Feed

About Vitamin B12:

• Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin.
• It has the largest and most complex chemical structure of all the vitamins.
• It is unique among vitamins in that it contains a metal ion, cobalt.
• The human body cannot produce B12 on its own, so it must be obtained through foods high in vitamin B12 or supplements.
• It is naturally found in animal foods such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products.
• It is not present in plant foods unless fortified.
• The body stores vitamin B12 in the liver.
• The body can store vitamin B12 for 2 to 5 years, and it can get rid of any excess or unwanted vitamin B12 in the urine.
• Function:
  • It helps create your DNA and red blood cells.
  • Your body also needs B12 for the development of your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord).
  • It also helps keep your hair, nails, and skin healthy.
• Vitamin B12 Deficiency:
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs when the body does not get or is not able to absorb the amount of the vitamin that the body needs.
  • Deficiency is most common in people who:
    • Are over the age of 50
    • Follow a vegetarian or vegan diet
    • Have had stomach or intestinal surgery, such as weight loss surgery
    • Have digestive system conditions such as celiac disease or Crohn’s disease
    • Have pernicious anemia, an autoimmune condition that occurs when your body destroys cells in your stomach that make an intrinsic factor, which is needed to help your body absorb B12
  • Low levels of B12 can cause:
    • Anemia
    • Loss of balance
    • Numbness or tingling in the arms and legs
    • Weakness
    • Dementia due to metabolic causes.

About Super Ice Missile:

• It is a long-range cruise missile developed by Israeli defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
• The missile is part of Rafael’s relatively new group of cruise missiles.
  • The other members of the family include Sea Breaker, which was introduced in 2021, and Ice Breaker, which was introduced in 2023.
• Super Ice is designed to conduct long-range stand-off strikes against high-value strategic targets, military facilities, and air-defense systems.
• It has launch options spanning aircraft, ground-based systems, and naval platforms.
• Features:
  • It is equipped with a 454 kg warhead compatible with the MK83 (a US-made aerial bomb).
  • It is equipped with an autonomous navigation system that allows it to fly at low altitudes while following the terrain.
  • For target acquisition, the missile uses an electro-optical system featuring high-precision image matching
    • Image-matching guidance allows the missile to compare images captured by its onboard sensors with reference imagery to help determine its position and identify its intended target.
    • This is particularly useful when satellite navigation signals are disrupted or unavailable.
  • The company has withheld its exact range and speed, but the new missile is said to be faster and has a longer range than the ICE BREAKER, which has a range of up to 300 km.

About Blue Flag Certification:

• It is a globally recognized eco-label accorded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in Denmark.
• It is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary awards for beaches, marinas, and sustainable tourism boats.
• The Blue Flag Programme started in France in 1985. It has been implemented in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside of Europe since 2001.
• It promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas.
• The award encourages local governance bodies, including Panchayats, Municipalities, district and state administrations, to commit to sustainable coastal development.
• The candidate beaches applying for the Blue Flag award are evaluated based on their compliance to the 33 international criteria in four major heads: environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environment management and conservation, and safety and services on the beaches.
• Currently, there are over 5,000 Blue Flag sites worldwide across 51 countries.
• Of all Blue Flag-certified sites worldwide,6 percent sit in just six countries. Spain leads the world with 794 certified sites, followed by Greece (658), Türkiye (628), Italy (612), France (488), and Portugal (438).
• Chandrabhaga Beach, located on the Konark coast of Odisha, was the first beach in India to receive the Blue Flag Certification in 2018. It was also the first beach in Asia to receive this certification.
• The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) is the National Operating Agency for the Blue Flag in India.

Key Facts about the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in Denmark:

• It is a leading international non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable development through environmental education.
• Established in 1981 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, FEE works with a global network of over 110 member organisations in more than 85 countries.
• FEE empowers people to rise to the most defining challenges of our time: the escalating climate crisis, the devastating loss of biodiversity, and the relentless tide of environmental pollution.
• FEE’s work is delivered through five internationally recognised programmes:
  • Green Key– an international eco-label for tourism and hospitality that promotes sustainable business practices.
  • Blue Flag– a leading eco-label for beaches, marinas, and tourism boats that meet stringent environmental and safety criteria.
  • Eco-Schools– the world’s largest sustainable schools programme, empowering students to drive environmental action in their schools and communities.
  • Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE)– a network that supports young people to investigate environmental issues and propose solutions through journalism, photography, and video.
  • Learning about Ecosystems and Forests (LEAF)– a programme that promotes outdoor, nature-based learning focused on forests and ecosystems.
  • Green Key Indonesia operates under this global Green Key programme, ensuring that certified establishments in Indonesia follow criteria and processes that are aligned with FEE’s internationally benchmarked standards.

About Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum:

• It is envisioned as a landmark civilisational museum showcasing the continuity, diversity, and richness of India’s civilisational heritage through an integrated narrative of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
• It will be developed by the Ministry of Culture through the adaptive reuse of the historic North Block and South Block buildings in New Delhi.
• It aims to transform the two prominent government buildings into a national institution highlighting the continuity, diversity, and richness of India's civilisational heritage.
• It is an integral part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.
• The project draws inspiration from France's 'Grands Projets' initiative, under which government buildings were repurposed into major cultural spaces.
• Features:
  • Spread over a proposed built-up area of approximately 1,78,509 square metres, the museum will integrate contemporary museum practices, immersive technologies, and visitor-centric interpretation.
  • It is going to be the museum with the largest display area in the world.
  • It will present India’s civilisational journey through curated thematic galleries, exhibitions, and interpretation of its diverse cultural traditions, knowledge systems, artistic practices, and heritage.
  • The project encompasses gallery development, collection storage and conservation facilities, integration of technologies and immersive experiences, landscaping, intelligent building systems, and associated infrastructure.
• Implementation Strategy and Targets:
  • The project will be implemented in a phased manner over FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.
  • The first inaugural gallery on the theme of Adornment is expected to open to the public in the North Block in the latter part of 2027.
  • A modular approach is being formulated to add more galleries.
  • Other galleries are being developed on themes such as Architecture and Cityscapes, Mathematics and Astronomy, Languages and Scripts, Faith and Spirituality, and Bharat Connects – Trade and Ideas, among others.
  • Around 1.8 million objects have been identified from the National Museum and other museums under the Ministry of Culture, 52 ASI site museums, state museums, and private collections for the proposed museum. 

