The Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) has reportedly been affected by garbage dumping in lakes in Bengaluru, highlighting the impact of urban pollution on aquatic birds.
The Oriental Darter is a tropical waterbird also known as the Snakebird or Indian Darter. It is recognised by its long, slender, snake-like neck and sharp, pointed bill, which it uses to catch fish underwater.
The Oriental Darter has a long neck with strongly developed muscles and a specialised bend around the 8th and 9th vertebrae. This anatomical adaptation allows it to thrust its neck forward rapidly and stab fish underwater with considerable force.
Distribution: The species is found across tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Habitat: It mainly inhabits freshwater lakes and streams, where it searches for fish and other aquatic prey.
The Oriental Darter usually forages singly, with most of its body submerged underwater. It rapidly thrusts its neck forward to impale fish and then brings the prey above the water.
The supplied source describes it as an omnivorous species.
|
Category |
Status |
|---|---|
|
Common names |
Snakebird, Indian Darter |
|
Scientific name |
Anhinga melanogaster |
|
Distribution |
Tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia |
|
Habitat |
Freshwater lakes and streams |
|
IUCN Red List |
Near Threatened (NT) |
An international team of astronomers recently announced that the CosmoCube mission will study faint radio signals from the early universe, helping scientists investigate the period before the formation of the first stars.
The CosmoCube mission is a proposed suitcase-sized satellite designed to study the earliest stages of the universe by detecting faint radio signals originating from more than 13.5 billion years ago.
It is being developed by a team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Location and Radio Interference: The satellite would operate near the Moon and use the lunar far side as a natural shield against radio interference from Earth.
Observation Period: During each two-hour orbit, the satellite would spend approximately 40 minutes on the far side of the Moon, allowing it to observe faint radio signals with reduced terrestrial interference.
Data Collection: Over its proposed two-year mission, CosmoCube could collect approximately 1,000 hours of data at extremely low radio frequencies.
Detection Technology: The satellite would use a lightweight radio antenna to detect signals from the early universe. It would also repeatedly determine its own position using onboard information and observations of its surroundings.
Understanding the Cosmic Dark Ages: The mission could help scientists investigate the poorly understood period between the Big Bang and the formation of the first stars.
Studying the Formation of Stars and Galaxies: Its measurements could provide a clearer understanding of the cosmic dark ages and the transition towards the formation of the first stars and galaxies.
The Centre’s PM-eBus Sewa Scheme is gaining momentum, with more than 500 electric buses operational across 23 cities and daily ridership exceeding one lakh passengers.
The PM-eBus Sewa Scheme aims to strengthen urban public transport by deploying 10,000 air-conditioned electric buses in cities across India.
The scheme focuses on improving public transport facilities in cities with limited bus services, particularly smaller urban centres where organised city bus operations are absent or inadequate.
The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Cities with populations ranging from 3 lakh to 40 lakh, according to the 2011 Census, are eligible for the scheme.
State capitals in the North-Eastern and hilly regions, with populations below 3 lakh as per the 2011 Census, are also eligible.
City bus operations are undertaken through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. States and cities are responsible for operating the bus services and making payments to bus operators, while the Central Government provides subsidies according to the scheme’s provisions.
The scheme supports bus operations for 10 years, helping cities establish and sustain electric bus services.
The scheme supports the development of bus depots and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It also promotes green mobility through accessible bus stops and improved last-mile connectivity.
The scheme includes an Intelligent Transit Management System (ITMS) and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)-based ticketing to improve the efficiency and convenience of urban public transport.
The Javelin Missile is an American-made, medium-range, man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). It first entered service with the US military in 1996.
It is jointly developed and produced by two American defence companies, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
Man-Portable System: Javelin is a single-person, shoulder-fired, fire-and-forget anti-tank weapon system. It can also be fired from a remote launcher mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle.
Range: It has a standard effective range of approximately 2.5 km.
Attack Modes: The missile can be launched in top-attack and direct-attack modes, allowing it to engage targets using different attack profiles.
Targets: It is designed to destroy heavily armoured vehicles, including main battle tanks, as well as lighter-armoured military vehicles. It is also effective against fortifications, bunkers and helicopters.
Fire-and-Forget Technology: After launch, the missile automatically guides itself towards the target. This allows the gunner to take cover or reposition without continuously guiding the missile.
Top-Attack Profile: In top-attack mode, the missile follows an arched trajectory, rises above the target and strikes its upper armour, which is generally less protected than the frontal armour.
Rapid Repositioning: After firing, soldiers or marines can move to another position or reload the system to engage another threat, reducing their exposure to enemy counterfire.
The National Test House (NTH) is set to celebrate its 115th Foundation Day at its Jakkuru Campus in Bengaluru.
The National Test House is a premier scientific organisation of the Government of India. It was established in 1912 under the then Railway Board.
Its mandate is to provide testing, calibration and quality evaluation services for industry, commerce and trade in accordance with national and international standards. It is described as India’s largest multi-location, multidisciplinary industrial testing laboratory under the Central Government.
Technical Services: NTH provides technical consultancy, testing, calibration and quality evaluation across various sectors, following national and international standards.
Accreditation and Standardisation: It supports the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) through technical assistance and assists the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in standard-formulation activities.
Drone Certification: NTH is a pioneering government entity in India for drone certification.
Specialised Testing: Its activities also include Electric Vehicle (EV) battery testing, organic food testing and testing in other advanced technological areas.
NTH has branches in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Guwahati and Varanasi.
NTH functions under the administrative control of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
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We provide offline, online and recorded lectures in the same amount.
Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
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