Science and Technology Current Affairs February 2016

  Ecology & Environment

Two ‘Extinct’ Sea Snakes Discovered in Australia

1) As on December 21, 2015, two species of venomous sea snakes that were thought to be extinct have been discovered slithering off the Coast of Western Australia.

2) Both species were listed as critically endangered, first by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2010, and next by Australia’s threatened species legislation in 2011.

3) The brownish-purple leaf-scaled sea snake (Aipysurus foliosquama) and the yellowish-brown short-nosed sea snake (Aipysurus apraefrontalis) once lived among the Ashmore and Hibernia reefs in the Timor Sea, but disappeared between 1998 and 2002.

Rare Discovery of Eel on West Bengal Coast

1) The scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have a discovered a new species of eel along the coast of Digha in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district. The species, new to science, named Gymnothorax mishrai, is 32.4 cm long, brown in colour and thq body is without any patterns.

2) This species of moray eel has 134 vertebral bones. Since, the number of vertebral bones is less than 150, this particular species is categorised among short, brown, patterned moray eels. Eels are snake-like fishes with fins and gills, found mostly at bottom of rivers and seas.

3) This particularly species was collected from a depth of about 22 m. There are 800 species of eels found across the world and India is home to 150-200 of these fish species. It is considered a delicacy in many countries like Japan but the consumption of eels in India is limited to the coastal areas.

4) The specimen was collected from fishing boats at a fish-landing centre located at Shankarpur, West Bengal in the month of December, 2015. The new species is published in the journal Zootaxa, have proposed that the new species be called Bengal moray eel.

India’s Biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre Commissioned in Nagpur

1) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dedicated the country’s biggest wildlife rescue centre, named as Gorewada Zoo spread in 30 hectares in Gorewada, Nagpur, Maharashtra to wildlife lovers on December 17, 2015 after 16 months delay.

2) The 26.95 crore centre will be a big asset for entire Vidarbha region where man-animal conflict is at its peak. The foundation stone for rescue centre was laid by former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on February 26, 2013, with August 10, 2104, as deadline.

3) The rescue centre is one of the biggest and best in the country. It will house sick, injured and rescued animals. There are four wards with a burial ground on the same premises.

Typhoon ‘Melor’ Hit Central Philippines

1) Powerful typhoon ‘Melor’ barreled into the coconut-growing region, causing flooding, storm surges and forcing almost 800000 people to evacuate their homes on December 15, 2015. With this wide areas of the central Philippines were plunged into darkness.

2) Known locally as Nona, the storm packing winds of 140 km/h (87 mi/h) was about 40 km (25 mile) North-North-East of Romblon island, moved west and weakened.

3) An average of 20 typhoons pass through the country every year. In 2013, typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, killing more than 6300 people and leaving 1.4 million homeless.

Arctic Air Temperature Hit Record High

1) A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned about rising air and sea surface temperatures in the Arctic on December 15, 2015 with many areas over land higher than average by more than 2° Fahrenheit in 2015.

2) The yearly report card also monitors sea ice, snow cover, Greenland ice sheet, ocean temperature and productivity, and vegetation. It analyses the effects on marine creatures such as walruses, seabirds and polar bears, and on land wildlife and vegetation.

3)  This year’s report shows the importance of international collaboration on sustained, long-term observing programs that provide insights to inform decisions by citizens, policymakers, and industry.

4) The Arctic region, situated on the northernmost part of the planet earth, consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Sweden, and Norway.

Myanmar Launched its First UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

1) Myanmar has launched the country’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve i.e., Inle Lake in Shan State as on December 11, 2015. Thus, Myanmar opened a new chapter in its commitment to bio-diversity and eco-system conservation.

2)  The need for an innovative technical and eco-technological solution is key to preserving the lake along with research activities through an inclusive management framework.

3) The 489721 hectares Inle Lake was designated as biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Bioshpere (MAB) programme in Paris in June, 201-5.

4) Inle Lake is is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 116 sq.km located in Taunggyi district in Myanmar.

5) Presently, the lake gets funding from Norway for conservation purpose under the framework of the Inle Lake Conservation and Rehabilitation project.