ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: C

• Union Information Technology Minister stated that the government will form regulations to control the spread of deepfakes on social media platforms, terming them a “new threat to democracy”.
• The plan will have four key pillars: detection of deepfakes, their prevention by removing or reducing their virality, strengthening reporting mechanisms, and spreading awareness about the technology.
• The government will also work with other countries and geographies to ensure that there is a global collaborative effort to combat such content.

ABOUT DEEPFAKES

• A deepfake is a video of a person in which the face or body has been digitally altered so that he or she appears to be someone else.
• This is typically used to spread false information.
• These are synthetic media that use AI to manipulate or generate visual and audio content.
• Deepfakes are a part of Deep Synthesis, which uses technologies, including deep learning and augmented reality, to generate text, images, audio and video to create virtual scenes.
• It can create people who do not exist and it can fake real people saying and doing things they did not say or do.

ANSWER: A

• Recently, for the first time, scientists were able to visualise plants sensing compounds released by other plants in danger.
• These are called green leaf volatiles (GLVs).
• Mechanical damage or herbivory by fungal or bacterial infection can trigger GLVs release.
• Plants have two major defence mechanisms, involving a chain of molecular reactions.
• The reactions are triggered when a plant is damaged and GLVs are released as by-products.
• By mounting a defence response, plants can make themselves less palatable or even indigestible to the insect attackers.
• The molecular cascade is mediated by calcium, a common mediator of chemical and electrical signals found throughout biology.
• Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) are short chain (six carbon atoms) group of alcohols, acetates, and aldehydes, that can enhance or interrupt the behavioral responses of insects to their pheromones depending on the species and the context in which they are encountered.
• Further research can pave the way to protect crops without pesticides.

ANSWER: C

• Assam state government intends to “simply rules” to allow water sports and tourism-related activities in ‘Deepor Beel’

ABOUT DEEPOR BEEL

• It is a perennial freshwater lake located 10 km south-west of Guwahati city.
• The lake expands up to 30 sq. km in summer and reduces to about 10 sq. km in the winter.
• It is the only major storm-water storage basin for Guwahati city.
• It has been designated as a site of importance for “conservation and sustainable use” under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
• It is the only Ramsar site in Assam.
• It sustains over 200 species of birds, including about 70 species of migratory birds. For e.g- Spot-billed Pelican, Lesser Greater Adjutant Stork and Baer’s Pochard etc.
• It was notified as Eco-Sensitive Zone in 2021.

ANSWER: B

• Saurauia Punduana plant has been recorded for the first time in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.

ABOUT SAURAUIA PUNDUANA

• Flowers of Saurauia Punduana turn white to pink on maturity.
• Petals are pink, ovate to obovate curled at the tip.
• Its fruits are spherical shining white, and are used in veterinary medicine.
• The native range of this species is from Bhutan to Southeastern Tibet.
• It is a critically endangered species as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

ANSWER: A

• In 2014, NDDB, IDA and 22 state-level milk federations decided to dedicate November 26 to Dr Verghese Kurien, the Father of India’s White Revolution.
• Hence, together they initiated the observance of National Milk Day on November 26^th.
• In the early 1970s, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) launched Operation Flood, a transformative national project aimed at establishing a comprehensive milk grid across the country.
• At the helm of the NDDB was Dr. Verghese Kurien, whose leadership injected essential management skills into the cooperative sector.
• It catapulted milk production in India and now the country ranks first in milk production in the world contributing 24% of global milk production

ANSWER: D

• The local administration of Thunag has banned trekking expeditions towards hills of Shikari Devi temple, a famous tourist place in Mandi district in view of public safety because of the onset of winter.
• The place receives about 10 feet snow every year during winter, denying access to Shikari Devi hills.
• Shikari Devi temple is located about 18 km away from Janjehli and is connected by a motorable forest road.
• It is situated at an altitude of 3,359 metres.
• There are thick forests on the way to Shikari Devi peak.
• Being the highest peak of Mandi district, it is called the Crown of Mandi.
• On the Shikari peak, there is a roofless temple of Shikari Devi, the Goddess of hunters.
• This temple is said to be established (Sathapit) by Pandavas.
• It is said that sage Markanday also meditated at this place for number of years.