Prelims Pointers for 10-April-2025

by Vajiram & Ravi

10-04-2025

05:00 AM

Arctic Biome Blog Image

Arctic Biome Latest News

The 2024 Arctic Report Card by the US NOAA confirms this trend, noting that frequent fires and fossil fuel pollution are turning the Arctic tundra into a carbon source.

The Arctic Biome

  • The Arctic Biome is a treeless plain with permafrost within a meter of the soil surface. Summers cause only the top layer to thaw, limiting plant growth and root penetration.
  • Despite its rocky, nutrient-poor soil, the tundra holds large amounts of carbon in peat (decayed moss) and humus (organic matter), making it a critical carbon sink.
  • The Arctic tundra biome spans 11.5 million km², covering land north of the Arctic Circle, including parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Eurasia.
  • The climate here is extremely cold, with temperatures ranging from -60°C in winter to 15.5°C in summer. Annual precipitation is low (150–250 mm), mostly in snow and sleet form.
  • Vegetation is herbaceous, including grasses, lichens, mosses, and low shrubs like dwarf willows, adapted to cold, wind, and poor soil.
  • Animal life includes caribou, polar bears, arctic foxes, musk ox, and migratory birds like loons and snow geese. Insects like mosquitoes flourish in the summer due to melting snow.
  • Human habitation is limited, mainly to coastal areas, with indigenous communities like the Eskimos living semi-nomadic lives and relying on fishing and hunting.
  • Resource extraction has increased in recent decades. Examples include gold mining in Alaska, petroleum in Kenai Peninsula, and iron ore in Labrador, Canada, and Kiruna, Sweden.
  • Infrastructure like railways and Arctic ports have enabled the transport of minerals, timber, and furs, especially from Siberia, assisted by modern icebreakers

Arctic Boreal Zone (ABZ): From Carbon Sink to Carbon Source

  • The Arctic Boreal Zone (ABZ) — comprising tundra, coniferous forests, and wetlands — has historically acted as a major carbon sink, storing vast amounts of organic matter in permafrost.
    • A study in Nature Climate Change (2025) found that over 30% of the ABZ has stopped sequestering carbon and is now releasing it, reversing centuries of carbon absorption.
  • Permafrost Thaw: Permafrost is permanently frozen ground rich in organic material. As global warming raises topsoil temperatures, this material decomposes, releasing carbon dioxide and methane.
    • This triggers a feedback loop: Wildfires release carbon, increasing global warming, which in turn thaws more permafrost, leading to more fires and emissions.

Arctic Biome FAQs

Q1. What defines the Arctic biome?
Ans. The Arctic biome comprises tundra ecosystems with permafrost, low biodiversity, and extreme cold. It spans northern latitudes (66.5°N+) and hosts species like polar bears, Arctic foxes, and migratory birds.

Q2. Why is the Arctic ecologically significant?
Ans. It regulates global climate via ice-albedo feedback, stores methane in permafrost, and serves as a breeding ground for marine species critical to fisheries.

Q3. What threats does climate change pose to the Arctic?
Ans. Warming at 3x the global rate melts sea ice (13% loss/decade), disrupts Indigenous communities, and risks releasing 1,400 gigatons of trapped carbon.

Q4. How is India involved in Arctic governance?
Ans. India’s Himadri research station (Svalbard) studies climate impacts. It holds observer status in the Arctic Council and collaborates on sustainable development.

Q5. Name a key treaty protecting the Arctic.
Ans. The Svalbard Treaty (1920) grants signatories non-discriminatory resource access while mandating environmental preservation.

Source: TH


Rafale-M Jets Blog Image

Rafale-M Jets Latest News

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the Prime Minister, approved a ₹63,000-crore deal for procuring 26 Rafale-M fighter jets from France for the Indian Navy.

Background

  • Initially, under the MMRCA tender (2007), India planned to acquire 126 jets with technology transfer, which was shelved in 2015.
  • A direct deal in 2016 led to 36 Rafale jets for the IAF, delivered between 2019-2022.

