About Filoboletus manipularis: 

• It is a fascinating species of bioluminescent mushroom.
• These mushrooms glow a bright green at night due to a chemical reaction in their cells.
• Habitat: They thrive in tropical, humid environments, typically found in dense forests where there’s plenty of decaying organic matter, like fallen trees and leaves.
• This rich, moist environment provides the nutrients and conditions necessary for their growth and their unique glowing property.
• Biochemical process: The chemical reaction involving luciferin (a pigment) and luciferase (an enzyme) with oxygen plays a critical role in these mushrooms. This reaction produces light, a trait shared with other bioluminescent organisms like fireflies and certain marine creatures. 
• Advantage: In fungi, this glowing mechanism is thought to attract insects, “which help disperse the mushroom’s spores”.

What are mushrooms?

• Mushrooms constitute secondary saprophytic fungi of the forest ecosystem.
• Secondary saprophytic fungi play a very important role in the decomposition of plant litter. 
• The Western Ghats region in Kerala is rich in fungi, many of which could also be described as endemic to the region.

Q1: What is a Fungi?

These are eukaryotic organisms made up of unicellular or multicellular arrangements.

Source: Scientists discover rare species of bioluminescent mushrooms in Kasaragod, warn against their consumption

About Principle of Res Judicata:

• The concept of res judicata has evolved from the English Common Law System.
• Res judicata literally means ‘the thing has been judged”. It is also known as claim preclusion. 
• The principle of res judicata applies when a litigant attempts to file a subsequent lawsuit on the same matter after having received a judgment in a previous case involving the same parties.
• It is a judicial concept, which means that the issue before the court has already been decided by another court, between the same parties, and the courts do not allow a petition to be filed in the same court or in another court. 
• Therefore, the court will dismiss the case before it as being useless.
• Res Judicata as a concept is applicable both in Civil as well as Criminal legal system.
• Purpose: 
  • To prevent injustice to the parties of a case supposedly finished.
  • To avoid unnecessary waste of resources and time of the judicial system.
• Res judicata under Indian law has been embodied under Section 11 of the CPC (Code of Civil Procedure), 1908. It illustrates that if a matter is finally decided by a competent court, then the parties involved in the matter are not permitted to reopen it in subsequent litigation.
• Some of the conditions for the application of Res Judicata include the same parties, the same title as the former suit, issue in the matter is same in former and subsequent suits, the suit isdecided by a competent court, and a final decision is provided.
• The Supreme Court in Employee Welfare Association v. Union of India ruled that the “principle of Res Judicata is not a technical rule, it is a rule of public policy”. So, Res Judicata is an acknowledged principle of law and is essential for delivering fair justice.

Q1: What is the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC)?

The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 is a procedural law related to the administration of civil proceedings in India. The Code is divided into two parts: the first part contains 158 sections and the second part contains the First Schedule, which has 51 Orders and Rules.

Source: Principle Of Res Judicata May Not Strictly Apply When Public Interest At Stake: Supreme Court

About National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH):

• The NIIMH, formerly known as the National Center of Indian Medical Heritage (NCIMH), provides resource materials for historians, scientists, and other workers who are interested in studying and documenting the historical aspects of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy, and Sowa Rigpa (AYUSH), along with Modern Medicine.
• It came into existence as the Upgraded Department of History of Medicine from 26-09-1956 under the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and was handed over to Govt. of India on 14-02-1969 due to its national and international importance.
• The institute is functioning under the administrative control of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.
• This Institute, which is only of its kind in South East / Asia is located in Dilsuknagar, Hyderabad.
• Mandate:
  • Literary Research and Documentation
  • Revival and retrieval of texts from Ancient manuscripts and rare books
  • Search and Collection of information, descriptive notes, editing and publication of rare medical manuscripts/books on AYUSH.
  • Documentation
  • Ayurveda Encyclopedia
  • Museum on History of Medicine
  • Referral library on AYUSH Systems of Medicine and modern medicine.
  • AYUSH Research Portal
  • CCRAS-Research Management Information System
  • National AYUSH Morbidity and Standardized Terminoligies Electronic - Portal.
  • Development of W.H.O International Terminologies of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani.
  • Development of SNOMED CT National Extension for Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani.
• It has global access owing to its enormous collection of research materials on History of Medicine.
• The institute has aMedico-Historical Library, Museum and Documentation section.
• The Institute's library is unique with collection of more than 10,000 books, which include very rare publications date back to 15th century on History of Medicine & allied subjects in various languages and serving to medical fraternity as research referral centre.
• It has complete collection of standard National & International Journal on History of Medicine since its inception. 
• The institute also publishes the Journal of Indian Medical Heritage.

