Scientists at Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), have mapped two alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18 in wheat that can help in reducing rice crop residue burning i.e. stubble burning.
ARI is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology.
Genetic/DNA marker is any alteration in a sequence of nucleic acids or other genetic traits that can be readily detected and used to identify individuals, populations, or species or to identify genes involved in inherited disease.
May 22, 2020
Fossils of 10m-Long Dinosaur Found in Argentina
Palaeontologists have found the fossils of a new megaraptor in Patagonia, in the south of Argentina.
Megaraptors were large carnivorous dinosaurs with long arms and claws measuring up to 35cm (14in) in length.
They also had powerful legs and long tails which made them more agile than the Tyrannosaurus rex and allowed them to catch smaller herbivorous dinosaurs.
The new megaraptor is one of the last of its group, before dinosaurs became extinct.
May 20, 2020
Zoological Survey of India
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) updated the checklist of Indian amphibians, a list of 20 species as critically endangered and 35 species as endangered on its website compiled by research scientists, K P Dinesh from ZSI's western regional centre at Pune, C Radhakrishnan from Calicut, B H Chennakeshavamurthy from ZSI, Calicut, P Deepak from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru and Nirmal Kulkarni from the Mhadei Research Centre, Goa.
The scientists of Zoological Survey of India in collaboration with other Indian institutes update the checklists of Indian amphibians periodically as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Sun Reportedly Entering 'Solar Minimum'
The sun is said to have gone into a state called the 'solar minimum' and is about to enter the deepest period of 'sunshine recession' as sunspots are virtually not visibly at all.
Some reports suggest that it has been almost 100 days this year when the sun has shown zero sunspots.
Solar Minimum is underway and it's a deep one. The sun's magnetic field has become weak, allowing extra cosmic rays into the solar system.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had predicted the sun entering 'solar minimum" back in 2017.
May 19, 2020
Rare Dinosaur Identified in Australia
A fossil unearthed in Australia by a volunteer digger has been identified as a rare, toothless dinosaur that roamed the country 110 million years ago.
The elaphrosaur, whose name means "light-footed lizard", was related to the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor.
The five-centimetre (two-inch) vertebrae fossil was discovered during a dig near Cape Otway in Victoria in 2015.
It is the first elaphrosaur bone ever to be found in Australia.
The fossil was discovered by volunteer Jessica Parker, who was taking part in an annual dig led by Melbourne Museum.
At the time, it was thought to be from a flying reptile called a pterosaur. But when palaeontologists at Swinburne University in Melbourne studied the fossil further, they realised it was a delicately-built dinosaur.
Amphan Develops Into a Super Cyclonic Storm
Cyclone Amphan has intensified into a super cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal. West Bengal and Odisha are expected to witness intense winds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting on the preparedness and evacuation plans that have been drawn up by disaster management authorities ahead of Amphan cyclone's landfall.
Coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal are expected to witness wind speeds of up to 230-240 kmph gusting to 265 kmph.
Heavy rainfall is also expected in the region.
May 15, 2020
Deforestation Rate Globally Declined Between 2015 and 2020: FAO Report
While forest area has declined all across the world in the past three decades, the rate of forest loss has decline due to the growth of sustainable management.
The rate of forest loss in 2015-2020 declined to an estimated 10 million hectares (mha), down from 12 million hectares (mha) in 2010-2015, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020).
The FRA 2020 was released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on May 13, 2020.
The FRA 2020 has examined the status of, and trends in, more than 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories in the period 1990–2020.
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