Prelims Focus – 14th May 2024

H5N1 Virus in dairy cattle

In News: The H5N1 virus was found in dairy cattle in Texas, surprising experts who did not believe cattle could contract influenza A virus.

• Pigs are currently considered a key player in the evolution of flu viruses because they have both human and avian flu receptors in their respiratory tracts. 
• When pigs are infected with both human and avian flu viruses, reassortment can occur, potentially leading to the creation of new strains that are better adapted to infect humans. 
• The H1N1 pandemic in 2009 was a result of this reassortment in pig populations. 
• Recent research has found that cows also have receptors that make them susceptible to the evolution of flu viruses, particularly H5N1, which can easily spread from animals to humans. 
• This suggests that dairy cattle may also play a role in the transmission of flu viruses between birds and humans.

Sea Anemones

In News: Scientists at the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) noticed widespread coral bleaching near Agatti Island in Lakshadweep.

• Coral bleaching is a well-known phenomenon in the Lakshadweep, but scientists have recently observed sea anemone bleaching for the first time. 
• Researchers from NBFGR are studying sea anemones to cultivate them in controlled environments. 
• This project, funded by the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, aims to support livelihoods for women on the islands. 
• The main concern is that bleaching deprives sea anemones of their primary energy source, making them more susceptible to diseases and higher mortality rates. 
• These aquatic invertebrates have soft bodies and can sting. 
• They are commonly found near corals and live rocks and can form symbiotic relationships with certain organisms. 
• They typically do not move much and use microscopic stinging structures to capture prey. They are popular in the aquarium industry.

Aurora Lights in India

In News: Indian Astronomical Observatory has recently captured the aurora borealis on camera in Ladakh above Mount Saraswati.

• • Northern lights have been also witnessed in different elements of the arena, which include in the United States and the UK. 
  • Meanwhile, southern lighting fixtures, or aurora australis, had been spotted in countries which include New Zealand and Australia.

• About Auroras

• • Auroras are exceptional ribbons of light.
  • These lights basically appear near the poles of each the northern and southern hemispheres all year spherical however on occasion they make high to lower latitudes.
  • In the north, the display is referred to as the aurora borealis; inside the south, it’s far referred to as the aurora australis.
  • It may be visible in more than a few colorings, inclusive of blue, red, yellow, green, and orange.
  • The shades rely on the form of gas and its altitude. Oxygen glows pink or blue; nitrogen can be inexperienced, blue, or red
• Causes: It  is because of collisions between fast-shifting electrons from space with the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s top ecosystem.
  •  They are resulting from magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares (explosions on the Sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles).
  • Energetic charged particles from these occasions are carried from the Sun by the solar wind.
• Occurrence:  Auroras have been discovered on Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus
  • The aurora borealis is commonly seen in high-range areas across the Arctic and Antarctic.

ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement

In News: The 4th Joint Committee meeting for the review of AITIGA (ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement) was recently held in Malaysia.

• • It was signed and entered into force on 1 January 2010.
  •  Under the Agreement, ASEAN Member States and India have agreed to open their respective markets by way of regularly decreasing and getting rid of obligations on 76.4% insurance of goods. 
  • In September 2022, both sides tasked the AITIGA Joint Committee  to adopt the evaluation with the purpose of creating the Agreement more trade facilitative and jointly useful.
  • An overall of eight Sub-committees had been constituted under the AITIGA Joint Committee for task negotiations on extraordinary coverage regions related to the Agreement. 

• Importance 

• • ASEAN is one of the essential trade partners of India with a share of 11% in India’s global trade. 
  • The bilateral trade stood at USD 122.67 Bn all through 2023-24. 
  • The upgradation of AITIGA will further raise bilateral trade.

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