• NASA is developing a snake-like robot – EELS – which can boost space exploration through its diverse adaptability to various terrains.
• EELS is capable of exploring internal and enclosed dynamic terrain structures to assess evidence for life.
• The EELS architecture is a snake-like, self-propelled robot and made of multiple, identical, segments containing both the actuation and propulsion mechanisms as well as the power and communication electronics to drive them.
• EELS uses first-of-a-kind rotating propulsion units that act as tracks, gripping mechanisms and propeller units underwater, enabling the robot to access a plume vent exit and follow it to its ocean source.
• It’s special focus is on Encaladus, the sixth largest moon of Saturn.
• Besides Enceladus, EELS system can explore Martian polar caps and descending crevasses in Earth’s ice sheets.

• Recently, Satkosia wildlife sanctuary witnessed breeding of Indian Skimmer for the first time.

About Satkosia wildlife sanctuary

• It is located around Satkosia gorge of Mahanadi river and is spread over Angul, Cuttack, Boudh and Nayagarh districts in Odisha.
• Flora: Tropical moist deciduous Forests and Moist peninsular low level sal.
• It is known for Gharials, Mugger crocodile, rare freshwater turtles like Chitra indica and Indian softshell turtle, Tiger, Elephant, Gaur, bison, wild dog, sloth bear etc.

About Indian skimmer

• Another common name for Indian skimmers is Indian scissors bill.
• They are more widespread in winter; the Indian skimmer is found in the coastal estuaries of western and eastern India.
• The species can be sighted near the Chambal River in Central India, in few parts of Odisha and in Andhra Pradesh.
• Threats include habitat degradation, excessive and widespread increases in disturbances near the rivers.
• IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

• PM praised “Abhilekh patal” a portal with over 1 Crore Pages of Historical Records of National Archives.

About Abhilekh Patal

• It is a full-featured web-portal to access National Archives of India’s (NAI) reference media and its digitized collections through internet.
• It is an initiative of NAI to make its Indian Archival Records available to all.
• It contains the reference media of more than 2.7 million files held by the National Archives of India.
• Abhilekh is a Sanskrit term used in India for records since ancient times and Patal is a Sanskrit word meaning a board, platform, or a surface.
  • Combined, it is used as an acronym for Portal for Access to Archives and Learning.

The National Archives of India

• NAI is an Attached Office of the Ministry of Culture and act as repository of non-current records of Government of India.

• SpaceX’s Starship, the world’s biggest rocket, exploded during its first test-flight to space.

About Starship

• SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket – collectively referred to as Starship
• Super Heavy rocket:
  • It is the first stage, or booster, of the Starship launch system.
  • Powered by 33 Raptor engines using sub-cooled liquid methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX).
  • The Raptor engine is a reusable methane-oxygen staged-combustion engine that powers the Starship system.
  • Super Heavy is fully reusable and will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere to land back at the launch site.
• Starship spacecraft:
  • It is the second stage of the Starship system.
  • It is also capable of point-to-point transport on Earth, enabling travel to anywhere in the world in one hour or less.
  • It is a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
• It is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tons fully reusable and 250 metric tons expendable.
• Future deployment
  • NASA has picked the Starship spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the Moon in late 2025 — a mission known as Artemis III — for the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972.

• President Droupadi Murmu dedicated the Rashtrapati Niwas at Mashobra, earlier known as the Presidential Retreat, to the general public.
• People can visit the heritage building of the Rashtrapati Niwas, which is 13 km from here, from April 23.
• Spread over an area of 10,628 sq feet, the Rashtrapati Niwas has expansive lawns and a tulip garden.
• The then medical superintendent of Shimla built the wooden building with ‘dhajji’ walls in 1850.
• The Retreat was taken on permanent lease from the Raja of Koti in 1895.
• Earl of Elgin was the first Viceroy of India to use this Retreat as the viceregal residence.
• Thereafter, it was used by all the viceroys, who used to spend the weekend here.
• The Retreat at Mashobra and Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad are the two residences of the President of India outside Delhi.
• All Presidents have visited the Rashtrapati Niwas at Mashobra in summer.

