About Golden Trevally Fish

• It is a high value marine fish also known as golden king fish.
• It is an ideal candidate species for mariculture due to its faster growth rates, good meat quality and huge market demand for both consumption and ornamental purposes.
• It is a reef-associated fish and lives in the company of larger fishes like skates, sharks, groupers etc.
• In India, the fish landing observations show that the golden trevally are landed predominantly at reef area fishing grounds in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat.

Key facts about Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

• It was established by the Government of India in 1947 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• It joined the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1967.
• Mandate
  • To monitor the exploited and assess the under-exploited marine fisheries resources of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
  • To understand the fluctuations in abundance of marine fisheries resources in relation to change in the environment.
  • To develop suitable mariculture technologies for finfish, shellfish and other culturable organisms in open seas to supplement capture fishery production.
• One of the major achievements of CMFRI is the development and refinement of a unique method for estimation of fishery catch and effort from the over 8000 km coastline called the "Stratified Multistage Random Sampling Method”.
• Headquarters: Kochi, Kerala

Q1: What is the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)?

It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Formerly known as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, it was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in pursuance of the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.

Source: CMFRI develops seed production technology for high value marine fish golden trevally

About National Career Service Portal

• The Portal provides online career counselling and vocational guidance services to its registered users.
• This service aims to equip the jobseeker with necessary information that is required to make right career choices based on his/her qualification, skill set and interest.
• It provides a nation-wide online platform for the job seekers and employers for job-matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content to job seekers.

What is the National Career Service?

• It is one of the mission-mode projects under the umbrella of the E-Governance Plan.
• It was launched in the year 2015.
• Objectives: It works towards bridging the gap between job-seekers and employers, candidates seeking training and career guidance and agencies providing training and career counselling by transforming the National Employment Service.
• It provides a host of career-related services such as dynamic job matching, career counselling, job notifications, vocational guidance, and information on skill development courses, internships and alike.
• Focus areas
  • Enhancing Career and employment opportunities
  • Counselling and guidance for career development
  • Focusing on decent employment
  • Enhancing female labour force participation
  • Encouraging entrepreneurial endeavours

Nodal Agency: The project is being implemented by the Directorate General of Employment, Ministry of Labour & Employment.

Q1: What is E-governance?

It is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the delivery of government services and information to citizens. It enhances the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of government operations.

Source: Upgraded National Career Service portal to give job market a fillip

About Pink Hydrogen

• Pink hydrogen is generated through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy.
• It can also be referred to as purple hydrogen or red hydrogen.
• In addition, the very high temperatures from nuclear reactors could be used in other hydrogen productions by producing steam for more efficient electrolysis or fossil gas-based steam methane reforming.
• Nuclear power offers significant advantages for pink hydrogen production, including reducing production costs and emissions, making it a sustainable and more cost-effective alternative to conventional methods.
• Applications: Pink hydrogen is a promising replacement for fossil fuels in the cement industry, steel industry, aviation, and heavy transportation, as it can be used as a feedstock and energy source with no greenhouse gas emissions.

What is Electrolysis?

• It is a promising option for carbon-free hydrogen production from renewable and nuclear resources.

Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This reaction takes place in a unit called an electrolyzer.

Q1: What is Nuclear fusion reaction?

It involves combining two atomic nuclei to form a single heavier one, releasing an enormous amount of energy. Such reactions do not occur at room temperature and large amounts of energy are required to create conditions conducive to generating fusion-powered energy.

Source: Clean power. Amending nuclear law to spur ‘pink’ hydrogen generation

About Voyager 1 Spacecraft

• It is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, about two weeks after its twin Voyager 2.
• Objective: To study the outer Solar System and beyond. 
• Voyager 1's mission has included flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, with the goal of studying their moons, rings, and magnetic fields.
• It is currently the most distant human-made object from Earth.
• It was the first spacecraft to cross the heliosphere, the boundary where the influences outside our solar system are stronger than those from our Sun.
• It crossed into interstellar space in August 2012, making it the first human-madeobjectto venture out of the solar system.
• It discovered a thin ring around Jupiter and two new Jovian moons: Thebe and Metis.
• At Saturn, Voyager 1 found five new moons and a new ring called the G-ring.
• Voyager 1 carries a golden record that contains sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, in the event that it is ever encountered by extraterrestrial life.
• According to NASA, Voyager 1 has enough fuel to keep its instruments running untilat least 2025. By then, the spacecraft will be approximately 13.8 billion miles (22.1 billion kilometers) away from the sun.

