Binturong and Small-clawed otter

Two mammal species, the binturong and small-clawed otter, were newly found in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Binturong

• Scientific name – Arctictis binturong
• Native to – South and Southeast Asia.
• Other name – Bearcat (meaning young in Assamese).
• Characteristics – It is not easily found due tis nocturnal (active at night) and arboreal (living in trees) habits.
• They live in elevated areas and prefer dense forests with a lot of canopy cover.
• Distribution – In India it is known to have a distribution exclusive to the Northeast.
• Conservation Status –
  1. Wildlife Protection Act 1972 – Schedule I
  2. IUCN Status – Vulnerable

Small-clawed otter

• Scientific name – Aonyx cinereus
• Other name – Asian small-clawed otter.
• Characteristics – Small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species in the world.
• Small-clawed otters have partially webbed feet with short claws, which make them skilled hunters in aquatic environments.
• Small-clawed otters are highly social animals, living in family groups and communicating through a variety of vocalizations.
• The claw of the smooth coated otter is like that of a dog but the claws of small-clawed otter is like a human finger.
• Types – Three different otter species are found in India, namely – Smooth-coated otters, Eurasian otters and small-clawed otter species.
• With the identification of the small-clawed otters, all three species are now present in the Kaziranga national park.
• Distribution – It has wide distribution range, extending through India in South Asia to eastwards in Southeast Asia and Southern China.
• In India – It is found mostly in the protected areas of West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and some parts of Kerala in the Western Ghats region.
• It was previously reported from western Himalayas and parts of Odisha, however no recent records of its presence has been found in these regions. 
• Found in – They are primarily found in freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, and wetlands.
• Diet – They feed on fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.
• Prefer – In Western Ghats of India, it prefers high-elevation areas with streams and pools.
• It also prefers narrow fast flowing rocky streams with densely vegetated banks to provide secure escape cover.
• Conservation Status –
  1. Wildlife Protection Act 1972 – Schedule I
  2. IUCN Status – Vulnerable

• This identification of the elusive binturong and the small-clawed otter, increases the number of mammal species in Northeast India’s biggest national park to 37.

Right Whales

• Name – The species’ name originates from the fact that historically whalers considered right whales the right whale to hunt.
• Characteristics – These whales yielded high quantities of oil and baleen, and were easy to catch and process because they were found close to shore, swam slowly, and floated when they were dead.
• Types – There are three recognized species of right whales that occur in different parts of the world.
• These are Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) and North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica).
• The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world's most endangered large whale species.
• North Atlantic right whales are legally protected, both internationally and in U.S. waters.
• The North Pacific right whale is found in the North Pacific Ocean, and the Southern right whale is found in the southern hemisphere.
• Differ – While they differ genetically, and in conservation status, they do not differ significantly in their external appearance.
• IUCN Status –
  1. Southern right whales – Least Concern.
  2. North Atlantic right whales – Critically Endangered.
  3. North Pacific right whales – Endangered.

Aurangzeb

Shiv Sena leader equated Prime Minister with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, saying that both were born in Gujarat.

• Born – Aurangzeb was born in Dohad (or Dahod) in present-day Gujarat on November 3, 1618.
• Parents – He was prince Khurram’s (not yet Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal) sixth child, and third son, after Darah Shukoh and Shah Shuja.
• Early Life – At the time, Khurram had been made the governor of the Gujarat province, appointed to the post by his father, Emperor Jahangir in 1618.
• Aurangzeb would, thus, spend his early years in Gujarat until his father decided to (unsuccessfully) rebel against the Emperor in 1622.
• Khurram had to submit to his father his young sons, Dara and Aurangzib, as hostages.
• Character – Aurangzeb grew up as a serious-minded and wedded to the Muslim orthodoxy of the day and free from the royal Mughal traits of sensuality and drunkenness. 
• Positions – He commanded troops against the Uzbeks and the Persians with distinction and, as viceroy of the Deccan provinces in two terms, reduced the two Muslim Deccan kingdoms to near-subjection.
• Emperor of India – Aurangzeb ruled India between 1658 to 1707.
• In the struggle for power (1657–59), Aurangzeb defeated Dara and confined his father in his own palace at Agra.
• Aurangzeb’s reign is often characterised by his strict Islamic policies, including the imposition of the Jizya (tax on non-Muslims) and the destruction of Hindu temples.
• First Mughal ruler to impose Jizya was Qutubuddin Aibak.
• In 1675 Aurangzeb arrested and executed the Sikh Guru (spiritual leader) Tegh Bahadur, who had refused to embrace Islam.
• The succeeding Guru, Gobind Singh, was in open rebellion for the rest of Aurangzeb’s reign.
• Architecture built – Moti Masjid, Badshahi Mosque, and Bibi Ka Maqbara.
• Jama Masjid was built by Shah Jahan.
• Death – Aurangzeb died as the emperor of India on March 3, 1707.

Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality vs Mixed Reality

• Spatial computing – It allows to use computer graphics, images and other functions in the backdrop of a physical space instead of a computer screen.
• It enables computers to blend in with the physical world in a natural way.
• Virtual Reality (VR) – It is a simulated 3D experience projected by a device into the user’s sight.
• These immersive simulations can create almost any visual or place imaginable for the player using special equipment such as computers, sensors, headsets, and gloves.
• The users need to wear devices such as headgears or goggles to interact with the environment.
• 360 VR – This technology is an interactive and immersive VR that allows the user to be in the middle of a virtually created scene.
• Augmented Reality (AR) – This technology is used to add digital images on top of real-world scenarios.
• The Snapchat filters and Pokemon Go are a great example of augmented reality.
• It is the overlay of digital content on the real-world environment.
• It uses different tools to make the real and existing environment better and provides an improved version of reality.
• Mixed Reality (MR) – It is a mix of virtual reality and augmented reality in which one can interact with the digital as well as the real world simultaneously.
• It integrates digital objects and real-world in such a way that it makes it look like the objects really belong there.

The Global E-waste Monitor 2024

According to the Global E-waste Monitor (GEM), the world’s generation of electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling.

• It provides the most up-to-date overview of global e-waste data, statistics, and progress in policy and regulation since 2014.
• Prepared by - Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP) with the support from Fondation Carmignac, a corporate foundation.
• E-waste production - A record 62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2022, 82% up from 2010.
• It will rise another 32% to 82 million tonnes in 2030.
• Just 1% of rare earth element demand is met by e-waste recycling.
• Recycled waste - Less than one quarter (22.3%) of the year’s e-waste mass was documented as having been properly collected and recycled in 2022.
• Among regions, Europe has the highest rate of documented formal collection and recycling of e-waste at 42.8% while Africa generates the lowest rates of e-waste but struggles to recycle it.
• Per-capita e-waste - Europe (17.6 kg), Oceania (16.1 kg) and the Americas (14.1 kg) generated the highest amount of e-waste per capita in 2022.