QUIZ – 2020: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 30 November 2020

Solution: b)

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Solution: a)

Why did the waves appear blue?

The phenomenon is called ‘blue tide’, and appears when luminescent marine life make the sea appear a deep shade of blue. The spectacle occurs when phytoplankton (microscopic marine plants), commonly known as dinoflagellates, produce light through chemical reactions in proteins.

Bioluminescence is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light. Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence. A remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes are able to produce their own light. It is found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks. Luminescence is generally higher in deep-living and planktonic organisms than in shallow species.

It is an antipredatory response. Bioluminescence is assumed to startle predators, causing them to hesitate, in a form of predator intimidation.

Bioluminescence has been an annual occurrence along the west coast since 2016 during the months of November and December. Recently, the ‘blue tide’ was witnessed along Dakshina Kannada-Udupi coast.

While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishing. According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change. Factors such as the pattern of the wind and the temperature of the ocean also determine the occurrence of bioluminescent waves.

Experts have said the bioluminescence could have been caused by heavy rain, fertilizers run off, discharge of sewage into the ocean.

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Solution: c)

In a rare complication, some patients infected with Covid-19 have been found suffering from Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS). In India, such cases have been reported since August.

What is Guillain Barre Syndrome?

It is a very rare autoimmune disorder. The immune system, in an attempt to kill the coronavirus, accidentally starts attacking the peripheral nervous system.

GBS is caused by bacteria or viral infection. In the past, patients of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome showed GBS symptoms, as did those infected with Zika, HIV, Herpes virus and Campylobacter jejuni.

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Solution: d)

Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP) also known as brain fingerprinting is a neuro psychological method of interrogation in which the accused’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s response. The BEOSP test is carried out via a process known as electroencephalogram, conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.

The BEOSP procedure does not involve a question answer session with the accused and is rather a neuro psychological study of their brain.

In 2010, the Supreme Court passed a judgment in the Selvi versus State of Karnataka case where the bench observed that narco analysis, polygraph and brain mapping tests cannot be forced upon any individual without their consent and the test results cannot be admitted solely as evidence. However, any information or material discovered during the tests can be made part of the evidence, observed the bench.

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Solution: b)

Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself. It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.

For compulsory licensing, it’s when the generic copy is produced mainly for the domestic market, not for export.

The patent owner still has rights over the patent, including a right to be paid compensation for copies of the products made under the compulsory licence.

The TRIPS Agreement does not specifically list the reasons that might be used to justify compulsory licensing. However, the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health confirms that countries are free to determine the grounds for granting compulsory licences, and to determine what constitutes a national emergency.

In March 2012, India granted its first compulsory license ever. The license was granted to Indian generic drug manufacturer Natco Pharma for Sorafenib tosylate, a cancer drug patented by Bayer.

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