UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 15-06-2026

One Liners 15-06-2026

Polity & Governance

National Defence Academy (NDA)

Recently, the 1^st batch of women cadets trained at NDA commissioned into Defence Forces.

• It is the world’s 1^st tri-service academy, where Army, Navy, and Air Force train together.

• Located in – Khadakwasla, Pune.

• Established – December 1954.

• Role – Training institution of the Indian Armed Forces.

• Training duration – 3-year academic and military training program

Drone-Based Mail Transmission Service

Recently Drone-Based Mail Transmission Service is rolled out in India for the first time in Himachal Pradesh.

• Launched in – Himachal Pradesh, by Department of Posts.

• Nodal ministry – Ministry of Communications.

• Advantages –

  • Reduced Transit Times,

  • Accessibility & Reliability,

  • Real-time tracking,

  • Environmental sustainability.

Environment

Chocolate-chip Sea Star

Recently, a remarkable structure in the chocolate-chip sea star has come to light.

• Scientific name – Protoreaster Nodosus

• Habitat - Warm, shallow waters of the Indo‑Pacific region.

• Appearance

  • Base color – Tan, orange, or creamy white.

  • Distinctive black, dark brown, or red spikes resembling chocolate chips.

  • Physical Structure – Skeleton made of small calcareous plates, providing flexibility.

• Unique Adaptation - Skeletal structure acts like optic fibers, concentrating and transmitting light into their arms.

Paraquat (Paraquat Dichloride)

Recently Telangana government banned paraquat herbicide.

• It is among the most widely used herbicides globally.

• Nature & Characteristics

  • High human toxicity – It Causes severe illness and can lead to death.

  • Strong evidence – Linked to high morbidity and mortality rates.

  • Public health risk – Many countries advocate strict regulation or complete prohibition.

  • Non‑selective behaviour – Destroys any green plant vegetation it touches.

• Mode of Action

  • Cell destruction – Breaks down plant cell structures.

  • Photosynthesis inhibition – Prevents plants from producing energy.

  • Oxidative stress – Triggers severe stress reactions on plant tissues upon contact.

Security

INS Tarkash

INS Tarkash arrived at Port Victoria, Seychelles as part of its ongoing South West Indian Ocean operational deployment.

• Class & Origin – Second ship of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates (Teg class).

• Work with – Indian Navy

• Constructed at – Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.

• Motto – "Vanguard to Victory”

• Past missions – Operation Rahat (2015), Operation Samudra Setu II (2021).

Science

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

Recently, Union Minister announced that the anomaly detected in the PSLV mission has been identified and resolved following expert review.

• Operated by –Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

• Nickname – "The Workhorse of ISRO,"

• Best known – Deploying payloads into Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits (SSPO) and Low Earth Orbits (LEO).

Nanographene

Recently, scientists have found a new way to build highly porous materials using nanographene.

• It refers to tiny, custom-tailored fragments of graphene with lateral dimensions under 100 nanometres.

• Function as – Molecular link between bulk carbon materials and standalone organic molecules.

• Characteristics – Unique electronic, magnetic and their optical behaviours entirely determined by their exact size, shape, and edge structures.

• Applications

  • Quantum Technologies

  • Biomedical Engineering

  • Advanced Protective Coatings

  • Energy Storage – To manufacture high-conductivity additives.

Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO)

Recently, the JUNO collaboration in China has published its first results.

• It is the world's largest neutrino detector, activated underground.

• Located at – Guangdong Province, China.

• Specification – Built 700 meters underground to block interfering cosmic rays (like muons).

• Objective – To determine the neutrino mass ordering (NMO)—identifying neutrinos of the lightest and heaviest.

• Recent observation – Neutrinos from nuclear reactors change their flavour, or type, as they travel.

ANCHOR

Recently, IIT Madras Brain Centre released the 3D atlas of human brainstem.

• ANCHOR – Atlas of Neurochemical Characterization of the human brainstem with 3D Reconstruction.

• It is the world's most detailed 3D neurochemical atlas of the human brainstem at cell resolution.

• Developed by – Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC) at IIT Madras.

• Advantages

  •  To zoom in nearly 1,000 times closer than a standard MRI.

  • It evaluates cells at a precise micron level.

Index