Parvovirus

Tilapia parvovirus (TiPV) was reported recently for the first time in India at ponds in Walajah in Ranipet district of Tamil Nadu.

• Parvovirus is any virus that belongs to the family Parvoviridae.
• The parvovirus genome consists of a single-stranded DNA molecule.
• Parvovirus cause infections such as Feline parvovirus and Tilapia parvovirus (TiPV).
• Feline panleukopenia (FP) or Feline parvovirus – Is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cats, particularly kittens, is on the rise in the Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Kittens are most severely affected by the virus.
• The viruses do not infect people.
• The feline parvovirus infects and kills cells that are rapidly growing and dividing, such as those in the bone marrow, intestines and the developing foetus.
• Tilapia parvovirus (TiPV) – Affects the farm-bred tilapia, a freshwater fish species.
• It was reported for the first time in India at ponds in Walajah in Ranipet district of Tamil Nadu.
• The TiPV was first reported in China in 2019 and Thailand in 2021. India is the third country to report the occurrence of TiPV.

Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA)

SBSTTA recently conducted a meeting in Nairobi to gauge progress on Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

• Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) is an open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory body established by the article 25 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• It provides the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its other subsidiary bodies, with timely advice relating to the implementation of the Convention.
• It is a subsidiary body of the COP that report regularly to the COP on all aspects of its work.
• SBSTTA comprises government representatives competent in the relevant field of expertise.
• It functions includes:
  • Providing assessments of the status of biological diversity,
  • Providing assessments of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and
  • Responding to questions that the COP may put to the body.
• The 25th meeting of SBSTTA was held at Nairobi, Kenya.

Pollinator

Recent study conducted by researchers from the University College London and the Natural History Museum has found that the altered climate and change in land-use have reduced the number of insect pollinators in key tropical crops.

• Anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma) is a pollinator.
• The movement of pollen must occur for the plant to become fertilized and produce fruits, seeds and young plants.
• Pollinators help about 80% of the world's flowering plants to reproduce.
• Some plants are self-pollinating, while others may be fertilized by pollen carried by wind or water.
• Some of the important pollinator includes houseflies, mosquitoes, butterflies, moths, honeybees and bats.
• Some pollinators, including many bee species, intentionally collect pollen. Others, such as many butterflies, birds and bats move pollen accidentally.
• A recent study has found that the number of insects that pollinate tropical plants declined by 61%.
• The main factors for declining pollinators include:
  • Destruction of habitat,
  • Improper land-use such as grazing and
  • Fertilisers and crop monoculture of farming, along with high use of pesticide.
• The highest risk to crop production from pollinator losses will be in the tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Southeast Asia, the researchers projected.
• According to the report in terms of total production potentially at risk, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines emerged as being most at risk.
• 3/4th of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 % of the world’s food crops depended on animal pollinators to reproduce.

Quick response (QR) codes

Recently the Cybersecurity experts have found hackers using Quick response (QR) codes for phishing activities.

• A quick response (QR) code is a type of barcode that can be read easily by a digital device and which stores information as a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid.
• QR codes are frequently used to track information about products in a supply chain and often used in marketing and advertising campaigns.
• It was invented by Masahiro Hara, a Japanese engineer in 1994.
• An enhancement on traditional barcodes, QR codes can store vastly more information and are used in a variety of applications from supply chain management to cryptocurrency wallet addresses.
• QR codes have become more widespread in facilitating digital payments and in cryptocurrency.
• The Trellix Advanced Research Centre recently noticed an attack campaign with an acute spike of phishing emails that uses QR codes.
• Phishing is an attempt by cybercriminals posing as legitimate institutions, usually via email, to obtain sensitive information from targeted individuals.

Amur falcon

The Amur falcons are expected to arrive in the in many parts of north east India from the second week of October.

• Amur falcon is a small but long distant migrant bird of prey that breeds in Eastern Russia and China.
• It is the small raptor of the falcon family.
• They are locally known as ‘Akhuipuina’ in the north east region.
• It annually flies around 22,000km all the way across Asia, over the Indian Ocean to wintering grounds in Southern Africa.
• Amur falcon is the world’s longest travelling raptors.
• It is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
• Hunting of the birds or possessing its meat is punishable with imprisonment up to three years or a fine up to Rs 5,000.