Details of the Deal

  • The deal includes 22 single-seater Rafale-M jets for carrier operations and 4 twin-seater trainer variants, which are non-carrier compatible.
  • The jets are meant to operate from INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, India’s two operational aircraft carriers.
  • The agreement is expected to be signed during the upcoming visit of the French Defence Minister.

About the Rafale Fighter Jet

  • Dassault Rafale is a 4.5 generation, twin-engine, delta-wing, multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by Dassault Aviation.
  • Capable of Sps up to Mach 1.8 and a combat radius exceeding 1000 km.
  • Designed for air superiority, ground support, reconnaissance, and anti-ship missions.

Key Features and Avionics

  • Equipped with RBE2 AESA radar, SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, front sector optronics, and omnidirectional warning systems.
  • Powered by 2 SNECMA M88 turbofan engines, providing supercruise capability (supersonic flight without afterburners).
  • 14 hardpoints can carry external payloads up to 9,500 kg.

Rafale Variants

  • Rafale C: Single-seat Air Force version.
  • Rafale B: Twin-seat version for training with full combat capability.
  • Rafale M: Naval variant, designed for carrier-based operations, with reinforced landing gear and tailhook for short-deck landings.
  • Other variants include Rafale N (nuclear strike) and Rafale R (research and development).

Rafale-M Jets FAQs

Q1. What are Rafale-M jets?
Ans. French-origin carrier-based multirole fighter jets used by the Indian Navy, capable of nuclear delivery and equipped with Meteor missiles and AESA radar.

Q2. Why did India procure Rafale-M?
Ans. To enhance naval airpower for INS Vikrant, counter China’s carrier fleet in the Indo-Pacific, and replace aging MiG-29Ks.

Q3. What distinguishes Rafale-M from IAF’s Rafales?
Ans. Reinforced landing gear, tail hooks for carrier landings, and foldable wings for compact storage on aircraft carriers.

Q4. What controversies surrounded the deal?
Ans. Allegations of procedural violations (offset clauses) and high costs (₹60,000 crore for 26 jets), raised in Parliament in 2023.

Q5. How does Rafale-M support ‘Make in India’?
Ans. Dassault-Reliance JV manufactures 30% components domestically, boosting defense indigenization under the Strategic Partnership model.

Source: TH


Critical Minerals Blog Image

Critical Minerals Latest News

The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to boost self-reliance in the critical minerals sector and support India’s clean energy goals.

What are Critical Minerals?

  • Critical minerals are those that are essential for modern technologies and national security, but have supply chain risks due to their limited availability or geographical concentration.
  • Their ‘criticality’ changes over time depending on technological demand and supply dynamics.

Applications of Critical Minerals

  • Solar Panels: Use silicon, tellurium, indium, and gallium.
  • Wind Turbines: Use rare earth elements like neodymium, dysprosium.
  • Electric Vehicles (EVs): Rely on lithium, cobalt, nickel for batteries.
  • Energy Storage Systems: Use lithium-ion batteries.
  • Also used in electronics, defence, aerospace, and medical technologies.

Legal and Regulatory Framework

  • 30 critical minerals were identified by a Ministry of Mines committee in 2022.
    • List of India’s 30 Critical Minerals: Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium, and Cadmium.
  • 24 minerals added to Part D of Schedule I of the MMDR Act, 1957, granting Central Government exclusive auctioning powers.
  • A Centre of Excellence for Critical Minerals (CECM) will regularly review the mineral list and advise policy.

Key Institutions and Their Role

  • Geological Survey of India (GSI): Leading exploration under UNFC classification and MEMC Rules, 2015.
  • Department of Atomic Energy: Identified 1,11,845 tonnes of REE oxide in Balotra, Rajasthan.
  • IREL (India) Limited: Leading processing of beach sand minerals and operating Rare Earth Extraction and Refining Units.

International Cooperation

  • KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) signed agreements with:
    • CAMYEN SE (Argentina) for lithium exploration over 15,703 hectares.
    • Critical Minerals Office, Australia for lithium and cobalt projects.
  • Collaboration includes off-take agreements, funding support, and MEA coordination.
  •  Top Global Producers of Critical Minerals: Chile, Indonesia, Congo, China, Australia, and South Africa.

