- STUDY REPORTS LIPIDS ALSO GUIDE EVOLUTION NOT JUST DNA PROTEINS
SUBJECT: SCIENCE
- A new study suggests that lipids, not just DNA and proteins, play a significant role in evolution and cell function.
- Lipids can form30% of cell dry weight, yet are often reduced to passive “shells” in textbook biology.
- The study focused on the Respiratory Complex I (RCI), showing how lipid protein co-evolution is essential for mitochondrial function.
- Lipids not only support protein assembly but also influence structural flexibility,enzyme efficiency, and adaptation to stress like drought and heat.
- The findings may reshape our understanding of cell biology, and have pharmaceutical implications, especially in cholesterol regulation and mitochondrial disorders.
- Conventional science emphasized DNA (genetic code)and proteins (functional molecules)in evolution.
- Lipids were seen as inert barriers or packaging material in cell membranes.
- However, evidence now suggests lipids interact dynamically with proteins and influence evolution.
2. EXPERTS SEEK RIGHT TO COOL FOR INFORMAL SECTOR WORKERS
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- Heatwaves in India are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.
- Experts propose recognizing“right to cool”as a legal and constitutional right under Article 21, focusing on thermal comfort and heat protection for vulnerable workers.
- Right to life under Article 21includesdignified living conditions, which must now account for climate resilience.
- Women in the informal economy face compounded burdens during heatwaves—childcare, water scarcity, sanitation, and safety.
- Over80% of India’s workforce is informal, including street vendors, construction workers, and ragpickers, many of whom lack access to cooling infrastructure.
- A 2024Greenpeace report found 61% of street vendors lost more than 40% of daily income due to heat, and75% had no access to shaded or cooled spaces.
- The India Cooling Action Plan (2019)recognized cooling as a developmental need but lacked rights-based or enforceable frameworks.
- Urgent measures proposed include paid heat leave,free water ATMs,cooling shelters, and shaded rest areas, especially for women workers.
3. AIR POLLUTION IN INDIA – WHERE DOES IT COME FROM
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENT
- India reported1.05 million premature deaths in 2021due to air pollution, highlighting a severe public health crisis.
- Energy production is the largest contributor to sulphur dioxide (SO₂)emissions (7.59 million tonnes).
- Transport is the leading source of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ)and a major contributor to black carbon and methane.
- Agriculture is the largest emitter of methane (19.35 million t), primarily from livestock and rice paddies.
- Buildings and domestic fuel burning contribute significantly to non methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs)and black carbon
4. SERIOUS FRAUD INVESTIGATION OFFICE
SUBJECT: STATES
- The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)has named Veena Vijayan, daughter of Kerala CM, as an accused in a₹2.78 crore corporate fraud.
- She allegedly colluded with Cochin Minerals & Rutile Ltd. (CMRL)and misrepresented payments as IT consultancy fees.
- Her now-defunct firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd., reportedly a one person company, had no active business or IT product.
- Monthly payments from CMRL (₹5 lakh retainer + ₹3 lakh via Exalogic) were made with little or no real IT services delivered.
- The case stems from transactions between 2017–18 and 2018–19 and includes bank transfers allegedly lacking commercial justification.
- The Kerala High Court has stayed proceedings in the case for two months on a petition filed by CMRL
5. INDIA MUST BE FIRM IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE U.S ON TRADE AND TARIFFS
SUBJECT: BILATERAL
- U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance’s visit to India was overshadowed by the Pahalgam terror attack, but hissolidarity message was welcomed.
- His visit offered an opportunity to review the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)and discuss defence, energy, and immigration issues.
- Mr. Vance emphasised India as a key partner in co-producing defence equipment, and welcomed nuclear cooperation.
- India’s concerns over tariffs on agri exports,student visa revocations, and market access barriers remain unresolved.
- The visit reflected more of a“listening mode”rather than concrete policy outcomes, underlining the need for clear strategic demands from India.
