Science & Technology Current Affairs April 2016

• Antlered deer with budgetary support of Rs 99.95 crore and wild Buffalo with Rs 2 crore. Kakrapar Nuclear Plant Shut Down after Leakage One of the nuclear reactors at Kakrapar, Gujarat, shut down on March 11, 2016 for indefinite period due to a rupture in the coolant system of the plant. Though there was no harmful, radioactive leakage and the backup safety mechanisms kicked in.

• The radioactivity/radiation levels on the plant premises and outside are normal. Located in south Gujarat, the Kakrapar atomic power plant consists of two units of pressurised heavy water reactors of 220 MW each.

• The first reactor was commissioned in September, 1992 and it started commercial production in May, 1993. The second unit was commissioned in January, 1995 and began commercial production in September, 1995.

Plastic Degrading Bacteria Isolated

• A bacterium species capable of breaking down plastic i.e. poly (ethylene terephthalate), or PET, has been identified a team of Japanese researchers. The bacterium uses two 1 enzymes in sequence to break down the highly biodegradable-resistant polymer PET.

• The results are published on March 11, 2016 in the journal Science. Except for rare instances of two fungi that have i been found to grow on a mineral medium of PET yams, 1 there are no reports of any bacteria biologically degrading 1 PET or growing on the chemically inert substance.

• First author of the paper from the Department of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, and others collected 250 debris-contaminated samples from a PET bottle recycling site. Human-made PET has been littering the environment for the last 70 years and in 2013, 56 million tonnes of PET were produced worldwide.

India Inked Pact for Saving Birds of Prey

• India has become the 56th country to sign a pact on conservation of birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia. This will help India in gaining knowledge in effectively managing the habitats of such raptors.

• The agreement Raptor MoU. covering 76 species, out of which 46 including vultures, falcons, eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers and others are also found in India, was signed.9 on March 7. 2016 at the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Abu Dhabi.