Current Affairs – 9 May 2024
AlphaFold3
Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its “AlphaFold” artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively.
- Developed by Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs
- Predicts structure and interactions of molecules with high accuracy
- Maps behavior of all life’s molecules, including human DNA
- Generates joint 3D structures of molecules
- Models large biomolecules (proteins, DNA, RNA) and small molecules (ligands)
- Can model chemical modifications controlling cellular functioning
- Assembles predictions using diffusion network
- Significance:
- Provides insight into cellular systems complexity
- Reveals connections between molecules
- Helps understand biological functions (drug actions, hormone production, DNA repair
Indian Ocean Dipole
Recently, two Australian weather agencies have said that Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) or Indian Nino in the Indian Ocean, may re-emerge for the second consecutive year in the latter half of 2024.
About Indian Ocean Dipole:
- It is sometime referred to as the Indian Nino, is a similar phenomenon, playing out in the relatively smaller area of the Indian Ocean between the Indonesian and Malaysian coastline in the east and the African coastline near Somalia in the west.
- A ‘positive IOD’ — or simply ‘IOD’ — is associated with cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures (SST) in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and warmer than normal sea-surface temperatures in the western tropical Indian Ocean.
- The opposite phenomenon is called a ‘negative IOD’, and is characterised by warmer than normal SSTs in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and cooler than normal SSTs in the western tropical Indian Ocean.
- A positive IOD event is often seen developing at times of an El Nino, while a negative IOD is sometimes associated with La Nina.
- Impacts
- A positive IOD helps rainfall along the African coastline and also over the Indian sub-continent while suppressing rainfall over Indonesia, southeast Asia and Australia. The impacts are opposite during a negative IOD event.
- The IOD was identified as an independent system only in 1999.
Neural Processing Unit (NPU)
Recently, Apple company debuted the M4 chip with the iPad Pro and the most prominent change in this chip is the 16-core Neural Engine, which is Apple’s term for Neural Processing Unit (NPU).
- Dedicated processor for accelerating neural network processes
- Handles machine learning operations for AI-related tasks
- Integrated within main processor in consumer gadgets (smartphones, laptops, tablets)
- Utilizes parallel computing for simultaneous execution of calculations
- Contrasts with CPU’s sequential computing method
- Learns from accumulated data to deduce optimal solution
Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Project
Amid growing concerns over rivals deploying advanced weapons like hypersonic missiles, Japan is investing in the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Project under joint development with the US.
- Joint development by US and Japan
- Aim for full operational capability by end of 2032
- Focuses on intercepting hypersonic weapons during glide phase
- Hypersonic weapons separate from booster and enter glide phase
- Travel at five times (or more) the speed of sound on unpredictable trajectories
- Pose challenge to traditional missile defense systems due to speed and low altitude
- GPI Project aims to provide regional hypersonic missile defense
- Involves launching modified missiles from surface warships
- Goal is to engage and destroy incoming hypersonic missiles during glide phase
- Intercepting during glide phase provides best opportunity for interception
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting
The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environment Protection (CEP) will be held in Kochi from May 20-30.
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM):
- Convened annually under the Antarctic Treaty System
- Addresses environmental, scientific, and governance issues in Antarctica
- Provides forum for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and stakeholders
Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP):
- Established under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) in 1991
- Advises ATCM on environmental protection and conservation in Antarctica
Antarctic Treaty:
- Signed in 1959, entered into force in 1961
- Establishes Antarctica for peaceful purposes, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection
- Currently has 56 countries as parties
- Provisions include peaceful use of Antarctica, freedom of scientific investigation, and exchange of scientific observations
India and the Antarctic Treaty:
- India has been a Consultative Party since 1983
- Participates in decision-making process with 28 other Consultative Parties
- Operates two year-round research stations: Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012)
- Conducts Indian Scientific Expeditions annually since 1981
- Enacted the Antarctic Act in 2022 to reaffirm commitment to the treaty
Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS):
- Established in 2004
- Administers Antarctic Treaty System
- Coordinates ATCM and CEP meetings
- Reposits and disseminates information
- Facilitates diplomatic communication and negotiations related to Antarctic governance and management
World Migration Report 2024
As per UN report India sets record with over USD 111 bn in remittances in 2022
- Released by– International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN related organization.
