ANSWER: A

 ANSWER: B

 ANSWER: D

 ANSWER: B

• Recently, Finland has installed world’s first sand battery that can store heat from renewable energy sources for months.
• Sand Battery is a high temperature thermal energy storage that uses sand or sand-like materials as its storage medium.
• It stores energy in sand as heat. Its main purpose is to work as a high-power and high-capacity reservoir for excess wind and solar energy.
• Energy is stored as heat, which can be used to heat homes, or to provide hot steam and high temperature process heat to industries that are often fossil-fuel dependent.

Working

1. Electricity is generated by wind turbines or solar panels.
2. Almost 30% power is used to power local infrastructure.
3. The remaining 70% is stored in sand battery heating the sand upto 1000 ^oC .
4. Stored energy can be used during lean (winter) season.

 ANSWER: A

• A new analysis of genetic data collected from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, has linked coronavirus to raccoon dogs.
• Laboratory experiments have shown that raccoon dogs are susceptible to and capable of transmitting the novel coronavirus.
  • But that does not mean that they are the natural reservoir for the virus.

About Raccoon Dogs

• They belong to the canid family and are closely related to foxes.
  • Ironically they are neither dogs nor raccoons.
• They are the only canids that hibernate during the winter.
• They are omnivores and eat rodents and berries and are monogamous, often living in pairs.
• Raccoon dogs are originally from East Asia and are commonly found in parts of China, Korea, and Japan, where they are known as tanuki.
  • They are also found in Europe, where they were first brought in by fur traders in the 1920s.
• Today, raccoon dogs are considered to be a threat to the local ecosystem in Europe and an EU report declared them “one of the most successful alien carnivores in Europe.”
  • However, in Japan, tanuki is revered.
• They are sold for meat and fur.
• Protection Status: Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

ANSWER: B

• Recently, the dead coral reefs were observed near Kurusadai (Tamil Nadu), one of the 21 uninhabited islands forming the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.
• The primary reason behind this loss is Kappaphycus alvarezii, a seaweed species deliberately introduced for commercial cultivation some two decades ago.

About Seaweeds:

• Seaweeds are group of many species of marine algae and plants that grow in water bodies such as rivers, seas and oceans.
• They vary in size, from microscopic to large underwater forests.
• Seaweed is found on the shores across the world, but is more commonly a staple in Asian countries.
• Seaweed has numerous benefits, including being a source of nutrition, containing anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agents for medicinal purposes
• Contributing to economic growth through its use in manufacturing, acting as a bio indicator by absorbing excess nutrients and balancing out ecosystems.
• They trap excess iron and heavy metals and supplying oxygen and nutrients to other marine life forms.

Impact of Kappaphycus alvarezii Seaweed:

• The Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed species has invaded six of the 21 islands of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Tamil Nadu and has killed the corals near Kurusadai.
• Globally it has also caused considerable damage to Coconut Island in Hawaii, Cubagua Island in Venezuela, Zanzibar in Tanzania, and Almirante and Cristobal in Panama and Costa Rica.
• IUCN lists Kappaphycus alvarezii as one of the world’s 100 most invasive species.

 ANSWER: C

• In a pilot project, work to remove Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis juliflora) will start at Central Ridge in Delhi in order to restore its natural biodiversity.
• Vilayati Kikar is an invasive species first imported into India by British as an exotic and decorative species.
• Prosopis Juliflora is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae.
• Also known as Vilayati Babool, it is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.
• An important fuelwood in dry regions, it can survive hostile drought-like conditions.

Negative impact

• It causes stomach poisoning in livestock by inducing a permanent impairment of its ability to digest cellulose.
• It causes drying up of water bodies and ground water as it absorbs more than 4 litres of water to obtain one kg of biomass.
• It cannot even shelter birds as it produces less oxygen and more carbon dioxide.
• It causes land erosion due to the loss of the grasslands that are habitats for native plants and animals.

 ANSWER: A

• In a recent study, researchers explained the possibility of extra-terrestrial life on far-off exoplanets within a special region known as “terminator zone”.
• Terminator zone is a ring on planets that have one side that is always facing its star and one side that is always dark.
• Terminator is the dividing line between day and night sides of planet.
• It could exist in “just right” temperature zone between too hot and too cold.
• Terminator zone planet can retain liquid water.
• If the planet is mostly covered in water, then water facing the star would likely evaporate and cover entire planet in thick layer of vapour.
  • But if there’s land, this effect should not occur.

 ANSWER: C

• Rohan Bopanna, a 43-year-old Indian tennis player, and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have become the oldest duo to win an ATP Masters 1000 title.
• They won the men’s doubles final at the Indian Wells Masters 2023 tournament in California by defeating the top-seeded team of Wesley Koolhof and Neil Skupski.

 ANSWER: D

• World Oral Health Day is observed globally every year on March 20, with the primary objective of increasing awareness about the significance of oral health.
• The Oral Health day aims to encourage individuals to adopt good oral hygiene practices, take care of their teeth, and learn ways to prevent dental problems.
• According to a report by the WHO Global Oral Health, approximately 75% of the world’s population suffer from permanent teeth caries, while 514 million children experience caries in primary teeth.
• The theme for 2023 is ‘Be Proud of Your Mouth,’ which is the same theme used for the past three years.

 ANSWER: A

• A team led by Forest Range Officer has taken an initiative to research and conserve butterfly species found in Bhattiyat area, which falls under the Dalhousie forest division of Chamba district.
• There are around 120 species of butterflies in the Bhattiyat forest range, including ‘Danaid eggfly’, which is included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Photographs of 57 of these species have been displayed in the recently set up forest museum at Sihunta in Bhattiyat.
• The museum has become a popular centre of attraction among researchers and tourists.
• The main purpose of documenting butterflies is to demonstrate the quality of environment and highlight need for forest conservation.

Butterflies are an important part of our ecosystem, helping in pollination and complementing biodiversity