Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Megalithic era sarcophagus unearthed at Viyur

News

• A rare sarcophagus (stone coffin), said to be 2,000-year old from the Iron Age–Megalithic era, was discovered from a rock-cut cave at Viyur village of Kollam, near Koyilandy, in Kozhikode district in Kerala.

Beyond News

• The coffin containing bone fragments was found during an excavation. So far, such a rare finding has been discovered only from two sites in Kerala.
• The bone fragments could be of either a man or a woman. They will be sent for carbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry at the Beta Analytical Laboratory in California.
• Excavation at the site commenced after a hemispherical rock-cut chamber was discovered in a compound while flattening land using an earthmover.
• Different types of pottery, mostly four-legged jars and iron implements, were found in the cave.
• Sarcophagi was found in many archaeological sites in South India earlier. Some are adorned with a sculpture or inscription. But two types are usually found with bovine features or with legs.
• It can be confirmed that a rich Megalithic culture existed in the region following the discoveries of pre-Iron age civilisation earlier.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

SC condemns conduct of caste panchayats

News

• Supreme Court said that,any collective attack by a khap panchayat on an adult for choosing to marry the person of their choice is absolutely illegal and condemned.

Beyond News

• Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, heading a three-judge Bench, observed that an adult man and woman are free to marry. No society, no khap panchayat, no parent can impose their will on them.
• The apex court said it would not tolerate any manner of collective and regressive conduct by khap panchayat or such group of persons.
• The Centre said it supports the dignity of women and agreed with the court that the judiciary should fill the legislative vacuum left by a lack of law against honour killing.
• Amicus curiae and senior advocate referred to a recommendation by the Law Commission for a special penal law recognising honour killing as a crime.

460 Indians deported by the U.S in 2017

News

• Tougher implementation of immigration laws in the U.S in the first year of Donald Trump presidency has resulted in 30 percent increase in arrests, compared to the previous year, but deportations have come down.

Beyond News

• While the overall number of undocumented people deported from the U.S in 2017 decreased from 2016, the number of Indians increased 460 were deported last year compared to 353 in 2016.
• In 2015, 311 undocumented Indians were deported from the U.S, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• A report released by the administration linked its case for changing the immigration policy to national security and the ability of the immigrants to assimilate.
• An official speaking on background said that, 402 of the 549 people convicted of international terrorism-related charges in U.S. since September 11, 2001 were foreign-born.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

‘Water scarcity may hit thermal power’

News

• India’s thermal power plants, about 90% of which rely on fresh water for cooling, risk facing serious outages because of shortage of water, according to a new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Findings in the Report

• About 40% of the country’s thermal power plants are facing great stress in terms of water availability, according to the report, defines water stress as the ratio of total water withdrawal over available supply.
• Between 2013 and 2016, 14 of India’s 20 largest thermal utility companies experienced one or more shutdowns due to water shortages and calculated that this cost the power producers more than ₹91 billion ($1.4 billion) in potential revenue from the sale of power.
• According to the report, not only does high water stress result in equipment shutting down, it also results in a lower level of efficiency when it is running.
• When power plants rely on water sourced from scarce regions, they put electricity generation at risk and leave less water for cities, farms and families. Without urgent action, water will become a choke point for India’s power sector.
• WRI said that,freshwater-cooled thermal power plants that are located in high water-stress areas have a 21% lower average capacity factor, compared to the ones in low and medium water-stress areas.
• The WRI’s report predicts that this problem is set to worsen as India’s thermal power sector expands and demand for water from other sectors increases.
• It says that by 2030, 70% of India’s thermal power plants are likely to experience increased competition for water from agriculture, industry and municipalities.

Chinese ‘rainbow dinosaur’ had iridescent feathers like hummingbirds

News

• Scientists announced the discovery of a crow-sized, bird-like dinosaur with colorful feathers from northeastern China that lived 161 million years ago during the Jurassic Period.

Beyond News

• They named it Caihong, the Mandarin word for rainbow.
• Microscopic structures in the exquisitely preserved, nearly complete fossil unearthed in Hebei Province indicated that it boasted iridescent feathers, particularly on its head, neck and chest, with colors that shimmered and shifted in the light, like those of hummingbirds.
• The discovery “suggests a more colorful Jurassic World than we previously imagined.

Features of Caihong

• Using powerful microscopes, the scientists detected within the feathers the remnants of organelles called melanosomes responsible for pigmentation. Their shape determines the color.
• Caihong’s feathers had pancake-shaped melanosomes similar to those of hummingbirds with iridescent feathers.
• Much of its body had dark feathers, but ribbon-like iridescent feathers covered its head and neck. While it possessed many bird-like characteristics, the researchers doubted it could actually get airborne.
• Caihong was a two-legged predator with a Velociraptor-like skull and sharp teeth, probably hunting small mammals and lizards. Caihong had fuzzy feathers and pennaceous ones, those that look like writing quills.

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