Other four are Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Ganveriwala in Pakistan and Dholavira (Gujrat) in India.
- The present-day Rakhigarhi is located just 27 km from the Ghaggar river, in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
| Q 5. Arrange the following Harappan sites from west to east direction:
1. Dholavira 2. Nageshwar 3. Lothal 4. Rakhigarhi Select the correct answer using the codes given below: A. 1-2-3-4 B. 2-1-3-4 C. 1-2-4-3 D. 2-1-4-3 |
Q. With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC Prelims 2017)
and iron.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Ans: C |
| Answer 5 B
Explanation
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Cancer cases soaring in India
Source: Indian Express
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-health/cancer-cases-india-9311917/
UPSC Relevance: GS 2- Public health, Health Infrastructure, Emerging diseases
Context: The number of people suffering from cancer is expected to rise exponentially over the next two decades, health experts warn.
Why in News
- There is as an increasing number of people, especially children, in India are being diagnosed with cancer, marking the fastest rise in cases worldwide.
Cancer capital of the World
- In fact, a report released by the Indian multinational health care group, Apollo Hospitals, last month labeled the South Asian nation as “the cancer capital of the world.”
- The study revealed an alarming picture of declining overall health across the country, pointing to soaring cases of cancer and other non-communicable diseases nationwide.
- The report found that at present, one in three Indians is pre-diabetic, two in three are pre-hypertensive, and one in 10 struggles with depression.
Other Findings of the Study
- The study projected the number of annual cancer cases to rise from almost 1.4 million in 2020 to 1.57 million by 2025.
- Breast, cervix, and ovarian cancer are the most common forms of cancer affecting women. And among men, they are lung cancer, mouth cancer, and prostate cancer.
- Contributory factors to rising incidence are advancing age, unhealthy diets with ultra-processed foods stoking inflammation, exposure to air pollution laden with carcinogens and climate change with increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
- The Apollo Hospitals report also details how certain cancers are affecting younger people sooner than in countries like the US and the UK.
- The median age for lung cancer is 59 in India, for instance, but 70 in the US, 75 in the UK and 68 in China.
What is Cancer?
- Cancer is a disease caused when cells divide uncontrollably and spread into surrounding tissues.
- Cancer is caused by changes to DNA. Most cancer-causing DNA changes occur in sections of DNA called genes.
- Cancer cells develop because of multiple changes in their genes. These changes can have many possible causes.
- Lifestyle habits, genes you get from your parents, and being exposed to cancer-causing agents in the environment can all play a role. Many times, there is no obvious cause.
Challenges
- Doctors and other health professionals say there is a shortage of pediatric oncology facilities in the country, particularly in government-run hospitals.
- Most private hospitals have trained pediatric oncologists but this may not be the case in medical colleges or government hospitals.
- Only 41% of public hospitals have dedicated pediatric oncology departments.
- Additionally, a lack of funds and access to care, as well as social stigma, are big hurdles for many affected families.
- Diagnosis, access to care and medications and follow-up are difficult and there is a lot of abandonment of treatment as the parents cannot afford treatment.
Way Forward
- Experts said low health screening rates in the country pose a significant challenge for the fight against cancer, and stressed the importance of preventive health care measures.
- There is no doubt that cancer is growing and there needs to be prioritized action by everyone. For instance, the government should incentivize screening as a first measure.
- There is also a need for policies to impart financial protection and expand the screening and curative services for cancer.
- India has a screening program in place for oral, breast, and cervical cancer, but screening rates are less than 1%, according to national data, despite the WHO’s recommendation that at least 70% of women should get tested.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q6. Consider the following statements:
Which among the following statement/s is/are correct?
|
Q. Consider the following statements: (2010)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 only (B) 1 and 2 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3 Ans: (B) |
| Answer 6– B
Explanation –
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