About the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

  • The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) is a strategic initiative by the Ministry of Mines aimed at ensuring long-term availability, security, and processing of critical minerals that are vital for clean energy technologies, economic development, and national security.
  • It aligns with India’s commitments to net-zero emissions by 2070 and reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 (from 2005 levels).

Critical Minerals FAQs

Q1. What are critical minerals?
Ans. Minerals vital for clean energy (lithium, cobalt), defense (titanium), and tech (rare earths). India’s 2023 list identifies 30, including graphite and nickel.

Q2. Why is securing critical minerals strategic for India?
Ans. Over 80% are imported; shortages risk renewable energy targets (500 GW by 2030) and semiconductor mission self-reliance.

Q3. Which initiative addresses India’s critical mineral needs?
Ans. Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) acquires overseas lithium mines (e.g., Argentina’s Maricunga) and partners with Australia under the MSP.

Source: PIB


Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Blog Image

Sickle Cell Disease Latest News

Scientists at Raman Research Institute (RRI) recently developed an affordable electro-fluidic device that aids in the preliminary screening of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

About Sickle Cell Disease 

  • It is the most common inherited blood disorder that affects your red blood cells (RBCs). 
  • It is marked by flawed hemoglobin. 
    • Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells (RBCs) that carries oxygen to the tissues of the body.
  • Sickle cell disease interferes with the delivery of oxygen to the tissues.
  • How does it affect blood flow?
    • Normally, RBCs are disc-shaped and flexible enough to move easily through the blood vessels.
    • People with this disease have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort RBCs into a sickle, or crescent, shape.
    • These sickled RBCs do not bend or move easily and can block blood flow to the rest of the body.
    • It can lead to serious complications including pain, infections, and organ damage and failure. 
    • Additionally, sickle-shaped cells don’t last as long as normal-shaped RBCs, causing a constant shortage of RBCs and leading to anemia.
  • What causes it?
    • SCD is caused by a variant (change) in a gene that has instructions for your body to make one part of the hemoglobin. 
    • This changed gene is sometimes called a sickle cell gene. 
    • People with SCD are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent.
    • If you are born with one sickle cell gene, it's called sickle cell trait. 
    • People with sickle cell trait are generally healthy, but they can pass the defective gene on to their children.
  • Symptoms:
    • Early stage: Extreme tiredness or fussiness from anemia, painfully swollen hands and feet, and jaundice.
    • Later stage: Severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections.
  • Treatments:
    • A bone marrow transplant (stem cell transplant) can cure sickle cell disease.
    • However, there are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen complications, and prolong life.
    • Gene therapy is also being explored as another potential cure. 
    • The UK recently became the first country to approve gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease.

Sickle Cell Disease FAQs

Q1. What is sickle cell disease (SCD)?

Ans. An inherited blood disorder

Q2. Which component of the blood is primarily affected by sickle cell disease?

Ans. Red blood cells (RBCs)

Q3. What is the function of hemoglobin in red blood cells?

Ans. Carry oxygen to tissues

Source: TH


 Matter and Anti-Matter Blog Image

Matter and Anti-Matter Latest News

Recently, physicists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment reported confirmed evidence of Charge-Parity (CP) violation in a class of particles called baryons.

Matter

  • Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space, composed of atoms and molecules.
  • Primary States:
    • Solid: Fixed shape and volume.
    • Liquid: Fixed volume, no fixed shape.
    • Gas: No fixed shape or volume.
  • Fourth State – Plasma:
    • Consists of ionized particles.
    • Found in stars and high-energy environments.
  • State Changes: Driven by temperature and pressure, e.g., melting, evaporation, condensation.

Antimatter

  • Antimatter consists of particles that are mirror counterparts of matter, with opposite electric charge.
    • Electron → Positron, Proton → Antiproton, Neutron → Antineutron
  • Creation: Both matter and antimatter were created during the Big Bang in equal amounts.
  • Interaction: When matter and antimatter collide, they annihilate each other, producing gamma rays.
  • Sources:
    • Natural: Cosmic rays and radioactive decay.
    • Artificial: Particle accelerators like the LHC simulate conditions similar to the Big Bang, producing antiparticles.