• The 11th Annual Thawe Festival was recently held in Gopalganj, Bihar.
• The festival’s objective is to promote tourism in the region and encourage visitors to explore the Thawe Durga Temple.
• The festival has been organized annually since 2012.

• Indian Space Research Organisation is set to launch a Singaporean Earth Observation satellite called TeLEOS-2.
• The launch will take place on board ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), marking the 55^th mission for the rocket. The launch is known as the C-55 mission.

About TeLEOS-2 satellite

• TeLEOS 2 is an Earth observation satellite that weighs 750kg.
• It has synthetic aperture radar technology that provides data at a resolution of 1 metre.
• It was developed by ST Engineering.
• TeLEOS 2 will provide imagery that can be used for various applications, such as:
  • Hotspot monitoring and haze management.
  • Aviation accidents and search and rescue operations.
• ISRO has chosen to utilize the XL variant of the PSLV launcher for the upcoming C-55 mission.

• Gujarat High Court recently issued a notice to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), under the Union Health Ministry, and the Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking immediate removal of drugs and medicines containing “cancerous impurities” such as NDMA from the Indian market.

About N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA):

• It is a volatile organic chemical that occurs widely in the environment due to its ready formation from commonly found precursors.
• It is classified as a probable human carcinogen (a substance that could cause cancer) on the basis of animal studies.
• It is a yellow, odourless liquid chemical once used to make rocket fuel.
• It is also a byproduct of several manufacturing processes and water chlorination.
• NDMA breaks down when sunlight hits
• Exposure:
  • Normally, people are exposed to small amounts of NDMA in the environment and through food and water.
  • Chemicals found in food and water, such as nitrosamines or alkylamines, can turn into NDMA in the stomach.
  • NDMA is also created when food or drink is processed. Foods such as cured meats (particularly bacon), beer, fish, cheese and even vegetables may contain NDMA.
  • Some people may have had exposure to NDMA through the use of contaminated medications.
• Risk associated-
  • Exposure to small amounts isn’t a problem. The liver breaks down NDMA, which leaves the body through exhaled air or urine. This process occurs within 24 hours of ingesting the chemical.
  • But higher exposures over time may increase cancer risk, and sudden exposure to large quantities can be toxic.

• A group of Israeli researchers have been able to pick up distress noises made by plants.
• The plants made very distinct, high-pitched sounds in the ultrasonic range when faced with some kind of stress. This was the first time that plants had been caught making any kind of noise.
• This development is seen as a logical extension of the work of Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, who demonstrated that plants could experience sensations and feel pleasure and pain

About Jagadish Chandra Bose

• He was born on 30th November 1858 to Bama Sundari Bose and Bhagawan Chandra, Bengal.
• He was a physicist-turned-biologist who had shown, more than a century ago, that plants experienced sensations and were able to feel pleasure and pain just like animals.
• He invented the crescograph, a device for measuring the growth of plants.
• He is also credited as one of the first contributors to solid state physics.
• He had anticipated the p-type and n-type semiconductors.
• Bose is widely believed to be the first one to generate electromagnetic signals in the microwave range.
• He was the first one to come up with radio receivers, which enabled wireless telegraphy.
• His books include Response in the Living and Non-Living (1902) and The Nervous Mechanism of Plants (1926).

• India has retained 3^rd spot, in the list of countries with most number of Unicorns as per Hurun Research Institute’s Global Unicorn Index 2023.
• Edtech giant BYJU’S is the leading unicorn in India with a valuation of $22 billion, followed by food delivery and quick commerce startup Swiggy and fantasy sports platform Dream11, both worth $8 billion.
  • Unicorn refers to a privately held startup company with a value of over $1 billion.
• As per the index, India (68 unicorns) added 14 new unicorns since pandemic began and stands behind USA (666) and China (316).
• India and China produce more offshore unicorns than any other country.
  • Number of offshore unicorns by Indians is more than that of Chinese.