10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: December 20, 2020

Both statements are correct.

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a new type of radio telescope designed and built by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The ASKAP telescope makes images of radio signals from the sky, allowing astronomers to view the Universe at wavelengths that our eyes cannot see.

It is a type of radio telescope known as an ‘interferometer’. This means it uses many antennas acting together as one large telescope. ASKAP is an array of 36 dish antennas each with a diameter of 12 metres and linked by fibre-optic cable, the antennas work together as one telescope.

ASKAP is located on the traditional lands of the Wajarri people in Western Australia.

# It has mapped over three million galaxies in a record 300 hours during its first all-sky survey. The initial results of this survey were published recently.

World Health Organisation’s Global Health Estimates (GHE) provide the latest available data on death and disability globally, by region and country, and by age, sex and cause. The latest updates include global, regional and country trends from 2000 to 2019 inclusive.

–Life expectancy has increased by more than 6 years between 2000 and 2019 – from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.4 years in 2019.

–Noncommunicable diseases make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death.This is an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes in 2000.

–Ischaemic heart disease, Stroke, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lower respiratory infections, Neonatal conditions, Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers, Alzheimer disease, Diarrheal diseases, Diabetes mellitus and Kidney diseases are the top ten causes of death globally.

Cuba’s San Isidro Movement (MSI) started in September 2018, when the Cuban government sought to enforce Decree 349, a law that would have given powers to the nation’s Culture Ministry to restrict cultural activity it did not approve of. This would essentially make it illegal for artists to work without being registered.

It brings together ghetto rappers, design professors, dissident poets, art specialists, scientists and regular citizens.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched $9 billion COVID-19 vaccine initiative, the Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility, or APVAX.

The Rapid Response Component will provide timely support for critical vaccine diagnostics, procurement of vaccines, and transporting vaccines from the place of purchase to ADB’s developing members.

The Project Investment Component will support investments in systems for successful distribution, delivery, and administration of vaccines along with associated investments in building capacity, community outreach, and surveillance. This may include such areas as cold-chain storage and transportation, vehicles, distribution infrastructure, processing facilities, and other physical investments.

The ‘State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was launched virtually recently by UNESCO New Delhi.

The State of the Education Report for India, is one of UNESCO New Delhi’s flagship reports to be published annually.  Its main objective will be to monitor progress towards the education targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The second edition of the State of Education Report focuses on technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

The Report provides an overview of the present capacity for TVET provision through short-term and long-term courses, by state as well as non-state actors, and also through educational institutions such as schools, colleges and universities. It discusses previous education policies, and the approach to TVET provision in the light of the priorities of the country as reflected in NEP 2020.

Statement 1 is correct. Himalayan serows (Capricornis sumatraensis thar) are herbivores, and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres (6,500 to 13,000 feet). They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region.

It was recently spotted by locals and wildlife officials at a riverside rocky wall near Hurling village in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.

Statement 2 is correct. Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) is protected under the Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Capricornis sumatraensis is also listed as Vulnerable specie in the IUCN Red list.

Myristica swamp treefrog is a rare arboreal species endemic to the Western Ghats. It bears the scientific name Mercurana myristicapalustris and recently has been recorded for the first time north of the Shencottah gap in the Vazha­chal Reserve Forest in Kera­la’s Thrissur district.

The frog was first spotted in 2013 in the Myristica swamps of Arippa, near the Kulathupuzha Reserve For­est, in the western foothills of Agasthyamalai, in Kollam district. These frogs are rare and elu­sive for the reason that they are arboreal and active only for a few weeks during their breeding season.

Lebombo Mountains, long, narrow mountain range in South Africa, Eswatini/Swaziland, and Mozambique, southeastern Africa. It is about 500 miles (800 km) long and consists of volcanic rocks.

Four kinds of malaria parasites infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. In addition, P. knowlesi, a type of malaria that naturally infects macaques in Southeast Asia, also infects humans, causing malaria that is transmitted from animal to human (“zoonotic” malaria).

1. falciparum is the type of malaria that is most likely to result in severe infections and if not promptly treated, may lead to death. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented.

# Recently it was reported that a soldier in Kerala is believed to have contracted Plasmodium ovale during his posting in Sudan.

Statement 1 is correct. The Geminids are widely recognized as the best annual meteor shower, occurring between Dec. 4 to Dec. 17.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The parent of the Geminids is 3200 Phaethon, which is arguably considered to be either an asteroid or an extinct comet. When the Earth passes through trails of dust, or meteoroids, left by 3200 Phaethon, that dust burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating the Geminid meteor shower.

All meteors associated with a shower have similar orbits, and they all appear to come from the same place in the sky, which is called the radiant. The Geminids appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini, hence the name “Geminids.”