05 June 2024 CNA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Short on troops, Australia opens military to non-citizen residents from Five Eyes C. GS 3 Related SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. The bacteria that write new genes to cope with infections D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials POLITY 1. The verdict points to the importance of economic issues F. Prelims Facts 1. The Sun never stops shining 2. Netherlands turns third largest export destination G. Tidbits H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
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B. GS 2 Related
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Short on troops, Australia opens military to non-citizen residents from Five Eyes
Syllabus: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s Interests
Mains: Rising tension in the Indo-Pacific and steps taken by different countries
Introduction: Recruitment Policy Changes
- Australia will allow non-citizens to join its armed forces.
- From July, eligibility criteria will be loosened to include “permanent residents who have been living in Australia for 12 months.”
- Citizens from Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States will be favoured.
Recruitment Challenges:
- Australia struggles to meet recruitment targets due to its sparsely populated nature.
- The country has a vast coastline but a population of just 26 million.
- Experts warn there are too few Australians in uniform to meet current and future military requirements.
Defence Spending and Needs:
- Canberra has increased defence spending, acquiring submarines, jets, and fighting vehicles.
- The Australian Defence Forces need more pilots, mariners, and troops to operate and maintain new equipment.
- The current personnel count is about 90,000, including reservists, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Strategic Considerations:
- The expansion of eligibility criteria is part of a broader strategy to bolster the military.
- Mounting regional tensions necessitate a more robust defence capability.
- The new policy aims to ensure that Australia can meet its defence obligations and future military needs.
Nut Graf: Australia will allow non-citizen residents from Five Eyes nations to join its armed forces, addressing recruitment shortfalls amid increasing defence needs and regional tensions, with a focus on permanent residents and citizens from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and the US.
C. GS 3 Related
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. The bacteria that write new genes to cope with infections
Syllabus: Biotechnology
Mains: Reverse transcriptase Application in developing health technology
Prelims: About Reverse transcriptase
Introduction: Reverse Transcriptase and Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Columbia University researchers discovered that Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria use reverse transcriptase to create a protein called Neo when infected by bacteriophages.
- This Neo protein can put the bacterial cell in suspended animation, stopping the infection by preventing the replication of the bacteriophage.
The Role of Reverse Transcriptase During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
- Reverse transcriptase became crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic for developing reliable diagnostic tests.
- It enabled rapid and accurate testing, facilitated genome sequencing, and helped track the virus’s spread, contributing to surveillance, public health measures, and vaccine development.
The Discovery and Impact of Reverse Transcriptase:
- Discovered by Howard Temin and David Baltimore in 1970, reverse transcriptase challenged the Central Dogma by showing that RNA can be reverse-translated to DNA.
- This discovery revolutionized molecular biology research, enabling reverse transcription of mRNA to DNA, gene cloning, and the study of RNA viruses like hepatitis B and HIV.
- Reverse transcriptase inhibitors played a significant role in managing HIV/AIDS in the 1980s.
Retroelements and Evolution:
- The human genome contains sequences called retroelements, believed to have originated from retroviruses and transferred horizontally over millions of years.
- Initially considered “junk” DNA, recent studies suggest retroelements impact human biology and evolution, playing roles in various physiological processes.
- Expression of human endogenous retroviruses, a major class of retroelements, is linked to neuropsychiatric diseases.
Evolutionary Continuity of Reverse Transcriptase:
- Bacterial reverse transcriptases are believed to be the precursors of eukaryotic counterparts, with the first bacterial reverse transcriptase discovered in 1989.
- Retroelements in bacteria are classified into Group II introns, retrons, and diversity-generating retroelements.
- The discovery of reverse transcriptase activity across life domains highlights its fundamental role and evolutionary continuity.
Innovative Applications in Biotechnology and Medicine:
- The discovery of reverse transcriptase’s role in bacterial defense against bacteriophages points to potential biotechnological and medical applications.
