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Posted 17 Apr 2024

8 min read

Rogue Waves

A University of Melbourne expedition to Antarctica has discovered that wind drives the formation of colossal rogue waves.
Rogue waves:
- Rogues, also called 'extreme storm waves', are those waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves.
- Rogue waves can form in large bodies of freshwater as well as the ocean.
- They are often steep-sided with unusually deep troughs.
- Rogue waves are unusually large, unpredictable, dangerous and can cause damage to ships or coastal infrastructure.

Researchers have discovered a type of organelle, called nitroplast, in a marine algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii, that can fix nitrogen.
- Nitrogen fixation is a biological process in which nitrogen gas is converted into a usable form for cell growth.
It is generally believed that nitrogen fixation only occurs in bacteria and archaea but Braarudosphaera bigelowii marks the first known nitrogen-fixing eukaryote.

Implications: The nitroplast discovery opens doors for sustainable agriculture, improved crop yields, reduction in need of fertilizers and environmental stewardship.

Israel's successful interception of drones and missiles launched by Iran, has been officially named operation “Iron Shield”.
Israel is protected by a multi-layered defence array, which includes Arrow-2, Arrow-3, David's Sling, and Iron Dome active defence systems.
- Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 intercepts medium to long-range missiles while David’s Sling intercepts short to medium and medium to long range missiles.
- Iron Dome is world’s first missile defense system developed to tackle threat of short range rockets and UAVs.
  - It is capable of handling multiple incoming threats simultaneously.

Archaeological excavation reveals 5,200-year-old Harappan settlement at Padta Bet in Kachchh, Gujarat.
- It is near Juna Khatiya, an Early Harappan necropolis (mass burial site).

Evidence of occupation from Early Harappan to Late Harappan periods:
- Pottery include Ceramic artefacts of novel kinds involving large storage jars, small bowls and dishes.
- Artefacts including semi-precious stone beads made of carnelian and agate, terracotta spindle whorls, copper, lithic tools etc.
- Remains of animal bones representing cattle, sheep or goat and edible shell fragments, thereby indicating animal domestication.

Noyyal River of Tamil Nadu facing issues of pollution and choking by plastics and sewage.
Noyyal River
- Origin: From the Velliangiri hills (called as South-Kailash), a division of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve).
- River basin: Flows through Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Karur and Erode districts before joining the Cauvery River.
Historical significance: Excavated remains of storage tanks, and check dams of the Chalukya and Chola periods have been discovered across the river.
Restoration efforts: Central Government provided financial assistance from the National River Restoration Fund for its restoration.
- This fund is managed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Bumblebees
- Belongs to the genus Bombus and are important pollinator for many wildflowers.
- They are fuzzy insects with short, stubby wings.
- They are larger than honeybees, but they don't produce as much honey.
- They are known for buzz pollination.
  - Their wings beating with high speed combined with their large bodies vibrate flowers until they release pollen.
- They use dance as a means of communicating 'food alert' signals to other members of their colony.
- Threat: Habitat fragmentation, disease transmission, etc.

Three new species of fish from the family wrasse are found to be using tools.
- Jansen’s, checkerboard and moon are these new species and they live in the Laccadive Sea.
- They use live or dead coral structures as anvils to break the hard shells of sea urchins for their food.
Since fishes lack hands, claws, or tentacles, they use a series of specialised behaviours for tool use.
- The use of tools by fish is believed to be rare instances as they are ‘less intelligent’ and hence less likely to be capable of complex cognitive tasks.

New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a treaty to recognize whales as legal persons.
- Earlier, New Zealand declared the Whanganui River as a legal entity.
A legal person is a human or a non-human legal entity that is treated as a person for legal purposes.
- A legal person is capable of engaging in all usual legal business that a real person can participate in, such as suing, being sued, owning property, and entering into contracts.