About Sea Slugs:

• Sea slugs, sometimes called ocean slugs, water slugs, or nudibranchs, are soft-bodied marine molluscs found in all the world’s oceans, from shallows to the deep sea.
• They are a type of gastropod, a large group of mollusks that includes both marine and land species such as snails and slugs.
• They have no shells, quills, or mantle cavities.
• They look like naked snails, i.e., without shells.
• These slow-moving grazers consume algae, sponges, and other small invertebrates, showcasing a range of feeding habits.
• They are usually found in coral reefs, and their presence is a significant indicator of a strong coral ecosystem.
• Sea slugs are renowned for their vibrant colours and intricate patterns, which often serve as warning signals to predators due to their toxicity.
• They get their toxicity from the creatures they eat, and some sea slugs can even keep the stinging cells of jellyfish inside their bodies.
• On their heads, nudibranchs have tentacles that serve as important sensory organs, helping them detect chemicals and movement in the water.
• When the sea slug eats, it absorbs and displays its prey’s pigment—the substance that gives the prey its color.
• Beyond their striking appearance, sea slugs possess other intriguing traits.
  • Some can photosynthesise, producing their own food with sunlight.
  • Others regenerate lost limbs, and a few can steal genes from their prey and incorporate them into their DNA.
• Most sea slugs are active throughout the day, but some species are also nocturnal.

About Cerium–Magnesium Changesite:

• It is a newly discovered lunar mineral.
• The mineral was discovered in a lunar meteorite dubbed Pakepake 005, the first of its kind to have fallen within China.
  • It is a single spherical meteorite weighing 44 grams, with a dark molten outer shell.
• The new mineral is colourless, transparent and brittle.
• Despite its tiny size, it holds significant scientific value due to its unique chemical and structural properties.
• One of the most striking features is its fluorescent behaviour, meaning it emits light under certain conditions.
• This property could have practical applications in advanced technologies, particularly in the development of next-generation LED materials.
• The mineral’s composition, especially its rare earth element ratios, along with its magnesium and iron content, offers valuable clues about the processes that shaped the Moon’s surface and interior.
• Variations in its crystal structure could help researchers better understand how lunar minerals form and evolve under extreme conditions.

About Diphtheria:

• It is a highly contagious bacterial infection that can attack the upper respiratory tract and less often the skin.
• It is caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make a toxin.
• The bacterium usually multiplies on or near the surface of the throat or skin.
• There are two main types of diphtheria:
  • Classical respiratory diphtheria: It may affect your nose, throat, tonsils, or larynx (voice box). It’s the most common type.
  • Skin (cutaneous) diphtheria: It causes a skin rash, sores, or blisters. They can appear anywhere on your body. Cutaneous diphtheria is more common in tropical climates. Overall, it’s rare.
• Transmission:
  • It can spread from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing.
  • People can also get sick from touching infected open sores or ulcers in case of cutaneous diphtheria.
  • Some people may not develop disease manifestations but can still transmit the bacteria to others.
• Treatment:
  • Neutralization of unbound toxin with Diphtheria Antitoxin (DAT).
  • Antibiotics to prevent further bacterial growth;
  • Monitoring and supportive care to prevent and treat complications, e.g. airway obstruction, myocarditis.
  • It is a vaccine-preventable disease, but multiple doses and booster doses are needed to produce and sustain immunity.

About Atlas Drone Swarm System:

• It is a mobile battlefield platform designed to deploy and coordinate large numbers of drones from a single command point.
• The system is manufactured by China Electronic Technology Group Corporation (CETC), a state-owned defence electronics conglomerate working closely with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
• Mounted on vehicles, the system is intended to launch up to 96 drones in a coordinated swarm, with control consolidated under one operator.
• Built around a Swarm-2 combat vehicle, a command unit, and a support vehicle, Atlas is designed for reconnaissance, electronic disruption, and coordinated strikes.
• Features:
  • The system enables flexible grouping of drones into different operational formations, including coordinated defensive structures and precision strike patterns.
  • Each drone within the Atlas system can carry different payloads. The drones can reportedly be equipped with electro-optical reconnaissance payloads, strike munitions, and relay communications packages, allowing the swarm to be configured for surveillance, attack support, battlefield sensing, and communications extension.
  • The system is designed for swarm-level coordination, where drones can adapt formations and execute tasks collectively while retaining individual autonomy.

