UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 4 June 2024

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context: Southern Cryonics, an Australian company, has successfully frozen its first client in hopes of reviving him in the future. The process involves cryonics, where the body is preserved at -196°C, aiming for eventual restoration using advanced medical technologies.
  • The first client, an 80-year-old man from Sydney, underwent the procedure after his death, involving cooling, perfusion with cryoprotective solution, and storage in dry ice before reaching the final temperature of around -200°C in a specialized cooling chamber.
• S1: Cryonics is indeed the practice of preserving individuals at very low temperatures with the hope that future medical technology will be able to revive them. The idea is to preserve the body (or just the brain) soon after death, at a temperature where physical decay is essentially halted.
• S2: Cryonics does not guarantee that individuals will be revived in the future. It is based on the hope that future advancements in technology and medicine may make revival possible, but there is no certainty.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/cryonics-practice-for-freezing-the-human-body/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh, an Indian peacekeeper who served with the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), will be posthumously honoured with the prestigious Dag Hammarskjold medal.
• Dag Hammarskjöld Medal:
  • Purpose: The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal is a posthumous award given to members of peacekeeping operations who have lost their lives in service under the UN flag.
  • Inception: The first medal was presented in 1998 to the family of Dag Hammarskjöld.
  • Namesake: Dag Hammarskjöld served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1953 until his death in 1961.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/dag-hammarskjold-medal/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: North Kivu and Ituri are the eastern provinces of Democratic Republic of Congo. The President of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi declared a “State of Siege” due to the increasing violence in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. The violence killed more than hundred people and displaced more than 1.5 million.
• S2: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbaijanis until their expulsion during the 1990s.
• S3: Russia released vote tallies showing overwhelming support in four provinces of Ukraine to join with Russia. The four regions are Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/dag-hammarskjold-medal/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Stromatolites are layered rock formations created by microbial communities, representing some of the earliest evidence of life on Earth. These structures are formed as layers of sediment accumulated over time, trapping and binding microorganisms like cyanobacteria.
  • As these microorganisms grow and photosynthesize, they produce layers of carbonate minerals, gradually building up the stromatolite structure. Despite their simple appearance, stromatolites played a crucial role in shaping Earth’s early environment and are considered significant in the study of early life and evolutionary history.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/stromatolites/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: Researchers have discovered living stromatolites on Sheybarah Island in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/stromatolites/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. IMD is headquartered in Delhi and operates hundreds of observation stations across India and Antarctica. Regional offices are at Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Guwahati and New Delhi.
• IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organisation.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/automatic-weather-station-aws/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Context: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) variable rate repo (VRR) auction attracted significant interest from banks, with bids totalling ₹1,13,915 crore, surpassing the RBI’s offer of ₹50,000 crore.
  • This underscores the growing demand for liquidity in the banking sector amid an estimated deficit of around ₹1.54-lakh crore.
• What is VRR, or Variable Rate Repo?
  • It is a mechanism where the RBI permits banks to borrow funds at rates determined by the market, differing from the fixed Repo Rate at which banks borrow directly from the RBI.
  • Typically lasting up to 14 days, VRR serves as a means to inject short-term liquidity into the banking system. Conversely, Variable Rate Reverse Repo (VRRR) is employed to absorb surplus liquidity from the system.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/variable-rate-repo-vrr/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Context: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into India fell 3.5% to $44 billion in FY24 due to reduced investments in services, telecom, and pharma sectors.
• FDI is not permitted in firms engaged in or attempting to engage in the real estate industry, farmhouse construction, or trading in transferable development rights.
• About FDI
  • Definition: Investment by a company or individual in one country into business interests in another country.
  • Policy: Formulated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
  • Routes:
    • Automatic Route: No government approval is required.
    • Government Route: Approval required.
  • Inclusions: Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds, Foreign Institutional Investment (with conditions), and Global Depository Receipts.
  • Prohibitions: Lottery Business, Gambling and Betting, Chit Funds, Nidhi Company, Trading in Transferable Development Rights, etc.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/fdi-inflows-into-india/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have devised a groundbreaking method for mass-producing recombinant proteins, which include vital substances like vaccine antigens, insulin, and monoclonal antibodies.
• What are Recombinant Proteins?
  • Recombinant proteins are proteins that are artificially produced through genetic engineering techniques. These proteins are created by introducing specific DNA sequences, encoding desired protein products, into host organisms such as bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells. The host cells then use their own cellular machinery to produce the recombinant proteins according to the inserted genetic instructions.
• Recombinant proteins have a wide range of applications, including in medicine (such as vaccine antigens, insulin, and therapeutic antibodies), agriculture, industry, and research. They are crucial for various biotechnological and pharmaceutical purposes due to their precise control over protein structure and function.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/recombinant-proteins/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) plans to construct canopy bridges in Assam’s Hollangapar Gibbon Sanctuary to help India’s only ape, the hoolock gibbon, safely cross railway tracks dividing its habitat.
• The sanctuary, home to about 125 gibbons, faces fragmentation due to a railway track. These bridges, designed by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and NFR, will facilitate the arboreal species’ movement. Safety measures, including nets, will be implemented to prevent accidents.
• Gibbons, the smallest and fastest of all apes, inhabit tropical and subtropical forests in Southeast Asia. They have high intelligence, distinct personalities, and strong family bonds. They are one of the 20 gibbon species found worldwide.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/06/03/assams-hollangapar-gibbon-sanctuary/