- Understanding reverse transcriptases could reveal new mechanisms of genetic evolution and viral resistance, leading to novel therapeutic strategies and biotechnological tools, particularly in combating antimicrobial resistance.
Nut Graf: Researchers at Columbia University have found that Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria use reverse transcriptase to produce a protein, Neo, that halts bacteriophage infections, highlighting the enzyme’s crucial role in diagnostics, molecular biology, and potential therapeutic applications against antimicrobial resistance.
D. GS 4 Related
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E. Editorials
Category: POLITY
1. The verdict points to the importance of economic issues
Syllabus: GS-2, Functions and Responsibilities of the Union and the States, Issues and Challenges Pertaining to the Federal Structure
Mains: Election mandate and its implications
Introduction:
- The Lok Sabha election results surprised those who trusted the exit polls.
- Many analysts are now explaining the results, pointing out that the INDIA alliance’s focus on social justice, the caste census, and better coalition strategies played a significant role.
- Economic issues such as unemployment, low wages, inadequate livelihoods, and rising prices were largely ignored by the present government.
Message from the Electorate:
- The need for social justice and concerns about the Constitution were important factors.
- Local factors in different States also contributed to the results.
- The electorate sent a clear message about the importance of addressing economic issues.
Promises of the INDIA Alliance:
- The INDIA alliance, particularly the Congress, emphasised livelihood and employment issues, which resonated with voters.
- Their focus on justice for youth, women, farmers, and workers, as well as dignity through social justice, implied a major shift in economic policy.
- This shift requires a focus on human rights, especially social and economic rights, rather than viewing public goods and services as state gifts.
Required Economic Policy Changes:
- Ensuring Basic Rights:
- Expand the right to work through better-funded and flexible MGNREGA and an urban employment guarantee scheme.
- Ensure the right to food, education, social security, and health through public delivery systems.
- Creating Jobs:
- Address the aspirations of young people by making job creation a primary economic goal.
- Expand public employment, fill vacancies, and regularise public workers.
- Support micro, small, and medium enterprises with comprehensive packages.
- Address the ongoing farming crisis and climate change impacts.
Shift from New Welfarism to Rights:
- The current government’s “new welfarism” is largely a rebranding of existing welfare schemes.
- Welfare schemes should be seen as fulfilling citizens’ rights, not as gifts from the Prime Minister.
- The food ration system, for example, was already heavily subsidised under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
Revival of Federalism:
- The election results indicate a likely revival of federalism, moving away from the centralization seen in the past decade.
- State governments need the autonomy to provide public services without interference from the Centre.
Nut Graf: The Lok Sabha election results underscore the electorate’s demand for addressing economic issues like unemployment, low wages, and rising prices, highlighting the necessity for a shift in economic policy towards social and economic rights, and a revival of federalism.
F. Prelims Facts
1. The Sun never stops shining
Why the Sky Glows After Sunset?
- The Sun may have set from our perspective but not from the perspective of the upper atmosphere.
- The Sun still shines at the atmosphere at a sharp angle beneath the horizon.
- Molecules in the air scatter sunlight in different directions, causing the sky to glow.
- This scattering effect, known as Rayleigh scattering, also makes the evening sky appear red at the horizon.
Rayleigh Scattering:
- Rayleigh scattering is the scattering of sunlight by particles in the air that are much smaller than the light’s wavelength.
- This phenomenon is responsible for both the blue hue of the daytime sky and the red hue seen at sunset.
The transition from Day to Night:
- As the Sun sets further, less sunlight strikes the upper atmosphere.
- Nightfall begins when the Sun is around 18 degrees below the horizon.
- Daylight arrives in reverse: When the Sun is 18 degrees below the horizon in the east, the sky starts to turn reddish.
- Day begins when the Sun’s position crosses the horizon as seen by the observer.
Additional Light Sources:
- The sky can glow even after the Sun has dipped 18 degrees below the horizon due to other light sources.