Key Concepts and Definitions

  • CP Violation (Charge-Parity Violation): CP violation refers to a discrepancy in the behavior of matter and antimatter counterparts under a combination of charge conjugation (C) and parity transformation (P).
    • Charge conjugation (C) changes a particle into its antiparticle, while parity (P) flips the spatial coordinates (like a mirror reflection).
    • Ideally, CP symmetry implies that matter and antimatter should behave identically in physical processes. Violation of this principle hints at an inherent asymmetry.
  • Baryons and Antibaryons: Baryons are subatomic particles made of three quarks. The most common examples are protons and neutrons.
    • Their antimatter counterparts, called antibaryons, are composed of three antiquarks.

Latest Discovery: What Did the LHCb Find?

  • Physicists studied a baryon called the lambda-b (Λb) particle, composed of up (u), down (d), and bottom (b) quarks.
  • The lambda-b baryon was observed decaying into a proton, a kaon, and two pions.
  • A small but statistically significant difference was found in the decay rate between the lambda-b baryon and its antimatter counterpart, indicating CP violation.
  • This is the first discovery of CP violation in baryons to surpass the five-sigma statistical threshold, a standard benchmark for declaring a scientific discovery.

Matter and Anti-Matter FAQs

Q1. What is antimatter?
Ans. Particles with identical mass but opposite charge to matter (e.g., positrons vs. electrons). Their collision releases energy (E=mc²).

Q2. Why is the matter-antimatter asymmetry significant?
Ans. The universe’s dominance of matter (baryon asymmetry) remains unexplained, challenging the Standard Model of particle physics.

Q3. How is antimatter used practically?
Ans. PET scans use positrons for cancer detection. CERN produces nanograms annually for research, costing ₹500 crore/gram.

Source: SCN


Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Blog Image

Akash Air Defence Missile System Latest News

India recently offered the indigenous Akash air defence missile system to the UAE.

About Akash Air Defence Missile System

  • It is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile System to protect vulnerable areas and points from air attacks.
  • It was indigenously designed and developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is produced by Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL). 
  • The missile was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2014 and in the Indian Army in 2015.
  • In 2022, Armenia became the first foreign country to buy this missile system.

Akash Air Defence Missile System Features

  • It is 5.8 m long, has a diameter of 350 mm and a wingspan of 1,105mm. 
  • Range of Operation : 4.5 km to 25 km
  • Altitude of Operation : 100 m up to 20 km
  • Guidance System : Command Guidance
  • Target types: Helicopters, Fighter aircrafts, UAVs etc.
  • It can simultaneously engage Multiple Targets in Group Mode or Autonomous Mode. 
  • It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features. 
  • It has high immunity against active and passive jamming.
  • The entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms.
  • Open system architecture ensures adaptability to existing and futuristic Air Defence environments.
  • The most important element of the Akash SAM system battery is its high-power, multi-function Rajendra phased array radar.
    • The 3D passive electronically scanned array Rajendra radar (PESA) can electronically scan and guide the missile towards targets. 
    • It provides information on the range, azimuth, and height of a flying target.

Akash Air Defence Missile System FAQs

Q1. What type of missile system is the Akash system?

Ans. Short Range Surface to Air Missile

Q2. Which organization developed the Akash Missile System?

Ans. DRDO

Q3. What is the operational range of the Akash missile?

Ans. 4.5 km to 25 km

Source: TOI


Bear Market Blog Image

Bear Market Latest News

S&P 500 —- a stock market index that tracks the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the US — briefly entered bear market territory for the first time since 2022 recently.

About Bear Market

  • A bear market is a financial market experiencing prolonged price declines, generally of 20% or more
  • A bear market usually occurs along with widespread investor pessimism, large-scale liquidation of securities and other assets, and a weakening economy.
  • A bear is an investor who expects prices to decline and, on this assumption, sells a borrowed security or commodity in the hope of buying it back later at a lower price, a speculative transaction called selling short.
  • Bear markets are often associated with declines in an overall market or index, but individual securities or commodities can also be considered to be in a bear market if they experience a decline of 20% or more over a sustained period of time, typically two months or more. 
  • Bear markets also may accompany general economic downturns such as a recession
  • They are seen as the opposite of upward-trending bull markets.