About Pykara Lake:

• It is situated in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu.
• It is formed as a result of the construction of the Pykara Dam over the Pykara River.
  • The Pykara River, which originates from the Mukurthi peak, is the largest river in the district and is revered by the Todas, an Adivasi community, who consider it to be sacred.
• The dam also has a powerhouse, which is one of the oldest power plants in South India and is generating about 60 megawatts of electricity.
• A few hundred meters north of the lake, the river tumbles down the rocks to form the famous Pykara Falls.
  • Pykara Falls consists of two cascades that fall from a height of about 55 meters and 61 meters, respectively.
• The lake is surrounded by the thick forest of Mukurthi National Park (MNP). As part of the Western Ghats, it MNP has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1st July 2012.

About Tornado:

• It is a vertical, land-based column of violently rotating air that forms from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground.
• It is characterised by a rapid cyclonic circulation and is often seen as a cloud-filled condensation funnel extending from the sky to the ground.
• When such a rotating column of air forms over a water body, it is known as a waterspout.
• Formation of Tornado:
  • Tornado formation is closely linked to interactions between contrasting air masses.
    • A collision of warm, moist air(usually from tropical regions) with cool, dry air (typically from polar or upper regions), especially in the presence of a low-pressure system or trough, leads to the formation of thunderstorms and may trigger tornadoes.
  • Wind Speeds and Movement: It typically exhibit wind speeds ranging from 105 to 322 km/h, but some extreme events can exceed this range.
  • They can be stationary or move at high speeds, often advancing at around 97 km/h across the landscape.
  • Geographical distribution: Tornadoes occur most commonly in mid-latitude regions (between 20° and 60° latitude in both hemispheres) where cold polar air meets warm tropical air, producing frequent thunderstorm activity.
• The United States experiences the highest frequency of tornadoes globally, particularly in the region known as “Tornado Alley”.

About Strait of Malacca:

• Location: It connects the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean).
• Bounded by: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore
• The Strait of Malacca’s name was derived from the Malacca Sultanate, who governed the archipelago from 1400 until 1511.
• The climate of the strait is hot and humid and is characterized by the northeast monsoon during the (northern) winter and the southwest monsoon during the summer.
• It links the Indian and Pacific oceans and is one of the busiest and most important shipping lanes in the world.
• Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia control the joint patrolling of the Malacca Strait.
• Significance:
  • It is the largest “oil transit chokepoint” in the world.
  • It carries nearly 22% of the world’s maritime trade.
  • Roughly 60% of India’s seaborne trade and almost all of its LNG imports pass through the Malacca Strait.

About Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan:

• It was launched on in 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• It was initially launched in most vulnerable districts and now it has been extended to all districts of the country with effect from 2023.
• Objective: It intends to reach out to the masses and spread awareness about substance abuse through various activities like:
  • Awareness generation programmes
  • Focus on higher educational Institution, university campuses and schools
  • Reaching out into the Community and identifying dependent population,
  • Focus on counselling & treatment facilities in hospitals & rehabilitation centres
  • Capacity building programmes for a service providers
• Target group: Special emphasis is laid on the participation of stakeholders such as women, children, educational institutions, civil society organizations who may be directly or indirectly affected by substance use

Key Features of NMBA App 2.0

• It is now accessible to citizens with features of undertaking e-Pledge, access to IEC material, helpline support and deaddiction centre details.
• Dedicated Access for Grant-in-Aid Institutions (GIAs): GIAs will now be onboarded onto the platform with role-based access, enabling real-time reporting and monitoring of activities at the deaddiction facilities.
• Real time status of Anudan (Grant) for GIA institutions: It incorporates Anudan status of all GIAs accessible to DoSJE, States / UTs and GIAs,
• Nearest De-addiction Centre: It Allows users to identify the nearest de-addiction centre, enabling quicker referral and improved access to treatment services.

About Project DANTAK:

• It is an overseas project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under the Ministry of Defence of India.
• Background: It was established in 1961 as a result of an agreement between Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third king of Bhutan and then Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru.
• It is primarily focused on developing infrastructure and providing connectivity in remote areas of Bhutan.
• Achievements
  • It was tasked to construct the pioneering motorable roads in Bhutan.

What is Border Road Organisation?

• It is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to the Indian Armed Forces.
• BRO was entirely brought under the Ministry of Defence in 2015.
• Establishment: It was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India’s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and northeastern states of the country.
• It develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring
• Motto: Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam (everything is achievable through hard work).