• An ambitious new project — a collaboration between genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation — promises to just bring the dodo back to life, and also re-introduce it in its once-native habitat in Mauritius.

ABOUT DODO (RAPHUS CUCULLATUS)

• These were flightless birds that were endemic to the island of Mauritius.
• The last of its species died, sometime in the final two decades of the 17th century.
  • The tubby flightless bird has become somewhat of an ‘icon of extinction’.
• Dodos were remarkably well-adapted for the ecosystem they inhabited, with its abundant supply of food, and lack of major predators.
• Extinction
  • Their extinction became inevitable with arrival of humans on the scene.
  • Dutch colonists first landed in Mauritius in 1598.
    • Dodos disappeared around 80 years later.
  • Not only did the Dutch hunt the meaty bird, but the animals they brought with them — dogs, cats, rats— wreaked havoc on the defenceless dodos and their eggs.

ABOUT THEIR REINTRODUCTION

• To de-extinct a species, the first thing required is accurate and complete genetic information.
  • This is known as a species’ genome — each genome contains all of the information needed to build that organism and allow it to grow and develop.
• The company has successfully sequenced the entire genome of the dodo using DNA extracted from a skull in the collection of the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
• This is now being compared to the genome of the Rodrigues solitaire, the dodo’s closest (also extinct) relative to identify just what makes a dodo, a dodo.
• It has also sequenced the genome of the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo’s closest extant relative, and found its primordial germ cells (PGCs).
  • PGCs are basically embryonic precursors of a species’ sperm and egg.
• The Nicobar pigeon’s PGCs will now be edited to express the physical traits of a dodo, with the help of the insight gathered from the comparison of the genomes of all three birds.
• These edited PGCs will then be inserted into the embryos of a sterile chicken and rooster, who will act as ‘interspecies surrogates’. In theory, when the chicken and rooster reproduce, they will give birth to a dodo offspring.

• Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) was recently released at global COP-28 held in Dubai.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• The top three places remain empty as not a single assessed country has taken action in line with the 5-degree limit.
• Denmark is at the top of the index again (4th), followed by the climbers Estonia and Philippines (5th and 6th).
• China, the largest emitter, remains in 51st place, while the US has even dropped five places since last year (now 57th).
• The host of COP28, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Saudi Arabia form the bottom trio (ranked 65th to 67th).

INDIA SPECIFIC FINDINGS

• India has ascended to the 7^th position in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), showcasing a commendable improvement from its previous ranking.
• The spotlight is on India’s exceptional performance in renewable energy, outpacing fellow developing nations and solidifying its position in the top tier.
• The country’s prowess in the greenhouse gas emissions category is evident, marked by a low level of emissions and minimal travel-related impact.
• However, a critical observation emerges regarding India’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, prompting speculation about its future ranking if emission rates continue to escalate.
• India’s per capita emissions at half the global average, while China’s figures already surpass the world average.

ABOUT CCPI

• Published since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) tracks countries’ efforts to combat climate change.
• It monitors the climate mitigation progress of 63 countries and the European Union, together responsible for more than 90% of global emissions.
• German watch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network publish the index annually.
• As an independent monitoring tool, it aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
• It assesses countries performance in four categories– GHG emissions, Renewable energy, Energy use, Climate policy.

• The Ibu volcano on Halmahera Island in the eastern Indonesian province of North Maluku erupted recently, throwing ash up to 1,200 metre above its peak.
• Standing as high as around 1,300 metre above sea level, Ibu volcano is classified in the second danger level, below the highest level of IV.
• Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is one of the countries with the most volcanoes in the world.

• International Day against Corruption or International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) is celebrated on December 9^th, every year, to raise awareness among the general public on the impact of this prevailing malice.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against corruption on October 31, 2003.
• The authorities also designated the date of December 9 as World Anti-Corruption Day to raise awareness about corruption and the role of the Convention in preventing it.
• Following the same, the observance of the day was first officially held on 9 December 2005.
• The theme for this years’ celebration of International Anti-Corruption Day is ‘UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption.’

• The sale and consumption of meat, alcohol and other intoxicants have been restricted around the Pashupatinath Temple area in Kathmandu due to the Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi.
• During the festival, seven types of grains mixed with fruits are sprinkled at the Shleshmantak Forest near the Pashupatinath Temple in memory of the deceased relatives.

ABOUT THE TEMPLE

• Situated on the banks of the holy River Bagmati on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu, Pashupatinath is the most revered Hindu temple in Nepal.
• It is dedicated to Pashupati, a form of Shiva.
• The temple was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979.
• It includes 518 mini-temples and a main pagoda house.
• It attracts hundreds and thousands of Hindu pilgrims from across the world apart from being a major tourist destination.

• Union education minister recently urged Odisha CM to implement the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA).
• As per guidelines of the PM-USHA scheme, states/UTs are required to sign an MoU for onboarding the scheme for its implementation.
• The MoU contains clauses regarding proper planning, implementation and monitoring of the scheme.

