• Researchers from US have claimed that they have created a new superconductor that can operate at room temperature and a much lower pressure than previously discovered superconducting materials.
• Named Red Matter, it was formed by combining lutetium (a rare earth metal) with hydrogen and nitrogen.
• It can conduct electricity without resistance at 21 degrees Celsius and around just 10,000 atmospheres of pressure.
• Superconductors are materials that can conduct electric currents without any loss when they are cooled below a critical temperature.
• These materials also expel magnetic fields as they transition to the superconducting state (Meissner effect).
• However, it is considered extremely impractical because they typically need to be extremely cooled, to around minus 195 degrees Celsius, and subjected to extreme pressure to work.
• Applications of superconductors:
  • In Nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • In high-energy physics accelerators and in thermonuclear fusion reactors.
  • Frictionless, levitating high-speed trains.
  • Power grids that transmit electricity without the loss of energy.

• Researchers have spotted a rare moth species (Mimeusemia ceylonica) for the first time in India in Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR).
• It is a moth species belonging to the subfamily Agaristinae and family Noctuidae.
• It was first illustrated and described by English entomologist George Hampson in 1893.
• The spotting of the Moth species in the district has added to the testimony of the rich biodiversity of the region.

ABOUT KALAKKAD–MUNDANTHURAI TIGER RESERVE (KMTR)

• Located in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, it forms part of the interstate Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.
• It includes three sanctuaries, viz. Kalakad, Mundanthurai and part of Kanyakumari Sanctuary.
• Flora: Varies from thorny shrub jungle to lush evergreen forests.
• Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Sambar, Indian Pangolin, Sloth, Mouse Deer, Monitor Lizard, Great Indian Hornbill etc.

• Tasmania (Australia) has planned to give greater protection to Macquarie Island (also declared a World Heritage Area).
• Macquarie Island is an oceanic island in the Southern Ocean, lying south-east of Tasmania.
• Several seabird species, including penguins and albatross, have been recorded on Macquarie Island.
• It is the only place on earth where rocks from earth’s mantle are being actively exposed above sea-level.
  • These unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts and other extrusive rocks.
• Island is exposed crest of undersea Macquarie Ridge, raised to its present position where Indo-Australian tectonic plate meets Pacific plate.
  • Macquarie Ridge impedes the eastward flow of a current called Antarctic Circumpolar Circulation.

• Holi was celebrated with religious fervour at the historical Brijraj Swami temple of Lord Krishna in Nurpur. The temple management committee organised two-day celebrations on March 7 and 8 on the temple premises.On the first day, Holi was played with flowers whereas on Wednesday, the devotees played with ‘gulal’ on the next day. Thousands of devotees participated in the religious event.
• Nurpur formerly known as Dhameri in the ancient times is located in the scenic Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
• The beautiful fort of Dhameri was built by Raja Basu Dev, the then ruler of Pathankot of the Pathania clan in the late 16th century.
• The historic fort offers a mesmerizing view of Jabhar Khud, a tributary of a rivulet called Chakki.

• Every year on the second Wednesday of March, No Smoking Day is observed. It falls on March 8 this year.
• This year’s theme is: “Stopping smoking improves your brain health”.

• Civic architect, urban planner and activist, Sir David Alan Chipperfield has been selected as the 2023 Laureate of The Pritzker Architecture Prize, the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.
• Chipperfield’s career spans more than 40 years and includes 100-plus projects, ranging from civic, cultural, and academic buildings to residences and urban master planning throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.

• In the first command appointment for a woman officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF), Group Captain Shaliza Dhami has been selected to take over the command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector.
• For the first time ever in the IAF’s history, a woman officer has been given command of a frontline combat unit – in this case, a missile squadron in the Western sector.
• The IAF’s move comes just two months after Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Indian Army’s Fire and Fury Corps became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the world’s highest battlefield in Siachen.

• A local court in North Carolina stopped the construction of a new barrel warehouse for Jack Daniel’s – the biggest-selling brand of American whiskey in the world. This order came after a resident sued the company due to the uncontrollable spread of the whiskey fungus.

About Whiskey Fungus

• Whiskey fungus, also known as Baudoinia compniacensis, is a black, sooty fungus that grows in the vicinity of bakeries and distilleries around the globe.
• The fungus is a sac fungus. The sac is the reproductive feature of the fungus.
• This fungus thrives on the alcoholic vapours that evaporate from whiskey casks during maturation.
• Usually, a small portion (up to 2%/ year) of the spirit evaporates into the atmosphere and this is called the ‘angel’s share’.
  • It is on this angel’s share that these fungi thrive.
• It tends to cover outdoor surfaces, including cars, homes, and trees, which can adversely affect the value of properties.
• Although research has not shown any health risks from exposure to the fungus, it can damage trees and properties.
• Cleaning the fungus from affected surfaces can be a difficult and costly task as they form thick coatings.

• The final full moon of the winter season, called the Worm Moon, was visible on March 6 and 7.
• Each year, the timing varies between late February to late March.
• The name of this full moon is derived from the time it appears in the year when winter subsides in the Northern hemisphere, leading to the earthworms emerging from the ground as the soil softens.
• Various tribes have named each full moon after the weather events occurring during that time. March’s full moon is also referred to as the Sap Moon since it is when the sap of sugar maples starts flowing, and as the crow, crust, and sugar moon.
• Festivals associated with worm moon
  • In India, Holi is celebrated during the worm moon (Falgun Purnima).
  • Jews celebrate the Purim festival during the worm moon period. The festival is celebrated to mark the salvation of the Jews who escaped the plot of killing in Persia.
  • In Europe, the fasting period before easter begins on worm moon and they call it the LENTEN MOON.
  • Buddhists in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Thailand celebrate Magha Puja on worm moons. It is celebrated to mark a gathering of Lord Buddha and his disciples.

• Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) Fund has so far provided final approval to about 130 projects with sanctions worth over Rs 12,000 crore.
• In three years since its inception in 2019, the Fund has already completed 20,557 homes and aims to complete over 81,000 homes in the next three years across 30 tier 1 and 2 cities.

About SWAMIH Fund

• The Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) Investment Fund I is a social impact fund specifically formed for completing stressed and stalled residential projects.
• The Fund is sponsored by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and is managed by SBICAP Ventures Ltd., a State Bank Group company.
• The fund considers first-time developers, established developers with troubled projects, developers with a poor track record of stalled projects, customer complaints and NPA accounts, and even projects where there are litigation issues
• It is considered the lender of last resort for distressed projects.
• It is India’s largest social impact fund specifically formed for completing stressed and stalled residential projects.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • The real estate projects must be Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA)-registered which have been stalled due to a lack of adequate funds.
  • Each of these projects must be very close to completion.
  • They must also fall under the ‘Affordable and Middle-Income Project’ category (any housing projects wherein housing units do not exceed 200 sq.m.).
  • Net-worth positive projects are also eligible for SWAMIH funding.
    • Net-worth positive projects are those projects for which the value of their receivables (debts owed to them by buyers), plus the value of their unsold inventories is greater than their completion costs and outstanding liabilities.
  • Objective:
    • It aims to provide financing to enable completion of stalled housing projects and ensure delivery of apartments to homebuyers.
    • To unlock liquidity in the real estate sector and provide a boost to core industries such as cement and steel.