- Publication- Biennial (every 2 years), since 2000.
- Record remittance- In 2022, India become the 1st country to have surpassed USD 111 billion in remittances.
- Leading recipient– India was the leading recipient of remittances in 2010, 2015, and 2020, with figures steadily climbing to reach the unprecedented USD 111.22 billion mark in 2022.
- Top recipient countries– The leading countries in receiving remittances in 2023 are India, Mexico, China, Philippines and France.
These diasporas are dispersed across countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Saudi Arabia
- Southern Asia’s inflow– Countries likeIndia, Pakistan and Bangladeshhave seen a significant remittance inflows, highlighting the importance of labour migration from the region.
- Gulf states– Countries like UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar have a high percentage of migrant workers compared to their national populations, with the 2022 football World Cup highlighting the reliance on migrant labour in these regions.
- India- It is the origin of the largest number of international migrants with a diaspora of approximately 18 million individuals and ranks 13th in the destination country.
- Work nature- The migrants from countries such as India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya mostly work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, security, domestic work and retail.
- International migration corridor- India features prominently in international migration corridors, with significant migration flows observed between India and the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh.
- Impact of pandemic- The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted internal labour migration in India, leading to a substantial shift in workforce dynamics.
- Reverse migration-The lockdowns and restrictions imposed to control the spread of the virus caused a ‘crisis of mobility’.
- Decline in workforce- There has been a decline of almost 10% in blue-collar workforce mobility towards cities, which has drastically cut the labour supply for major industries.
- Challenges- Despite the financial benefits, migrants from these countries face risks such as exploitation, debt, xenophobia and workplace abuses.
Setu Unveils Sesame, India’s First BFSI-Focused Large Language Model
)
- Setu, part of Pine Labs Group, unveils Sesame, India’s first Large Language Model (LLM) for BFSI sector
- Developed in collaboration with Sarvam AI, indigenous AI research firm
- Unveiled at Adbhut India event, attended by prominent figures including Nandan Nilekani
- Hailed as a “ChatGPT moment” for BFSI sector, potential to revolutionize financial services
- Sesame leverages India’s digital infrastructure for features like credit underwriting, fraud detection, and personal finance advisory
- Combines domain-specific LLM with delivery models, tailored to India’s BFSI sector
- Ability to harness vast amounts of financial data in a compliant manner for smarter credit decisions and hyper-personalized services
- Sarvam founded in 2023 by Vivek Raghavan and Pratyush Kumar, received funding from Lightspeed
- Setu, founded in 2018, offers API infrastructure services and operates as an account aggregator licensed by the Reserve Bank of India
- Sesame aims to empower BFSI customers for smarter credit decisions and hyper-personalized financial services
Yuzvendra Chahal Creates History to Become First Indian Bowler to 350 T20 Wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal, the wily leg-spinner from Rajasthan Royals, continues to etch his name in the annals of T20 cricket history.
- Yuzvendra Chahal, the wily leg-spinner from Rajasthan Royals, continues to etch his name in the annals of T20 cricket history. In the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chahal achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first Indian bowler to take 350 wickets in the shortest format of the game.
Within the all-time list for the highest wicket-takers for the shortest format
| NO | PLAYER NAME | WICKETS |
| 1 | DJ Bravo | 625 |
| 2 | Rashid Khan | 572 |
| 3 | Sunil Narine | 549 |
| 4 | Imran Tahir | 502 |
| 5 | Shakib Al Hasan | 482 |
| 6 | Andre Russell | 443 |
| 7 | Wahab Riaz | 413 |
| 8 | Lasith Malinga | 390 |
| 9 | Sohail Tanvir | 389 |
| 10 | Chris Jordan | 368 |
| 11 | Yuzvendra Chahal | 350 |
Among spinners, he is also the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game
| PLAYER NAME | WICKETS |
| Rashid Khan | 572 |
| Sunil Narine | 549 |
| Imran Tahir | 502 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 482 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 350 |