< Daily Current Affairs & Important Editorials

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Enigmatic E Prime Layer discovered in Earth’s core

GS- I >> Geography>> Layers of Earth

Context: Earth core’s mysterious new layer formed due to surface water diving deep as per new studies.

About Enigmatic E Prime Layer:

• The E prime layer is a new layer discovered at the outermost part of Earth’s core.
• The layer is the result of surface water penetrating deep into the planet, altering the composition of the metallic liquid core’s outermost region.
• Tectonic plates carrying surface water have transported it deep into the Earth over billions of years.
• Upon reaching the core-mantle boundary about 1,800 miles below the surface, this water initiates significant chemical changes, influencing the core’s structure.
• This discovery enhances our comprehension of Earth’s internal mechanisms, indicating a broader and more intricate global water cycle than previously acknowledged.
• The Earth is made up of three different layers: the crust, the mantle and the core. The outer core, about 2,200 kilo-meters (1,367 miles) thick, is mostly composed of liquid iron and nickel.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com

SATHEE Portal

GS- II >> Social Justice>> Education

Context: Ministry of Education asks States to encourage use of online coaching platform SATHEE Portal.

About SATHEE Portal:

• SATHEE is an open learning platform available to students for free.
• The Self-Assessment Test and Help for Entrance Exams (SATHEE) portal, a self-paced assessment platform.
• The platform has been developed by University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Education and IIT Kanpur.
• SATHEE has launched a 45-day crash course for aspirants to test their level of preparation. SATHEE hosts live and recorded lectures.
• The portal uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interact with students, and can be customised to each student’s pace of learning.
• SATHEE’s integrated AI chatbot helps students align their learning needs. “The initiative is in line with the National Education Policy, with the goal to provide inclusive, high-quality education even to remote parts of the country.
• Currently, digital learning material is available on the portal in English, Hindi, Odisha, and Telugu.

Source: www.thehindu.com

Draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023

GS- II >> Social Justice >> Health

Context: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sought public comments on Draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023

About the Draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023:

• Bill aims to repeal the Pharmacy Act, 1948 and setting up National Pharmacy Commission (NPC) with head office at New Delhi.

Key provisions:

• NPC: Consist of a Chairperson (appointed by central government), thirteen ex-officio Members and fourteen part-time Members.
• Chairperson shall be a
• pharmacy academician and registered pharmacist having proven administrative capacity,
• possessing postgraduate degree in pharmacy profession from any University with experience of not less than fifteen years in pharmacy field,
• at least ten years shall be as a pharmacy leader in pharmacy education.
• Boards: Central Government shall constitute three boards namely Pharmacy
• Education Board; Pharmacy Assessment and Rating Board;
• Ethics and Registration Board, which will function under NPC.
• Pharmacy Advisory Council: It shall be constituted by Central Government to advise Commission on measures to enhance equitable access to pharmacy education, training and research.

Significance of Bill:

• Improve access to quality and affordable pharmaceutical education.
• Ensures availability of adequate and high-quality pharmacy professionals.
• Promotes equitable healthcare by making pharmacy services accessible to all citizens.
• Transparent assessment of pharmacy institutions and facilitating maintenance of a pharmacy register for India.

Source: pib.gov.in

BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement

GS- II >> International Relations >> West Asia

Context: What is the BDS movement, led by Palestinian groups against Israel?

About BDS Movement:

• The movement was launched in 2005 by more than 170 Palestinian groups to garner international support for Palestinian people’s rights.
• It describes itself as an ‘inclusive, anti-racist human rights movement that is opposed on principle to all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.’
• It draws inspiration from the South African anti-apartheid movement.
• BDS urges ‘nonviolent pressure on Israel until it complies with international law’ to meet three demands on Israel:
• Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall.
• Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality.
• Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

Source: indianexpress.com

Atmospheric Wave Experiment (AWE)

GS- III >> Science & Technology >> Space

Context: Recently, NASA set to launch Atmospheric Wave Experiment (AWE) mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

About Atmospheric Wave Experiment (AWE):

• AWE is a pioneering NASA experiment designed to explore the interplay between terrestrial and space weather.
• It will examine airglow (colourful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere) to determine what combination of forces drives space weather in the upper atmosphere.
• It will also measure Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGWs) at mesopause (an atmospheric layer that begins some 87 km in altitude).
• AGWs form as buoyancy lifts air upward, and gravity brings it back down.
• The upward movement encourages cloud formation, while the downward movement promotes clear skies.
• These waves result from various processes like airflow over mountains, convection (e.g., thunderstorms), and frontal systems.
• They serve to connect different parts of the atmosphere, such as a surface storm causing can causes changes in the ionosphere.
• Space Weather describes the variations in the space environment between the sun and Earth.
• Sun is the primary source of space weather with the greatest disturbances usually caused by solar flares and subsequent geomagnetic storms.
• Space weather can affect power grids, radio or satellite-based communication, operations of navigation and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
• Significance of studying AGWs: A better understanding of how gravity waves in the upper atmosphere interact with the jet stream, polar vortex and other phenomena could be key to improved weather predictions and climate models.

Source: indianexpress.com

Tantalum

GS- III >> Science & Technology >> New Material

Context: What is tantalum, the rare metal found in Sutlej?

About Tantalum:

• Tantalum is a rare metal with the atomic number 73 viz. the number of protons found in one atom of the element.
• It’s grey, heavy, very hard, and one of the most corrosion-resistant metals in use today.
• It possesses high corrosion resistance because when exposed to air, it forms an oxide layer that is extremely difficult to remove, even when it interacts with strong and hot acid environments.
• Moreover, it is almost completely immune to chemical attack at temperatures below 150°C, and is attacked only by hydrofluoric acid, acidic solutions containing the fluoride ion, and free sulphur trioxide.
• Notably, tantalum also has an extremely high melting point, exceeded only by tungsten and rhenium.
• Tantalum was discovered by Anders Gustaf Ekenberg, a Swedish chemist, in 1802 in minerals obtained from Ytterby, Sweden.

Applications of Tantalum:

• Tantalum is most prominently used in the electronics sector.
• The capacitors made from tantalum are capable of storing more electricity in smaller sizes without much leakage than any other type of capacitor.
• This makes them ideal for use in portable electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, and digital cameras.
• As tantalum has a high melting point, it is frequently used as a substitute for platinum, which is more expensive.
• The rare metal is also used to make components for chemical plants, nuclear power plants, aeroplanes and missiles.
• Tantalum does not react with bodily fluids and is used to make surgical equipment and implants, like artificial joints, according to the US Department of Energy.
• A composite consisting of tantalum carbide (TaC) and graphite is one of the hardest materials known and is used on the cutting edges of high-speed machine tools.

Source: indianexpress.com