About Phulkari:

• Phulkari, meaning “flower work,” is a traditional embroidery art of Punjab.
• There are various theories about the origin of phulkari.
• Some believe this embroidery dates back to the 7th century CE, while others suggest it originated from Iran, where it was known as Gulkari.
• However, distinct styles of phulkari have been identified, making it uniquely Punjabi.
• References to phulkari can be found in ancient texts, folk legends, and literature, with the earliest mention in the 18th-century Punjabi literature.
• It received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2010.
• Features:
  • It's an amalgam of cotton and silk.
  • The cloth used is usually hand-woven thick cotton, called ‘ khadder’. While the threads are thin, lustrous, and breakable silk, called ‘pat’.
  • The cloth is usually dyed red, but can be white, grey, or black
  • And the treads are a myriad of colors, ranging from the rich dark pink to soothing off-whites.
  • The stitch is intricate, small, and completely fills the cloth. The stitch can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal to create the shadow effect.
  • Phulkari embroidery makes use of the least complicated patterns to create extremely intriguing designs.
  • The designs and patterns can vary from geometrical figures to flowers to local fauna. Peacocks, elephants, birds, and camels appear frequently.
  • Phulkari’s product range includes embroidered chaddars, dupattas, and stoles, traditionally worn by brides or for ceremonies.

About Lake Mead:

• It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, located on the border between Southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona in the United States.
• It was formed in the mid-1930s by the damming of the Colorado River through the construction of the Hoover Dam.
• It is the largest reservoir in the U.S. when it's full of water.
• When Lake Mead is completely full, it stretches 180 km long. It can be 162 m deep at its deepest point.
• Most of the water is drawn from Rocky Mountain snowmelt and runoff.
• It supplies drinking water for about 25 million people.
• It is home to many species of mammals, including desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions, beavers, coyotes, and bats.
• Since 1999, periods of extended drought paired with increased water demands driven by population growth have caused a drastic drop in lake levels.

Key Facts about Colorado River:

• It is a major river of North America.
• Course:
  • It rises in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, United States.
• The river drains a vast arid and semiarid sector of the North American continent.
• It is often referred to as the “Lifeline of the Southwest.”
• Lakes: It forms several major reservoirs, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
• International boundary: Colorado forms an international boundary between Arizona (US) and Mexico.
• Tributaries: The Colorado River has several tributaries, including Green, Gunnison, San Juan, Dolores, Little Colorado, Gila, and Virgin Rivers.
• One of the Colorado River’s most famous features is the Grand Canyon, which it carved over millions of years.
  • Grand Canyon landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction.
• The river also flows through Canyonlands National Park and Horseshoe Bend in Arizona.

About Cessna C172:

• The Cessna C172, commonly known as the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, is a four-seat, single-engine aircraft.
• It is manufactured by Cessna, an American manufacturer of general aviation aircraft (now part of Textron Aviation).
• It is used primarily for training and/or private aviation and is still in production today.
• More than 50% of the world's pilots started their training in the Cessna 172, and it remains a popular aircraft for flight training and personal use.
• Features:
  • This fixed-wing aircraft features a high-wing design, offering great visibility to beginner pilots.
  • It also has a reputation for stability, forgiving handling, and simple controls.
  • The design prioritizes stability over speed (with a maximum cruise speed of 124 knots), allowing students to focus more on maneuvers, takeoffs, landings, safety, and control before speed.
  • Maximum Range: 640 nm.

About Mithun:

• The Mithun, or gayal, is a heavily built, semi-domesticated bovine species.
• Scientific Name: Bos frontalis
• Mithun is believed to have originated more than 8000 years ago and is considered to be a descendent of wild Indian gaur, or bison.
• It is also known as the ‘cattle of the mountain’.
• Distribution:
  • The highest concentration of mithuns in the world is spread over the North Eastern (NE) region of India, with Arunachal Pradesh having the highest population.
  • It is also found in China and parts of Southeast Asia,, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Bhutan.
  • The geographic zone is covered with tropical evergreen rain forests.
  • It is the state animal of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
  • The ‘Soulung’ festival is observed annually by the Adi tribes of Arunachal Pradesh to commemorate the birth and arrival of Mithun on this earth.
• Features:
  • It appears somewhat similar to that of Gaur but are distinctly smaller in size.
  • The characteristic feature lies in the head, which has a well-developed, broad frontal bone with a flat-shaped face.
    • From the front view, it appears like an inverted triangle from where two horns emerge from the lateral sides.
  • Horn colour varies from whitish yellow to salty black in most animals.
  • The skin color of the head and body is blackish-brown in both sexes, and the forehead is creamy white or yellowish in color.
  • The other distinguishing features are a small and double dewlap and white stockings.
  • They move in small groups with one or two males and several females and calves.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

What is Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)?