Bear Market FAQs

Q1. What is a bear market in economics?

Ans. A bear market occurs when stocks fall 20 percent from a recent peak. 

Q2. What is the longest bear market in history?

Ans. The longest bear market in history for the U.S. stock market occurred during the Great Depression, starting after the 1929 stock market crash.

Q3. What is the term for an investor who expects prices to decline and acts accordingly?

Ans. Bear

Source: IE


Adenium obesum Blog Image

Adenium obesum Latest News

Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu is making inroads in cultivating Adenium obesum, more popularly known as 'desert rose', a unique flowering plant that has drawn major attention for its novelty as an ornamental houseplant.

About Adenium obesum

  • The Adenium obesum, commonly known as the Desert Rose, is a succulent shrub in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae).
  • It grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.
  • It is native to the arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
  • It is often used as a houseplant for its beautiful flowers and charming, small tree-like shape. 
  • Desert rose is also used in bonsai (an art of growing and training of a plant to a miniature form).
  • Features: 
    • It has striking, trumpet-shaped flowers and a unique swollen trunk.
    • Its vibrant blooms can range from white to deep red.
    • The flowers are highly fragrant and attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.
    • Special features of the Adenium include its drought tolerance and the ability to store water in its thick trunk, allowing it to survive long periods without rainfall
    • It is a slow-growing plant, only growing about 12 inches per year. 

Adenium obesum FAQs

Q1. What is the common name of Adenium obesum?

Ans. Desert Rose

Q2. Which regions is Adenium obesum native to?

Ans. Africa and the Arabian Peninsula

Q3. What kind of biome does the Desert Rose naturally grow in?

Ans. Desert or dry shrubland

Source: ETVB


Thar Desert Blog Image

Thar Desert Latest News

The Thar Desert in India saw a striking 38 percent rise in greening annually over the last two decades, driven by a significant increase in monsoon rainfall and agricultural expansion, a new study showed.

About Thar Desert

  • The Thar Desert, also called the Great Indian Desert, is a large, arid region located in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent.
  • It is considered to be the 9th largest subtropical desert in the world. 
  • It lies mostly in the Indian state of Rajasthan
  • The desert also extends into the southern portion of Haryana and Punjab states and into the northern part of Gujarat.
  • A portion of the desert (15 percent) lies in the Punjab and Sind regions of Pakistan.
  • It covers some 200,000 sq.km. of territory. 
  • The name Thar is derived from thul, the general term for the region’s sand ridges.
  • Boundaries: 
    • It is bounded on the north-west by the Sutlej River and on the east by the Aravalli Mountain Ranges.
    • It is also bounded on the south by thesalt marsh known as the Rann of Kutch district, and on the west by the Indus Valley. 
  • About a tenth of the ecoregion is sand dunes, while the rest is craggy rock formations and compacted salt lake bottoms. 
  • It does not have any Oasis which is unusual compared to other large deserts. 
  • Climate
    • The Thar Desert has an extreme climate:
    • Summers are very hot, with temperatures reaching 50°C.
    • Winters are cold, with temperatures dropping to near freezing.
    • Rainfall is very low, between 100–500 mm per year, mostly during the monsoon season.
    • Strong dust storms are common in the summer.
  • There is a single river that flows through the desert, the Luni River.
  • The sparse vegetation consists of plants adapted to growing in dry conditions, known as xerophilous plants.
  • It is the most densely populated desert in the world (83 people per sq. km).
  • Mineral Resource:
    • It is rich in a variety of minerals, including one of the largest coal reserves in India.
    • It is also a major source of gypsum, Limestone, salt, Bauxite, silica, etc.

Thar Desert FAQs

Q1. Where is Thar Desert located?

Ans. The Thar Desert, also called the Great Indian Desert, is a large, arid region located in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent.

Q2. What is the approximate area covered by the Thar Desert?

Ans. 200,000 sq. km

Q3. Which river bounds the Thar Desert on the northwest?

Ans. Sutlej River

Source: DTE