13 June 2023

• Sports: Australia defeated India by 209 runs in the ICC World Test Championship Final in London.
• Geology: Rocks from India's Singhbhum Craton, dated to 3.5 billion years, are among the oldest on Earth, providing evidence of early plate tectonics.
• Finance: SEBI's SCORES platform resolved 2,457 investor complaints against companies and market intermediaries in May 2023.
• Science: A taurine study found that the amino acid could extend lifespan by over 10 per cent in animal models.
• Space: NASA's Parker Solar Probe confirmed that coronal holes on the Sun are the source of the fast solar wind.

GS area: International Relations, Agriculture

Analysis of India-US agricultural ties ahead of PM Modi's Washington visit showed a deep historical relationship.

• First agricultural university: The Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (now Govind Ballabh Pant University), established in 1960, was modelled on the US land-grant college system. US experts designed the curriculum.
• Green Revolution: High-yielding wheat varieties developed at CIMMYT in Mexico, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the US government, were introduced in India in 1966-67. India's food grain production rose from 51 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 314 million tonnes in 2022-23.
• Current channels: The US-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative revived in 2023. Other bilateral channels: India-Israel Agricultural Centres of Excellence (technology transfer in water-efficient farming); India-Vietnam hi-tech agriculture cooperation.
• Same-sex marriage case: The Supreme Court was examining petitions for recognition of same-sex marriage under the Special Marriage Act 1954. India's position: 29-plus countries had legalised same-sex marriage globally, including Australia (2017), England and Wales (2013), the USA (2015).

Static linkage: International relations; agriculture; polity.

GS area: Geography (geology), Science and Technology

Research published on rocks from the Singhbhum Craton in Jharkhand and Odisha found them to be among the oldest continental rocks on Earth, dated to approximately 3.5 billion years.

• Craton: An ancient, stable block of the Earth's crust. Cratons are the oldest parts of continental plates, having survived billions of years of tectonic activity.
• Singhbhum Craton: Located in Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal, this is one of India's oldest geological formations. It contains the Daitari greenstone belt.
• Greenstone belts: Ancient volcanic and sedimentary rock sequences. They are found in cratons worldwide (South Africa, Australia, Canada). Similar belts in different continents help reconstruct ancient supercontinents.
• Evidence for early oceans: The study found chemical signatures suggesting liquid water existed on Earth's surface approximately 3.5 billion years ago, far earlier than most estimates.

Static linkage: Indian geography (physical); science and technology.

GS area: Brief noting (sports)

Australia defeated India by 209 runs in the ICC World Test Championship Final at The Oval, London. Australia became the second team to win the WTC after New Zealand in 2021.

The WTC is a two-year league competition between top Test nations culminating in a final. Each bilateral series contributes points based on a percentage system to avoid penalising countries for playing fewer series.

Static linkage: Sports.

GS area: Science and Technology (health)

A study published in the journal Science found that taurine, an amino acid found naturally in meat, fish, and dairy products, could extend healthy lifespan in mice, worms, and monkeys by more than 10 per cent.

• Taurine: An amino acid that occurs naturally in the body and is found in animal-derived foods. It declines with age. The study found that taurine supplementation in middle-aged animals reversed some aspects of cellular ageing.
• Mechanism: Reduced cellular senescence (the accumulation of damaged cells that stop dividing but remain active and cause inflammation).
• Caution: Animal studies on longevity have repeatedly failed to translate directly to humans. Human trials are needed before any clinical recommendation.

Static linkage: Science and technology (biology).

GS area: Science and Technology (astronomy)

Analysis of Betelgeuse, the bright red star in the constellation Orion, showed it is in the carbon-burning stage and could go supernova within decades.

• Betelgeuse: A red supergiant star roughly 700 times larger than the Sun. Located approximately 700 light-years away.
• The Great Dimming (2019-2020): The star dimmed significantly, causing speculation about imminent supernova. It turned out to be a surface mass ejection that cooled and formed dust.
• Current status: In the late carbon-burning stage of stellar evolution. When a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel, it collapses and explodes as a supernova.
• If it goes supernova: It would be visible in daylight for weeks and bright as a full moon at night, though it poses no direct threat to Earth.

Static linkage: Science and technology (space).

• Cubbon Reads: A community reading initiative in Bengaluru's Cubbon Park that began as Saturday morning gatherings and has since expanded to over 30 cities across India.
• Diamond League athletics: Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar finished third in the Paris Diamond League, a significant result for Indian track and field.
• Seed saviours of Telangana: Women farmers in Medak district preserving native seed varieties through a 1:2 ratio system (one saved for every two distributed or sold). The programme is supported by the Deccan Development Society.