About Indian Bramble Shark:

• It is a new species of deep-sea shark discovered from the Indian Ocean.
• Scientific Name: Echinorhinus roinee
• The specimens were collected from Sakthikulangara Fishing Harbour in the Kollam district of Kerala, where they were landed as bycatch by deep-sea shrimp trawlers.
• It inhabits continental slope waters at depths ranging from 350 to 450 metres and can grow up to three metres in length.
• It was earlier misidentified for several decades as the Atlantic bramble shark (Echinorhinus brucus).
• It can be distinguished from its closely related counterparts like the Atlantic bramble shark and Pacific prickly shark (Echinorhinus cookei) by its relatively larger eyes, larger pelvic fins, and longer snout-to-gill region.
• It has a dark brown to blackish body covered with prominent thorn-like dermal denticles, which fuse into multi-pointed plates as the shark matures.

About Leadership Group for Industry Transition

• It was jointly launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019.
• It is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• It was the first global high-level initiative aimed at reaching net-zero emissions from heavy industry. 
• Aim: It gathers countries and companies that are committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions from industry by 2050.
• LeadIT fosters public and private partnerships to enable the necessary policy environment, finance flows, and exchange of best practice for a just and inclusive industry transition.
• LeadIT 2.0 was initiated for the period 2024-26, at COP-28 in Dubai, which focuses on
  • Inclusive & Just Industry Transition
  • Co-development & transfer of low-carbon technology
  • Financial support to emerging economies for Industry Transition
• LeadIT’s three-year Mission Statement, adopted at the annual LeadIT Summit at COP28.
• Secretariat: It is hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute.
• Member countries: 19 countries and 33 companies.

About Nematode:

• These are worms of the phylum Nematoda.
• They occur as parasites in animals and plants or as free-living forms in soil, fresh water, marine environments, and even such unusual places as vinegar, beer malts, and water-filled cracks deep within Earth’s crust.
• Features:
  • Appearance: Nematodes are bilaterally symmetrical, elongate, and usually tapered at both ends.
  • Some species possess a pseudocoel, a fluid-filled body cavity between the digestive tract and the body wall.
  • Distribution: They have been reported from every continent on Earth and occur in deserts, swamps, the oceans, the tropics and Antarctica.
• Significance of marine nematodes:
  • Nutrient Cycling: Breaking down organic waste and recycling essential nutrients back into the ocean.
  • Sediment Health: Maintaining the stability and productivity of coastal sediments.
  • Bio-Indicators: Serving as vital markers for environmental health and climate change impact.

New Nematode Species

• These were collected from mangrove-associated sediments of the Kerala coast.
• These new species are named as
  • Pseudochromadora coronata, P. cryptica, and P. kairali from the mangrove forests of Sambranikodi, Kollam, and Pseudochromadora kandeli and P. longicaudata
• Some marine nematodes are free-living, meaning they are not parasites and generally measure a few millimetres in length.
• They abundantly inhabit marine and estuarine sediments, playing important ecological roles in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling.

About Indian National Science Academy:    

• It was established in January 1935 to promote science in India and harness scientific knowledge for the cause of humanity and national welfare.
• Background
  • It was earlier known as the National Institute of Sciences of India (NISI)
  • It was inaugurated on 7 January 1935 at Calcutta and functioned with its headquarters at the Asiatic Society of Bengal till 1951 and thereafter shifted to Delhi.
• Objectives:
  • Promotion of scientific knowledge in India, including its practical application to problems of national welfare.
  • Coordination among Scientific Academies, Societies, Institutions, Government Scientific Departments, and Services.
  • To publish such proceedings, journals, memoirs, and other publications as may be found desirable.
  • To promote and maintain liaison between Science and Humanities.
  • To secure and manage funds and endowments for the promotion of science.
• The academy also serves as a forum for interactions among scientists within and outside the country and recognizes outstanding young scientists, engineers, and technologists through the award of medals/prizes and by providing modest financial support for pursuing research.
• Senior scientists are honoured through election to its Fellowship.
• The Academy has established exchange programmes with different overseas academies to facilitate visits of Indian scientists to research institutions abroad and of foreign scientists to India for lectures/scientific discussions.
• It was designated as the adhering organization in India to the International Council for Science (ICSU) on behalf of the Government of India in January 1968.

About Mawmluh Cave:

• Location: It is located at Sohra in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.
• It is locally known as Krem Mawmluh.
• It was the first cave that was explored by a British official Lieutenant Yule in 1844.
• It is one of the longest and deepest caves in India and holds evidence of the events in the geological history of Earth. 
• At 7.2 km in length, it is the fourth longest cave in the Indian subcontinent.
• The cave is part of the Meghalayan Age, the latest age in Earth’s official geological timeline, which began around 4,200 years ago and continues today.
• Geological Structures:
  • It is known for its stalagmite structures and other rock formations.
  • It contains numerous stalactites, stalagmites, columns and drapes, collectively termed speleothems. 
• Recognition: In 2022, it was recognised among the First 100 Geological Heritage Sites by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).