• It is a severe, highly contagious viral disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, deer, and pigs.
  • Cloven-hoofed animals are those with divided hooves. It does not affect horses or zebras.
• Cause: It is caused by an Aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae.
• It is a transboundary animal disease (TAD) that deeply affects the production of livestock and disrupts regional and international trade in animals and animal products.
• Intensively reared animals are more susceptible to the disease than traditional breeds.
• FMD is a disease of animals, not humans, and is a different disease than hand, foot, and mouth disease which is common in young children.
• FMD is not transmitted to humans by eating affected meat.
• Transmission:
  • The virus is transmitted through direct contact between healthy and infected animals.
  • Indirect contact with contaminated objects (fomites) such as vehicles, clothing, footwear, and bedding can also spread FMDV.
  • Additionally, consuming contaminated feed or milk can transmit the virus as well as through respiratory aerosols.
• Treatment: Vaccination is the only effective preventive measure against FMD.

About Russula griseopurpurata:

• It is a new species of mushroom.
• The species has so far been recorded from Meghalaya and West Bengal.
• They were found singly or in scattered groups beneath sal trees.
• It has a greyish-purple cap that develops cracks as it matures.
• Its gills show characteristic forkings near the stalk.
• It belongs to the large and diverse Russula genus.
• Although some Russula species are edible, the researchers have not established R. griseopurpurata as edible.
• Its reported mild taste and odour do not constitute a food-safety assessment.

About Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is located in the Chandrapur district in Maharashtra.
• It is the largest and oldest tiger reserve in Maharashtra. 
• It was established in 1955, the reserve consists of Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • The word ‘Tadoba’ is derived from the name of the God “Tadoba” or “Taru,” which is praised by local tribal people of this region, and “Andhari” is derived from the name of the Andhari River that flows in this area.
• It has corridor linkages with Nagzira-Navegaon and Pench Tiger Reserves within the State.
• Water Sources: There are two lakes and one waterway in the reserve: Tadoba Lake, Kolsa Lake, and the Tadoba River.
• Vegetation: It falls in the central plateau province of the Deccan peninsula, with tropical dry deciduous forests and a typical central Indian faunal assemblage.
• Flora: It mainly consists of Teak, Ain, Bamboo, Bija, Dhaoda, Haldu, Salai, Semal and Tendu. 
• Fauna: It is home to Indian leopards, sloth bears, Indian gaur (bison), wild dogs (dholes), striped hyenas, marsh crocodiles, sambar deer, chital (spotted deer), barking deer, and four-horned antelopes (chousingha).

About Myoglobin:

• It is a small protein that accounts for about 2% of total muscle protein. 
• It is found predominantly in striated muscle tissue, namely skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle.
  • Specifically, it is in the cytoplasm of cardiac myocytes and the sarcoplasm of oxidative skeletal muscle fibers.
• It encodes a single polypeptide chain with one oxygen binding site.
• It is one of the members of the globin superfamily, which also includes hemoglobin. It often gets compared structurally and functionally to hemoglobin.
• Composition: It’s made of amino acids, iron and other molecules that work together to hold onto oxygen.
• Functions of Myoglobin:
  • Transports Oxygen: It transports oxygen from the bloodstream to the muscles when they need it to convert stored energy into movements.
  • It serves as a sensitive indicator of cellular damage when detected in urine or plasma.
  • It serves as a buffer of intracellular oxygen concentrations and as an oxygen reservoir in muscle. 
  • Enzymatic functions: It is necessary for the decomposition of bioactive nitric oxide to nitrate. The removal of nitric oxide enhances mitochondrial respiration.
  • Remove reactive oxygen species: It can do this by interacting with fatty acids.

About E-Samudra Platform:

• It is a comprehensive digital platform, making maritime governance simpler, more transparent and more stakeholder-centric.
• It is an initiative by the Directorate General of Shipping, is driving a digital revolution in maritime governance.
• This comprehensive e-governance solution streamlines shipping and seafarer operations, automates administrative processes, and enhances compliance monitoring.
• It is aimed at transforming maritime governance by bringing services for seafarers, shipping companies, ports and other stakeholders under a single digital window.
• It transforms maritime administration from a physical office-based model into an integrated digital ecosystem. It represents a transition towards Digital First and Faceless Governance
• It is part of a broader effort to make maritime administration more transparent, technology-driven and accessible while strengthening the safety, security and welfare of India’s growing seafarer workforce.
• It will bring maritime services into a single digital window with end-to-end workflows, online payments, real-time tracking and digitally issued certificates.

About Suckermouth catfish:

• It is a tropical fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae). 
• Appearance: It has a strongly arched body and a very large dorsal fin with one spine and seven branched rays.
• Its ability to endure out of water is facilitated by its accessory breathing organ, akin to a gill cavity, which permits the fish to extract oxygen from the air.
• It is locally known as Helicopter fish’ for its unusual appearance.
• It is native to the Amazon River in South America and entered India through the global aquarium trade. 
• Distribution: It naturally occurs in northeastern Brazil, the Guianas, and Trinidad and Tobago. 
• Diet: They are opportunistic omnivores and feed on algae, plants, invertebrates and small fish. 
  • It feeds on fish eggs, burrows into river banks and earthen check dams.
• It is known for its resilience and adaptability, particularly its ability to survive in conditions that would be inhospitable to other fish.