Current Affairs Questions & Answers - Dec 20 & 21, 2015

ANSWER: Sunderbans

Explanation:
NGT on 18th December 2015 directed the Eastern Zone bench to map the Sunderbans, making out 3 zones. The Sunderbans is a Biosphere Reserve and must have 3 distinct zones namely transient, buffer and core. Human activity may be going on in the core area According to global standards, transition zone of area of cooperation is a larger outer area of a biosphere reserve where people live, work and use natural resources in a sustainable way.

ANSWER: Gymnothorax mishrai

Explanation:
Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of eel alongside the Digha coast in Purba, Medinipur District West Bengal. The species has been named Gymnothorax mishrai, and is 32.4 cm long, and brown in colour. It has a body is without any patterns and is a marine species which is edible.

ANSWER: Vommili

Explanation:
Historical evidence of immense heritage value has been found by Vommili archeologists. Objects retrieved from a trial excavation on the surface including a standing diety Heruka, a terracotta elephant head, conical mud bowls, thumb and finer print as well as dull chocolate coloured slipware. The site has been inspected to reveal retrieved objects indicating Buddhist monastery of this era has been discovered in Vishakhpatnam district.

ANSWER: Peter Dickinson

Explanation:
British novelist Peter Dickinson passed away on 16th December 2015 following a brief illness in Hampshire at the age of 88. He was a prolific novelist for children and adults and has the distinction of being the first author to receive the Carnegie medal twice.

ANSWER: Chatla Sriramulu

Explanation:
Noted writer and theatre artist Chatla Sriramulu passed away on 18th December 2015 at Telangana following a brief illness at 84. He hailed from Vijaywada city. He was critical in the establishment of popular literary and cultural organisation Rasaranjani and awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982. He was the first artiste from AP to receive an Emeritus fellowship from HRD, GoI.

ANSWER: 3

Explanation:
An 8 year study conducted by IIT Roorkee, University of Minnesota and University of Surrey have shown that emissions from vehicles in Delhi rose up to 3 times between 1991 and 2011. This is projected to rise by 19 times by 2020. Private vehicles emissions have increased by 2 to 12 times in 2011 and 2 to 16 times in 2015 over 1991 levels.

ANSWER: UP

Explanation:
State Cabinet of Uttar Pradesh has approved state’s participation in UDAY/ Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana. 11 states so far have joined the UDAY scheme namely
Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir , Jharkhand , Gujarat , Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

ANSWER: Radha Krishna Mathur

Explanation:
Former defence secretary Radha Krishna Mathur has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner of India on 18th December 2015. He succeeded Vijai Sharma who finished his tenure on December 1st. He is an IAS officer of Tripura Cadre and was made Defence Secretary in May 2013. He is an alumnus of IIT-K and IIT-Delhi.

ANSWER: Silica

Explanation:
NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover has found high concentrations of silica- a rock forming chemical seen on earth as quartz that could help scientists acquire information about the wet environment on the red planet. Curiosity also found higher concentrations of silica at some sites studied in the past 7 months. Recent findings on Mount Sharp link to findings by earlier River which discovered sulphuric acid.

ANSWER: Carbon

Explanation:
Indian Institute of Technology- Madras researchers have developed a carbon nanotube that kills cancer cells without impacting the neighbouring cells. Team has found carbon nanotubes measuring less than a single micron in length made by rolling graphene sheets used in photodynamic therapy. This type of therapy involves killing cancer cells without any toxic effect to the human body.

ANSWER: Prague Zoo

Explanation:
Prague Zoo has announced on 20th December 2015 that it has the longest Chinese giant salamander on earth. This critically endangered animal is the biggest amphibian on the globe. Karl, the Chinese giant salamander was received 19 months ago from a German museum. His length is 1.58m and he weighs 35 kgs. His age is estimated at 37 to 38 years.

ANSWER: 50

Explanation:
Black holes at the heart of galaxies have reached 50 billion times the mass of the sun before losing gas discs needed to sustain themselves. Scientists have explored supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies which are regions of space where gas settles into a disc that is orbiting. Gas could lose energy and fall inwards, feeding the black hole. The black hole would grow 50 billion times the size o the sun until the star happened to fall straight in or another black hole merged with it.

ANSWER: De-ice

Explanation:
Driving in winters could become easier courtesy a new material developed by scientists for de-icing snow covered, slippery roads. The new material delays the formation of ice as against conventional materials and local governments can use this composite material for delaying ice formation. This is a salt polymer composite.

ANSWER: ERP

Explanation:
In line with the Digital India initiative of the Government of India, National Handloom Development Corporation has made the decision to implement Enterprise Resource Planning/ERP system for commercial activities to benefit handloom weavers. This system will improve productivity, increase efficiency, decrease cost and improve the supply of raw materials processes in NHDC.