About Supernova:

• A supernova is the name given to the cataclysmic explosion of a massive star.
• They are the largest explosions that take place in space.
• A star can go supernova in one of two ways:
  • Type I Supernova: A star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbor until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites.
  • Type II Supernova: A star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
• It can emit more energy in a few seconds than the sun.
• These spectacular events can be so bright that they outshine their entire galaxies for a few days or even months.
• They can be seen across the universe.
• They’re also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.

_{How Common are Supernovas?}

• Astronomers believe that about two or three supernovas occur each century in galaxies like our own Milky Way.
• Because the universe contains so many galaxies, astronomers observe a few hundred supernovas per year outside our galaxy.

About Death Valley National Park:

• It is a desert valley located in the southeastern part of California, United States.
• It is the hottest and driest place in North America.
• It is the location of the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States.
• It is the largest national park in the continental United States.
• It is a rift valley, or a graben, that has been formed due to the sinking of a huge expanse of rock located between major block-faulted mountains running parallelly in the east and west.
• It lies in the Great Basin to the east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the northern part of the Mojave Desert.
• Despite the low precipitation and extreme summer temperatures, Death Valley is home to many diverse species, several of which are endemic (found nowhere else in the world).

About Chenchu Tribe:

• The Chenchus are a food-gathering tribe primarily residing in the Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh.
• They are one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Andhra Pradesh.
• They are also found in Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.
• Language: They speak variants of Telugu, the Dravidian language of the region.
• A Chenchu village is known as “Penta“.
  • Each penta consists of a few huts that are spaced apart and are grouped together based on kinship patterns.
• Small conjugal families predominate, women taking equal rank with men and marrying only upon maturity.
• “Peddamanishi” or the village elder, is generally the authority to maintain social harmony in a family or a village.
• Their rituals are few and simple; religious and political specializations are slight.
• Livelihood:
  • The Chenchu live life with exemplary simplicity. Most of them still gather food from the forest and roam in it to find things to meet their needs.
  • The bow and arrow and a small knife are all the Chenchus possess to hunt and live.
  • The Chenchus collect forest products like roots, fruits, tubers, beedi leaf, mohua flower, honey, gum, tamarind, and green leaves and make a meagre income from it by selling these to traders and government cooperatives.
  • Though at times they work as forest labourers, they mostly prefer to fall back on their native skills to hunt and gather food.
  • The Chenchus do not care much for money or material wealth.
• Religion:
  • Chenchus worship a number of deities. Chenchus have also adopted certain religious practices from Hindus.
  • For ages, the Chenchus have been associated with the famous Srisailam temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva and Devi Brahmaramba) in Andhra Pradesh, situated at the heart of Chenchu land.
  • The Chenchus enjoy special privileges at Srisailam temple.

About Uchi Pillaiyar Temple:

• The Uchi Pillaiyar Temple, also known as Rockfort Temple, is located at the top of Rockfort Hill, Trichy, in Tamil Nadu.
• It is a 7th-century-CE Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
• Its construction was started by the Pallavas, but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who completed the temples’ construction.
• There are three temples located closely on the rock fort:
  • Maanikka Vinayakar Temple situated at the foothill, dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
  • Uchchi Pillayar Temple at the top of the hill, dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
  • Thayumanaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated close to the base of the rockfort on the way to Uchchi
• This Rockfort Temple gives an aerial view of the entire Trichy City along with Srirangam Temple, River Kaveri, and River Kollidam.

About Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is located in the Kaimur District of Bihar.
• It is located in the famous Kaimur Hills range.
  • The Kaimur Hills, known for their invincibility, are home to two forts and the ancient Mundeshwari Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in India.
• It is the largest sanctuary in the state.
• It is bounded by the Son and Karmanasa River
• It is connected to the Bandhavgarh-Sanjay-Guru Ghasidas-Palamau tiger meta-population landscape through fragmented forest patches along the Son basin.
• The valley part is filled with many waterfalls such as Karkat and Telhar and various lakes such as Anupam Lake.
• Prehistoric rock paintings, stone inscriptions, and monuments have also been discovered here.
  • Prehistoric murals found in the "Lakhania" and other hilly regions and the prehistoric fossils of the Pre-Cambrian times in the "Salakhan" area bear testimony to the ancient origin and existence of this region.
• The Oraon tribe is believed to have originated from this region.
• Flora: A large variety of vegetation is found in the mixed, dry, deciduous forests that cover the area, the primary tree vegetation being Baakli, Mahua, Dhaak, and Bamboo.
• Fauna:
  • The wildlife comprises of Black Bucks, Chinkaras, Four-Horned Deers, Blue-Bulls, Sambar, Cheetals, Bears, Leopards, etc.
  • Apart from these pythons, Gharials/Crocodiles and different species of snakes are also found.

About Bar-Headed Goose:

• It is a migratory bird species which is known to be one of the highest-flying birds in the world. 
• Distribution: It is native to central Asia, where the species breeds, Bar-headed Geese are found in countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Japan and other nearby regions. 
• Habitat: It is found near water bodies. 
• Conservation Status: It is classified as ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN Red List.

About International Fund for Agricultural Development:

• It is an international financial institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• It was established as an international financial institution in 1977 through United Nations General Assembly Resolution.
• Objective: It is dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.
• IFAD seeks to empower rural people to increase their food security, improve the nutrition of their families.
• Its projects and programmes are carried out in remote and environmentally fragile locations, including least-developed countries and Small Island developing States.
• It is the only multilateral development institution that focuses exclusively on transforming rural economies and food systems.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Group (UNDP).
• It grants support research, innovation, institutional change, and pro-poor technologies.
  • It extends two types of grants, depending on the nature of the innovation and the scope of intervention: global or regional grants and country-specific grants.
• Membership: Currently, IFAD has 180 Member States, including India. (India is a founding member of IFAD).
• Governance: Governing Council is the highest decision-making body which meets every three years.
• Headquarter: Rome, Italy. 

About Hard Corals:

• Hard corals, also known as stony corals, are marine animals that build the limestone frameworks upon which reefs form.
• They grow in colonies and are often referred to as “reef-building corals.”
• Key Features of Hard Corals
  • They composed of thousands of tiny polyps that secrete calcium carbonate.
  • Hard corals create skeletons out of calcium carbonate, a hard substance that eventually becomes rock.
  • Overtime, this rock builds up to form the foundation of a coral reef and provides a structure upon which baby corals can settle.
  • These corals depend upon tiny algae called zooxanthellae that live inside them.
    • Together, they share a symbiotic relationship (the corals provide the zooxanthellae with shelter, and in return, the zooxanthellae provide the corals with food).
  • Threats to Hard Corals:
    • Bleaching events driven by extreme heat.
    • Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease: It is spread across 30 countries which is causing unprecedented mortality of corals.
    • Losses of key herbivores such as the Diadema sea urchin have fuelled an 85% surge in macroalgae.

About Mexico:

• Location: It is located in the southern part of North America.
• Bordering Countries: It shares its land borders with the United States of America, Guatemala and Belize.
• Maritime boundaries: It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the south and west; by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east.
• Capital City: Mexico City
• Geographical Features of Mexico:
  • It is a part of the circum-Pacific “Ring of Fire”—a region of active volcanism and frequent seismic activity. 
  • Peninsulas: It consists of Baja Peninsula and Yucatan Peninsula.
  • Major Rivers: Rio Grande river and Colorado river (which is shared with US)
  • Lakes: Lake Chapala and Lake Cuitzeo.
  • Major mountain range: Sierra Madre.
  • Natural Resources: Petroleum, silver, Antimony, Copper, Gold, Lead, zinc, natural gas.