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- Recently, scientists made a noteworthy discovery of an intermediate-mass black hole situated at the center of a star cluster within our Milky Way galaxy, near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*).
- Here are key details about Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*):
- Location: Sagittarius A* is positioned at the core of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way.
- Characteristics:
- It is classified as a supermassive black hole, with an estimated mass of about 4.3 million times that of our Sun.
- While mostly quiescent, it occasionally absorbs gas and dust.
- Recently, rare photographs of the Mashco Piro, an isolated Indigenous group inhabiting the remote Peruvian Amazon, have been released.
- Here are some details about the Mashco Piro tribe:
- The Mashco Piro are believed to be the largest uncontacted tribe globally, numbering over 750 individuals.
- They are nomadic hunter-gatherers who reside in the Amazon rainforests of the Madre de Dios Region, near Peru’s borders with Brazil and Bolivia.
- Historically, they retreated deep into the jungle during the Amazon Rubber Boom of the late 1800s to avoid exploitation and violence.
- Their settlements are along the Las Piedras River in the Alto Purús National Park, where they live in huts made from palm leaves, moving to rainforest shelters during the wet season.
- The tribe speaks a dialect of the Piro language.
- Members typically wear minimal clothing, often just a yellowish-brown cloth around the waist, and sometimes arm and leg bands of the same color.
- They are of medium stature with an athletic build and have straight black hair that is shoulder-length or longer.
- The Mashco Piro primarily use traditional weapons like bows, arrows, and spears for hunting.
Peru's government strictly prohibits contact with the Mashco Piro to prevent potential disease transmission that could threaten their health due to lack of immunity
- Recently, a significant gathering of people from the Bhil tribe took place at a rally held in Rajasthan’s Mangarh Dham, where they renewed their longstanding demand for an independent ‘Bhil state’.
- Key details about the Bhil tribe include:
- Historical Significance: Bhils are among the oldest tribes in India, recognized for their rich cultural heritage.
- Etymology: The name 'Bhil' is derived from the Dravidian word 'villu' or 'billu', meaning 'bow'.
- Ethnicity: They are classified under the Dravidian racial tribes of Western India and belong to the Australoid group.
- Geographical Distribution: Bhils are predominantly divided into two groups: central Bhils and eastern or Rajput Bhils. They inhabit mountainous regions across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and also northeastern Tripura.
- Language: The Bhil community predominantly speaks Bhili, an Indo-Aryan language.
- Religious Practices: Religious practices vary among Bhil communities. Many worship local deities such as Khandoba, Kanhoba, Bahiroba, Sitalmata, and the Tiger God 'vaghdev'. They often seek guidance from hereditary sorcerers known as 'Badvas'.
- Festivals: The Baneshwar Fair is a significant festival among Bhils, celebrated during Shivratri in honor of Baneshwar Mahadev, also known as Lord Shiva.
- The recent study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has highlighted CdTe (Cadmium telluride) technology as one of the most environmentally friendly solar cell technologies in India.
- Here are key aspects of CdTe technology:
- Composition: CdTe is a compound composed of Cadmium (Cd) and Tellurium (Te). It is a black crystalline solid that is odorless.
- Properties: It is insoluble in water but dissolves in nitric acid. Over extended exposure, it oxidizes in moist air.
- Environmental Impact: CdTe technology demonstrates the lowest impacts across various environmental metrics such as carbon dioxide emissions, ozone depletion potential, effects on human health, and particulate air pollution.
- Applications: CdTe is promising for various applications including room temperature semiconductor detectors, infrared optical windows and lenses, and as a material for thin-film solar cells.
- A recent study conducted by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has confirmed the presence of two black holes at the center of the galaxy OJ 287, which is located approximately four billion light years away.
- Here are key details about TESS:
- Mission Overview: TESS is a NASA mission designed to identify planets orbiting the brightest stars visible from Earth. It aims to discover thousands of exoplanets, ranging from small rocky worlds to gas giants, thereby showcasing the diversity of planets within our galaxy.
- Achievements: Since its launch on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, TESS has identified 410 confirmed exoplanets or "new worlds" orbiting stars other than our Sun.
- Technology: TESS follows in the footsteps of NASA's Kepler space telescope, which also discovered numerous exoplanets during its decade-long mission starting in 2009.
- Researchers from the Shadpada Entomology Research Lab (SERL) at Christ College, Irinjalakuda, have recently documented the discovery of two species of flower flies in Kerala for the first time.
- Here are the details of their findings:
- Species: The identified species are Mesembrius bengalensis and M. quadrivittatus, found in the Kole wetlands and Vilagan Kunnu hillocks of Thrissur district.
- Classification: Flower flies, belonging to the family Syrphidae within the order Diptera, are commonly known for their resemblance to bees and wasps.
- Ecological Role: These flies play a crucial role as pollinators, frequently visiting flowers much like bees and wasps. Their larvae are beneficial as biological control agents and help recycle nutrients in ecosystems.