Author: ForumIAS

Ancient jumping genes may give corals new lease of life  What has happened? Scientists have identified a gene that improves the heat tolerance of the algae that live symbiotically with coral species, and could potentially help the corals adapt to some warming Effect of rising temperatures Symbiodinium is a unicellular algae that provides its coral… Continue reading Ancient jumping genes may give corals new lease of life 

Alternative drugs for mild infection the way  Context Drug resistance News Developing alternatives to antibiotics for small infections could prevent bacteria from developing drug-resistance and help humans win the battle against superbugs, scientists say Backdrop It has been widely reported that bacteria will evolve to render antibiotics mostly ineffective by mid-century, and current strategies to… Continue reading Alternative drugs for mild infection the way 

Googles new AI system can atriculate like humans  Context In a major step towards its “AI first” dream, Google has developed a text-to-speech artificial intelligence (AI) system that will confuse you with its human-like articulation Tacotron 2 The tech giant’s text-to-speech system called “Tacotron 2” delivers an AI-generated computer speech that almost matches with the… Continue reading Googles new AI system can atriculate like humans 

IBBI registration must for asset valuation  Context Professionals carrying out asset valuations under Companies Act and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code will have to get themselves registered with Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) from April to conduct such activities, an official statement said on Monday Registration mandatory With effect from April 1, 2018, for… Continue reading IBBI registration must for asset valuation 

Real Estate Act yet to show teeth  Context RERA News Only 20,000 housing projects have been registered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, six months after the legislation seeking to protect the interests of homebuyers came into force last May This is just a fraction of the under-construction and proposed housing projects… Continue reading Real Estate Act yet to show teeth 

The money trail Context Government’s warning against cryptocurrencies What has happened? The government has joined the Reserve Bank of India in cautioning potential customers about investing in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, likening them to ponzi schemes where investors risk losing their money Price fluctuation The price of bitcoin, the most popular of all cryptocurrencies, not only shot up… Continue reading The money trail

Tourist entry banned at National Park  Context The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district will be out of bounds for tourists for a week in view of for the annual census of estuarine crocodiles 7 day ban The forest department has imposed a seven-day ban, starting January 3, to prevent noise pollution during the… Continue reading Tourist entry banned at National Park 

NRC wins consensus but not Citizenship bill  Context AGP has threatened to snap ties with BJP if the Centre grants citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis who have entered Assam illegally post-1971 Migration after marriage The verification of the NRC for the subsequent draft will also decide on the applications from 29 lakh women, who have submitted… Continue reading NRC wins consensus but not Citizenship bill 

1.9 cr names in first draft of Assam NRC  Context Nearly 32 years after the Assam Accord was signed, the first draft of an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the State listed 1.90 Crore names out of the 3.29 crore applicants. The updated NRC was published at midnight on December 31 Facts Assam is… Continue reading 1.9 cr names in first draft of Assam NRC 

One register to count them all-how the NRC fares  Context Assam is the only state to have its own register of citizens Why was it necessary to bring out an NRC in Assam? The NRC is being updated in Assam to detect Bangladeshi nationals, who may have illegally entered the State after the midnight of… Continue reading One register to count them all-how the NRC fares