Q1: What is WHO-Collaborating Centre (CC)?

By definition, a WHO collaborating centre is an institution designated by the Director-General of WHO to form part of an international collaborative network set up by WHO in support of its programme at the country, intercountry, regional, interregional and global levels. In line with the WHO policy and strategy of technical cooperation, a WHO collaborating centre also participates in the strengthening of country resources, in terms of information, services, research and training, in support of national health development.Designation is made with the agreement of the head of the establishment to which the institution is attached or with that of the director of the institution, if it is independent, and after consultation with the national government.

Sources: WHO collaborates with Hyderabad-based NIIMH for traditional medicine research

About Dead Zone:

• The term “dead zone” or “hypoxia” refers to low-oxygen areasin the world’s lakes and oceans.
• Because most organisms need oxygen to live, few organisms can survive in hypoxic conditions. That is why these areas are called dead zones.
• Hypoxic zones can occur naturally, but human activities can also lead to the creation of new dead zones or the enhancement of existing ones.
• How are Dead Zones formed?
  • A dead zone occurs as a result of eutrophication, which happens when a body of water is inundated with too many nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen.
  • At normal levels, an organism called cyanobacteria – or blue-green algae – feeds on these nutrients.
  • With too many nutrients, it can cause an overgrowth of algae in a short period of time, also called algae blooms.
  • Dead zones form when the algae die, sink to the bottom, and are decomposed by bacteria—a process that strips dissolved oxygen from the surrounding water.
  • Dense algal blooms also block sunlight, which prevents underwater grassesfrom growing. In turn, the animals that depend on these grasses for food and shelter suffer, as well.
  • Human activities mainly cause these excess nutrients to be washed into the ocean, which is why dead zones are often located near inhabited coastlines. 
• Once a dead zone forms, other factors can influence its size and duration.
  • For example, wind can mix oxygen from the surface into deeper water and help break up dead zones.
  • Hot temperatures can make dead zones worse by warming a layer of surface water that locks colder, denser water below where oxygen from the surface can’t mix in.
  • Heavy rainfall increases the amount of pollution washed into waterways.
• Shallow waters are less likely to stratify than deep waters, and so are less likely to develop hypoxic conditions. This is because shallow waters tend to be well-mixed by winds and tides.

Additionally, waters that are shallow and clear enough to allow light to reach the bottom can support primary producers such as phytoplankton, algae and seagrasses that release oxygen during photosynthesis.

Q1: What is green algae? 

Chlorophyta are commonly known as green algae and sometimes, loosely, as seaweed. They grow primarily in freshwater and saltwater, although some are found on land. They may be unicellular (one cell), multicellular (many cells), colonial (a loose aggregation of cells), or coenocytic (one large cell). Chlorophyta convert sunlight to starch that is stored in cells as a food reserve.

Source: NOAA forecasts above-average summer 'dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico

About Global Environment Facility: 

• It was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit of UNFCC to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. 
• It is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and strains on land and ocean health.
• It provides financial assistance for five major international environmental conventions:
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury.
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
  • United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• It has 184 member countries, including India.
• The governing council is the main governing body of GEF which comprises 32 members appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries (14 from developed countries, 16 from developing countries, and two from economies in transition).
• Secretariat: Its secretariat is based in Washington, D.C.
• The GEF Trust Fund was established to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. 

Funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements.

Q1: What is the Nagoya Protocol?

Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (the Protocol) is a legally binding global agreement that implements the access and benefit-sharing obligations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Source: Amount of $736.4 million to be disbursed at 67th council meet of Global Environment Facility at Washington