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Q- Petya and wannacry has been in news recently, which of the following is correct about them? A. They are virus’s effecting only military systems across the world B. They are new missiles developed by North Korea C. They are ransomware which affects all the systems D. None of the above Q- Which of the following is correct regarding NATO? 1. At the time of its formation it has 28 members 2. In case of an attack against any of the members, it is considered that attack is against all its members. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q- Which of the following is correct about new oil and gas block licensing policy? 1. It will open up 2.8 million square kilometres of sedimentary basin 2. Initially the applications and related bids for the blocks would be held twice in ten years. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer    1-C, ...

Q- Which of the following is correct regarding GeneXpert? A. It is a software to detect the gene traces B. It is a device made by WHO to cure the HIV C. It is a multi-disease testing device for Tuberculosis, HIV and Hepatitis D. None of the above Q- 1. Colombia’s Congress has given its approval to a peace accord with FARC guerrillas. 2. It aimed at ending a 52-year-old armed conflict Which of the following statements is/are true-? a) Only 1 b) Only 2 c) Both 1 & 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2 Q- Wannacry has been in news recently, which of the following is correct regarding it? A. It’s a virus which effects only government websites B. It's a ransomware which affected many countries including India C. It's a virus used by US to effect Iran’s nuclear system D. None of the above. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer  1-C,  2-C,  3-B

A new study has found that the mean temperature in India has risen by half a degree Celsius over a period of 60 years. This corresponds to 146 per cent increase in the probability of deaths due to heat waves. This means that even moderate increases in mean temperatures may lead to large increases in heat wave-related deaths, notes the study conducted by researchers from the Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi and Bombay, along with the University of California and Boise State University, USA. Based on the findings, researchers have urged the government to put in more efforts to build resilience among vulnerable populations in regions with severe heat waves. In the years—1972, 1988, 1998 and 2003— when there were more than 10 heat wave days on an average across India, there was a corresponding spike in heat-related deaths between 650 and 1,500 people. The substantial increase in mortality rates due to 0.5°C increase in summer mean temperature or two more heat wave days suggest...

Excess human activities leading to soil pollution took centre stage at the fifth Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly held at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome. Excessive amount of nitrogen and trace metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury can impair plant metabolism and reduce crop productivity. When they enter the food chain, these pollutants pose risk to food security, water resources, rural livelihoods and human health. “Soil pollution is an emerging problem, but, because it comes in so many forms, the only way we can reduce knowledge gaps and promote sustainable soil management is to intensify global collaboration and build reliable scientific evidence,” Ronald Vargas, a FAO soils officer, said. “Combating soil pollution and pursuing sustainable soil management is essential for addressing climate change,” Rattan Lal, president of the International Union of Soil Sciences, said. Combating soil degradation Around one-third of th...

We live in a world shaped by technology, and another 150 years of advancement and discovery will transform it even further. Life in the year 2167 will be amazing, exciting, convenient — and yet still recognizable to someone from 2017. Any specific prediction about what the 22nd century will look like will almost certainly be wrong. Nevertheless, breaking developments in science and fiction may point the way to what the future might hold. It is inevitable that we will experiment on ourselves. The wealthy will routinely edit their genes and design their babies. Rich or poor, almost everyone will be implanted with internet chips, so that with a flutter of an eyelid we can always be online. And having removed the need for sleep, we will be far more productive and have far more time for leisure. More human We will certainly live longer than we do now, and remain largely healthy until we reach the end. But earlier promises of rejuvenation and immortality will have never come to frui...

Researchers have discovered yet another gene that carries resistance to a crucial, last resort antibiotic called colistin. The mcr-3 gene is the third such gene, which was isolated from pigs who also carried 18 other resistance determinants. The finding has been published by researchers from China Agricultural University, Beijing in journal mBio. Colistin is used widely as a last resort antibiotic in humans against multi-drug resistant bacteria. It is the “highest-priority” critically important antimicrobial for human medicine as per the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers found a sample of E. coli bacteria that was resistant to colistin, but did not carry any of the two known resistant genes (mcr-1and mcr-2). This prompted the discovery of the third gene. The isolated mcr-3 gene is plasmid mediated, meaning it can be transferred among different bacteria in animals as well as humans. The authors suggest that this novel mobile colistin resistance gene may be widespread, ...

The Maharashtra High Court, today (June 29), quashed and set aside “shoot-at-sight order” for a tiger issued by AK Mishra, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Maharashtra on June 23. The court observed that the order was absolutely illegal and “it was passed without following the due process of law and is in violation of guidelines issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).” The order was challenged in the court by Jerryl Avinash Banait, a wildlife activist. “The forest department did not make sure that the tiger was indeed a man-eater. The two deaths caused by the tiger have occurred in the buffer zone where humans cannot enter normally. Moreover, the tiger did not feed on the victims. Hence, it should not have been labelled as a man-eater,” says Banait. The court also found that identification of the tiger and process contemplated in NTCA guidelines was not followed. The NTCA guidelines say that: Under no circumstances tiger should be ...

The disabled have been affected by the high GST rates on essential aids and appliances There are just a few days left. On June 30, at the midnight hour, when the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime kicks in, almost all aids and appliances that disabled people use such as a wheelchair, or a Braille typewriter or a hearing aid will become at least 5% more expensive. And, if the confusion over Chapter 90:9 in the GST Bill is not resolved between now and then, then some orthopaedic appliances such as crutches and surgical belts will get 12% more expensive. Making matters worse Even small cars in India are treated as some type of a luxury item; the GST Council has levied a whopping 18% tax. It is another matter that in the absence of accessible buses or even taxis, modified cars specially adapted for the physically disabled are not really a luxury item but an absolute necessity. Since 2006, these items were not taxed! So, even 5% GST, let alone 12% or 18%, will make life that ...

To brandish genetic studies as the clincher to the Aryan debate is hasty, if not misplaced Tony Joseph’s article (“How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate, June 16) on how recent genetic studies of Indian populations might be “settling the Aryan migration debate” attempts to summarise polemical as well as technical aspects of the contribution of genetics to the debate in question. I will focus here mostly on methodological issues to argue that the conclusions of two recent studies Mr. Joseph’s article heavily leans on are much shakier than conveyed. (Those are “A genetic chronology for the Indian Subcontinent”, published earlier this year in BMC Evolutionary Biology, which I will refer to as “Silva et al.” after its first author, and “Reconstructing Indian population history” by David Reich and four co-authors, published in Nature in 2009, henceforth “Reich et al.”) To begin with, most studies of population genetics suffer from shortcomings and flaws, some of which are...

In a well-calibrated programme, Prime Minister Modi’s U.S. visit reaffirmed an indispensable partnership Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much anticipated visit to Washington has come and gone. The chemistry was positive, and the physics (that is, the structural content and equilibrium) and the geometry (the angles and alignments along which the visit was pitched) well-calibrated. Mr. Modi’s fifth visit to the U.S. as Prime Minister concluded on a note of reassuring affirmation about relations between the world’s most important and largest democracies. President Donald Trump is a man of many moods and ‘humours’, a personification of impulse and impetuousness. The fact that the two leaders struck a good rapport, marked by mutual “respect and friendship”, despite the difference in their personalities, augurs well. In Mr. Trump’s own words, he had “tremendous success” in his meeting with Mr. Modi. Progress in bilateral relations over the last few years received the imprimatur of en...