NOAA forecasts above-average summer 'dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico. 

Dead Zone (Hypoxic area)

• An area of low oxygen that can kill fish and other marine life.
• Causes:
  • Natural: Stratification in the water column restricts the supply of oxygen from surface waters to more saline bottom waters.
    • Black Sea is largest dead zone that occurs naturally. 
  • Anthropogenic: Eutrophication, i.e. when a body of water gets too many nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen due to  agricultural runoff, fossil-fuel burning, and wastewater treatment effluent.  
    • This causes algal bloom which prevents light from penetrating the water’s surface.

National Stock Exchange (NSE) chief cautioned retail investors against derivatives trading.

About Derivatives

• Definition: Derivatives are financial contracts that draw their value from an underlying asset. 
  • The underlying asset can be a commodity, security, currency, or index. 
• Purpose: Can be used for hedging purposes or speculation.
• Types: Common types of derivatives include futures, options, and swaps. Derivatives are used for hedging or speculation. 
• Derivatives Market 
  • In India, the derivative market is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
  • India has two types of derivative markets: 
    • Exchanges-traded: Standardised contracts are traded on an exchange.
    • Over-the-Counter (OTC). It is decentralised. Contracts are negotiated directly between two parties.

India-IORA Cruise Tourism Conference held in New Delhi.

About IORA

• Genesis: An inter-governmental organisation established in 1997 and based on the visions of Nelson Mandela. 
• Aim: Strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within IOR.
• Members: 23 members (including India).
• Priority areas: Maritime Safety & Security, Disaster Risk Management etc. 
• Specialised agencies: Regional Centre for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT)
• Secretariat: Mauritius

Researchers have shown the potential of freshwater biodiversity monitoring using eDNA. 

• eDNA is organismal DNA that is released in the environment from cellular material shed by organisms (via skin, excrement, etc.) into aquatic or terrestrial environments.
• eDNA is increasingly being used to detect the presence of species and assess biodiversity in an ecosystem. 
  • Unlike conventional methods, eDNA approach is reliable, and accurate, and can be done at a low cost.
• This information can be used to inform the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and other conservation tools.

Indian Army received First indigenous Loitering Munition suicide drones Nagastra-1. 

About Nagastra-1

• Developed by Solar Industries' Economics Explosives Ltd (EEL) Nagpur.
• Can neutralise hostile threats in 'kamikaze mode' with GPS-enabled precision strikes with an accuracy of up to 2 metres.
  • Kamikaze refers to members of a Japanese air attack corps in World War II assigned to make a suicidal crash on a target (such as a ship)
  • However, Nagastra-1 is capable of carrying out precision strikes on enemy camps without endangering the lives of soldiers.
• Equipped with day-and-night surveillance cameras. 
• Carries a 1 kg high-explosive fragmenting warhead.
• Unique features include abort, recover and reuse, facilitated by a parachute recovery mechanism

A start-up has developed an AI tool “Divya Drishti”. 

About Divya Drishti

• Creates a robust and multifaceted authentication system by combining facial recognition with gait analysis.
• It ensures accuracy in identification, minimizing the risk of false positives or identity fraud. 
• Developed under the guidance of Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR), a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Applications: Defence, Law Enforcement, Corporate and Public Infrastructure.

India’s Truenat Platform (developed by Goa-based Molbio) for TB detection received appreciation at the World Health Assembly. 

About Truenat Platform

• It is a handheld, battery- operated, real- time, rapid molecular test for the diagnosis of pulmonary, extrapulmonary, and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis.
• It can be deployed in health centres, labs, and fields.
• It delivers test results in less than an hour and can serve more than 40 diseases. 

The Kavli Prize winners were announced, honouring breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. 

Kavli Prize

• This biennial award, established by Norwegian-American philanthropist Fred Kavli (1927-2013), is given by the US-based Kavli Foundation in partnership with the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.
• Each award includes a $1 million cash prize, a scroll, and a 7 cm diameter medal.
• Although it was designed to be like the Nobel in the fields of astrophysics, neuroscience, and nanoscience, it does not restrict achievements to the preceding year.