Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has approved to set up India’s first Geo-Park at Lamheta village on the banks of the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh.
A Geo-Park is a unified area which aims to protect the geological heritage in a sustainable way. The site is already in the UNESCO Geo-heritage tentative list. Several dinosaur fossils had been found in the Narmada valley, in the Bhedaghat-Lameta Ghat area of Jabalpur.

Notes:
As per the latest data from National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), a total of 65,147 new leprosy cases were detected during the year 2020-21 in India.
Leprosy, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, affects the peripheral nervous system causing skin lesions, numbness, and other deformities. India accounts for over half of the world’s new leprosy patients. According to NLEP’s 2020-2021 report, 94.75% of patients in India were cured.

Notes:
A study was conducted jointly by 100 scientists across the world and it found out that the total number of tree species on Earth is 73,000.
It also highlights that 9,200 tree species have remained mysterious and undiscovered. South America has likely more undiscovered tree species than others at about 40%. As per the estimates, 43 percent of all Earth’s tree species occur in South America, followed by Eurasia (22 percent), Africa (16 percent).

Notes:
An ancient temple dating from the early centuries of Buddhism has been unearthed in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan.
The temple dates from about the middle of the second century BCE, at a time when Gandhara was ruled by the Indo-Greek kingdom. It was built above an earlier Buddhist temple that may have dated from as early as the third century BCE.

Notes:
Kerala State Government signed a MoU with the Clean Energy International Incubation Centre (CEIIC), for establishing a clean energy incubation centre.
The collaboration will handhold startups, guide research and development in the field as well as allow developers in the State to test their products in the CEIIC labs.

Notes:
As per a recent research, Ring-shaped molecules known as ‘Porphyrins’ have potential as effective catalyst.
They are the most abundant pigments in nature, noted for their ability to catalyze chemical reactions. The reactions also include those occurring in living systems such as photosynthesis and respiration. It can be used to provide Clean Energy Solutions.

Notes:
NASA has released an updated International Space Station Transition Report. It includes the goals for the next decade of station operations leading to a smooth transition to commercial services.
It also includes the steps being taken to develop both the supply and demand side of the low-Earth orbit commercial economy, and technical steps and budget required for transition.

Notes:
In 2020, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed February 4 as the International Day of Human Fraternity.
The annual event honours the religious and cultural diversity of the world. International Day of Human Fraternity seeks to showcase how diverse religions and cultures enrich our life. It was first marked on 4 February 2021, with an event organised by the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

Notes:
“Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram” has been extended over the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26) at an outlay of Rs 2,710.65 Crore.
The RYSK Scheme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. The Scheme beneficiaries are the youth in the age-group of 15-29 years. Its objective is to motivate youth to strive for excellence in their respective fields and use their energy for national building.

Notes:
Shares of Facebook owner Meta fell 26%, the biggest single-day slide in market value for a U.S. company.
This huge drop erased over USD 200 billion from Meta’s market capitalization and around USD 29 billion from Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth. This further dragged the Nasdaq Composite Index lower.