Daily Current Affairs Quiz: November 22, 2023

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

• 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.

ANSWER: A

• 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.

ANSWER: B

• 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.

ANSWER: C

• 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.

ANSWER: A

• 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.

ANSWER: C

• 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.

ANSWER: D

• 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”.