Key Facts about Voyager 2 Spacecraft

• It is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977.
• It is part of the Voyager program, which also includes Voyager 1.
• Primary mission: To study the outer planets of our solar system and their moons, and then continue on an interstellar mission.
• It is the second spacecraft to enter interstellar space.
• It also carries a golden record similar to Voyager 1.
• Firsts:
  • It is the only spacecraft to study all four of the solar system's giant planets at close range.
  • It discovered a 14th moon at Jupiter.
  • It was the first human-made object to fly past Uranus.
  • At Uranus, Voyager 2 discovered 10 new moons and two new rings.
  • It was the first human-made object to fly by Neptune.
  • At Neptune, Voyager 2 discovered five moons, four rings, and a "Great Dark Spot."

Q1: What is Interstellar space?

Interstellar space is the area between the stars, but it is far from empty. It contains vast quantities of neutrinos, charged particles, atoms, molecules, dark matter and photons ranging from the highest-energy radiation to the sluggish light of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) albeit rather sparsely spread out.

Source: "Hi, It's Me": NASA's Voyager 1 Phones Home From 15 Billion Miles Away

About TINA Factor

• TINA stands for There Is No Alternative.
• It refers to a situation where investors perceive a particular asset class or investment as the best option available given the prevailing market conditions.
• This perception arises when other investment options are deemed unattractive due to factors such as low returns, high volatility, or economic uncertainty.
• Essentially, people fearful of possible uncertainties in the future consider investing in the safest investment instrument.
• People feel that there is simply no other alternative. 
• The TINA effect can explain a price bubble. That is, prices rise to unrealistic heights due to alack of reasonable alternatives.
• TINA has historically been a response to certain economic conditions where investments typically seen as safe have become less favorable.
  • This might include bonds or real estate, which might offer lower returns due to low interest rates or an inflated real estate market.
  • In these scenarios, TINA takes hold, with investors feeling as if their options have shrunk substantially.
  • In periods when stock prices soar and bond returns languish, TINA has been used to justify investing in anything other than stocks or bonds, such as gold, cryptocurrencies, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Q1: What are non-fungible tokens (NFTs)?

NFTs are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated. They can represent digital or real-world items like artwork, photograph, song, video, real estate, individuals' identities, property rights, and more.Thus, NFTs are assets that have been tokenized via a blockchain. They are assigned unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from other tokens. The term ‘non-fungible’ simply means that each token is different as opposed to a fungible currency such as money (a ten-rupee note can be exchanged for another and so on).

Source: The TINA factor in India's neighbourhood that's driving Gold's record rally

About Crystal Maze 2

• Crystal Maze 2, also referred to as ROCKS, is an air-launched medium-range ballistic missile.
• It is of Israeli origin.
• It is designed to target high-value stationary and relocatable assets, such as long-range radars and air defense systems, of potential adversaries.
• Features:
  • Distinguished from its predecessor, Crystal Maze 1, which has been inducted into the IAF from Israel previously, the Crystal Maze 2 boasts extended stand-off range capabilities as an air-to-surface missile.
  • It is capable of hitting targets over 250 kilometers away.
  • With options for either a penetration or blast fragmentation warhead, the missile is capable of destroying above-ground or well-protected underground targets.
  • It is specifically effective in GPS-denied environments.
  • The deployment strategy of the ROCKS involves releasing the missile well outside the surface-to-air-defended area, followed by a high-velocity trajectory to minimize the risk to aircraft and missiles.

Q1: What are ballistic missiles?

Ballistic missiles are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target. Ballistic missiles can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.

Source: India successfully tests new 250 km strike range air-launched ballistic missile