- These include the scattering of starlight by the atmosphere and increasing light pollution.
2. Netherlands turns third largest export destination
Netherlands as Major Export Destination:
- The Netherlands has become India’s third-largest export destination, following the U.S. and UAE, in the fiscal year 2023-24.
- This rise occurred despite a more than 3% dip in India’s overall merchandise shipments.
Key Commodities Driving Growth:
- Significant growth in exports to the Netherlands was noted in several commodities:
- Petroleum products: $14.29 billion
- Electrical goods
- Chemicals
- Pharmaceuticals
Trade Surplus Increase:
- India’s trade surplus with the Netherlands increased significantly:
- FY23: $13 billion
- FY24: $17.4 billion
G. Tidbits
Nothing here for today!!!
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements: (Level-Difficult)
- A Fixed-dose Combination (FDC) is a medicine that includes two or more active ingredients combined in a single dosage form.
- FDCs are less economic than single ingredient drugs.
- In case of any dispute with respect to the quality of the drug, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is the appellate authority.
How many of the above statements are correct?
- Only one
- Only two
- All three
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Statement 01 is correct, A Fixed-dose Combination (FDC) refers to a medication that contains two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in fixed proportions within a single dosage form. These combinations are formulated to provide the therapeutic benefits of multiple drugs in a convenient and simplified manner.
- Statement 02 is incorrect, FDCs are more economic than single ingredient drugs.
- Statement 03 is correct, The office of the DCGI acts as an appellate authority if there is any dispute with respect to the quality of the drug. The DCGI is also responsible for the approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, I V fluids, vaccines and sera.
Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to Pygmy hog: (Level-Medium)
- It is the smallest species of pig in the world.
- Pygmy hogs only live in the wet high grasslands at the foothills of the Himalayas
- It is listed as a Critically Endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
How many of the above statements is/are incorrect?
- Only one
- Only two
- All three
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Pygmy Hog is listed as an ‘Endangered’ species on the IUCN Red List.
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding World Environment Day (WED): (Level- Difficult)
- It has been celebrated since 1973 under the aegis of UNEP
- For 2023, the theme is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”, and it is being hosted by Cote d’Ivoire
- India has been the host of World Environment Day twice
How many of the above are true?
- Only 1 statement
- Only 2 statements
- Only 3 statements
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: In 1973, the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”.
- Statement 2 is correct: For 2023, the theme is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”, and it is being hosted by Cote d’Ivoire.
- Statement 3 is correct: India has been the host of World Environment Day twice in 2011 and 2018.
Q4. Project 75 I is related to which of the following? (Level- Easy)
- Indigenous construction of submarines in India.
- Immunizing at least 75% of the global population against HPV.
- Construction of a Space Station by China.
- Protection of jobs against the rise of Artificial Intelligence.
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Project-75 (I) envisages the indigenous construction of six modern conventional submarines with contemporary equipment, weapons & sensors.
Q5. How many of the following statements are correct? (Level- Difficult)
- mRNA vaccines lead to the production of foreign proteins in our bodies, triggering our immune response.
- The first human trial of an mRNA vaccine was done for Rabies.
- India’s first mRNA vaccine was developed for Covid-19.
- India’s mRNA vaccine for Covid-19 was the first such mRNA vaccine against the disease.
Options:
- Only 1
- Only 2
- Only 3
- All 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: The mRNA (messenger RNA) is one such vaccine that injects pieces of mRNA into human cells in order to get them to produce pathogen antigens.
- Statement 2 is not correct: The first human trial of an mRNA vaccine was done for a tumour.
- Statement 3 is correct: The country’s first home-grown mRNA Covid-19 vaccine is GEMCOVAC-19.
- Statement 4 is correct: It was the first such mRNA vaccine against the Covid-19 disease.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (10 marks, 150 words) [GS-1, Geography]
- Do you think marriage as a sacrament is losing its value in Modern India? (10 marks, 150 words) [GS-1, Society]
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