• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to launch the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) to study one of the important drivers of Space weather – the Earth’s weather.

ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC WAVES EXPERIMENT (AWE)

• AWE is a first-of-its-kind NASA experimental attempt aimed at studying the interactions between terrestrial and Space weather.
• Planned under NASA’s Heliophysics Explorers Program, the $42 million mission will study the links between how waves in the lower layers of the atmosphere impact the upper atmosphere, and thus, Space weather.
• AWE will be launched and mounted on the exterior of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
• From the vantage point, it will look down at the Earth and record the colourful light bands, commonly known as airglow.

ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC GRAVITY WAVES

• Just like there is weather on the Earth, the environment around the Earth and the other planets remains constantly under the influence of the Sun and its behaviours – solar flares and emissions, along with the kinds of prevailing matter in the Space surroundings.
• In the atmosphere, there are a wide variety of waves, travelling both horizontally and vertically. Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGW) are one such kind of vertical wave.
• They are mostly generated when there is an extreme weather event or a sudden disturbance leading to a vertical displacement of stable air.
• Natural phenomena like thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, regional orography and others have the potential to send out a variety of periodic waves, including AGWs, in the lower levels of the atmosphere.
• A stable atmosphere plays an important role in the generation of gravity waves, that is, when the atmosphere is stable, the temperature difference between the rising air and the atmosphere produces a force that pushes this air to its original position.
• The air will continuously rise and sink, thus creating a wave-like pattern.
• AGW is a wave that moves through a stable layer of the atmosphere, wherein the upward-moving region is the most favourable for the formation of cloud patterns or streaks.
• AGWs continue all the way to Space, where they contribute to the Space weather.

• The celebration of ‘World Children’s Day’ on November 20^th serves as a way to promote children’s welfare and international togetherness across the world.
• The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1959, and later, on the same day in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• The day was first observed as Universal Children’s Day in 1954.
• The theme for World Children’s Day 2023 is “For every child, every right”.

• A recent study has found a particularly unusual isotope, nitrogen-9.

• It was created by smashing beams of oxygen isotopes into beryllium atoms in the S. National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.
• Atoms of the nitrogen-9 isotope are characterised by seven protons and two neutrons – which is an unusually high proton-to-neutron ratio.
• This disparity has a critical effect on the isotope’s stability, influencing its decay processes as well as overall behaviour.

• Physicists are using fractal geometry to study quantum systems, providing a unique perspective on the uncertainties of quantum physics.

ABOUT FRACTALS

• A fractal is a never-ending pattern.
• Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales.
• These are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop.
• They are capable of describing many irregularly shaped objects or spatially nonuniform phenomena in nature, such as coastlines and mountain ranges.
• Applications-
  • Overcome measurement limitations.
  • Fractals are applied in data compression, antenna design, and studying patterns in galaxies.

• Research has improved in recent times on the phenomenon of Paramutations.

ABOUT MUTATIONS

• Each cell in our bodies has 23 pairs of chromosomes.
  • One of each pair is inherited from each parent.
• Every chromosome contains one long DNA molecule plus several chromosomal proteins.
• The DNA is made of four compounds called base.
• A gene is a specific sequence of bases in the DNA.
• A mutation is any change in the sequence of base in the DNA of a chromosome.
  • A paramutation is a small chemical modification of a chromosomal protein: it flips a nearby gene into a silenced state.
  • So the active and silenced versions of a paramutated gene share the same DNA sequence but their associated proteins have different modifications.
  • Paramutations can protect humans against viruses.

• A study by an international team of researchers has revealed the formation of new enigmatic layer – E prime layer – at the outermost part of Earth’s core is a result of “surface water penetrating deep into the planet,” altering the composition of the metallic liquid core’s outermost region.
  • Earth comprises four primary layers: an inner core at the planet’s center, surrounded by the outer core, mantle, and crust.
• This latest research suggests that 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.
• The reaction leads to the formation of a hydrogen-rich, silicon-depleted layer at the outer core, resembling a film-like structure.
• Silica crystals generated by this process ascend and blend into the mantle, impacting the overall composition.
• These modifications in the liquid metallic layer could potentially result in reduced density and altered seismic characteristics.

• Efforts are being made to expand the cultivation of geographical indication (GI)-tagged Onattukara sesame.
• Onattukara sesame is currently grown on around 600 hectares spread across 43 local bodies in three districts of Alappuzha, Kollam and Pathanamthitta in
• Compared to other places, sesame grown in the region contains high levels of Vitamin E and antioxidants.
• It also contains oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitoleic acid which help maintain good health.
• Traditional ayurvedic doctors in the region have used Onattukara sesame oil for treating rheumatism and skin protection since the 18^th century.

• In animal husbandry, cattle that are born exhibiting characteristics of both sexes are called freemartins.
• Freemartins are sterile female cattle that result from the twinning of a male and a female within the same uterus.
• This phenomenon occurs in approximately 90% of such twin pregnancies in cattle.
• The key reason is the exchange of blood between the male and the female foetuses during gestation.
• Genetically, freemartinism is attributed to the sharing of cells carrying the Y chromosome from the male twin with the female twin.
• This chromosome triggers the development of male reproductive organs in the male foetus, while the female foetus, affected by the presence of male hormones, experiences incomplete development of its reproductive system.
• The end result is that the freemartin has an underdeveloped or non-functional reproductive tract.
• In agricultural settings, because freemartins can’t reproduce, farmers often identify them through physical and/or behavioural traits to cull them from the breeding herd to improve reproductive efficiency.

• Myristica swamps, a rare and archaic forest ecosystem largely confined to Kulathupuzha and Anchal forest ranges in Kollam, Kerala, is facing slow and steady degradation due to multiple factors including man-myristica conflict.
• Myristica swamps are called live fossils, a biodiversity hotspot dominated by evergreen trees belonging to Myristicaceae family, one of the oldest flowering plants on earth.
• Since they are habitats with a relic status dating back to primordial times, the swamps have great conservation value.
• These are a type of freshwater swamp forest predominantly composed of species of Myristica.
• This species has stilt roots, or knee roots that pop up above the water level to breathe creating a varied habitat for many life forms.
• The swamps are naturally patchy habitats with a high number of endemic species.
• The swamps are partially inundated for several months a year.
• In India, these habitats are found in Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Threats- climate change and the drying up of water bodies.
• There is a need to regulate water harvesting from hill streams to sustain the swamps.
  • Experts recommend different strategies that include minimising anthropogenic disturbance, regulating visitors, preventing the invasion of non-swampy species and maintaining the hydrological balance of the habitat.

• November 20^th, 2023 marked the 25^th anniversary of the launch of the International Space Station (ISS).
• It is the largest man-made object in the solar system.
• Zarya, the first module, launched on- November 20^th, 1998 from
  • Zarya supplied fuel storage and battery power, and served as a docking zone for other space vehicles arriving at the ISS.
• The ISS has stood as a testament to the power of international cooperation and has played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of space, microgravity, and fostering groundbreaking scientific research.
• It is a partnership between European countries (represented by ESA), United States (NASA), Japan (JAXA), Canada (CSA) and Russia (Roscosmos).
• The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes at a speed of 8 kilometers (5 miles) per second.
  • Thus it travels through 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.
• It revolves at an altitude of a mere 430 kilometers (267 miles).
• The ISS pressurised interior of 16 modules has a habitable space of 13,696 cubic feet (388 cubic metres), equivalent to a six-bedroom home.
• It is supported by a 310-foot-long (94-metre) truss, a massive iron backbone holding solar panels, batteries, and radiators.
• According to current plans, the ISS will be abandoned and deorbited after 2030.