ABOUT PM-USHA

• Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) a centrally sponsored programme, aims to work with 300-plus state universities and its affiliated colleges.
• Launched in 2013, the PM-USHA aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions.
• The central funding is based on norms and is outcome dependent.
• Funds flow from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories before reaching the identified institutions.
• Funding to states would be made on the basis of the critical appraisal of State Higher Education Plans, which would enlist each state’s strategy to address issues of equity, access and excellence in higher education.

This scheme has been approved till March 31, 2026 with a total outlay of Rs 12926 crore in continuation of the scheme of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

• China began commercial operations of the world’s first fourth generation, gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant.
• The Shidao Bay plant in eastern Shandong province is powered by two high-temperature reactors cooled by gas rather than pressurised water.
• The facility, which began construction in 2012, features two 250 megawatt thermal reactors and a steam generator with an installed capacity of 200 megawatts.
• Conventional reactors produce electricity from nuclear energy. However, these advanced models — known as small modular reactors, or SMRs — can be used for other applications that include heating, desalination or steam for industrial needs.
• Instead of using water to cool the system, the high-temperature reactor will be cooled using helium gas, offering a promising way to develop more inland nuclear plants, as they will not need to be located next to a water source.
• According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, more than 80 SMR projects are currently under development in 18 countries.

• Four years after becoming the only G7 nation to join China’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative (BRI), Italy has decided to leave the project.
• The deal was due to automatically renew in March 2024 unless Italy opted out by the end of 2023.

ABOUT BRI

• The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure development strategy launched by China in 2013.
• It aims to invest in over 150 countries and international organizations, creating road, rail, and sea routes for trade and connectivity.
• The initiative, often referred to as “One Belt One Road” (OBOR), is a key part of China’s foreign policy.
• The initiative includes two principal components-
  • Silk Road Economic Belt- This segment is dedicated to improving connectivity, infrastructure, and trade links across Eurasia through a network of overland transportation routes.
  • Maritime Silk Road This component emphasizes maritime connections and cooperation in the form of ports, shipping routes, and maritime infrastructure projects.
    • It begins via the South China Sea going towards Indo-China, South-East Asia and then around the Indian Ocean thus reaching Africa and Europe.
  • Issues
    • “Debt-trap diplomacy” of China
    • Geopolitical rivalries and disputes
    • Implementation problems like labour violations, environmental hazards, corruption scandals etc.

Sierra Leone in 2018 and Philippines in 2023 had also announced their exit from BRI.

• Developed in partnership with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) under the Ministry of Culture, the initiative, known as “Mera Gaon, Meri Dharohar”, seeks to explore the life, history, and ethos of Indian villages.
• As a crucial component of the National Mission on Cultural Mapping, the project reflects the government’s commitment to document and map the cultural diversity inherent in villages across the country.
• The main objective of the project is to culturally map India’s 6.5 lakh villages, spanning 29 states and 7 union territories, on a comprehensive virtual platform.
• Through MGMD, people will get an opportunity to immerse themselves in the diverse and vibrant cultural heritage of India.
• The core idea behind this project is to encourage appreciation for India’s culture and traditions, paving the way for economic growth, social harmony, and artistic development in rural communities.
• The collected information is categorized into seven broad categories–
  • Arts and Crafts Village
  • Ecologically Oriented Village
  • Scholastic Village Linked with Textual and Scriptural Traditions of India
  • Epic Village linked with Ramayana, Mahabharata, or Puranic legends and oral epics
  • Historical Village linked with Local and National History
  • Architectural Heritage Village
  • Any other characteristic that may need highlighting such as fishing village, horticulture village, shepherding village, etc.

ABOUT IGNCA

• The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is a leading national institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in the arts and culture, as well as the study of the connections between arts and culture and other fields of study and elements of life.
• IGNCA was established in 1987 as an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.

• Species of the deep ocean may seem as strange as aliens from another planet but these creatures are products of the same biochemistry that impels other animals.
• Driven by the need for food and to avoid predators, deep-sea marine animals – especially tiny free-floating zooplanktons – swim up to the surface at night.
• The daily, synchronized movement of marine animals between the surface and deep layers of the open ocean is called diel vertical migration (DVM).
• It’s also known as diurnal vertical migration.
• The timing of this migration is tuned to the natural rhythms of sunrise and sunset.
• This type of migration is the largest animal migration on the planet and is undertaken every single day by trillions of animals in every ocean.
• It makes for a captivating display of nature’s ingenuity.
• It is also a crucial player in the earth’s carbon cycle.
  • Animals dwelling in the mesopelagic layer (layer that extends from 200 to 1,000 meters below the ocean’s surface) actively remove substantial amounts of carbon from the upper ocean as they feed on surface-dwelling plankton.
  • When these organisms return to deeper waters, they carry the carbon with them.
  • Even within the mesopelagic layer or twilight zone, some migratory animals become part of the food chain, passing on the carbon they have consumed to their predators.
  • The carbon-rich waste produced by the predators then sinks to the ocean floor, where it remains trapped for millennia.